Suzuki Bandit 1250 Sub-Thread: Tires

[PhilS]

Hello all:

In an effort to start breaking things out from the main "monster thread", if I'm allowed to, I would like to start one on tires. This way, we do not need to search through the main thread to get to the point

Most of the 1250 Bandit guys are at 3000 to 5000 miles or so and tires have started to come up - among other hot topics.

I have stock tires. My front is starting to show a flat center section and the rear is showing the same just bigger. I have 2500 miles on them and plan on gettign rid of them and getting the Michelin Road Pilot 2's. I have not ridden Road Pilot's, but I am hearing great things about them. For now, I can't seem to find RP2's, but, I don't need them until next Spring. I mainly ride 1-up mild twistie country roads - no peg scraping at all.

What are you guys doing and why?

Also, is this a good idea to start breaking out threads into sub-catagories?

[GregH]

Originally Posted by PhilS

...is this a good idea to start breaking out threads into sub-catagories?

As long as we're getting good info it's a good idea.

My tires are still good with 3300 miles. I'm sure I'll have to replace them by next spring as well, though.

[treybrad]

Replaced mine at 3,880mi. Could've gotten a few hundred more probably, but had new RoadAttacks sitting there ready to mount so off they went.

70% of the mileage was commuting, up and down 183. Took a few 300mi weekend jaunts into the hill country, but even then it's not like I'm dragging peg... I watch my tire pressure closely, ran them at the suggested 38/42, or maybe even a lb or two higher. Very little 2-up riding.

There was lots of meat on the sides of the rear tire, but the middle had flat spotted pretty bad thanks to all the commuting and maybe a heavy wrist at times as well.. The front looked to be in good shape, but I figured I'd just swap it out while I was at it.

Very happy with the Conti RoadAttacks. I'm at about 5,500mi or so now, so I've put about 1,600mi on them. They grip well, hold pressure very well, I haven't had to add air in about 3 weeks, and look cool as a bonus. They seem to be wearing better than the Dunlops, I hope to get twice the mileage or better from these.

trey

[GregH]

Trey,
What did the Conti's cost? Did you mount them yourself or have a shop do it? How hard is it to mount bike tires?

[KY Geezeer]

GregH, I've mounted tires on spoked rims and while I think it's a "bear" of a job it can be done (I usually wind up pinching at least one tube when I do it) I'd definitely recommend taking the tubeless rims to the shop. Also they can balance them at the same time with a lot less hassle. My $.02 worth.

[treybrad]

Originally Posted by GregH

Trey,
What did the Conti's cost? Did you mount them yourself or have a shop do it? How hard is it to mount bike tires?

Cost was right around $150 for the rear and $120 for the front from CycleGear. That was within $5 of online prices, so I figured I just order them there. They mounted them for $20/ea, which I thought was pretty high since I bought them there, but it's $30/ea if you buy them elsewhere so, eh.

I like the tires, but I'll never let CycleGear get anywhere near my wheels again. They scratched up the rims in a few places... not what I was expecting for $20 a wheel. Lesson learned I guess...

trey

[GregH]

Thanks for the report. I'll stay away from them.
FYI, the Suzuki dealer quoted me $230 installed for just the rear tire!

[PhilS]

As I said, I am looking at the Mich RP2's. Don't know where I'm gonna get 'em yet, but, my dealer said they would mount them on the bike for $120 total. So I am in for $300 for the tires shipped to me from God knows where, plus $120 for the dealer to take off, mount, balance, and put back on - $420 OTD. I figure it's worth it to me to NOT remove them, balance the bike without wheels on the center stand, transport the tires to and from, and remount and adjust chain.

After being true the original Dunlop D218 after 4000 miles I installed Bridgestone BT021 front and rear. So far over 6000 miles on them and still good for probably another 1500 miles (on the rear one).

The rear one is made of 2 different compound. Hard in the middle and soft on the sides. They hold good but need to be warm-up a bit before the hang like the D218.

I might go for the Pilot Road 2 also next spring...or maybe a Metzeller set.

[A1A]

Is that what the (2) stands for with the Pilot Road 2 tire. Two different tire compounds?

[PhilS]

Originally Posted by A1A

Is that what the (2) stands for with the Pilot Road 2 tire. Two different tire compounds?

All Michelin told me was that this is the second generation of PR's. I've never had PR's before so I couldn't tell you the difference from the 1's to the 2's.

