posted August 06, 2006 08:05 AM
Tires/Tyres Any Thoughts Please Just gone to 3300 miles on the stock items and getting close to renewal, they have worn well but I don't go quite as bananas as a few a read about on the forum. These are BT014s I believe.
I have liked BT020s in the past on the Blackbirds and wondered if they would work well or even are recommended on the ZZR1400 ( ZX14 ). Does anyone know or have any other suggestions for an approved fairly high mileage tyre that still has good grip in wet or dry ( BT020s on the Blackbird did all of these! )
posted August 06, 2006 10:04 AM
I read every word of that article. It was a good read. The confusing part is that the recommended tire is the P-spec, same as used on the Busa. It's not the Strada. It is the standard Diablo. The advantage to the Strada if you run the 180 series is that it has close to 7mm of tread depth. The 190 in the standard Diablo or the Diablo Strada both have less than 5mm. The mileage advantage is lower.
I looked into the Continental Road Attack and it is listed by Conti for use on the ZZR1400. That's good enough for me. The Conti has a rep for good handling and great stick in the rain. I am about to take a vacation trip and mileage is my priority. The 190 also has the 6 plus mm tread depth.
I ran 180-55 zr17 Stradas on my ZZR and was very impressed with the stick and the longevity. I hope the Contis do as well.
posted August 06, 2006 06:35 PM
I bought the Strada deal, 2 pairs in fact. Mounted the 1st rear at 3300 miles and took it off the next day. That tire was not designed for a ZX14, it SLIDES all over the place and was the absolute fucking worst tire I have ever seen in wet. It is a Sport Touring tire, not a supersport tire, no matter what anyone claims. It should be used on sport touring bikes where it's not going to be pushed either. I bought the Michelin Pilot Power, installed it, did over 1500 miles on it since and I'm happy again. I always had them before and never had an issue with them, then add the fact that they get a good 70% more tread life than the BT014's and way better side traction where I need it.
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FYYFF!!!
posted August 06, 2006 07:09 PM
I look forward to Michelin Pilot Powers!, ^5ers to that crowd.
I'm not experienced enough on the strip to care yet which tires, and ride my bike on the street 99.9% of the time. Sport touring tires don't appeal to me in the least.
I haven't had my 14 bike long enough to compare a bunch of brands, but I compared on the ZX9 I used to knee drag around the blue ridge parkway back when I lived there. The Michelins are for me!!!
A group of folks in Tampa are doing a group buy on pilot powers, I'm buying 1 front and at least 2-3 rears, depending on what price comes in. I did 1 night on the stock BA tire at the strip. I didn't run good times, but I did realize I'm going to be going through tires fast!
Here's a pic of what I did with the factory tire on my ZX9 when I took it to get the pilot powers put on hehe
posted August 06, 2006 07:28 PM
Some people need sport tires and some people think they do. Both groups should get them, the former for the stick and the latter for the confidence boost.
The rest of us can ride almost as hard on the ST's and save money doing it.
quote:I bought the Strada deal, 2 pairs in fact. Mounted the 1st rear at 3300 miles and took it off the next day. That tire was not designed for a ZX14, it SLIDES all over the place and was the absolute fucking worst tire I have ever seen in wet. It is a Sport Touring tire, not a supersport tire, no matter what anyone claims. It should be used on sport touring bikes where it's not going to be pushed either. I bought the Michelin Pilot Power, installed it, did over 1500 miles on it since and I'm happy again. I always had them before and never had an issue with them, then add the fact that they get a good 70% more tread life than the BT014's and way better side traction where I need it.
Busa did you mix and match with the Strada rear and the BTO-14 front and then go ride in the rain? Look at the tread design. The Strada rear needs the Strada front to pump water out of the way. No wonder you hated it.
posted August 06, 2006 07:37 PM
Edited By: fastestbusaaround on 6 Aug 2006 20:55
quote:
Some people need sport tires and some people think they do. Both groups should get them, the former for the stick and the latter for the confidence boost
The rest of us can ride almost as hard on the ST's and save money doing it.
