Commuting Tyres
 

I need to get a new rear (and probably front too)

Just done 8,000 miles on the original D220s. Didn't think too bad of them - a little unnerving in the cold (a cold start in -5 Celsius is a bit scary)

I do 16,000 miles a year mainly motorway stuff and looking for a reasonable tyre to last around the 9,000 mile mark. Any ideas? The D220s squared off at about 5,500 and are knackered at 8,000 ml

I really need to squeeze a minimum of 8,000 miles out of a set of tyres to get the cost to where I want it.

Metzeler Z6 Road Tecs.


.

Have to agree, two bits of advice:-

1./ weekly check on tyre pressure
2./ don't really rag the tyres until they have some heat in them.

Cheers Mark.

I don't think I rag the D220s until they are really warm - they just have no cold grip at all. I find they take a good 5+ miles to heat up, then they are fine (until they square off that is!)

Stopped at the lights the other day thinking about my really squared tyres and a guy on a CBR600 pulls up with the opposite problem - warn ALL the tred from the sides and little from the middle, perhaps tyre swap I thought!

Would it be Scoobs by any chance? :lol:

:shock:

If you mianly ride on motorways, then no matter what tyre you chcuck on, they will square in around the same ammount of time.

Agree with the Metz's though :D

Filipe M wrote

:lol: :lol: :lol: I doubt it :lol: :lol: :lol:

Another vote for roadtecs - 3500 miles on my SV1000 on them so far, and the rear shows no real signs of any wear.

My D220's looked OK still at 5,000 miles, but then rapidly lost it through to 8,500 miles.

Z6's being fitted tomorrow morning

Z6's all the way, best thing i ever did was getting them put on, :wink:

Seconded - awesome rubber on the SV :!:

what luck! my rear tire is getting close to being done. its squared off as well but im going to have to live with that as i commute with mine as well.

so this Z6 will work well in the corners too? i don't take it too fast but i woudn't want a tire that can't handle anything or that feels bad.

anyone know a good source inside the US for tires at a discount? i know virtually nothing about motorcycle tires, but i always get my car tires from tirerack.com. is there such a place like that for motorcycle tires?

thanks

Make more sense to post this on a US site yes? :D

Yes. According to all reports, good enough for most mortals ;).


.

ewww i hated the z6's i really could not get on with them.

pilot powers no your talking. currently running dialbos which are very nice

What's not to get on with?

Have you had PPs on your SV?

Again, a good tyre according to all reports.


.

show me an american SV site and ill be sure to leave yall alone. so far sportbikes.net has been a waste for any info i need.

Here ya go, our friends in the States:

http://forum.svrider.com/index.php?board=2.0


.

sweet. thanks. for whatever reason google doesnt want to work to well for me when trying to find message boards.

Well, I now have over 1,000 miles on the Z6's. Must say I do like them, though the weather isn't helping me in testing them thoroughly.

They do drop into corners nicely and feel a little more responsive than the D220's. (Remember I did say that I warm tyres a lot first - 20 miles motorway normally does the job)

At £186 for the pair fitted I wasn't too shocked, just hope they last the required 8,500 miles. So long as Metz continue making them I should be able to hold on to the front a little longer!

I now have 5,000 miles on the Z6s I had put on in March.

I must say my confidence in them is waning. The rear is squaring off and I think I will be lucky to get 8,500 out of it (which is how long the D220 lasted) However I also don't seem to have the grip I expected. Put it down on a sharp right hander and it feels like it is right on the edge, however if I back off then even cars catch up - it just doesn't feel right.

Depending on how the front looks at 8,500 I might change to Pilot Powers, if the front looks OK at 8,500 then I may just have to live with the idea that I pootle around sharp corners!

Won't Pilot Powers give you even less milage or do you mean Pilot Road.

Have you tried Pirelli Diablo Stradas. I don't know what the thread design is like on the Michelin rear but the Z6 and Diablo Strada have designs let you get away(still legal thread dept) with it for a bit longer.

