Start of the season - 1st day of Spring on Friday - so time to start spending a few pennies on stuff again. First up - everyone's favourite - tyres. I have been very happy with various sets of Metzelers - and just taken off a part worn set of Mezeler Roadtec 01 SE- they have been and are great in all weathers. Change of tyres is really just to try something else, rather than not satisfied with the Roadtec 01 SE. Lots of Youtube-ing and reading stuff, and just fancied another go on Dunlops - they have a new tyre - so how bad can it be.. They were fitted this morning and rode home in the bucketing rain - which was fine. First impressions - they are quite a bit more sensitive to inputs than the Roadtec 01 SE. That is for sure - no question about that. When the roads dry out I can see what that means to a big adventure bike, looking forward to it.
Had Roadsmart 2 or 3 on an earlier GS. Very good, they do need some heat in them though, not the Michelin/Continental style instant grip. I would have them again.
According to the media - Dunlop have produced a new tyre that is better than its predecessor. They have brought it up-to-date including improved warm up times - so they say. I put Roadsmart 3 on my Suzuki and it saved the day. I ride up and down a local hill that is used for hill climbs and the Suzuki was terrible - changed the tyres to Roadsmart 3 and transformed the handling. Fast bike that:
Yes, why not. At least with decent tyres. Not sure I would be so comfortable riding a new cheap scooter home in the wet. But decent modern high-end tyres, I don't see why not.
My new R1 with Dunlop Sport - something or others. Sold the stock tyres brand new and rode from the showroom on those Dunlops. Took it to the Isle of Man - lots of rain !! What I am trying to say is that I have had good experiences with Dunlops (apart from the ones that sometimes come stock on a new bike).
I did a trackday on the multi with Sportsmarts, Blyton park. Pulled over to make some calls just after leaving the track and noticed the back tyre….shredded to the edge. That was a first.
I’m not knocking you for doing it. The thought fills me with dread that’s all, I hate scrubbing in new tyres in the dry let alone in the wet .
@J biker That sounds like a fun day out - wearing out the hero-blobs ! (on the footrests) It is not too bad, the rain. It is oil / diesel that gives me the worries. I have no problem with rain. One time I tucked into a lovely left hand corner and found a white shirt laid in the road right on the line - like it had been laid out to iron it - right on the line. Quick stand it up and go round it ! Give me rain any day ! Must be soon now. We had a lovely day on Saturday I think it was - dry, reasonably warm, sunshine - properly nice it was. And let us know how you get on with your Angel GT 2 - they were on my tyre shortlist as well.
Skimmed to the bottom....i never read anyones thoughts on tyres any more cos its totally subjective....the fact that id never let any metzeler near any of my bikes ever again would make no difference to someone who likes them....personally i literally buy a different set of tyres each time i need tyres....if theyre good then they go on my list of tyres i would use again...so far im just finishing off a set of continentals on my z1000 - not a great tyre but cheap and great for winter use - ill be trying Dunlop Sportsmart TT sports next - the continentals will come off when the weather starts to turn...if theres anything left on them ill store them for the end of the year when the weather goes shitty again....for dry summer weather supercorsa's are the bar for me (ive got a part worn set) for either the rsv4 or the zed - hyper has some Michelin Power RS's on it which are good...but when theyre done ill try something completely different...maybe Bridgestones... The really big thing for me....is learning how to change my own tyres and balance my wheels at home.... 1. You get the cheapest price as youre not bound by the tyre place youre buying from. 2. No tyre changing costs (which means you can change as many times as you want..) 3. Because of point 2 you can swap out tyres that might not be good for dry weather but better for wet or winter conditions, so you can get more use out of the tyres for the conditions theyre best suited for... 4. I can change them when i feel like it - dont have to wait at the tyre place for a spot, dont have to get there saturday morning first thing and hang around.... If anyone is considering trying it...my first tyre change just to get the tyre off took an hour and about 30 mins to get back on....and about 30 odd mins to balance...now i can have a tyre swapped out (once the wheel is out) in about 20 mins...so you get better and better at it as you get "the knack"
I like the idea of changing tyres and balancing for myself. Can you provide a list of the tools that you use to do this, and any hints or tips that have helped you along the way?