Till you hit rain...then you'll wish you had the right tires. I just hope you don't find out the hard way. The bike came from factory with SS tires, just remember that. If it's money you are more concerned about, the PIlot power's have about 70% more tread life and stick better on corners than the BT014's, but personally, no amount of money would be worth putting my life in danger for. I do well the Power's but money wasn't the determining factor...had they cost 2X more than the BT014's, I still would have bought them.
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FYYFF!!!
Needs a life
2012 14r In Blue and no Mods!
Posts: 5428
posted August 06, 2006 07:38 PM
Just put a pilot power on Friday and rode striaght to the drag strip, never did a burnout and ran 9.73, tire never spun at all 38psi in it! Best tires you can get in my eyes. Have a buddy with a buell he use to get 3200 miles out of dunlops and bridgestones went to the pilot power and got 6500 miles with three trackdays(road courses) he said he will never run another tire for know.
quote:Just put a pilot power on Friday and rode striaght to the drag strip, never did a burnout and ran 9.73, tire never spun at all 38psi in it! Best tires you can get in my eyes. Have a buddy with a buell he use to get 3200 miles out of dunlops and bridgestones went to the pilot power and got 6500 miles with three trackdays(road courses) he said he will never run another tire for know.
^5ers on the Pilot Powers. Past experience on the knee drag bike- there's Pilot Powers, then there's the rest!
quote:I bought the Strada deal, 2 pairs in fact. Mounted the 1st rear at 3300 miles and took it off the next day. That tire was not designed for a ZX14, it SLIDES all over the place and was the absolute fucking worst tire I have ever seen in wet. It is a Sport Touring tire, not a supersport tire, no matter what anyone claims. It should be used on sport touring bikes where it's not going to be pushed either. I bought the Michelin Pilot Power, installed it, did over 1500 miles on it since and I'm happy again. I always had them before and never had an issue with them, then add the fact that they get a good 70% more tread life than the BT014's and way better side traction where I need it.
Busa did you mix and match with the Strada rear and the BTO-14 front and then go ride in the rain? Look at the tread design. The Strada rear needs the Strada front to pump water out of the way. No wonder you hated it.
Sorry, that theroy doesn't hold water with me dude....that would be a 1st. Never heard that before...love to hear the factory's take on that one.
I should also mention that in 04, I had an FJR with MEZ6's on it...which is the same tire as the Strada..(Pirelli owns METZ). Had the back and front MEZ6's...hated them too...same issues with them on the FJ as I had with the Stradas on the 4. The Strada didn't do well in dry for me either...and that has nothing to do with the front.
How do you build a street tire with no center channel?
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FYYFF!!!
posted August 06, 2006 07:48 PM
Just for the record, I live 19 miles North of Galveston, TX. We get huge amounts of rain along with tornadoes and hurricanes. I commute 72 miles per day, 5 to 6 days per week and get caught in the rain all the time. It's not a new experience for me.
The other statement I will make, is I have never owned Pilot Powers so I can't make a direct comparison between the two.
quote:Just put a pilot power on Friday and rode striaght to the drag strip, never did a burnout and ran 9.73, tire never spun at all 38psi in it! Best tires you can get in my eyes. Have a buddy with a buell he use to get 3200 miles out of dunlops and bridgestones went to the pilot power and got 6500 miles with three trackdays(road courses) he said he will never run another tire for know.
He's right...I and many others I know have had the exact same experience. FAST racing school in Shannoville (Ontario, Canada) uses the Power's on their 600 track bikes. These guys are one of the top race schools around...well known for producing top AMA pro's. They are also less money than some of the other SS tires out there. My Busa ran 6000+ miles routinely on them whereas it only did 3500 on the BT's...also stuck way better. Of course the Strada will get more mileage, but will kill me in the process... ____________
FYYFF!!!
quote:Just for the record, I live 19 miles North of Galveston, TX. We get huge amounts of rain along with tornadoes and hurricanes. I commute 72 miles per day, 5 to 6 days per week and get caught in the rain all the time. It's not a new experience for me.
The other statement I will make, is I have never owned Pilot Powers so I can't make a direct comparison between the two.
Well..I'm not sure how they handle in hurricanes and tornado's...never had the chance to test them...:P
I will tell you that once you go to the Power's, you'll never go away from them. I only thought that I was going to get that type of performance and not have to change tires 5 times a season...this after reading the reviews on this site...
