Tyre Dilemma - What Would You Do?

Righto...I just can't make a decision on this...

I'm using Diablo Strada's at the mo - have had them since I have had the bike, however, the front is fubar'd...its got a strange wear pattern - quite a bit of tread left in the middle, but almost bald towards the shoulders - almost like it has been run very underinflated for a long period (incidentally, when I bought the bike, brought it home and checked the pressures, the front was showing 18psi!!, so not beyond the realms of possibility...) - anyway, I digress...

The rear is ok, plenty of wear left - I've done about 2.5k on them, and it looked pretty new when I got the bike...possibly only just starting to square off, but not noticable...

The best prices I can find (just tyres, not fitted) are:

Stradas - 65quid for the front, or 145quid for a pair....however, I can get some Michelin Pilot Sports for ?115 for a pair.

Should I:
a) Just replace the front with a Diablo Strada?
b) Buy the Michelins and fit those as a pair?

Not been happy with the Strada's for a while now - I'm sure its just because of the front profile - its a very sharp 'V', and seems to lean to a point, then fall in sharply - not so good for a novice like me!
I have also read that psychologically, a change can be a good thing if you have had a few 'moments' on your existing tyres...

Sooooo...whaddya think?

Would appreciate any advice, as I can't seem to make a decision!

Thanks,

BB.

[fizzwheel]

If you are on a budget, then just replace the front, I run Z6's on my SV and I really like them, I believe they are pretty much the same as the strada except that the tread pattern is different.

However if your not happy on them, then why not change to the Michellin's, tyre choice is very personal and the only way you find what works for you is buy working through brands / models till you find something you like, that gives you the feel / feedback that you want.

If your front is a knackered as it sounds then it'll be that thats causing your problems, IMHO switching the front on its own for another strada should make your bike feel a lot better.

Thanks for the reply Fizz...I think you may be right...

Thing is, my dad used to work for Michelin - worked for them for 40 years, and I always got a cheap (free) supply of Michelin tyres for my cars!!

He passed away a few years ago, and I always said that I would run Michelins on anything I have...BUT, they aren't necessarily the best tyres (bloody hell, he's probably turning in his grave hearing me say that! lol)

Bearing in mind that I am rider at the start of my learning curve so to speak, and whilst I'm on a budget (although for this is doesnt really matter), will the Michelins be as 'user friendly' as the Strada's?

I want something that is pretty good when cold/wet as it is when warm/dry...

Thanks,

BB.

I'd be tempted to try and (beg/borrow/steal) something with correctly inflated stradas if you can, to see if its the tyres themselves or the underinflation wear that turned you off them.

If thats not the way you can go, then changing the pair is probably the way to go - if you never experience the tyre as it should be, you'll probably never trust a new front fully.

It's always good to try new tyres out, as every tyre is different.

If your budget will stretch, I'd say to get the pair of Pilot Sports. However, you risk nothing (and save money) by replacing the front only.

Personally, I run on Z6's, which work out at ?204 a pair around these parts, or PR2s, which work out at ?206 a pair.

I recently worked out that not counting punctures, I will only have to replace the rear approx every 20months.

Thanks Orose and Baph...

Don't know anyone round here running on Strada's for me to try them out, and to be honest - don't fancy having a go on anyone else's - would feel awful if anything happened!

I might give the Michelins a try - just wondered if anyone had any first hand comparisons between the Stradas and Michelins? - I searched, but couldnt really find anything from a novice point of view...

It would be nice to have a fresh set tho, get a good baseline as I dont think the state of the front has inspired confidence to date...and kinda knocked me a bit...

BB

[BanannaMan]

I like Michelin's (and dad was right, they are the best) but for the same reason you dislike the strada's.
Some people say Michelin's feel like you are falling into the turns...me I like that.
You might consider Dunlop's instead.
No experiance with strada's....

My front Strada wears like that, but come in for a bit of track abuse too, I get about 8-9k out of a front and around 4-4.5 k out of a rear before the middle section is almost too far gone.

Personally I quite like the tyres, but may try something else next time for a change.