Here is the link:

http://two-wheels.michelin.com/2w/fr...105938&lang=EN

[Doons]

I'm not currently riding a Bandit but have had three of them (97, 00 and 03). Been through many tires as each was around 30K miles when I went to the next one. The tire I liked the best was the Metzler Z6. Good grip wet or dry, quite and decent mileage. Only complaint was the lack of a wear indicator in the middle of the rear tire. Hard to tell when it is used up and when it starts to go, it goes in a hurry.

[treybrad]

Originally Posted by Doons

I'm not currently riding a Bandit but have had three of them (97, 00 and 03). Been through many tires as each was around 30K miles when I went to the next one. The tire I liked the best was the Metzler Z6. Good grip wet or dry, quite and decent mileage. Only complaint was the lack of a wear indicator in the middle of the rear tire. Hard to tell when it is used up and when it starts to go, it goes in a hurry.

Me too. Had one on my SV and the lack of a wear bar drove me crazy. Good tire, gripped well enough, didn't square off too badly either. I just became paranoid when leaving for a 500+ mile weekend once the tire was a little worn...

trey

Originally Posted by A1A

Is that what the (2) stands for with the Pilot Road 2 tire. Two different tire compounds?

As per Michelin for Pilot Road:

Heat, rain, cold – in virtually any conditions, the Michelin Pilot Road and its 100% silica-charged tread compound won’t let weather get in the way of your ride. The front tire’s rounded profile offers progressive steering response, and the advanced casing design tackles rough roads easily. The Michelin Pilot Road strikes the ideal balance between tread life and performance, while affording an exceptional quality/price ratio. It’s the ideal tire for your Fazer, Bandit or VFR.



and Pilot Road2

The ideal balance Independent tests confirm the Pilot Road 2 offers better wet grip and longer tread life than any of its competitors. How did Michelin incorporate these two contradictory traits in one tyre? MotoGP-derived 2CT technology makes it possible, using two distinct rubber compounds to achieve what was once thought impossible.

Originally Posted by A1A

Is that what the (2) stands for with the Pilot Road 2 tire. Two different tire compounds?

As per Michelin for Pilot Road:



* Remarkable wet grip
* Unsurpassed high-speed stability



Heat, rain, cold – in virtually any conditions, the Michelin Pilot Road and its 100% silica-charged tread compound won’t let weather get in the way of your ride. The front tire’s rounded profile offers progressive steering response, and the advanced casing design tackles rough roads easily. The Michelin Pilot Road strikes the ideal balance between tread life and performance, while affording an exceptional quality/price ratio. It’s the ideal tire for your Fazer, Bandit or VFR.



and Pilot Road2

The ideal balance Independent tests confirm the Pilot Road 2 offers better wet grip and longer tread life than any of its competitors. How did Michelin incorporate these two contradictory traits in one tyre? MotoGP-derived 2CT technology makes it possible, using two distinct rubber compounds to achieve what was once thought impossible.

[A1A]

Thanks windman and PhilS,

I was thinking that was probably a dual compound on the PR-2's. I believe it must have a hard compound center for wear and softer compound sides for handling in the corners. All thanks to MotoGP!
Sounds like the best of both worlds to me.

[TWTourist]

My original Dunlop D218 got changed out at 4500 miles with a set of D208 that Cycle Gear had on sale for 149.00 for the set.

I have less then 400 miles on the D208 and have had to plug the rear tire. I will test my plug job for now.

My next set will be the Pilot Road CT2. I have use the Pilot Road on my old Bandit and my FJR with great luck. They handled the wet and dry condition with no trouble and leasted about 8,000 miles on either bike. I'm hopeing for even better results from the Pilot Road CT2. Cycle Gear had them in stock at a good price the last time I was there.

[GregH]

Canyon Chasers wrote a good review of the Continental Road Attacks.
Essentially they said the tires are great and they were getting 6000-7000 miles out of the rear tire.

[Brass]

I know that a big can of worms is opened up at the mention of tires but here we are anyway.

Whirrrrrr.....

Has anyone mounted a set of Dunlop D616 on any bike? Riding around the west coast and in the mountains, rain becomes an issue. The D616 looked like a good choice.

[Roy]

I have been real happy with the Michelin Pilot Powers. Excellent grip!! so far the rear is wearing okay, looking at maybe 4k on the rear,,,,I hope

Not real expensive at $239.95 to my house from www.sportbiketrackgear.com excellent service from these guys in the past. Fast and prompt shipping. A rear alone is about $146.