2024 tyres - recommendations

[black-k1]

ccr32 said:

Birky_41 said:

So many variables to this poster and that reply might work for you but wouldnt work for me. Those road 6s move LOADS on summer/fast road riding

You could counter that by saying 'shouldnt ride on the road like that' but thats where riders I guess have different opinions

I do completely agree the Road 6 are an excellent all round tyre, 10/10 for cold and wet riding and still capable of fairly fast dry summer but they aint an S22 and certainly not supercorsa/k3 type grip of which some people want

Apologies for what might be a dumb follow-up question, Birky, but when you say "move around loads", do you just mean when you're really pushing on? Or as a result of temperature in the summer?

If just when pushing on, how would the aforementioned Supercorsas/K3s compare in that respect? I get the impression from your comments that the Road 6's would feel a bit squirmy under hard acceleration, braking or cornering, letting you know that you're annoying them, but does that by comparison mean that the SCs/K3s would just go grip > grip > grip > grip > death ?

Thanks again for everyone's input.

I've had no issues pushing any of the Road tyres hard, and that's on heavy, big torque, sports tourers.

The RoadTec 01SEs have happily handled my H2 SX ridden with enthusiasm up and down a decent number of mountain passes and on a number of different fast roads.



265kg (not including ... er ... chunky rider and luggage for 9 days) and almost 220bhp on an Alps/Dolomites pass are about as stiff a test as any road tyre is likely to see!

[Birky_41]

black-k1 said:

I've had no issues pushing any of the Road tyres hard, and that's on heavy, big torque, sports tourers.

The RoadTec 01SEs have happily handled my H2 SX ridden with enthusiasm up and down a decent number of mountain passes and on a number of different fast roads.



265kg (not including ... er ... chunky rider and luggage for 9 days) and almost 220bhp on an Alps/Dolomites pass are about as stiff a test as any road tyre is likely to see!

Great lean angles and no questioning this tyre, your riding ability or pretty much any modern tyre brand out there that can run a 55 degree lean angle

But do that lean angle and wind on the throttle as you start coming out the corner vs something more sporty and report back again. Thats where you REALLY see it. Otherwise we'd all just be running Pirelli Angel GT's or 01SEs for everything

Think you make a good point though with tyres and what bikes they work well on. Ride a big H2 smooth with these and they are very capable tyres

[Birky_41]

ccr32 said:

Apologies for what might be a dumb follow-up question, Birky, but when you say "move around loads", do you just mean when you're really pushing on? Or as a result of temperature in the summer?

If just when pushing on, how would the aforementioned Supercorsas/K3s compare in that respect? I get the impression from your comments that the Road 6's would feel a bit squirmy under hard acceleration, braking or cornering, letting you know that you're annoying them, but does that by comparison mean that the SCs/K3s would just go grip > grip > grip > grip > death ?

Thanks again for everyone's input.

I mean pushing on. Anyone who has ridden with example supercorsa over 10-12 degrees with tyres warm on dry roads will know that nice feedback you get. Like a planted sticky feel. Ride with the same tyre on a cold <8 degrees day or winter when roads are damp/salty and they feel hard with zero feel. Tyres like black-k1 said about would be 10x better

Your second part is in my opinion spot on. SC/K3/RS11 etc grip more and give you more feedback and piss take so to speak. For me at least when I have ran a more touring based tyre and cracked on (I ride a 1100cc naked bike) they squirm and move about underneath then just let go. Modern electronics help. I think its the high silica in these type of tyres. Example here Nurburgring fast road speed (not track day pace) I tucked the front https://youtu.be/IeIaQQpyV_U?si=iP9d8lG_nEDO778M&a... with M7RR's. I dont want to portrait myself as an idiot road rider but its like riding with GPFAX pads on road and wondering why they are ste or running OEM pads on a fast track day and asking why they are cooking/fading and wearing prematurely

[black-k1]

Birky_41 said:

black-k1 said:

I've had no issues pushing any of the Road tyres hard, and that's on heavy, big torque, sports tourers.

The RoadTec 01SEs have happily handled my H2 SX ridden with enthusiasm up and down a decent number of mountain passes and on a number of different fast roads.



265kg (not including ... er ... chunky rider and luggage for 9 days) and almost 220bhp on an Alps/Dolomites pass are about as stiff a test as any road tyre is likely to see!

