track tires on the street

how many of you guys ride with track tires on the street?

Define track tire.

I am guessing something with no tread.

sorry no i meant a very soft tire like the Dunlop 209GPA Tires

I had some track tires on the R6 when I still had it. They did pretty well in the summer. As soon as it got a little colder they became an issue. You have to heat them up for them to perform as they should so they are not ideal for the whole season.

Why? Dont do it. Track tyres are funnily enough designed for the track. High performance road tyres are designed for the road. Tyre companies spend millions on development and are pretty good at developing tyres for certain conditions. Track tyres will not perform as well on the road as they are designed to work at a certain temperature.

DOT race tires/take offs work just fine for the street. technology in tires these days pretty much makes them able to last til the wear bars despite how many heat cycles they go through. like all tires, just dont get silly until you get them warmed up.

I had purchased my new to me R1 and it already came with these tires. Ill ride them till there gone, Im just afraid ill lose it one day because of them being cold. Ive broken lose twice just because i forgot about them. I guess only time will tell if I buy another tire like this but Im guessing no.

but they stick like a mutha when they're warm:thumbup

If u like highsides do it

I ride 208 gps. They do need tlc from warm up time to pressure. Their also designed for clean surfaces and no wet. Aside from that, I love them. Rode the new bike with the Mich. that came on it and then another bike with old and worn gps and though needing replacement I preffered the feel of the old gps. Tire preferance can be a very personnel thing.

My view is not to do it. There are so many "HyperSport" tires on the market today you don't have to. The Bridgstone BT-002RS, Corsa III and 2CT's are all awesome tires for hardcore street riding. They warm up very fast too. D.O.T. race rubber is meant for the track and to be used with tire warmers all day to keep heat cycles to a minimum. On the street you put repeated heat cycles in your tires each time you stop for 10 minutes or more. Race rubber requires lot's of heat on both sides of the tire for them to stick properly which is very hard to do on the street. You will never get the required heat in them riding the street. As more and more heat cycles are put into them the rubber will actually get harder. Also, they are crap on wet roads due to reduced tread grooves. I know there are some pretty good deals on eBay for take off's, but I would not use them on the street.

My view is not to do it. There are so many "HyperSport" tires on the market today you don't have to. The Bridgstone BT-002RS, Corsa III and 2CT's are all awesome tires for hardcore street riding. They warm up very fast too. D.O.T. race rubber is meant for the track and to be used with tire warmers all day to keep heat cycles to a minimum. On the street you put repeated heat cycles in your tires each time you stop for 10 minutes or more. Race rubber requires lot's of heat on both sides of the tire for them to stick properly which is very hard to do on the street. You will never get the required heat in them riding the street. As more and more heat cycles are put into them the rubber will actually get harder. Also, they are crap on wet roads due to reduced tread grooves. I know there are some pretty good deals on eBay for take off's, but I would not use them on the street. +1. 100% all the way. I have run 208 GPa's on the street, and they don't heat up fast enough for street use. And like Skeeter said, cycling those things too often will cause them to wear prematurely. You can run them on the street, but I wouldn't advise it. There are plenty of good tires made for the street. DOT race should be on the track. My two cents.

I wouldnt use a 209 or a 211. They are slippery when cold- boardering on scary and im used to sliding cold DOT's. Im currently on SC2's. They warm up OK for a DOT but take forever in the wet but once warm are pretty good. I have worn and heat cycled the front and its a bit iffy now but its probably at a pace most people would cring at on the street. Im going back to Metzeler racetec's, nearly as quick warm up as PP's, last longer, more grip that is consistent. You wont heat cycle these!!! The only disadvantage I find with these is you cant ride as fast in the wet compared to PP's but I can ride as fast as im willing to go on the road anyway. They cost about $50 AU more but I get a shit load more mileage, less slides etc etc. Depends on your climate too. I dont go for rides when its wet, but if it rains I dont park the bike, I ride it. Just hate pulling the bike out in the wet and would rather do other things

209 gp take offs for sale. With now knowing about the heat cycles I want to take them off. And yes they are scary slippery before warm up. Im more of a daily rider and i feel take ill ruin the tire very quickly. Plus if im out in the rain my tires shouldnt stop me from riding. ive had the pp maybe ill get the pp ct's.

