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Continental Road Attack tires REVIEW

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wczimmerman

wczimmerman

The ORIGINAL Pie Man
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I stumbled on this today in my research on my first tire swap on the SV1000. Looks like I may have found my next set. Lower price than the Z6's but perform at least similar (I loved the Z6's on my VFR).
 
Ah I was hoping the word wouldn't get out, so I could buy all these tires. They are very good and I still love them on my SV.
 
Conti's were the second set I ran on my VFR and I was really excited about them after using their bicycle tires for years. They felt good and did well in the rain but the front tire wobbled from the beginning and cupped within 1000 miles. I know I'm a fat **** but I only got about 4000 miles out of them. The front still had miles on it but I couldn't take a hand off the bars without a tankslapper. Switched to Pilot Roads and they are holding up beautifully for me. Just my .02.
 
Looking over the information at the manufacturer's site, it would seem they recommend running 36/42 psi front/rear on my SV1K rather than the 36/36 recommended by Suzuki (for solo riding-if you are 2 up then Suzuki recommends 36/42).
 
I love mine on my 1100 ZREX, wet or dry..will buy another set when this one is through.
 
The opinions on the Conti RA are consistantly good regarding its dry-road performance, but the wet-road reviews are all over the place. Makes you wonder how much of that is the due to the rider or the bike itself.
 
wczimmerman said:
Dutch & Soloman:
What are your impressions on the RA's in the wet?
Click to expand...

I actualy don't think I've riden with these in the rain yet, so I really can't be a good judge. I've ridden on damp roads in the early morning hours and experience no issues however. I would like to think given the absolutely huge grooves in these tires they would perform very well. I do believe these tires hold heat better than any I've run yet and that should also help when riding in wet conditions.
 
wczimmerman said:
Dutch & Soloman:
What are your impressions on the RA's in the wet?

Review of RA Part 1
Review of RA Part 2
Click to expand...


Mine handled very well in the rain. I'm definitely no racer but I've pushed them in the wet and never had an issue. My only complaint was the cupping of the front and the low mileage on the rear. It could be due to my riding habits too. :trust:

FWIW: I bought mine a year ago and the rear was made in Germany and the front was made in Korea.
 
I contacted Continental with a couple of questions. Here is their reply:

I am about to purchase my next set of tires for my 2006 Suzuki SV1000S,
but I have a couple of questions. If you are not the right person to
ask, please forward this message on to the appropriate people.

1. Why are the recommended pressures (36psi front/42 psi rear)
different than the OEM recommendation (36 psi front/36 psi rear)?

Not all radial tires are the same, every manufacturer will vary the design/structure of their tires to reach their intended performance goals. The rear Road Attack uses our 0° High Impact Steel belting which is designed to give a 12% larger contact patch then our competitors who use Kevlar belting and was designed to run at higher inflation than your OE tire.

2. According to my research, it would seem the rear Road Attacks are
made in Germany, but the fronts are made in Korea? Can you confirm this?

Yes, you are correct. Our rear Road Attack uses our 0° High Impact Steel Belting which our factory in Germany specializes in and the front Road Attack uses our Kevlar belting which our factory in Korea specializes in.
Click to expand...

Then I asked if he would be ok with me posting his response here:

Yes, you can post my comments. The Road Attack is our #2 selling tire in the N. American market and the Sport Attack was just released a few months ago (please find detailed information attached).

It might be interesting for you to know that Continental Tire owns the Uvalde Proving Grounds in Uvalde, TX (www.uvaldeprovinggrounds.com). Continental owns many test tracks around the world where extensive R&D is conducted. The Uvalde Proving Grounds is a famous 5,000 acre test facility incorporating many different test tracks, in fact many of our competitors rent the facility from us to conduct their R&D.

Safe Riding & Best Regards,
Greg Reich
Continental Tire North America, Inc.
Sales Manager/Motorcycle Tires
Tel: 614-855-6960
Fax: 614-855-6961
E-Mail: greg.reich@conti-na.com
Click to expand...

I also encouraged him to come here to answer any further questions that may come up. I got quick responses to all my questions. :clap:
 
One more:

I presume the SportAttacks are not expected to last as long as the
RoadAttacks?

Yes, your right on the money. The Sport Attack is a "hypersport" radial designed for the highest levels of grip for street and track use and competes with the Dunlop Qualifier and Michelin Pilot Power, it offers the highest grip of any of our radials. The Road Attack creates a new category that we call "Sport Mileage" which means high grip for aggressive riding however high durability as well. In fact Suzuki of Germany approved the Road Attack for use in Germany on the GSX-R1000 which will give you an idea of the grip level that this tire delivers. The Road Attack is designed to offer the grip of a sport radial with the mileage of a sport touring radial, whereas the Sport Attack was designed for all-out grip.
Click to expand...
 
Now I can put in my two cents as well. I love the rears, but can't comment on the fronts since they don't make my size (18" front wheel). I've pushed them as hard as I can in wet and dry and it just takes what I give it. One thing I did notice is for me they tend to heat up a little slower than some of the other Sport Touring tires. We just put a set front and rear on my wife's SV650 and so far so good. She has about 4k on the rear, but less than 1k on the front.
 
Hey Chris, ask you new buddy at Continental about letting us TWT'ers loose on their Uvalde test track one weekend. You could suggest that it would be a great customer relations/sales tool! :mrgreen:

Currently, there are eleven different test courses including a 3-lane 8-1/2 mile high speed oval, various asphalt, cement, gravel, dirt and rock courses as well as numerous high performance and special test courses.
Click to expand...

Sounds like they've got something for everyone! :thumb:
 
wczimmerman said:
Thanks, Dutch. Hey Soloman: where were yours made?
Click to expand...

It's looks like you already got the answer, but I'l check my rear when I get home on Friday.
 
Yep, Germany.

I did finally ride in the rain today. I went down to Myrtle Beach this weekend and burned up my front to the point it had not tread left when I got there. I wasn't expecting this, so rather than put the brand new Metzler front tire on I have in my garage, I had to buy a new tire in Myrtle Beach. I had a Pilot Power put on.

In any case riding in the rain, was very comfortable. I road for about 2 hours on fairly straight back roads in very heavy rain. At one point I couldn't hardly see in front of the bike it was raining so hard. I pushed the bike to see where the tires would start to loose grip and was unable. I did loose it a bit going very quickly around an exit ramp, but I would say the Road Attack rear and Pilot Power front provide very a stable ride in the wet.
 
Paul,
Thanks for your interest in our Uvalde Proving Grounds. I apologize but Uvalde is a private test facility that is usually booked for the full year.
Thanks again & Safe Riding!
Greg Reich
Continental Tire North America, Inc.
 
So Greg, do you have a stand-by policy? ;-)
 
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