Great lean angles and no questioning this tyre, your riding ability or pretty much any modern tyre brand out there that can run a 55 degree lean angle

But do that lean angle and wind on the throttle as you start coming out the corner vs something more sporty and report back again. Thats where you REALLY see it. Otherwise we'd all just be running Pirelli Angel GT's or 01SEs for everything

Think you make a good point though with tyres and what bikes they work well on. Ride a big H2 smooth with these and they are very capable tyres

I think the key part of the OPs post was:

ccr32 said:

... providing it also has that magic mix of grip and longevity.

...

We each have our own preferences for tyres, some of which is based on actual experience/fact and some of it based on perception. Where that that magic mix is "just right" for each of us is different.

Your point about sports tyres at the absolute extreme is undoubtedly right, but the questions I'd suggest each of us needs to ask ourselves are:

1. Do I ride on the road at a speed where I'm even going to notice the difference between a sports tyre and a sports touring tyre?
2. Am I happy to sacrifice the wear rate for that advantage assuming I do actually ride at a rate where I'm going to notice it? (Approx numbers but a sports tyre will only last about 50% of the distance a sports touring tyre will.)
3. Am I willing to sacrifice the better poor/wet conditions performance and warm up of the sports touring tyre over the sports tyre to gain the those improvements at the absolute extreme of riding in the dry?

I suggest that the vast majority of riders will rarely, if ever, get to the extreme where they can tell the difference. I know I can't and I disliked the S22's (I think that's what they were) that my H2 SX came with, yet many people buy sports tyres over sports touring because of a perceived improvement.

Everyone should buy the tyre they want for whatever reasons are important to them, but if anyone is trying to understand the differences then no road-riding sports bike owner should be scared of trying a sports touring tyre because it'll likely handle anything/everything asked of it.

[Birky_41]

black-k1 said:

Birky_41 said:

black-k1 said:

I've had no issues pushing any of the Road tyres hard, and that's on heavy, big torque, sports tourers.

The RoadTec 01SEs have happily handled my H2 SX ridden with enthusiasm up and down a decent number of mountain passes and on a number of different fast roads.



265kg (not including ... er ... chunky rider and luggage for 9 days) and almost 220bhp on an Alps/Dolomites pass are about as stiff a test as any road tyre is likely to see!

Great lean angles and no questioning this tyre, your riding ability or pretty much any modern tyre brand out there that can run a 55 degree lean angle

But do that lean angle and wind on the throttle as you start coming out the corner vs something more sporty and report back again. Thats where you REALLY see it. Otherwise we'd all just be running Pirelli Angel GT's or 01SEs for everything

Think you make a good point though with tyres and what bikes they work well on. Ride a big H2 smooth with these and they are very capable tyres

I think the key part of the OPs post was:

ccr32 said:

... providing it also has that magic mix of grip and longevity.

...

We each have our own preferences for tyres, some of which is based on actual experience/fact and some of it based on perception. Where that that magic mix is "just right" for each of us is different.

Your point about sports tyres at the absolute extreme is undoubtedly right, but the questions I'd suggest each of us needs to ask ourselves are:

1. Do I ride on the road at a speed where I'm even going to notice the difference between a sports tyre and a sports touring tyre?
2. Am I happy to sacrifice the wear rate for that advantage assuming I do actually ride at a rate where I'm going to notice it? (Approx numbers but a sports tyre will only last about 50% of the distance a sports touring tyre will.)
3. Am I willing to sacrifice the better poor/wet conditions performance and warm up of the sports touring tyre over the sports tyre to gain the those improvements at the absolute extreme of riding in the dry?

I suggest that the vast majority of riders will rarely, if ever, get to the extreme where they can tell the difference. I know I can't and I disliked the S22's (I think that's what they were) that my H2 SX came with, yet many people buy sports tyres over sports touring because of a perceived improvement.

Everyone should buy the tyre they want for whatever reasons are important to them, but if anyone is trying to understand the differences then no road-riding sports bike owner should be scared of trying a sports touring tyre because it'll likely handle anything/everything asked of it.

Good shout that. Agree 100%. Funny enough a light biker on same bike as me found S22 when she used but loved the pirelli equivalent. There is definitely an element of personal choice with it all

[ccr32]

Thanks again chaps. I am slowly getting wiser thanks to your respective experiences. Completely agree that what is "right" for one person won't necessarily be for the next.

black-k1 said:

1. Do I ride on the road at a speed where I'm even going to notice the difference between a sports tyre and a sports touring tyre?
2. Am I happy to sacrifice the wear rate for that advantage assuming I do actually ride at a rate where I'm going to notice it? (Approx numbers but a sports tyre will only last about 50% of the distance a sports touring tyre will.)
3. Am I willing to sacrifice the better poor/wet conditions performance and warm up of the sports touring tyre over the sports tyre to gain the those improvements at the absolute extreme of riding in the dry?