You will probably wear them before you heat cycle them! Unless your pounding your bike in the twisties. I know of 1 guy who uses his bike in the rain with 209 ntec's

If u like highsides do it How would using a race take off on the street cause/or be likely to cause a highside? Misti

I ride on Michelin MEDIUM race tires, front and rear. I can only compare them to the whatever dunlops that came on my new 2004 R-1 and with the later replacements with Michelin H-2's and later, Pilot Powers. I have not tried 2CT's. My seat-of-the-pants feeling is that I can ride much faster much more comfortably (meaning confidently) with the H-2's and now the MEDIUM RACE than with any of the others. My riding buddies seem to agree that I'm much more fluid and faster on the Race tires. It was harder work riding fast on the Pilot Powers than the RACE tires. After 15 minutes or so of aggresive riding the PP would get greasy and start sliding, and not too predictably at that. I get about 2000-2300 miles out of the rear and 2200- 2500 out of the front from the race tires. The PP's would last about 4000 miles, but the first 500 were no good, and the last 1000 neither. So, 2500 good miles and not as good as the race tires anyhow, which are good from the get go. Now, for those of you who are reading the whole thing BEFORE jumping on my case, let me tell you that I live in Puerto Rico. A cool day for us is 70 degrees. It is always warm. Even in the mountains, when the air temperature may be 80, the black road surface is at least 90 and probably 110. At my house the temp. has never been below 67, so maybe the heat cycles are not as drastic down here. In the rain, I don't push it. We have so many sunny days that the occasional rain is a good time to take it easy, particularly considering the rest of the traffic. I'm not trying to influence anybody to use or not race tires in the street, just relating my own experiences with them. In my area, with my circumstances and riding style they are great. In the frozen North results may be different.

I want to amend my comments by saying my street rides consist of a couple of dawn patroll weekend jaunts on roads that I know like Rossi knows Estoril. If I was commuting to work on a bike I wouldn't waist premium rubber.

I ride 209GP's on the street and have had no issues with them..

What he said.:stpd: Set your bike up for fast. You'll manage slow just fine.

Since I'm 56, I'm guessing I'm the oldest one here. Since I could drive I've always had a motorcycle. Couple of mini-bikes, French Velo-Solex (basically a bicycle with a motor over the front wheel), Honda sport 50, Honda 305 Super Hawk, Harley Aermacchi 125, Kawasaki 500 H-1, 1974 Yamaha RD-350 (highly modified, kept it 10 years), Honda VF-750 (POS), 1987 Yamaha FZR-1000 (kept this one 17 years!), 2004 Yamaha R-1.

Dude, I'm 53 and we're talkin' rubber, but besides that what a list of hardware. If they were all still yours...what a collection!

I wish I'd kept the RD-350. Cafe racer from when one had to make them. Giant killer if there was one!

I hear ya. RDs, FZs, FZRs, If only we could keep them all.

I hear ya. RDs, FZs, FZRs, If only we could keep them all. Still got my 91 FZR. Wouldn't dream of getting rid of it, but man... finding 17 year old parts is getting hard.

I ride supercorsas on the street and I'm loving them. They Feel a LOT better than my pilot powers..

I hear ya. RDs, FZs, FZRs, If only we could keep them all. The good-old duct-taped knees trick. I'm lovin' it!

I run Pirelli Diablo Corsa III's and I LOVE them! They have a 3 zone dual compound rubber which works great on both street and track. The 3 zones are the soft compound on the sides where you need it for cornering and the harder compound in the center where you ride most often on the street to prolong wear. They heat up fast and I have had them on a couple of tracks now and they grip good enough to drag my knee's no problem.

