The Big FJR Tire Poll

[Duezzer]

Thanks for all the info - glad to see there is single compound rubber out there I can choose from - Really was not impressed with the dual - the rave reviews of the PR2 had me put my money on them - The front went triangle at about 4500 km by 6000Km they sucked but had so much tread left I ran them to the IWBs.

I had heard of the Conti Motion but was advised to stay away much like the Shinko's - May Give the RA GT2s a whirl once this Stone is done. Who makes the Z tires?

 

[Fred W]

Speaking of Shinkos, they have a newer sport touring model out. In addition to the 009 Ravens, they now also have the 011 Verge Radials. Noticed an ad in a magazine recently. Anyone tried these yet?

011 VERGE RADIAL SPORT BIKE TIREDesigned specifically for sport/touring riding, the 011 Verge combines performance with extended tread life. The 011 Verge radial rear features Zero Degree JLSB (Joint-Less Steel Belted) state-of-the-art technology for added stability and strength, while the Apex front is Aramid belted for enhanced high-speed performance.

• DOT approved
• Tread compound designed for excellent grip with extended tread life
• Tread radius is designed for enhanced high speed cornering
• W speed rating (168 mph) or V (149mph) rate

I have a set of Shinko Ravens on my (now my son's) VFR and they seem well suited for that lighter weight application. No balance or wheel shimmy issues as reported by some Raven buyers on their FJRs. And I am running a set of "Full Bore USA" radials on the Vstrom right now and really diggin' them. They are a clone of the Shinko 705 and are made in the same Korean tire plant as the Shinkos. So, I wonder how these Verge's would hold up under the weight of the FJR. Might have to try a set next time if I can find them at a good price point.

[edit] Looks like a set of the Verges can be bought from MCSuperstore right now for $221 shipped. That's a pretty attractive price point if they are any good, and I'm sure that you can find them even cheaper with a little shopping around.

 

[LgFJR]

Fred I'm running the 10 Apex on the rear...........so far so good..........I wanted it to get the 190/55 size.............feels just like a Michelin back there........don't know about durability yet..........those 11 verges look good also...........

https://shinkotireusa.com/product/product.php?id=69

 

[fastpappy]

I've been running the Z8s which i think is an improvement over the Z6s which came on my bike. I got 11,500 out of the 6s and there was still some left in the rear when I swapped them out but the front was toast. I decided to do both because I wanted the matched set. About 4,000 on the 8s at this point and looking good no appreciable signs of wear. If I'm not mistaken they are a single compound. YMMV.

The Z8 interact is a dual compound rear but single compound front tyre.

Ah! I stand corrected, thought I had read some where that the tensioning of the belts made dual compound unnecessary, maybe they were referring to the fronts (I'm so confused)

at any rate i have no complaints about the Z8s.

 

[El Toro Joe]

Who makes the Z tires?

Metzeler...but I guess you could have gotten that from the poll.

 

[red2kcbr]

Long time Pirelli user here, and Avon before that. My criteria includes good wet handling, as we rain suit up and keep going, or sometimes just keep going. Big lightning, blinding rain, or serious wind, like a tornado could drop out any second is our signal to seek shelter.

I usually squeeze one front to last for two rear tires, and I buy mail order and take the wheels to my local shop for mounting and balancing. They don't ding me too hard, about $25 per wheel.

I usually buy from Southwest Moto. I've told the shop I'd buy tires from them, bringing wheels like I do now, if they would not bend me over on the tire markup. I'd pay $10 over SW Moto tire price, plus the mount and balance. So far, haven't convinced them. I think it's just a market-driven thing. Most of their trade is baby boomers on Harleys, so they are used to taking in whole bikes and doing the complete tire change from wheels off to back on. Along with every chrome-plated ounce they can add to them, of course.

It's astounding, the service prices that people will pay just to not work on their own bikes.