You’ll likely know that Dunlop have listed alternative tyre pressures for the TTs which are a fair bit lower than most other brands or owner’s manual info. They seemed to work a lot better in the lower end of those Dunlop guides on my V4s Mutley, YMMV. Ps I was advised by my tyre fitter they had a stiff carcass and needed some heft to fit (in cold temps)
Yep - sure....im going from memory..so i might missing something but ill put links in.... 1. Bead breaker...im very tight for space in my garage so ive got this one... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/276351314121?itmmeta=01HQWZ6532BTBCHGDFR8BMZH1J&hash=item4057d268c9:g:Zu4AAOSw27Zl2eA~&itmprp=enc:AQAIAAAA8ASJR1kmrgxAt0Hv6aZKosoAv3cVOKgBBgxdZwMdEwAT1f1dwNsj9lLxzsluz7i2DmcPO/gA8odEZSYIKKEWMH6uaY+fk9u9Jop0SXOvgHBMUIEvWBrMpow2NBj/ygCm6qYbJ5Ko5aU71sqrlFVZ5QE10WX/9lBr0PoJdYheJSJ5EG8J4rK5uqIR0MeQjap/qNVD4KYFH9b4Jlu+T3S3fpgc+Ry+NOMrT2AoEwyZAEdY4T3t0WHUo0IU8xLJ44lzrmo0I+cA9wSDIi9KDKO8IQlRyi+ERoVGCKp64KYgbPpUi50tDwv8T7T0lIGHoLl1zA==|tkp:Bk9SR9TRmJ-_Yw 2. Tyre leavers....you can get away with 3 but ive got 5 of these... https://www.amazon.co.uk/YINGJEE-14-5inch-Motorcycle-Professional-Protectors/dp/B086HHQ8RY/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1T653LI2HTBQK&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._cywiVxfHJshRgWF14rRtRTMoxDDgRZu-vcIAE3zrTGr1FBTRhzMVVOffOP5gXDtsjIz8UaRKiY-zhK7XF5PATb3vN6SFfp2m2Klnyf1KqIzOZy-Y_mA7D3KBQ6PWN9AJ5wagrexENOQlJslVX9by9gkvh84T3jkccvOL8CFDT1TYH5mV4yVLb2A_pWWMjlWDAKPMxBy1loMcCZ1E4awUv2yV2KjSHnK31fVuf8mVjVRzS4y3fxNFFn_HB8CQRKgsqk7Xf1RuOmd1F5cZdPa51rAPUjb77rP5ol1hxp9Zoc.nTSGFRhud8SDJCok756H63JYRCTjL4OdJzp6bXHyCBM&dib_tag=se&keywords=motorcycle+tyre+levers&qid=1709295526&sprefix=motorcycle+tyre+levers,aps,78&sr=8-6&th=1 3. lead weights for balancing...and a roll of 3M tape so you can reuse them.... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/273099497715?itmmeta=01HQWZ9D0A3226ZYCJKWE9BG90&hash=item3f95ffa0f3:g:m-YAAOSwTZ1XngVd&itmprp=enc:AQAIAAAA0EQQ6DfbmsI4Y4j3d2O/4dw01md45wSUxd7vNf9JcDIdRbWyd0H12tYPUjUaulDF6hORYFvmJkNbGabb+4ltvw/zYmhe8ywnctQvStNCmMufBJilr5uEbEYfgl6DTHdLWGkxzDR85psJVmCGKrORjErqB3zUOkPJj4FKsKluKnjY9EkadZFSqXUM/1ApYn566MqAUbfezXV304UMU7Dw8/qrpVWG9p4AvG7GaDrNy14psr87I0GHRb51TspaPL0H1rSNITPzy4Ug8SyAjYznMy8=|tkp:Bk9SR57QpZ-_Yw 4. Rim guards. Theyre in with the levers but, ive got about 6 or 7 of them and you do wear through that as the levers do bite into them eventually... 5. Tyre soap. 6. Balancing setup which you can use on a normal paddock stand....or if youve got the room get a dedicated one! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303015673685?itmmeta=01HQWZDAAZNPWSX5T8HDK57B80&hash=item468d243f55:g:RngAAOSwihtdlIh8&itmprp=enc:AQAIAAAA0BrIQYTNVv3LxK2+oH0bs/8PiF3uro9oMbOkzNq9kvyYePqAQLY0TjDuqRr3VgwHl+Qxw5BYp7PXs6VglG0sNXdt0LyhTT21bO9N5w45wn5vXm+FpdNy4GDod1gy5T7FYv6RkFx28MQ8LTHE9vZDEdWoXxVqXOhzrDPU2NJxwJWTrVn081cHS/mMAT46tQYDw4dkr/iIB7bRxhnpC7gJECcwa8XWdPQIjz2irdHGJx99RacrxofwBRvs06grR4EUJ38rSQz9EfLy89YyLMepTzg=|tkp:Bk9SR9CltZ-_Yw 7. Compressor - this was the main thing that kinda tipped me over the edge to try it....again space is an issue for me plus i was 50 50 as i thought at the time id need a full sized compressor to blow the beads out on the tyre - took a punt on this and it worked a treat... https://www.aldi.co.uk/portable-compressor/p/090352319982100 Acutally doing the job....the big breakthrough for me was once the bead is broken put your knee on the tyre to make sure the bead is sitting in the centre of the wheel then at the opposite side where you would put the first tyre lever in....that makes it so easy....i will say that front wheels are harder than rears as the wheel is narrower... Its a bit of a commitment but, youll never go back...plus whenever the wheels are off on any of mine....you get to give it a good clean! Once youve got your first set of tyres changed theres a good sense of satisfaction...!! I will openly say after changing im guessing about 10+ sets of wheels i did make one small chip in the paintwork on one where the rim guard split....but no more than gaining a paint chip when out riding... Sorry to hijack the thread by the way!
Yes - changing tyres in cold weather is hard granted....tyre soap helps alot and lots of tyre levers. Sometimes you do need another set of hands (i get the other half to just hold a tyre lever or two) sometimes. As i said thats something im more than happy with as the benefits far outweigh the cons...
Having my 899 serviced today and they’ve just phoned to say my front wheel was 10 years old the back one is new but they don’t make them anymore and these road smarts were the recommendation to replace the front. Review to follow after I’ve got over the annoyance of having to ride home with odd tyres which I fkn hate.
Post #178 Seriously simple with heavy duty zip ties. Also there is some discussion to Michelin tyres not needing balance weights... I'm going to try tyre beads if required.