I run race take offs and I love them. We ride mountain roads 90% of the time and the curves that sneek up on you in the mountains will definatly get the tires hot enough. I run a medium compound and have no complaints. They feel much better than my PP's did through thouse tight turns. I will say that I do not agree with using them in areas where you don't have the advantage of getting them hot because they do not handle well when cold.

soft Track tyres such as race techs are fine for the road I have used my track day Tyres on my road bike for years, you do not have to worry about them getting hot as they give more grip when cold than any conventional road tyre therefore making them safer for those Early morning trips. I have just returned from a few track days in Spain and have many part worn tyres each pair only used one day making them ideal for the road call me if you want on 07802200512 Mike

Even street rubber takes a while to warm, I use 209 GP on the street and find there grippy as hell.

i ride perilli dragon super corsa then i changed to the perilli diablo supercorsa they all work fine. the only problem is the price.

The guy up the street from me races and has a stack of take offs in his garage... I can get them for next to nothing, but now I am weary to run them on the street. There are dunlops that came on my 08 R6 and I was thinking of trying out some race rubber. But not if it is dangerous until they heat up. Or too many heat cycles harden the rubber. I wish I had some hard facts to go by. BAH! :dunno

The guy up the street from me races and has a stack of take offs in his garage... I can get them for next to nothing, but now I am weary to run them on the street. There are dunlops that came on my 08 R6 and I was thinking of trying out some race rubber. But not if it is dangerous until they heat up. Or too many heat cycles harden the rubber. I wish I had some hard facts to go by. BAH! :dunno Aw, don't believe most of what you hear about this stuff. I've run Power Races that were more than 2 years old, and had been sitting in an unheated, uncooled garage, been subjected to temperatures of well below freezing and well above 100 degrees. I have run them in temps of 50 degrees, and yes, they take a few minutes to warm up, but even before they warm up, they aren't going to toss you down the road. They will just wiggle a little bit to remind you to watch what you're doing. The fact that you've survived this long on a sportbike shows that you've got at least a rudimentary amount of sense-- Use the brain God gave you and you'll be fine.

Very good then! The middle of these tires have a lot of beef on them.... How do you know when they are shot? Its not like you can really gauge the sides, They are well broken in!

Very good then! The middle of these tires have a lot of beef on them.... How do you know when they are shot? Its not like you can really gauge the sides, They are well broken in! When they show cord.

Is this really :fact?? Thats nuts.... just ride em till they show chord?

Is this really :fact?? Thats nuts.... just ride em till they show chord? I think he was being sarcastic. Most tires will begin giving feedback before then. With Dunlops, I start to notice sliding and spinning before then. And as the last trackday we hit, GPD270 was running DOT Bridgestones that started to lose chunks of rubber and get greasy when they got to the end of their life.

Why? Dont do it. Track tyres are funnily enough designed for the track. High performance road tyres are designed for the road. Tyre companies spend millions on development and are pretty good at developing tyres for certain conditions. Track tyres will not perform as well on the road as they are designed to work at a certain temperature. Bollocks, track scrubs work perfectly well on the street, I've run 'em for years and have NEVER had an issue except for they wear quicker than street tyres; they stick and heat up quickly and for the price are a perfectly viable option to buying new street tyres :dunno

Since I'm 56, I'm guessing I'm the oldest one here. Since I could drive I've always had a motorcycle. Couple of mini-bikes, French Velo-Solex (basically a bicycle with a motor over the front wheel), Honda sport 50, Honda 305 Super Hawk, Harley Aermacchi 125, Kawasaki 500 H-1, 1974 Yamaha RD-350 (highly modified, kept it 10 years), Honda VF-750 (POS), 1987 Yamaha FZR-1000 (kept this one 17 years!), 2004 Yamaha R-1. OK nice, but since we're talking about tyres .... what's your point? :dunno

Still got my 91 FZR. Wouldn't dream of getting rid of it, but man... finding 17 year old parts is getting hard. Had a 1990 and it was a killer bike, sometimes wish I'd kept instead of upgrading to the R1. Loved the colour scheme and it went like snot and handled great... Makes you wish you could keep 'em all doesn't it?

