| Author | Message | ||
     Newfie_buell |
Someone help me please. Before I head to East Troy for the 20th Anniversary Party/Event I will be needing new tires. I want something that will give me good mileage but not to sacrifice too much cornering ability. I normally run Dunlop D207s front & rear but find they wear out after about 8000km. I want a decent tire that I won't have to change again when I get back home. I fugure I may ride about 2000km after I return home as the season ends mid-October or so. The round trip for East Trooy will be roughly 7,700km/5,000mi. The 207s will be well worn (especially a big flat spot in the middle of the rear) as most of the driving will be on long straight roads once I get off the island of Newfoundland (we have very few straight roads) Any help would be great. Posted in the Knowledge Vault as well. | ||
| Darthane |
D220s? They take a bit longer to warm up and I beliee they have a different profile from the D207s (higher sidewall?), but you should get better wear out of them without sacrificing too much grip. | ||
| Smadd |
I just took off a worn set of D220's. They looked like they were going to be long lasting tires. Then, in a couple of months they wore down to the cord in nothing flat! Maybe 3,000 miles out of the rear. I thought they handled well... but the Pirelli Dragons (yeah.. I know Metzeler but with a different tread pattern) handled superbly and lasted a couple thousand longer. Now, I'm trying a set of Michelin Pilot Roads. They're ugly... don't look particularly sporty. But they seem to handle great for my purposes... and it appears that wet weather handling will be good. I only have about 500 miles on 'em. We'll see. Of course Michelin claims high mileage capabilities for 'em. A famous tire person... I can't recall her name... once told me there are many variables to consider when choosing tires. What works in one state, might not work as well in another. Road surfaces, climate, time of year purchased, road design, riding style, are just a few of the many variables that play a part in tire wear. Sure, it's good to hear opinions of others... but remember your results might vary a bit from the guy thousands of miles away. Maybe the D220 would be the do all-end all tire for someone else. | ||
| Mikej |
Replying to this thread instead of the other one since this one is more active. Aren't one of the Bridgestones a dual-compound tire? Might be just the ticket for a long-distance ride. | ||
| Gravedigger |
I tried both the pilots and the D-220's. I don't think either one of them got near the mileage that I did out of a set of D205's. I thought the pilots were the worst of the group for mileage. D220's weren't bad and did grip well in wet conditions but just lasted a few less miles than the 205's. The 205's are the same as the 220's when it comes to dry grip and need a bit to warm up, but once warm seem to grip quite well. Just my opinion. Keith | ||
| Smadd |
Keith... which Michelin Pilot did you try? The "Road" is a new one... recently released, I believe. The Pilot "Sport" has been out for a while, and I think would be considered the higher performance tire. I hope my new "Roads" last a bit longer... but if not... well.. won't be the first time! My Buell has been through a lot of tires in it's 50,000 miles!! | ||
| Piggos |
I put on a set of Dunlop D208ZR's before Laguna Seca, and they are visibly worn after the 900 mile round trip. They were brilliant on Hwy 1 through Big Sur, though! | ||
| Gravedigger |
Steve, I was speaking of the pilot sports. Keith | ||
| Crusty |
If you're mainly going to be traveling to the 20th, I'd say go with the 205's. They last a reasonably long time and have good traction for not being a sport tire. I'm pretty happy with them. I'm looking forward to meeting you at the 20th.as well as Spiderman, BadS1,Whatever, Dyna, Etc.,Etc., Etc. edited by crusty on July 15, 2003 | ||
| Blake |
In my opinion, tire companies have their heads up their rears when it comes to Sport Touring tires. I need more than 5,000 miles out of my rear tire when I hit the road, at least 7,000 please. I've always run sport touring tires. never achieved more than 5,500 miles, and that was with wearing down to the chord and babying it all the way home from Houston. | ||
| Smadd |
Agreed... and that's why I have nothing against trailering anymore. One thing I hate is quickly wearing down a set of expensive tires over miles and miles of boring highways. I realize good traction comes at a price, but you would think the tire companies could get a *little* more life out of a sport/touring tire. Oh well... we keep on buyin' them. | ||
| Crusty |
I don't know what I'm doing right, but 205's last about 12,000 miles for me. I ain't bitching. | ||
| Newfie_buell |
I may try a set of 205s. I may even get them on the road somewhere just wear the ones I got out then get some new ones on the road. Does anyone have any experience with other types other than the Dunlops?? | ||
| Libnosis |
I've gotten good wear out of my Avon Venom. 4k and plenty of tread left. I decided to try one on my Harley. I ordered one yesterday prior to my ride out to South Dakota at the end of this month. Good luck. | ||
| Mikej |
If you're planning on replacing your tires during the trip then try to plan ahead and call ahead to ensure the shop has the tires in stock and that they can fit you into their schedule. How many miles do you figure you have left on the current skins? Rummage around in the archives for lots of input on other brands of tires. There's lots of info buried in there. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I am looking at the same question now for my 00M2. I have it narrowed down to Bridgestone BT-020's or Metzler MeZ4's. The BT's will probably wear longer, the Metzlers will do better in rain and probably grip better. I will probably mix a new front with my existing D220 rear for a while also. I will post my impressions when I get into it. | ||
| Johnc |
I know a lot of people say this is not a good idea but I am currently using a Bridgestone BT101F on the front and the harder sport touring BT020 on the rear. I find the handling is very good and I am getting much better wear than my last set of Dunlop 205's. 8000 km on the rear now and still has about 3-4000 left in it. I had a bad cupping wear problem with the front Dunlop but so far the Bridgestone looks good. | ||
| Newfie_buell |
I get the same with the two dunlops I have had on mine too. | ||
| Redstripe |
I agree; Bridgestone should be a reasonable choice. Wouldn't know if the BT010 up front would last the distance Newfie's talking of? BT 020 front and rear shouldn't be a bad choice for the purposes mentioned. I don't think these tyres will disappoint in some corner-carving even. They'll need little time to warm up, also! | ||
| Reepicheep |
In poking around today, I noticed that the Metzler MeZ4's (the other tire I am looking at in addition to the BT020) has a huge difference between their 170/60 and 180/55's. The 180/55 is like 3 pounds lighter, and costs $40 more. Wonder if it wears as well. I have had both 180/55's and 170/60's on the back of my cyclone, and could not tell a difference in handling (as by the time you switch, the profile of your old tire is all messed up from wear anyway). |
