[help - tires] picking out some new hoops for my SV?

[spicy]

not sure which forum to post this in, but i figured this one is as good a bet as any others...

anyways, so yeah, i've put 10k+ mi on the OEM Dunlop D220s (allegedly a pretty lousy tire, but i'm still a pretty new rider and don't have any glaringly overt complaints) -- front tire's still alright, i think, but the rear's right at the point where you can tell it's squaring off but you can't really visually see it yet (i just drag my fingers across it). it probably has another 500-1000mi left in it before the treads are at the wear bars. the sides/shoulder treads are still pretty deep...

i'm not too sure how i'd describe my riding habits/style (i'm sure some other folks i ride with can chime in). my SV is a pretty light bike (probably 420-ish lbs wet plus my 170lb including gear) and i think more torque than a 600ss, but only just. i do enjoy starting off from stops with vigor (figure frequent 5-40mph runs at 60-80% throttle), but i'm also not riding a superbike closing on 500lbs with 95+ft-lbs coursing through the rear tire. these tires also will not see the track, and probably won't have too many 2-up miles on them, though it will happen on occasion.

i'd say a hefty chunk of the mileage on my current set is probably from commuting from Amherst-Boston fairly routinely (probably half of it, maybe +/- 10%), which explains why they've started to flatspot at the very end of their life. i'm not a super aggressive rider (1/4" of unused strips on 160 profile stockers, not that that really matters), though i thoroughly enjoy twisties and routinely ride to probably 1/2" from the edges. i'm a big fan of randomly exploring, though, so that's why i like the idea of a harder center with softer sides for when i do decide i want to rip it up in the twisties a bit after having ridden 50mi while exploring and looking for fun twisties. my concern is that these replacement tires won't be ridden like the stock D220s. i won't be making frequent Amherst-Boston trips since i've now finished with school, and thus won't need to have harder centers since it's possible that my riding will now become more "mostly twisties with some occasional exploration trips," rather than my previous "lots of hard twisties followed by long (90mi each way) highway slogging" mileage.

i've been reading and looking around at reviews, and am pretty sure i'm looking for either a really really sporty sport-touring tire, or a sport tire that's reasonably sticky but a bit longer wearing. the Conti Road Attacks seem to have gotten a really solid following on SVRiders, and the Michelin Pilot Road 2's (the 2CT) recently have been getting more and more support.

the Conti's are reasonably cheap, and everyone says they've got surprisingly good grip in the wet, and i haven't heard any complaints about their dry grip. the PR2's are a bit more expensive (143.99 vs 118.99 for 160/60 rears at motoxoutlet.com), but since they're dual compound, shoulder grip seems like it'd be more than adequate, and it'll have the distance-wearing i'd like.

i'm also not *quite* sure how they compare... i heard the Road 2 (2CT) construction is basically a center of the harder rubber used in the original Pilot Roads, with shoulders using the softer rubber used in the Pilot Powers. my thoughts were that the Conti's are classified more as ST tires, and are thus roughly equivalent to the harder Pilot Road rubber, which means both their sides as well as their centers are as hard as the Road 2's center, and therefore will have less edge grip.

also, having a slightly faster tip-in seems like it would be a nice thing, but being the same as the stockers wouldn't be a problem. i think this is more a function of the front tire profile, though, so it's entirely possible this is a non-issue except for the fact that i'd prefer having a single manufacturer sport front/sport touring rear setup like the PP front/PR2 (2CT) rear. i'm probably going to look into that when the front needs replacing. a lot of SVRider people also run Road Attack in the rear with a Sport Attack on the front for extra front grip and more balanced wear front to rear (basically going through 1f/1r instead of 2 rears for every 1 front).


anyone think they can chime in with some words of wisdom or any experiences? i'd say i'm leaning towards the RA's simply because they're so popular on SVRider (they're also a smidge cheaper and the tread pattern is pimpin' lol), but i'm a little hesitant about potentially flatspotting them -- the Road 2's seem like they'd be harder to flatspot.



thanks all -- 'preciate the help . hopefully i'm not completely off with the aforementioned options that i've narrowed things down to... sorry this is ABSURDLY long, lol




cliffs:
- need new rear tire imminently, front tire won't need replacement for a little while
- looking for tire on the harder end of the sport spectrum, or a sticky sport-touring tire
- won't be tracked
- 2-up is possible but would only be occasional, if at all
- want decent mileage without flatspotting (6k-8k+ mi preferred; the 3-4k i've heard Pilot Powers getting is a little too low for me)
- good shoulder grip preferred
- not sure how likely i am to flatspot the new tires because i've changed where i've done most of my riding

[Jim]

check with Boston Moto and see if you can get a deal with the Pirelli's

[duey]

IMO

Diablo Strada seems like it would work well for your situation. I'm sure Boston Moto can get'em for ya too.

[kbroderick]

If the OEM Dunlops on an SV are anything like the OEM Dunlops on a Ninjette (K630s), you want to replace both tires, because you don't know what you're missing.

(Disclaimer: I don't know how good or bad your OEM tires are. I just know that switching tires on my Ninjette made a night-and-day difference, including on feedback approaching lockup.)

[Qfactor]

Pirelli Strada is best for your riding style.

pm Boston Moto for availability.

Q

[CEO]

Pirelli stradas, or if you want michelins the road 2cts would be good. Provide good mileage in the center, but have softer edges for a mild-paced canyon ride.