Had a 1990 and it was a killer bike, sometimes wish I'd kept instead of upgrading to the R1. Loved the colour scheme and it went like snot and handled great... Makes you wish you could keep 'em all doesn't it? That's my plan. :fact Haven't sold one of my bikes since 1996 when I bought the FZR. Need a bigger garage. The 90 was one of the best looking in my book. Killer power too :rock

Aw, don't believe most of what you hear about this stuff. I've run Power Races that were more than 2 years old, and had been sitting in an unheated, uncooled garage, been subjected to temperatures of well below freezing and well above 100 degrees. Exactly what he said. I've run 2 year old D208 GP's on Deals Gap and had no problems at all except for the edges of my tyres going ridiculously blue ... modern street or track sport tyres are all pretty much more than you can use realistically on the street. The only diff being the mileage you can expect from 'em. Treat 'em with some respect, use some common sense and you won't go far wrong.

The 90 was one of the best looking in my book. Killer power too :rock Bodywork was a fricken' pain in the ass to remove and reinstall though. :secret:

ive been running the dunlop qualifiers and i like them have had no issues with them other than a lil spinning leaving corners in 1st gear on my 07 R1

ive been running the dunlop qualifiers and i like them have had no issues with them other than a lil spinning leaving corners in 1st gear on my 07 R1 Oh, stop lying.

Oh, stop lying. I haven't had a spin with the Qualifiers. But it's my first set of street tires in two years, and I haven't had the bike on the track since June. But I'm sure they will spin. All my Dunlops have.

they spin up just fine 2nd and 3rd gear granted in 3rd gear you have to be haulin ass or clutch it nicely

they spin up just fine 2nd and 3rd gear granted in 3rd gear you have to be haulin ass or clutch it nicely My bad. I meant two years, not two gears. I am sure I can spin the Qualifiers. But I'm also pretty sure they will do so predictably.

i havent really practiced spinning it up and controlling it but ive spun it up im just not to comfortable with it just yet

I had purchased my new to me R1 and it already came with these tires. Ill ride them till there gone, Im just afraid ill lose it one day because of them being cold. Ive broken lose twice just because i forgot about them. I guess only time will tell if I buy another tire like this but Im guessing no. I didn't go through this whole thread to know if anyone has advised you of this yet but track tires (DOT Race Tires) can come apart on the street! WHY? I asked the same question when I was having some Pirelli Supercorsa's installed at a local performance shop. They pulled out another brand DOT Race tire and showed how it delaminated while being ridden on the street because they aren't made for long distance straight line runs which is more often than not what you find on the street. They said that DOT race tires are made for cornering with some brief straits. Something about warming up then cooling down intervals but they strongly warned me NOT to ride mine on the street. If I were you I would contact the manufacture of the tire and ask them first! Good luck.

I race with dunlops so I keep my takeoffs and put em on my streetbike. scott

I had a question pretty much on topic here. Maybe some of you more experienced people would help a brotha out. I have been wanting to try a set of DOT Race tires out for some time. I am planning on buying them for the track, but may end up finishing them off on the street. Here is the scoop. I have been a long fan of the Michelin Pilot series. (sport, power and now I have been running the power 2ct exclusively for 15 or so thousand miles) I rarely have any grip issues with the 2ct on or off the track that isn't rider induced. be it from pushing it a little too hard cold or hammering the throttle too hard at full lean. I have (as recent as this past weekend) had the 2ct shoed r1 cranked over to where my knee was dragging and I was BEARLY sticking it out. I have 0 , none, nil chicken strips on a 190/55. No arrows or Michelin men either. But while at the dragon I stopped by wheelers 2 years ago. he had some Pilot Race on hand. So I compared them to a 2ct. One thing that I noticed was the profile of the race was VERY round and very consistent compared to the more triangular profile of the 2ct. It just seems to me that leaning or transitioning on the race would be very consistent and very smooth. Whereas the 2ct is upright and loves to drop in. . .to the point that after about 15 degrees it feels like it is falling if you aren't carrying enough corner speed to stabilize everything with centrifugal force. I don't know if I would actually use the additional lean angle capabilities, but I sure would try. . .:) However, my delima now is they changed the nomenclature on the Pilot race. It seems like the only thing I see is the compound. . .med, med sofr or soft. Are the profiles all the same just with a different compound? I would think a medium, being slightly more sticky than a 2ct would be plenty of grip. For me. Can someone educate me on this? Another is dealing with heat cycles. . .I know this is not as bif of a factor as it used to be. But, I would like to run a set for 2 track days at the end of Sept. (2 day event) I would be running 7 20 minute sessions in the advanced group. I am at the slower side of the advanced group or the top end of most intermediate groups. (except NESBA who refuses to bump anyone up to Advanced unless they are good friends with you or some crap...anyway) After those two days, I would like to take them off and try to get two days out of them a the forum's Jennings weekend for two more days. Each of the days I would be keeping them hot with warmers from start to finish. So would this be in effect 4 heat cycles? WOuld I have issues out of them, assuming I didn't wear them out? I am so confused about heat cycles. . .