Cheers
Ben

I have an Avon Azaro on the rear but not the front (I got a puncture and I didn't want the Mez 4 back on the bike) it's been there for around 7000 miles and I still have loads of tread left. And haven't squared off too badly. I am happy with the grip etc too. Probably will get a pair when this tyre wares as the front will probably need doing by then.

Don't expect to get anywhere near that mileage on Pilot Powers. They're standard on my Speed Triple and are wonderfully grippy, but the rear only lasted around 6,500 miles.

Now at 7,000 miles on the Z6s.....


The front has gone a wierd shape (I mean in profile) there is a central ridge, then it cuts away real quick, shame the rear is only slightly squared....


What is a man to do? I found the front Dunlop lasted better and gripped just the same!!

Once you have a step or a ridge you should really think about changing them

I am.

I'm just plugging loads of figures in to spreadsheets to see if it is more cost effective to replace front and rear with something that wears better (Even considering the D220 for this!) or whether I should stick with the Z6 and replace just the front at the moment and the rear later.

I think you will have better luck with replacing both tires with the Michelin Pilot
Roads. I don't think you will have any problems getting your required 8,500 miles from these tires. They are also excellent in the wet.

HTH's

Cheers!

Despite all the thinking - I still have the Z6s on. They have now clocked up 10,000 miles. The front has not got any worse, the rear although squared still has plenty of tread. They are a little skitty on cold wet mornings - but name a tyre that isn't!

Looks like I should get at least 12,000 miles out of these little beauties! At this rate I will only use 4 sets on this bike and still be able to sell it with some decent rubber!!

Thanks for the update Red Ones, it was mainly on the back of all opinions expressed in this thread that I opted to change the stock 220's for Z6's front & back.

The 220's were borderline illegal when they went to tyre heaven, the back had done around 6000, the front 8000 (maybe a little more).

Nice to know a paid of Z6's will last 10k miles (under certain circumstances - I appreciate MINE might not last that long, or could last longer). That means I'll be looking at changing tyres only every 5 months! Result!

Borderline Illegal....i got 13800 out of an 020 front once!!

11,500 miles now and I have lost confidence in the rear. The rear is badly squared and has spun up twice this week so it's days are numbered.

I was shocked at prices though. Last April I was charged £186 for a pair of Z6, tonight I was quoted (by the same place) £216, and one place even quoted £262 fully fitted. In the US the "tires" are £106 loose. What is going on?? Lets blame exchange rates shall we???

I can't find anywhere that can do Z6s for much less than £170 per pair (loose) in this country, so I may as well go and pay the £216 fitted and be done.


You may gather that because I am looking for another pair of Z6s that I liked them. 11,500 miles has been impresive for someone who lives on the motorway, just guess I need to extend the mortgage!!

There is a place local to me that will do them for £159 on loose wheels. The saving would pay for the petrol and I'll give you a brew :lol:

Thanks for the offer of a brew - I would need it - it's a 300 mile round trip!! (that's £30 in petrol and the new tyres would be half worn on my return!!)

No one mentioned Conti Road attacks?

Got 8k out of mine before that nail ruined them, still recon it had loads of life in it.

The new ones done 4k so far (will check the wear tomorrow), with the front being a Metzeler Sportec M1 on 9.5k now and looking like its going to need a swap soon. The M1 on the rear only lasted 5 and half k...

Nice tip Grinchy - they should be about £170 fitted

Mail order them. SMD tyres posted me a pair of conti road attacks for £138. You need to budget for taking them to be fitted though but it'll still work out cheaper.

Don't know if they do Z6's and how much they will be but Pirelli Strada's (almost the same tyre) are around £159 - I'm getting the prices off an old issue of Ride. Check other companies for their prices.

If I get a garage to fit tyres that I supply, what am I looking at for a charge?

Ring round a few to get the cheapest price, I couldn't be bothered to and will get my dealer to change them at my service. £20 per wheel when I take my bike in.

The place near me charges a tenner per wheel,

If your looking for loose wheel prices I saw this guy on ebay

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/RoundAndBlack

Seems pretty cheap

No problems, just checked mine and they have loads of wear. Even the words 'Road attack' are still readable.

If you look at this pic you'll see what I mean...

http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/contibi...attack_pic.jpg

More info here : ContiRoad Attack