A good deal on Conti's

[Walter]

Seriously thinking about ordering a set to put back at this price $159.99 for the set. Anyone had experience with them?

https://www.cyclegear.com/CONTINENTAL-Conti-Motion-Sport-Touring-Radial-Motorcycle-Tires#pr-header-back-to-top-link

 

[RossKean]

I just finished a pair. The front didn't last too badly but the rear lasted maybe a bit more than half as long as a PR2 would. It went away very quickly toward the end. They wore evenly compared to the PR2 and handled pretty well. Not overly sticky but inspired a reasonable amount of confidence. I would use them again for reasonably local riding or a short enough trip that I wouldn't have to worry about the tires being done before I got home. The price is very good; especially if you can mount them yourself.

 

[majicmaker]

Just ordered a set of PR2's. Can't wait to put those puppies on. 14K on a set of PR4's. They were OK but, I like the 2's better. That's a good price on the Conti's though.

 

[Fred W]

Bought a ContiMotion for the front (PR2 on back) and put it on before I left on a 2 week vacation ride last summer. BIG MISTAKE. That tire was wobbling and shaking within the first 1000 miles and continued to do so for 6k miles until I got home and yanked it off. It had enough tread to last another 6k miles, but I couldn't stand the wobbling.

Put a 1/2 worn Bridgestone back on and it was right back to smooth and straight. The Conti was balanced fine, it was something wrong with the tire itself. I've read similar other stories of the same type about them.

I'll never buy another. YMMV.

 

[RossKean]

Bought a ContiMotion for the front (PR2 on back) and put it on before I left on a 2 week vacation ride last summer. BIG MISTAKE. That tire was wobbling and shaking within the first 1000 miles and continued to do so for 6k miles until I got home and yanked it off. It had enough tread to last another 6k miles, but I couldn't stand the wobbling.
Put a 1/2 worn Bridgestone back on and it was right back to smooth and straight. The Conti was balanced fine, it was something wrong with the tire itself. I've read similar other stories of the same type about them.

I'll never buy another. YMMV.

I guess its just the luck of the draw! I removed a supposedly premium Pirelli Angel GT to install the Contimotion for exactly the same reason. Deceleration wobble was bad to the point of being unsafe from about 3000 miles onward but I had no issues with the Conti. I won't go back to the Angel but might try another Conti to finish off a MC season. Your tire poll is (quite reasonably) designed to capture the favorite tires. I guess the ongoing dialog will capture the negative experiences (problems) people have had with other specific brands. In some ways, tires to avoid (for specific reasons) could be just as interesting! A number of (previously) popular skins have fallen into disfavor as a function of quality control issues (i.e. Avon).

 

[Fred W]

Could start another poll, tires I have had problems with, or something like that. It might be even more telling

 

[RossKean]

Could start another poll, tires I have had problems with, or something like that. It might be even more telling

Let's see how the current new tire poll shakes out. I expect that negative experiences will be captured, but in a rather qualitative fashion. A specific "bad tire" thread could be a good way of identifying patterns of problems relating to tire life, wet performance, wobble, balance, cupping, quality issues etc. Do you want to take it on? (Be prepared to have the ensuing discussion go south!)

In some instances, tires to avoid (for specific reasons) could be just as useful as the favorite poll. Just because a particular tire is not someone's favorite (or second favorite) it doesn't mean that it should be avoided. In an emergency situation, one does not always have the luxury of choosing their preferred tire and sometimes it might be great to know whether it is wise to pass up what appears to be a good deal (on a piece of crap).

Didn't mean to derail the Contimotion thread. Perhaps we should redirect this back to the original discussion on (specifically) the Conti's.

 

[RPrice]

Seriously thinking about ordering a set to put back at this price $159.99 for the set. Anyone had experience with them?
https://www.cyclegear.com/CONTINENTAL-Conti-Motion-Sport-Touring-Radial-Motorcycle-Tires#pr-header-back-to-top-link

Yes I have had experience with them. I would never buy another set!!! If you buy them, don't plan on any long trips!

 

[FJReady]

I think the Contis are made for a lighter bike than the FJR, especially a loaded one. I took the cheap tire bait and regretted it. The rear turned to shit at about half the mileage I get from PR2. The front was OK at 6,000 but I took it off before a long trip. They did feel great when I put them on and seemed great for the first several thousand miles. Then then got noisy and then the handling went away a bit. Never had the wobbling that Fred mentioned. I'll stick with PR2 rears and whatever fronts I decide go well with those. Won't be going back to Conti Motions on the FJR.

 

[Harald]

I ran a set a couple years ago and was happy with their handling. The only complaint was that they did seem to flat spot more on an extended slab trip than PR2's. They also don't last as long as my normal PR2's, but they do cost $100 less per set. I actually have another set sitting in the garage to install next month when my current PR2's wear out. Hopefully I won't have a Fred W front one!

 

[SkooterG]

I've run many sets and will run more. All tires have trade-offs. With the Contis you get low price, sticky tires, soft sidewalls for good ride, but not for riding at the limit. The trade off is shorter life.

 

[Just Krusen]

I just replaced a set of Conti Road Attack GTs. Overall they were a good set of tires. Handling was smooth and neutral. They wore down evenly for me. 8000 miles is what I got out of them. If i did a lot of twisty mountain miles the front will not last past 4000 miles. I spent a week in the mountains last September and pretty much used up the sides of my front tire in about 2500 miles. In dry weather the grip was great. But on wet roads the back stepped out repeatedly. It was able to control the slip but it was not a lot of fun.

In contrast I just spent last weekend in GA, NC & TN with a new set of Michelin PR4s GT. The handling was slightly lighter than the Contis and the grip was much better. Saturday morning was all on wet twisty roads (about 150 miles) and the grip was phenomenal! If I had bigger balls I think I could have gone to full lean without slipping. The PR4s really do live up to the advertising in the wet. I like these tires the best of the 4 sets I've had on this bike so far. Number 2 spot goes to the PR3s. I hope the mileage equals my PR3s at 12,000 and I'll be a very happy camper.

 

[Harald]

I spoke too soon about my good experiences with Conti Motion tires. Spooned the set of Conti Motions onto front and rear to replace the PR2's that were at the wear bars (rear) or below the wear bars (front) this past weekend. I immediately noticed wobbling from the front tire between the magical 40-50 mph.

It's barely noticeable with hands on the bars, but won't allow taking the hands off.

I have a high tolerance for pain and I'm cheap, so I'll just run them until they're dead unless it gets much worse. But just in case I'm ordering a new set of "something other than Conti Motions" to have on hand for the next change.