I had a question pretty much on topic here. Maybe some of you more experienced people would help a brotha out. I have been wanting to try a set of DOT Race tires out for some time. I am planning on buying them for the track, but may end up finishing them off on the street. Here is the scoop. I have been a long fan of the Michelin Pilot series. (sport, power and now I have been running the power 2ct exclusively for 15 or so thousand miles) I rarely have any grip issues with the 2ct on or off the track that isn't rider induced. be it from pushing it a little too hard cold or hammering the throttle too hard at full lean. I have (as recent as this past weekend) had the 2ct shoed r1 cranked over to where my knee was dragging and I was BEARLY sticking it out. I have 0 , none, nil chicken strips on a 190/55. No arrows or Michelin men either. But while at the dragon I stopped by wheelers 2 years ago. he had some Pilot Race on hand. So I compared them to a 2ct. One thing that I noticed was the profile of the race was VERY round and very consistent compared to the more triangular profile of the 2ct. It just seems to me that leaning or transitioning on the race would be very consistent and very smooth. Whereas the 2ct is upright and loves to drop in. . .to the point that after about 15 degrees it feels like it is falling if you aren't carrying enough corner speed to stabilize everything with centrifugal force. I don't know if I would actually use the additional lean angle capabilities, but I sure would try. . .:) However, my delima now is they changed the nomenclature on the Pilot race. It seems like the only thing I see is the compound. . .med, med sofr or soft. Are the profiles all the same just with a different compound? I would think a medium, being slightly more sticky than a 2ct would be plenty of grip. For me. Can someone educate me on this? Another is dealing with heat cycles. . .I know this is not as bif of a factor as it used to be. But, I would like to run a set for 2 track days at the end of Sept. (2 day event) I would be running 7 20 minute sessions in the advanced group. I am at the slower side of the advanced group or the top end of most intermediate groups. (except NESBA who refuses to bump anyone up to Advanced unless they are good friends with you or some crap...anyway) After those two days, I would like to take them off and try to get two days out of them a the forum's Jennings weekend for two more days. Each of the days I would be keeping them hot with warmers from start to finish. So would this be in effect 4 heat cycles? WOuld I have issues out of them, assuming I didn't wear them out? I am so confused about heat cycles. . . Eric, Although I know there are a lot who know A LOT more about this than you and I, but because I switched to DOT race recently, I have learned a little bit than I can offer for now. First, I went with a medium compound (SC2) Supercorsa's keeping in mind they start from SC0 and go up to SC3. I did that because I thought that because I'm still in the learning stages, I'm probably not going to really need the super, super soft stuff that the AMA etc. guys use besides they may last me a little longer. As for profiles, also keeping in mind that I screwed up with my first tire changes after I bought the bike and although I went with a good tire (Corsa III's) I put a 65 in front instead of a 70 and the stock 50 in back. Now I have the 70 up front and a 55 in the back but the "Profile" on the Supercorsa is SICK! The falling feeling you described is exactly how it felt for me the first few laps around the track I took not long ago. But as soon as I got the feel of it, my bike was a whole nother animal! Road NOTHING like before. I was having a hard time NOT dragging my knee and found myself pulling it in a bit for even lower leans. I was SO IMPRESSED with these fuggers that I would hate to go back to a more streetable tire. I was probably twice as fast on lap times as I was with the alternatives. As for heat cycles, I'm pretty sure one cycle is once you have started your warmer and have finished the track day. Not each session or each time you put the warmer on. Sorry I dont have any experience on the Pilots but my guess is there a lot like the Supercorsa. I will add though, be CAREFUL about streeting them! Call the makers! Good luck bro. :thumbup