[BLACK SQUIRREL]

i have worn out a set tires in less time it took to read that thread.

Ditto Pirelli strada

[Mondo]

Pilot Powers 2cts

[butcher bergs]

Diablo Stradas

If they can handle a 1300cc FJR at full tilt then I'd say an SV would be happy wearing them.

[Boston Moto]

Sounds like the Strada would be an ideal tire for you. Unfortunately, Boston Moto can't sell you any. We can only sell race and trackday tires.

[TimD]

You mean you finally gave up riding around rotarys to fix them

I definitely liked my pilot powers but my last set only lasted like 10k, there probably softer than you'd need

[duey]

damn didn't know Boston Moto doesn't supply non-race tires. worse comes to worse i can get them for you, call me at the shop and i'll see what i can do for pricing on them for you.

[butcher bergs]

Sounds like the Strada would be an ideal tire for you. Unfortunately, Boston Moto can't sell you any. We can only sell race and trackday tires.

Any chance that will change in the future? It would be nice to support you guys on the street-aspect of riding as well.

[Mr. Kurtz]

Pirelli is a good call, but no reason to go with Strada's.

Check out the new Pirelli Diablo Rosso. Pirelli's newest sport touring tire, dual compound like the Pilot Road 2(also a great tire). One thing you'll notice on the Rosso is the lack of any tread grooves on the shoulders. This is intentional, as studies showed that street riders didn't lean over far enough and didn't need water displacement that far onto the edge. The extra rubber on the road means more contact patch when leaned over to the edge(in the dry).

[spicy]

damn didn't know Boston Moto doesn't supply non-race tires. worse comes to worse i can get them for you, call me at the shop and i'll see what i can do for pricing on them for you.

should i just call riverside moto tomorrow and ask for Duey?





the reason i have so much trouble is just cuz looking at manufacturer websites is utterly useless. they all say the same frigging thing, talking about "we offer utmost performance over competitors" and mention nothing about resisting flatspotting or providing decent wear with competent handling abilities...

when i rule the world, i'm gonna demand tire manufacturers rename offerings to the "sticky as fuck" "pretty sticky" "light touring but good" "hard as wood" "lasts practically forever" naming scheme.

[duey]

should i just call riverside moto tomorrow and ask for Duey?





the reason i have so much trouble is just cuz looking at manufacturer websites is utterly useless. they all say the same frigging thing, talking about "we offer utmost performance over competitors" and mention nothing about resisting flatspotting or providing decent wear with competent handling abilities...

when i rule the world, i'm gonna demand tire manufacturers rename offerings to the "sticky as fuck" "pretty sticky" "light touring but good" "hard as wood" "lasts practically forever" naming scheme.

yeah just call riverside and ask for me or if i'm not available ask for Dana (make sure you tell her your from NESR for discount).


Mike, I think your confusing the Rosso's for the Corsa III's. CorsaIII's are dual compound but the Rosso's are not but they carry the same exact tread pattern. Main reason I think me and everyone else is suggesting Strada's is because he's coming from a D220 which is damn near a dual sport tire if you ask me, so for mi/grip i think the Strada's would suit his needs better than the Rosso (which is a great sticky street tire too).

[schleppy]

Pirelli Scorpion syncs if you want to get dirty

[Hauptman]

Thanks for starting the thread for me spicy I have to admit that the D220's on my SV are pretty lame. I want the Corsa III's but they don't come in our lowly 160. I've heard good things about the 2ct's but I'm open to suggestions.

[Mondo]

PILOT POWER 2CT's!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[CEO]

PILOT POWER 2CT's!!!!!!!!!!!!1

You don't even know what those tires can do yet

[sveesix]

A, everyone on NESR boasts about the STrada's, but you already know that everyone over on SVRider say that the Conti's are the absolute bees knees. If I were you, I would go for the Conti's, as long as you make sure to set them up at higher pressure (search svr).

cliffnotes: up to you?

[Mondo]

You don't even know what those tires can do yet

lol yea but they are awesome tires and i love how they feel compared to my old stock ones and he wants an improvement yet still wants good mileage? soooooooooooooo i suggested these ones

[Crash Dummy Denno]

Thanks for starting the thread for me spicy I have to admit that the D220's on my SV are pretty lame. I want the Corsa III's but they don't come in our lowly 160. I've heard good things about the 2ct's but I'm open to suggestions.

i hear yah, i dont know why they dont make the DC3's in 160 rears, seems like a no-brainer to me!

[spicy]

so i spoke to Duey at RMS today and i went with a Diablo Strada. he was helpful and seemed very knowledgable, explaining the subtleties in profile/contour of the tires i'd narrowed things down to.

only thing is that the more i think about it, the less i'm sure how much i should worry about squaring off the rear since i won't be logging tons of miles making 180mi round trips. the D220s have more than 10k on them and are just barely starting to have obvious flat-spots (can't even really tell visually), so i'm worried that maybe i went with too much of a ST tire... they should have plenty of grip for back-road hooliganism, right, or at the very least, more than the D220s had..?

i'll post initial thoughts if anyone wants them. tires should be in sometime next week and on by the end of that day or the next (worst case).

[Brit-Triple]

Duey and Dana have been awesome over at RMS, they even hooked me up before I became a member here. I went with the Rosso's at their request and have liked them very much on my speed 3. I brought them the tires, they did get me for the mount and balance though (def not like getting tires changed in NH).