Originally Posted by fjroamer at [url

www.sport-touring.net][/url]
Continental N.A. Replies

Taken from fjrowners.com:

Posted on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 10:09 pm:

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Johnxman - I know, it's too early to get back into this, but there are a few comments I would like to make. I will do my best not to offend anyone, but if I do, Oh well - the facts are the facts.

I spent almost an hour with Continental on the phone yesterday. Thier customer service is unbelievably good. This was in response to an email I sent through thier website. I took two pages of notes. I will publish them later, but just a couple things to highlight. Continental NEVER said the Road Attacks were not recommended for the FJR. From all the people up there, what was said was something like - For your weight, plus a passenger, your given situation, perhaps they are not the right choice for you. This is a far cry from not recommended for the FJR.

Continental was able to intelligently discuss and dismiss any myths about the Road Attacks. These are indeed awesome tires, designed with the latest technology.

Oh, and per the professionals, if a tire ever does slip on the rim, the result is severe tire deflation, usually ending up in a catestrophic loss. So routine slippage is very doubtfull.

Now, my only negative observation about the slight shimmy around 40 - 55 mph (depending on the situation). These tires are indeed designed for Sport-Touring machines. The FJR is unique in this category (yes, we owners knew this). All other sport touring bikes balance the weight more evenly between front tire and back tire. And is what the front tire was designed for. Thus, the front Road Attack has a "Flatter" surface with more contact patch going straight. However, the FJR is more "sport oriented" and has much more weight on the front tire - like a sport bike. So the FJR will handle much better if we use the Conti Force Max because of the profile of the tire alone. That is why Yamaha approved the Conti Force Max. It has a "Sharper" profile and will handle even better. However, the Road Attack is still an excellent choice for the rear. Awesome grip to mileage ratio. Matter of fact, we will probably wear out the rear Road Attack at the same time as the front Force Max and be stuck like glue the entire time.

Continental was nice enough to answer all of my questions in a professional, knowledgable manor and are sending me a new Conti Force Max front tire as we speak. I will mount it when I recieve it, do a full on test and see if the 40 - 55 mph shimmy is gone.

Oh, and about that article that said new bikes like the GSXR1000 on a race track could over-run the Road Attacks? (My two cents worth, I didn't ask Conti about this) We all should remember - the Road Attacks were designed as a "Sport-Touring" tire, not Sport or Race. I think a good rider on a new hyper-bike can over-run ANY Sport Touring tire.

When I say the following, it comes from my experience and others in the area who are also running Road Attacks and have years of motorcycle experience. The new Continental rubber is an awesome choice. If you don't at least try the Force Max front and Road Attack rear, you are missing out on some of the best tires going - if not the best!!!

Again, I will post more technical details from Conti and direct experience with the Force Max front once I have logged several hard miles.
liquidsilver
FJR Top Gun
Username: liquidsilver

Post Number: 1380
Registered: 09-2003
Posted on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 10:58 pm:

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quote:
Oh, and per the professionals, if a tire ever does slip on the rim, the result is severe tire deflation, usually ending up in a catestrophic loss.


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No argument intended, but just for general information, I've spun tube tires... and tubeless tires on rims without losing pressure.

Also, a high school buddy with a gorgeous '75 383 c.i. Challenger had spun the rims in the tires so badly at the dragstrip, you could watch him smoke between the wheel and the tire... they never lost pressure. (and I don't recall seeing balls in the tires either, but steel cords showing at the bead... they'd been spinning a lot)

FWIW.


david1300
Moderator
Username: david1300

Post Number: 996
Registered: 09-2003
Posted on Friday, August 20, 2004 - 12:34 am:

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fjroamer
Farkle Trainee
Username: fjroamer

Post Number: 78
Registered: 09-2003
Posted on Friday, August 20, 2004 - 01:30 am:

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How interesting N.M.

I was gonna lay low on this but since you already "broke the ice", I also talked to Greg yesterday concerning the Conti Quandry. Following is todays follow up e.mail:

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Hi Robert!
It was a pleasure talking to you yesterday. I spoke to Seattle Cycle Center and I sent a 120/70-17 Conti Force MAX to his attention to replace the 120/70-17 Road Attack that's currently on your FJR.

... there is nothing wrong with the Road Attack tire. ... .., the Road Attack (is) not a good match for (some) FJR's based on (their) own individual criteria,heavy load and riding style, (but this is) not a blanket statement for all FJR riders. In addition, it's not correct that the "Road Attack is no good for heavy, powerful bikes ridden to their performance envelope" The fact of the matter is that in Germany ,where due to higher speeds allowed on the autobahn and inclement weather, tires must be tested by the bike manufacturers and approved for use on each individual bike. Both Suzuki & Yamaha approved the Road Attack for use on the GSX-R1000 & YZF R1 which are the premiere "high power" sport bikes on the world market.

I've spoken to a lot of FJR riders who have ridden the Road Attack on their bikes who have not experienced any negative handling. It all depends on each individual rider and their bike set up. In Germany where approvals are required (as mentioned above) Yamaha approved our Conti Force MAX high-performance sport radial for the FJR1300. In fact, the European press also tested the Force MAX on the FJR and recommends it as a best choice for this machine.

The "mushy/moving around" that you are feeling when riding your FJR in "all out efforts" is coming from your front end. For your individual needs we recommend changing your front tire to our 120/70-17 Force MAX and keeping the 180/55-17 Road Attack on the rear. The main difference between the front Force MAX and the Road Attack is the contour and there is no problem to run a front Force MAX with a rear Road Attack. The Force MAX is a high performance sport tire which has a more "peaked" contour when compared the Road Attack which has a "flatter" contour. Due to the unique nature of the FJR it responds better to the "peaked" contour of our Force MAX and thus for your needs is a better match. Note from our technicians, they recommend running 42 cold psi in both the front and rear for the FJR.

Feel free to contact me with any other questions, and let me know how the Force MAX does for you once you get a few miles on them.
Safe Riding & Best Regards,
Greg Reich
Continental Tire North America, Inc.

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some editing (parenthetical) done

Well..., draw your own conclusions folks