Bridgestone BT012SS initial thoughts

Today I replaced the OE Dunlop 208's with Bridgestone BT012SS skins. I have a few things to say about both sets of tires. I really wanted to get rid of the 208s because I was experiencing a rather pronounced head-shake between 65 and 40 miles per hour while decelerating with light (or no) bar pressure. It was severe enough for me to take the bike back to the dealer to see if there was a problem with the chassis or suspension. There was not. Some people on this forum said it could be the 208s, so I changed them out. Problem solved. I cannot believe Yamaha is letting R1's out the door with those shite tires. Anyway, back to the BT012SS. The front end (120/70/17) With the Dunlop I would sense that the front end was not planted as it should be under leaned braking and tight, 1/2 to full lean cornering. I would get what seemed to be tread pattern vibration and other feedback that I was unaccustomed to on my previous motorcycles and tires. The BT012SS on the other hand gives me much more useable and confidence inspiring feedback. I can feel the tarmac under the tire instead of the tire itself, and can make a determination about the quality of the surface much more effectively. I spent one track day on the 208s and one on the BT012SS (today) and as for the front end, the BT is the clear winner. Much better feel and it stays planted better than the 208. The rears (190/50/17) The track on which I rode on both of these tires is an extremely tight left-hand that is designed primarily for shifter karts. Extremely tight is an understatement. Depending on how you approach the track, you can stay in 1st gear all the way around and hit second briefly on the straight, or you can stay in second. When you stay in 1st, you're putting a ton of power to the ground while coming out of corners, and the back end is gonna slip on street compound tires. But the BT slipped much less than the 208, and it seemed to track straighter and more predictably while aggressively exiting rough corners than the 208. I felt that the 208 did wear a bit better after a hard flogging than the BT, but most people will not abuse the tire like I did today. On the road the BT is smoother and more comfortable than the 208. All around, the BT wins big time.

Thats good news, I got a good deal on a set today. I need the snow to melt.:yesnod

Originally posted by bender Thats good news, I got a good deal on a set today. I need the snow to melt.:yesnod I think they're great, especially compared to the crappy OE 208. They seem to wear well, and they stick better than expected when cool. You'll like.

i run the 012's on the front and the 020's on the back of my R1. i really love this set up. i can get pretty good milage out of the rear tire and it seems planted firmly to the ground. my friend runs the same tires on his supper hawk and he love them as well. some people say that the 020 was slippy but i have not had these problems with them. but i also liked the 208s just didn't get that many miles out of them. i also don't mind my bike moving around underneath me either. i guess that comes from years of riding dirt bikes:D but in short i really like the bridgestone 012's

smoke1, what made u want to run the BT-012ss up front and the BT-020 on the back? U put a high performance sport tire up front, and a sport touring on the back...Does that give good feedback?

Originally posted by Looneybomber smoke1, what made u want to run the BT-012ss up front and the BT-020 on the back? U put a high performance sport tire up front, and a sport touring on the back...Does that give good feedback? i wanted a good tire on the front and was looking for a tire that i could get some miles out of on the rear. i am a stunter, but i really do like corner carving. the 020 is a great tire for the rear, because i get about 4000 miles out of it. but still feels really stuck to the road in the corners. as for the 012 on the front. it feels glued to the road and gives good feed back. the R1 always has a nervous feeling. meaning it seemed really twitchy. this tire combo seemed to make it more stable. i have tryed a lot of tire combos this is the one i like the most. i get a lot of miles and still have the traction to go blasting out the back roads. hope this helps explain.

thanx...u did a good job explaining decision. I do understand the harder compound in the rear (i eat through rears) but i figured it would make the bike wana spin up a lot...guess not.

FORGET THE O20 ON THE BACK FOR HARD STREET RIDING JUST PLAIN AND SIMPLY NO GRIP AT THE LIMIT UNLES U LIKE THE REAR ALWAYS HAGING OUT!!

You would surely be better with an 010/012 combination, that is what I have been running through winter as I like the 012s but knew that they wernt going to be used to the edge on ice! Combining the stickiest and the touring seems daft, 010/012 and 020/010 makes more sense to me....but each to their own, its all rubber!

well the 020 works good for me i am heavyer than most riders i go about 240. so that might help the traction. but everyone is different and lkikes different tire combos you just have to try them and see what you think.

Originally posted by YZFR1ZX6R609 FORGET THE O20 ON THE BACK FOR HARD STREET RIDING JUST PLAIN AND SIMPLY NO GRIP AT THE LIMIT UNLES U LIKE THE REAR ALWAYS HAGING OUT!! from your reply I'm assuming you've tried the 020's?? I've said this before and I will again..i ran 020's front and back on a 1990 FZR1000 and got over 10,000kms from the rear. I carve pretty hard on that bike. It went thru' Deals gap, the Cherohala and the blue Ridge Pkwy, not to mention knee down action on my local roads and ramps. It was blued to the edge and never..let me repeat that...NEVER slipped uncontollably. the only time it slipped at all was on slightly damp roads at the gap