Yamahuh, I don't come here very often, hence my delay in answering your question. I had made my point about tires a page or two back. That particular post was just to let some people know where I came from and some measure of who I am in order to better help them put in perspective my previously voiced opinion. Some other members apparently found it interesting.

I ride the Bridgestone BT003's on the street. The race DOT approved.

This thread has some good info. Especially since I am hitting the track for the first time very soon. Which brings about a question, I just installed CorsaIIIs on my bike, stock profile/50s....hope thats the correct number.... This should be an acceptable tire to use my first few times at the track right? Then as my skill and speeds progress, then the quality of my tire should do the same? Good thread to bring back for a minute.

This thread has some good info. Especially since I am hitting the track for the first time very soon. Which brings about a question, I just installed CorsaIIIs on my bike, stock profile/50s....hope thats the correct number.... This should be an acceptable tire to use my first few times at the track right? Then as my skill and speeds progress, then the quality of my tire should do the same? Good thread to bring back for a minute. Yes bro, I use to run Corsa III's both street and track and they worked better than good for both. The 50 is the same profil as stock but when you are ready to get a lot more agressive and track more often, I would definately go to a 55 rear. It will make the bike fall into the turns much quicker and more agressively but do a few T.D.'s before you go there. Make sure you are going with the stock from profile 70/120 as well. Happy to hear we will be able to see some track vids from you for a chance instead of those scary street runs. :lol:thumbup

+1 Most high performance street tires do very well for your first track days. Really they'll do just fine for quite sometime. I am still running track/street tires and they are doing fine.

Yes bro, I use to run Corsa III's both street and track and they worked better than good for both. The 50 is the same profil as stock but when you are ready to get a lot more agressive and track more often, I would definately go to a 55 rear. It will make the bike fall into the turns much quicker and more agressively but do a few T.D.'s before you go there. Make sure you are going with the stock from profile 70/120 as well. Happy to hear we will be able to see some track vids from you for a chance instead of those scary street runs. :lol:thumbup I know right, Those streets were all I had for a while and I made some bad decisions by going that fast on the street, but I think at one time or another, we were all guilty of that. I feel like I have matured more myself and I dont feel right pushing that hard on public roads. Now I want to take my skills to the track, where it belongs. I will for sure tape my first trackday too, slowpoke riding at its finest:thumbup. So should I change profile of both front and rear tire? I think I saw where you only changed the rear profile, I may be mistaken though.

I know right, Those streets were all I had for a while and I made some bad decisions by going that fast on the street, but I think at one time or another, we were all guilty of that. I feel like I have matured more myself and I dont feel right pushing that hard on public roads. Now I want to take my skills to the track, where it belongs. I will for sure tape my first trackday too, slowpoke riding at its finest:thumbup. So should I change profile of both front and rear tire? I think I saw where you only changed the rear profile, I may be mistaken though. Yup, we are all guilty of that! :lol But never too early to mature, you know. As for changing your "Rear" profile, you really wont need to for a few track days. It will take at least that long to start really getting agressive in the corners. Then when you do make the change, your gonna love it.

I've ran Dragon and Diablo Corsa (medium compound) on the street, they work great in relatively warm weather but I found them getting hard before I wore through the tread. I've also ran 211GP's on the the street; they wanted a lot of heat before they even started to function properly (go figure, its a race tire) and I wouldn't advise riding on them in any weather colder than 80*F. I prefer MP-2CT for street use, far superior to any race tire(on the street) unless the individual just pulled his bike out of the garage with tire warmers on. Corsa III's are also a favorite though I purchase which ever of the two I can find on sale at the time (Corsa III/MP-2CT).

