Im going for the Z6's

With payday looming in a week and my D220 just lasted 8000 miles till the cotton started showing through i called up my tyre guy who said that the PR2's are still being recalled go for the BT020's @ £180 fully fitted ride in ride out . . . was a bit skeptical
so i read up on here and the Z6's had such amazing reviews so once again called the tyre guy and hes offered the Z6's @ £190 fully fitted
so im giving them ago, i really hope i see a markable difference in wet weather grip.

Enjoy your new tyres, should be a good change.

Just to let you know, the PR2s are only being recalled on a certain profile AND the ones that are made in France. It is a 170 that is having the problems, so if you have a 650 and are fitting the usual 120/60, 160/60 combo then you would have no problems with the PR2s. Don't know what the SV1000 takes though in terms of tyre profile...?

I had Z6s as my old tyre and yes, they were great, but I prefer the PR2s now. Confidence, especially in the wet, is awesome. From what I've read recently, the Z6s are part of what is now becoming a superceded class of tyre what with Michelin and now someone else (Bridgestone 021s I think) offering 2CT technology. Think Pirelli might have one coming out too. So have a double check of your desired profile, if it aint 170 then you have nothing to worry about.

[muzikill]

I will vouch for 021's feeling a heck more better in the wet than z'6, the 6's always felt like i was on a knifes edge with them.

Originally Posted by muzikill

I will vouch for 021's feeling a heck more better in the wet than z'6, the 6's always felt like i was on a knifes edge with them.

Thats a fair opinion, but what i have to ask is, will the SV be better with the Z6's than it was on the D220's ?
will i see a big improvement over the stock rubber?

[fizzwheel]

Z6's will offer a huge amount more grip, feedback and wet weather performance that the D220's

Don't worry you've made a good choice, the bike will feel much better to ride.

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

Z6's will offer a huge amount more grip, feedback and wet weather performance that the D220's

Don't worry you've made a good choice, the bike will feel much better to ride.

Cheers FIZZ thats what i was looking for mate, i was just a bit worried that i wasnt going to see any difference the D220's are the only tyre of that type i have ever used so i was a little worried, i havent really heard anything bad about them

two other questions for you now,
are the D220's really that bad? - i dont know as i didnt have much road exp when i got the bike so i wasnt confident as such, then they gave out under braking in heavy rain and i lost complete confidence in them.

secondly,

i know this is a hard question to answer, but are the chances of knee downs greatly improved on the Z6's as appose to the D220s?

Cheers

Lylej

[fizzwheel]

Honestly no the D220's are'nt that bad, they work adequately in most types of road conditions. They downfall is that they dont heat very quickly and they also loose their heat quickly to.

I spent 4 weeks on them a couple of winters ago on a loan bike, I was regularly doing 60 mile trips in freezing conditions, they were fine I never had any trouble with slipping and sliding, it was difficult to feel what the tyres were doing though they were very vague.

I found them OK in the wet as well, but maybe thats just me.

The thing is that whilst they are OK, the Z6's are much much superior, they work much better in the wet and where they scored big for me was that they give much much more feedback so you can feel what the bike is doing with a lot more certainty.

As for kneedown well I cant do it, but I suspect that any modern tyre, D220 or otherwise offers sufficent grip for kneedown tomfoolery Remember its not about how much grip or sticky tyres or whatever. The main thing to get right for a successful kneedown is your body position on the bike, thats it thats all there is to it. The main thing thats stopping you is that the D220's have robbed you of your confidence, just take it easy get the Z6's scrubbed in get a feel for how the bike rides and you'll find its much more confidence inspiring. Which will allow you to lean the bike more, hang off more experiement with your body position and you'll have done it before you realise it.

There was an article in one of the bike mags a while back about some road test rider getting his knee down on the road on a winter morning on an MV with standard road tyres on, he said that any modern tyre would allow this.

thats all ggod then, i have had the bike banked right over on the d220's but i got a pretty nasty falling feeling and decided maybe not on these tyres

one more thing when it comes to scrubbing the tyres in, what is the best method to effectively get the shiny stuff off?
how many miles of taking it easy is normally recommended?

[fizzwheel]

I dont really do anything I just ride it.

Take it steady for the first 10 - 20 miles, once past that bit then start to lean a bit more and pick up the speed.

Try and lean a little more on each corner you come to, and discount any wet miles you do.

I found the Z6's really started to work well after 50 or so miles, but you want to take things easy till you're past a 100 miles really.

You want to ride the bike around corners, dont just do 100 or so miles in a straight line and make sure you get them through a cycle of cold / hot / cold a few times as well. Make sure you do a good long ride on them.

I normally go out and scrub mine in one go.