This is a great way of looking at it, and probably how I should have framed my original question/requirements. For me...

(1) Probably not - I mean, I do push on from time to time, but not to the extreme, and nowhere near what I could consider as track pace. The thought of a squrimy corner exit however does concern me a little what with the Triumph's rather primitive TC

(2) As long as they last 5-6000 miles, I'd be happy; 3000 miles seems a bit too little (which is all the first set of SC's the bike came with lasted); more than 6k miles and my irrational consumerist brain would begin thinking the tyre is made of wood and would feel like crap! But I know really that is tosh.

(3) Wet conditions, not overly fussed - the bike rarely gets ridden in the wet, only if I'm caught out; warm-up is important to me though, as is the ability to ride at colder times of the year

black-k1 said:

Everyone should buy the tyre they want for whatever reasons are important to them, but if anyone is trying to understand the differences then no road-riding sports bike owner should be scared of trying a sports touring tyre because it'll likely handle anything/everything asked of it.

Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and try these things I guess - the bike hasn't had sport touring tyres before, so maybe now's the time to try it, caveat...

Birky_41 said:

But do that lean angle and wind on the throttle as you start coming out the corner vs something more sporty and report back again. Thats where you REALLY see it.

Hmmm, per my answer to (1) above!

Birky_41 said:

Example here Nurburgring fast road speed (not track day pace) I tucked the front https://youtu.be/IeIaQQpyV_U?si=iP9d8lG_nEDO778M&a... with M7RR's.

Holy moses! Bet you had to hose out the leathers after that! Funnily enough, the only time I have come off due to lack of adhesion was on a set of M7RR's too (though have always blamed it on the fact that the numpty sat atop the bike was doing a trackday in February!)

[GSA_fattie]

the facetious reply is
black round ones, better than the square ones

normal reply

i have T32 on both H2 SX and GSA i have no issues, i don't feel I’m missing out, i don't feel compromised in wet weather handling

out last week in crap conditions on the H2, out today in crap conditions on H2 i didn't have any worries/concerns - but that's just my experience

others may think they are the worst tyre ever because they came 5th in a tyre test in a comic - but it means very little, none of us have the skill to exploit tyre brand nuances even whally and his 55 degree leans

[Dirknights]

I've recently fitted some Continental Road Attack 4's onto my 890 DukeR.

Ridden in cold, wet, and dry so far over about 500miles - I'm really impressed with them and not just in comparison to the Michelin Power Cup 2's!

They're designated a 'Hyper-Touring' tyre! Whatever next!!

https://www.continental-tyres.co.uk/b2c/motorcycle...

Well worth a look, only a couple of quid less than the Michelin Road 6's...

[Krikkit]

Birky_41 said:

There is definitely an element of personal choice with it all

100% imho - unless you really spank them for ultimate grip I think for most people it's all about the feel underneath you.

One person's favourite tyre will move too much or not enough for someone else.

[Tonberry]

You can't go wrong with any of the top tier sport or touring tyres.

Metzeler 01SE
Michelin Road 6
Bridgestone S22
Bridgestone S23
Pirelli Rosso Diablo 4
pirelli Rossi Diablo Corsa 4

Avoid stuff like the Dunlop Roadsport 2.

The difference is going to be mainly edge grip.

Do you like leaning the bike over and whacking open the throttle? Sport tyre.

Are you a slower and / or smoother rider that rarely uses maximum acceleration and doesn't push it in corners? Touring tyre.

[catso]

ccr32 said:

My current shortlist is:

• Michelin Power 5
• Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV
• Metzeler M9RR
• Or maybe even something a bit more sport-tourer, like Pirelli Angel GT

As per previous replies, there is no one tyre for everyone/every bike.

As an example I'm a big fan of the above mentioned Diablo Rosso on my 916 so, so I tried them on the Monster.

Worked fine with no complaints except that the rear wears out at around half the mileage compared to the 916 which is odd, given the bike is lighter and less powerful but, I assume it's to do with the power delivery and/or the way I ride it?

Anyway, I fitted Angel GTs to it and getting on fine, never had any lack of grip/faith and they last so much better than the Rossos.