Yup, we are all guilty of that! :lol But never too early to mature, you know. As for changing your "Rear" profile, you really wont need to for a few track days. It will take at least that long to start really getting agressive in the corners. Then when you do make the change, your gonna love it. Thanks Scott,:thumbup. I cant wait to get some experience on the track. Now I'lll stop jacking this thread.

211s = FTW cannot go wrong with 211s. they dont' take ridiculously long to warm up. at least for me and my friends

209 GP :thumbup warm up quick and stick like glue.

BT003r also do surprisingly well on the street, as long as your running type 3 or type 4. IF you have type 1 or type 2 do not use them on the streets. Those compounds require high operating temperatures and wont give you much grip until you get them really hot(which you most likely wont) and heat cycles play a much larger role in the harder compound tires. I think this holds up for any DOT's soft or medium will be fine for the streets

after nearly 2 weeks of 40+ deg C days (road temp is 55+) we have had nearly a week where road temp is like 5-7 deg C. You guys who dont have this temp fluctuation are lucky ! On a positive note, I get to slide around on cold tyres on my road bike.

Its been a while since I last posted. On my first post on page one I made reference to using Michelin Power Race Mediums on the street and how well they worked for me in my climate and circumstances. Particularly versus the Power Pilots. some time back i got a good deal on Bridgestone's 002's and decided to give them a try. Originaly very dissapointed while running the same pressure as on the Michelins. (34F 32R) Tried going up/down and different combinations all to no avail, I couldn't get comfortable with them. I felt much slower than with the Michelin Race Mediums. After 400-600 miles I finally settled on 30PSI Rear and 32PSI front and they feel great now. As I had tried that combination before, I atttribute the improvement to 1) having gotten used to the slightly different profile and turn-in response, 2) actual improvement from being more worn-in. this has happened in the past with the Michelin Pilot Powers also, the first 300-500 miles were not too good. The Michelin Power Race were good after the first 25 miles or so, and stayed good until the cord showed (!!!). Now I'll have to wait and see how long the 002's remain "good" vs. the Michelins. if I get an additional 2000 miles out of the Bridgestones, then it is a matter of which is cheaper at the time, if not, it's back to the Michelins.

my 2 ct, i've ran PP, PP2ct, bridgestone BT 014, and now BT 002Rs on the street( and track ). i prefer the 002rs. will get about 2200/2400 miles with press. at 32 psi frt. 30 psi rear. ( I live in mid FL.) i use tire warmers when i'm at the track.:flex:

Glad the 002's work for you. Mine ended up lasting to the 2400 mile (rear) mark but were not too good for the last 400 or so. So, "good" miles were only 1600 or so. I'm back to the Michelin Race Mediums. Got a good, good deal on two fronts and three rears, so I ought to be set for another year or so if they don't go kablooey in storage. I hear the newer Bridgestones 003's are better than the 002's, but I won't be trying them anytime soon with my present stock of tires. BTW, I'm back to 32R, 34F pressures on the Michelins.

quick question how come you all talk about a 55tyre steeper profile quicker turning etc etc then with your next breaths talk aout pressures of 30R 32F even on the road aren't you just taking pressure out which will lessen the profile by increasing the contact patch? not a critisism - just a question - as like most i'm in neverland with tyres, feeling and pressures...... currently running Pirelli Dragon Supercorsas and hate them, its mostly wet, damp or cold over here so i need a good tyre for that (reliable) but will grip in the dry well, yes i scrape knees on the street so i want to be able to have some fun. and as for tyre pressures pirelli and yamaha bother recommend 36F 42R so why wouldn't i run that pressure. to be honest i'm currently running 34F 36R ps i weigh 16stone and no its not fat