Now they have the Power 2CT...even stickier sides..but not yet available in North America...maybe next year!
Anyway, not to argue with you -- to each his own...party on!
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FYYFF!!!
posted August 06, 2006 07:55 PM
Busa, if the bikes you presently own and have owned are in direct ratio to your riding ability, I would definitely say you are one of the guys who needs sport tires.
Me on the other hand, I ride well enough to keep the fast guys in sight, but I don't try to pass any of them. I stay within my abilities and the ST tires work for me.
posted August 06, 2006 08:27 PM
Busa I did a little research. If you will open the PDF file from this sites review on the Strada and go to page 17 you can read what Pirelli's Jeff Johnston has to say about building a tire with no center channel and whey the fronts and rears need to be paired up. I would have copied it here for you but I couldn't figure out how.
I need to get a life too. I spend way too much time riding bikes, thinking about bikes, and sitting on websites talking about bikes.
posted August 07, 2006 04:42 AM
I averaged about 3,500 miles from Pilot Powers on my ZZ-R1200, and I got 3,400 miles out of my OEM BT-014L on the '14. Considering the OEM 014 only came with 6/32 tread depth, I'd say that's close enough to the same amount of mileage to call it a wash. I've already replaced the OEM 014 with a "off the shelf" 014 (7/32 tread depth) until I wear out the front... we'll see if the mileage changes. After that, I'll probably swap back to the Pilot Powers to see how they do on the '14.
For what it's worth, I'd say that I'm more in the "confidence" than "need" category when it comes to buying the stickiest tire. While fba has complained about how slippery the 014 was for him, I've never had a problem. Then again, I'm not *hard* in the throttle partway through a corner - I like to apply light-to-moderate power evenly as I approach and pass the apex, so I'm probably not pushing as hard as others do. I ride with guys who are nearly at full throttle at apex, and they are always complaining about slipping and sliding... while I've been right with them (yes, they pull a little) and never had a mis-step with the 014.
Either way, there's no way I would ever expect a PPower to give me 70% more life than my 014's are. Sure, the PPowers are a better tire, but 70%? I'd put money on it that my first PPower won't see 4,000. Lots of long, flat, straight roads out here in TX... and I like to see BIG triple-digits on every ride. ____________
'06 Passion Red ZX-14 | Black D&D Slip-ons | Speedo Healer | V1 | zumo 550 | Heli-Risers | PhantomX
posted August 07, 2006 04:50 AM
That's strange...the 14 isn't the 1st bike I've had with them...my last Busa had 'em also...and I got almost 6000 miles out of them compared to the 014's at only 3300-3500 or so...and I had 3 rear 014's on there before I opted for the Power's.
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FYYFF!!!
quote:Everone I know who switched to the powers at least doubled the rear miles.
When I first converted to the PPower, I had been getting around 2,500 miles out of Dunlop D208ZR's... that went up to 3,500 average on 4 PPowers. Even that improvement is enough for me to stick with them, but I have no idea how some of you guys are getting 6,000 out of them... maybe it's our rough pavement down here - combined with my right wrist.
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'06 Passion Red ZX-14 | Black D&D Slip-ons | Speedo Healer | V1 | zumo 550 | Heli-Risers | PhantomX
posted August 07, 2006 05:48 AM
Could be the roads...I also have a throttle problem...but I know the Power's get me way more mileage...also stick more for me too!
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FYYFF!!!
posted August 07, 2006 08:30 AM
Hell I got nearly 4500 out of the stock BT014s. Maybe I just don't twist it as hard. I just put on Pilot Powers before a nice 1200 mile weekend, and WOW is all I can say. I'm digging the stick and starting to increase my lean angles and I've already seen balling on the edges as I get further over. I LOVE em.
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Keep the shiny side up!
quote:I just put on Pilot Powers before a nice 1200 mile weekend, and WOW is all I can say. I'm digging the stick and starting to increase my lean angles and I've already seen balling on the edges as I get further over. I LOVE em.
+1 on the lean angles, same thing I found on my ZX9. There's Pilot Powers, then the rest of 'em
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posted August 06, 2006 08:05 AM
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