In reality, I doubt there are any bad tyres especially with the main brands and whatever flavour you buy today is far better that what we had 10 or 20 years ago. By that I mean todays sport touring tyre is likely far more grippy than yesterdays full on sport tyre whilst also lasting longer and, all will be fine for most situations.

That said, whilst I like to think I make good progress at times, as an old git, I'm not a road racer so don't need the most grippiest of rubber...

[Freakuk]

My SDR came fitted with S22's from new, not holding out much hope I've been mighty impressed with them in all conditions, admittedly the SDR can easily rip through a rear in 2000 miles if you're not hanging around, but I doubt many tyres of this nature would surpass that.

Already mentioned the S23 has superseded the S22, so the assumption is it will be better, now might be the time to get a set of S22's though.

[Birky_41]

Tonberry said:

The difference is going to be mainly edge grip.

Do you like leaning the bike over and whacking open the throttle? Sport tyre.

Are you a slower and / or smoother rider that rarely uses maximum acceleration and doesn't push it in corners? Touring tyre.

I like this analogy. Both will do decent lean angles. One will feel planted though when whacking the throttle at lean the other not so much

[black-k1]

Birky_41 said:

Tonberry said:

The difference is going to be mainly edge grip.

Do you like leaning the bike over and whacking open the throttle? Sport tyre.

Are you a slower and / or smoother rider that rarely uses maximum acceleration and doesn't push it in corners? Touring tyre.

I like this analogy. Both will do decent lean angles. One will feel planted though when whacking the throttle at lean the other not so much

As I said before, each to their own but, my experience of sports touring tyres on the road doesn't align with this. While I do try to be smooth and progressive while riding (don't we all?), I am happy to apply a significant amount of throttle coming out of corners. Given the torque and weight of the H2 SX it's unlikely that many bikes will be asking more of the tyre grip at any given lean angle. I don't think simplistic generalisations like this give anything like the real picture.

The limitations of a sports touring tyre vs. a sports tyre are the ability to handle heat. When track riding you'll get corner after corner with max lean angles and max power on each and the tyre will get little opportunity of lose the heat it builds up. This used to be a problem with sports touring tyres ridden hard on the road too, but I'd suggest that's not been true for some time. On the road, the max lean, max power corners simply don't arrive at the same rate to build the heat quickly enough to worry a modern sports touring tyre.

I'll say again, buy the tyre you want for whatever reason(s) you want. It's your money and your bike, but I'd suggest you don't not buy a given tyre type because of a perceived difference that you are unlikely to ever experience.

Edited by black-k1 on Friday 9th February 14:12

[Tonberry]

On top of the sport vs touring tyre debate, there is also the big performance gap between new and old model tyres.

Some of the tyres you can still buy today have been knocking around for 15 years, and some people buy them as they're a little cheaper or don't know any better.

But then you're missing out on 15 years of R&D. Bridgestone have spent millions improving the S21 (2016) S22 (2019) and S23 (2024) so why buy the BT-016? (thankfully being discontinued).

The materials used in the new tyre compounds are massively improved which don't just provide more comfortable ride quality, give better grip in the wet and dry but also last longer too.

Why buy a £15k bike with the latest tech, brakes and suspension components and throw any old tyres on it with a "that'll do" mentality?

[ccr32]

Revisiting this thread as, after further deliberation and speaking to those in the know, I had a set of Michelin Power 6’s fitted to the bike in the middle of last week.

The main reason for returning to the thread is to post my initial thoughts about them, primarily because they feel completely different compared to the Metzeler K3’s that came off and the Supercorsa’s that are on my other bike.

Steering definitely feels slower, I could tell that just pulling out of the tyre place. More effort required to initiate a turn. In turns however (which were taken gingerly to begin with) the bike seems to hold a line much better, requiring what feels like no effort to hold it in the turn, whereas the prior tyres would tip in easier but then require effort to keep them on the line. If that makes sense.

Comfort wise the French rubber definitely feels better, even running at factory pressures (36/42). Could just be down to there being more rubber on them compared to the 5000 mile old K3’s that came off, but I was suitably impressed after a ~100 mile ride across our nadgery dog st surfaced roads.

Haven’t pushed them in corners yet really while scrubbing in, but they feel good and sticky under braking and haven’t troubled the TC on the power.

[RemaL]

New tyres going on the H2 at the mot and service. Michelin Power GP2.