 

[Fred W]

Even if it was a wash I would still want to do the work myself (and honestly, that is close to the truth). To know that it has been done right, with the proper amount of care, and all of the little things were looked after. Versus riding around wondering... which knuckle dragging shop monkey did they get to mount that last tire? Did he really balance it well. Did he clean the bead so the tire remains well seated and doesn't develop a slow leak.

Peace of mind is worth a lot more than a little labor time to me.

As usual, YMMV

 

[DreamerJeff]

Went from PR3's to Pirelli Angel GT's and love the performance feel. However I did adjust my sag which made a big difference also. It's always hard to tell going from a 13,000 mile PR3 to a new tire but I feel so confident leaning into the corners.

 

[red2kcbr]

Fred, you make a good point. I'm just hesitant to throw down on a tire changer. That might make another interesting thread. I've browsed the sites looking at the No Mar among others.

I'm not sure of the quality of the Harbor Freight tire changer. I've not spooned on a tire manually since the old Dunlop K81s that we used to run on our cafe bikes back in the 70s.

 

[Makuna]

Conti Road Attack 2 GT

spooned on a year ago, so far so good, but I haven't been able to put more than 5k on them so far. Started to get a flat spot on the rear at 4k.

 

[TWTourist]

I used to run Avon on my '05 and PR on my bandit. Then I went to the PR2 for both and now PR3. I'm a big fan of the PR3 and will put them on the '13 when the time comes. I always change my tires out as a set.

 

[AVGeek]

Topic over two years old, and not a single post on the Bridgestone 023 GTs!

My 08 was fitted with the Metzlers as OEM (don't remember if they were Z6 or Z8), and I got about 13K miles out of each Of the two sets I used. The fronts were notorious for cupping badly when run even slightly under pressure, which is what led to my weekly tire pressure check habit.

I'm on my third set of tires, went for the Bridgestone 023 GTs (caught a smoking deal on them from Bike Bandit, got the pair shipped for less than full retail on the rear alone). I have about 7K miles on them now, and they barely look scuffed in. Most of my riding on this bike is highway commuting, but I did recently take a jaunt around AZ. I was running a faster pace than I previously was comfortable with, and the bike (and tires) performed flawlessly. Of course, it was also dry and sunny when I did the loop (almost 500 miles on a day ride).

 

[mcatrophy]

Topic over two years old, and not a single post on the Bridgestone 023 GTs!...

That's because we '023GT fans are too busy riding on them to write about them .

 

[Bungie]

Another new contender. From Metzler, Z8-O was just announced for 'heavy' sport touring bikes

https://canadamotoguide.com/2013/09/12/product-news-new-tires-from-metzeler/

 

[bwv]

Just tested my new bt-023gt front out on the Illion gorge road in Upstate NY.. very happy with it. Will be putting one on the rear when the 021 back there is cooked.

 

[SilverHound]

What do they say about a picture being worth a 1000 words? Here's my PR3s after about 6000 miles back and forth from PA to CA. They went through snow and a lot of rain. Couldn't be more pleased.

Rear

Front

 

[cosmo]

13,000? I'm missin' something. Most from any tire, 5,500 whether pr2,pr3 or bridgestone at 5,000. 13th set coming up at 60,000.

 

[mcatrophy]

13,000? I'm missin' something. Most from any tire, 5,500 whether pr2,pr3 or bridgestone at 5,000. 13th set coming up at 60,000.

It's all in the right wrist ...

 

[DennisJ]

+1 on the right wrist. I work at smooth throttle control, mainly to minimize the off-idle surge that drives me crazy. The engine is like an electric motor otherwise. Smoot increase in power in respose to increased throttle.

Mileage notes: 10/25/13 22352 miles

6/22/11 replaced original front BT-021 with BT-023 GT, installed right angle valve stem 7241 miles-not down to wear bars but feeling loose

4/6/13 replaced original rear BT-021 with BT-023 GT, installed right angle valve stem 17292 miles-very close to wear bars, no good for the summer

Commuting 15 miles daily and weekend trips a couple of times a month during the Northwest good riding weather. Usually in the 400-600 mile range

 

[CCook82]

Angel front and PR2 rear