i have a 749 that currently have dunlop d211 front and sportsmart1 rear, I fancy a change for the new season. My only experience is an old set of pirelli dragons the bike came with when I bought it and these dunlops. I ride fast road with a few track days a year thrown in. Just fancy trying something new to what I have. I would consider the sportsmart 2 as they seem to be different to the old one from what I've read, others i have on the list are michelin power 3's, metzeller m7rr, pirelli rosso corsa. Any others? Paul
Can't go wrong with Sportsmart 2. I'm currently evaluating Metzeler M7RR and so far, I like. I'm running a 999S, fast road and occasional trackday. There will be many suggestions to come, I've no doubt.
I use Michelin pilots, always good tyres for me, I've also used viper tyres as well nice and sticky..
Depends what suits you - lots of people seem to really rate the Sportsmarts but I do not like them and much prefer the feel of Pirellis. There are not really any bad tyres these days!
I was after a pair of Power 3's on my 999 last spring but it ended up with Road 3's fitted by mistake (don't ask!). They are fab. Cheap because they are not the latest model but very confidence inspiring and are likely to last a good bit longer than the 2CT's I had on it previously. I use the bike for fast-ish road work only and would thoroughly recomend these tyres. RB
Loz how do you find m7rr compare, I'm used to sportsmarts and they have a firm construction and feel vague to me, I'm edging towards pp3 as they seem to be favoured by Ducati owners. And I've no experience with Michelin and part of changing was to see if I was missing out on a brand more suited to me.
I find Michelin good tyres, soft enough for road use and last well, but as mentioned before its really trial and error and a persons preference
I haven't thoroughly tested the M7RRs yet, at least I haven't tested warm dry weather riding nor on track. They gave me ridiculous confidence in the cold and wet though, more than the SportSmart 2s do. Bear in mind that although I call myself a quick rider, there are many many folks here on the forum who could ride rings around me. As for Michelins, I have some on my 750SS - they haven't inspired me but then they are (I forget which model) (more designed for endurance than for outright grip/performance).
I,ve just put the metzler m7 rr on my 999 but have only done about 100mls on them, I have pilot road 4's on my zzr1400 and they are awesome, but I wanted something more sporty for the duke.
I'm 2500 miles in to a set of M7RR's on my SF after running the obligatory Pirelli Corsas. Very impressed with the Metzelers. They inspire huge confidence in the dry (and way better than the Pirellis in the wet), they warm fast, hold heat well and have a profile just the right side of aggressive for road riding which suits the SF's steering very well - eager to turn but not so abrupt as to make the somewhat vague SF front end feel flighty. Some people have reported a rapid loss of feel in the latter half of their life but I haven't found that. I think I'll be lucky to see 3500 miles out of the rear, probably not much past 3000 but feel and grip has barely deteriorated since first scrubbed in. The rear is very slightly more squirrelly over lines and catseyes but less so than the Pirellis were at the same stage of wear. I should point out that this is purely road riding here. Fairly aggressive (and far from the smoothest and most skillful..) road riding with more straight line silliness than is good for any set of treads (unavoidable on a 1098 SF) so I don't think they're holding up at all badly considering and if they can keep this performance up past the 3000 mile mark I'll certainly be replacing them with more of the same. Recommended.
I have run these for 9 months now and nothing touches them. Track or road and their wear rate is phenomenal..
michelin power 3's, Have only ever run these, or their predecessors on my 999 and can see no reason to change. They are more tyre than you will need. Work well in all conditions, as far as i can see. Maybe others last longer, but there are some which don't last as long.
I second DomRusty's advice about the Continental Sport Attack 2 Evo's They are the most inspiring tyre I have ever had. I might even say they were awesome, but thats a bit oversaid. But they were excellent.
Had Conti Road Attack 2 on previous bike and really liked 'em. Is prob close to time to change tyres on my 749 as don't know how long current tyres have been on (2.5 years at least) - anyone had these on 749 / 999? - and / or opinions on these?
Well I bought a m7rr rear and when the 211 front is shot a front too, scrubbed in this weekend and so far it's great, I think I'm going to like it A lot. Can't wait for the front to go on now.
I had M7rrs fitted a few months back & I've gotta say they're the best all round Tyre I had, a really confidence inspiring Tyre.