r6gr8t1: What's this 16 stone bit? Some medieval form of weight measuring? Come on..! You criticize our tire preessures but give us your weight in stones??? Just kidding you! You have some valid questions, even as you say you're in neverland with tires. I'll attempt to give you some answer, but don't take it as gospel, as I'm not an evangelist. This is my opinion and NOT advice. Actually, DON'T do as I do. I'm just trying to explain why I do it. I BELIEVE motorcycle (and tire) manufacturers are VERY scared of liability issues. I believe they make their recommendations for tire pressures based on a worst case scenario. Namely, a 275 lb. rider, carrying a 250 lb. passenger (pillion to you Brits). Then you definitely need the 36F 42 R recommended by Yamaha, and even then you're probably overloaded and should not go very high speed ever or fairly high for very long. Tire pressures determines tire flex. More flex= more heat. Too much heat=no good. Why speed requires higher pressures? For a given mile a tire will rotate only so many times, but as you go faster, it will rotate this many times in less time. So it heats up more. Again, heat past a certain point =no good. Now, I don't weigh but 165 lbs. Don't know what that is in "stones". I never take a passenger. I do very little highway riding or sustained high speeds (over 100 MPH) and most of my riding is in the twisties at really much more like 45-70 MPH. I've arrived to 30R, 32F by experimentation. I've tried everything higher or lower and these pressures seem to give me and my R-1 the best handling combination for the riding I do. This willl vary according to bike, riding style, make and model of tires (see my post on the Bridgestone's 002's) and so on. I'm not alone, all my buddies using the same Michelin Power Race tires have ended up with the same pressures after experimentation. Again, this will vary, and only YOU can determine what works for you. I hope this hasn't confused you more. Maybe others in the forum can pipe in and explain better. As for the profile change in contact patch, there's still a difference between the 180/55 and the 190/50 if I put them both at the same pressure. And normally I'd have the bigger tire at slightly lower pressure anyhow. Tally-ho! Luis P.S. I'm so short my knees only touch the ground if I fall off, which I try not to do.

16 stone = 224 pounds cheers for the info, think i need to do more cardio and less weights and get my weight back to 195 pounds. also had a bad low side 2 yrs ago in the damp so my confidence is all over the place. i'm trying to collate as much info as possible to help build myself back up. before the crash i had no chicken strips, currently they are about an inch either side but i'm not getting the feeling from the tyres to go further. ah well i'll digest more answers and between them all come up with some trials of my own. but thanks for the strting point who'd of though i'd been riding sports bikes for 20yrs

Hey, I'll be 58 soon and I've been riding them since before the term was invented! Cafe racers in the late sixties and early seventies. My 1974 RD-350 was my first with clip-ons for the road.

mine was a zxr 750 after a nsr 125

In the last 4 years ive ran Pirelli Supercorsa's sco-sc3 and never had an issue. Deals gap, hwy 421 and other great twisties. Ive got about 3000 miles outta them too. I dont do straight too much unless its headed to the mountains. I think the race tires are great. After about 2 or 3 curves they are heated up. I trust those tires better than street tires.

i think in the dry they would be fine but lately its rarely dry to find out - sick of the rain

yea, just make sure they tires are up to temperature before getting aggressive

Very informative thread. Had a '90 Fzr 400, and my brother had an 88 fz600, had rd's as well. I really regret selling the 400, badass little bike. Ironically, we both have 03 R1's the satanic editions. anyhoo, I used take offs for alot of bikes I had, fairly aggressive street riding. I changed em frequently, as they were cheap (usually after 500 or so miles.) Now that im older and no longer immortal, im more cautious about tire choice. Im curious if there is a consensus on it? I live in colorado, our weather has wild swings here, most of the riding I do is in the 45 to 85 mph range. but its alot of straight sections to get up to the canyons and moutains. Im contemplating just biting the bullet and trying the new Q2's. Also I notice not a whole lot of people on dunlops though. Sorry bout the long-winded post. Thanks

This is straight from a reputable shop around Houston, the race tire dealer backed up this statement as well. "Race tires work in a higher and narrower band of temperature than street tires. Race tires run on the street will probably not come fully up to temp and will be subjected to a bunch of heat cycles, further degrading their performance."

Power ones are awesome they grip very well in cold and wet conditions and heat up quick

I use every day Continental Race Attack... http://www.mynetmoto.com/images/news/conti_race_attack_custom_f_r%5B1%5D.jpg ..you know? I like it and it's so good!!! :sneaky

A Year and some old post