2024 tyres - recommendations
Discussion
Come springtime, I will be needing some new tyres, and since I've not quite found my go-to set of rubber, thought I would ask for recommendations for 2024.
The bike is a Speed Triple, so standard-ish sizes (120/70 17 and 190/55 17), and only ever gets ridden on the road on mostly dry days.
To date it has had Supercorsa's (that it came with when new), Bridgestone S21s's, and currently on a set of Metzeler K3's, none of which I have particularly disliked, but none of which I have gone "wow, they're the only tyres for me from now on".
Like I say, I'm willing to try something different, so wondering what people would recommend based on their own experience. The bike is quite stiffly sprung/damped so a tyre with a bit more give in it would probably be better (for me), providing it also has that magic mix of grip and longevity.
My current shortlist is:
The bike is a Speed Triple, so standard-ish sizes (120/70 17 and 190/55 17), and only ever gets ridden on the road on mostly dry days.
To date it has had Supercorsa's (that it came with when new), Bridgestone S21s's, and currently on a set of Metzeler K3's, none of which I have particularly disliked, but none of which I have gone "wow, they're the only tyres for me from now on".
Like I say, I'm willing to try something different, so wondering what people would recommend based on their own experience. The bike is quite stiffly sprung/damped so a tyre with a bit more give in it would probably be better (for me), providing it also has that magic mix of grip and longevity.
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
Edited by ccr32 on Sunday 4th February 15:01
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? 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
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.
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.
(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:
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...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?
(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!) 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 s
t 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.
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 s
t 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.
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