Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

u gotta run the right size profile on your tyre. I wondered the same thing cuse i could get a larger profile tyre for cheaper, but when i asked a pro mechanic, he reckons the bike susp etc is setup to run that profile tyre, if u alter it you will alter the bikes handling. I am not sure if it made a huge difference but i guess they put that size on for a reason!


I had PR2 on the ZX10 but didnt get a chance to chew them down, but i got 2,000k with out really making a mark! I got PP on the Z now and after a track day and 2000k's it maybe 60-70% down!
PR2 on the back next! But keeping PP on the front!

Also ISLE, do u do hard take off's from the lights ? if you put alot of load on the road; ie hard take offs it will wear it down cause there is more force being placed on it, maybe a thought ?!!

yeah thanks guys, just started wondering becuase these were the tyres that came from new, and this week found a god damn stable in the rear tyre , so just contemplating repair/replace.

Tinman wrote:

Big Daddy wrote:

luis kawi wrote:never save money on tyres or brakes and how long they last? well it depends a lot on how you ride it.

no kidding, who duh thunk.............

BD

Welcome to the Site BD when are you coming down under???

good question mate. Tis on my list of countries to visit i assure of that.

BD

IsleofNinja wrote:Hmmmmm---what am I doing wrong?????

Diablo Corsa rear = approx 2500 km (no burnouts either!?) figured this tyre is far too soft for high speed / 40 degree plus temp!? large (10-15mm) tears started appearing from about 50% worn!?




Q; Any views between 190/50 -17 vs 190/55 -17 on a Gumby?

the profile bit, if you whack a 190-50 on the back and it seems to turn slower drop the forks 3mm.

my corsa rear was the same. looked like a cat had been stretching its claws all over it.

Pirellis and Mich are the best ones out there atm I wouldnt patch a tyre and ride it hard, replace if you can afford it.

Wattie wrote:

IsleofNinja wrote:Hmmmmm---what am I doing wrong?????

Diablo Corsa rear = approx 2500 km (no burnouts either!?) figured this tyre is far too soft for high speed / 40 degree plus temp!? large (10-15mm) tears started appearing from about 50% worn!?




Q; Any views between 190/50 -17 vs 190/55 -17 on a Gumby?

the profile bit, if you whack a 190-50 on the back and it seems to turn slower drop the forks 3mm.

my corsa rear was the same. looked like a cat had been stretching its claws all over it.

Cheers for that Wattie - that confirms what I was thinking.

Didn't mean to hi-jack the thread 'zx-10r' , thought it may be relevant re - ensuring you get the right profile tyres when you order.
I just assumed I had the right one on and have not noticed any real issues apart from having to be pretty forceful on the bars than I would have expected

50 profile on the 06-07 10r sux! I won't be doing it again. Not sure what combo to try yet. M3s are lasting well.

Update - How'd you go ZX10-r??

Mine running a brand new set of Pirelli Corsa III's ATM (55 rear this time) Hell of a lot of fun around the hills of Perth / South west etc.
Looking for a second set of rims to run PR2's for general running around though - Pirelli's too soft for round here.

Info for ya ZX10-r (IMO )

Michelin Pilot Power = extreme grip in all situations - tip in nicely - very confidence inspiring - Very soft = low km's - great for blackies.

Michelin Pilot Road II = Suprisingly good allrounder on other bikes - excellent life - predictable hard over - great wet tyre - (Not yet tried a front & rear on the Gumby yet though)

Pirelli Corsa = PP pretty much - Bit nervous in the wet compared to PP - tread carcass profile appears to have more lean angle potential (if you are into dragging mirrors and axle nuts that is!?) awesome blackies

Pirelli Corsa III = Same as above but harder compound in the centre = much better milage

Dunlop Sportmax Qualifier = Hmmmm squirmy cold / terrible wet / average warm / good milage - predictable ..... not my tyre of choice

Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart = I prefer to the qualifiers actually - awesome in the wet - last well - tip in well - Centre wears quickly on the 10 though if you launch hard!?

If you are running qualifiers now , a set of PR2's would prob be an improvement IMO.. Not to badly priced either. A few of the crew on here have run them on daily riders with no real issues.

NB ; Found on mine she tips in a little better with a 55 over a 50 but not really a HUGE improvement.. Still good enough to keep a pesky Italian V2 at bay recently!?
Spose I'd better extract the digit and do the front/rear sag properly one of these days!?

i've had a 55 rear on my 10 for a few weeks now. had to take the hugger off. wont fit over tyre.

but its shagggeed on the side now, so i'll be taking it off soon.

Get it patched properly (plug & patch by someone good at what they do) & you'll be right, it wont be on there that long anyway. If your really flush $, flick it ASAP.
To state the obvious it depends on the tyre & riding i'm doing generally about 7k outta front & 4k rears.
A lot of the tyre manufacturers have reduced the number of Center belts in the rears to get them to bite better, this leads to an increase in punctures.
OEM tyres are different to the aftermarket ones with the same name. All The bike companies want you to buy accessories before spending on maintenance.
When it's all said & done the softest, stickiest most confidence inspiring front tyre is the BEST money you'll spend on the bike. So treat yourself.

Pontikat wrote:Get it patched properly (plug & patch by someone good at what they do) & you'll be right, it wont be on there that long anyway. If your really flush $, flick it ASAP.
.

its not punctured... its go 500kms on it.

400 on the track.

another run up the old road i reckon the canvas will be saying hello

Wattie wrote:i've had a 55 rear on my 10 for a few weeks now. had to take the hugger off. wont fit over tyre.

but its shagggeed on the side now, so i'll be taking it off soon.

Sounds like it's SMOKIN time!!!!!

Better still - chuck it on ebay !!! The amount of bikes at a recent annual bike show with obvious freshly fitted ex track day tyres (apparantly street cred for lesser riders!?) was unfknblvble!? (some still had the tyre soap on em!!) Gotta be worth at least a carton Wattie!!!

The OEM tires on the 04-05 ZX10R were a Battleaxe BT016... It lasted well, gripped well.... Replaced them with an equivelant NON oem set of the same tires and they sucked shit.... Never buying battleaxe again

the 04-05 zx10 oem tyre was a dunlop 208. that sucked dick.

the 08's come with 016's that were ok, but only lasted 2000kms
ask Blurr, shagged a front in like 2000km.

I went Mich Pilot Road 2 front and rear on crim, and loved em, had a few rear squirms in a few corners at times but that was generally due to tyre being a tad bit cold. Other than that never had any complaints.
Got front and rear Pilot Power on the Z now and never had any problems at all. They hold 100% of the time and even when the roads are pretty cold still no drama's!
They look nice after some heat on the racetrack!