Kawasaki Motorcycle Forums banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

What brand tires came on you Kwaker?

2K views 27 replies 22 participants last post by  Legacy 
#1 ·
And how do you like them? My 2003 ZX6RR came with bridgestones and at first I was not to happy about having bridgestone on my bike but they are really good road tires, alot better than the Dunlops d207's that came on my 2001 ZX6R
 
#6 ·
This is the third set of Battlax's I've had, and the OEM ones on the 2003 were easily the best I've used in terms of grip, at least in the warm. Word of warning to colder-climate Battlax BT012SS runners... they take a little longer getting heat to them in the cold, and this time of year in these parts, that can present some hairy moments (I almost had one bad one last weekend...) so make sure you're givin' them a chance to warm up before trusting them 100%. I'm onto my second BT012SS rear on this bike, and will be switching them both over to Metz once the front is ready next year. But honestly not disappointed with this tire for an OEM piece.
 
#8 ·
IMO the OE tires are just fine for street riding, esp in Hawaii and our warm weather and they kinda resist flat spots compared to softer compound tires. Im also cosidering a new set of tires to run at the track. Kinda torn between Dunlops D208 ZR's and Michelins H2's. Any opinions on these tires?
 
#12 ·
I personally hate dunlops (207's anyway) I have run Battleaxes (010's & BT65's) with success, but my current fav is the Pilot Sport. It's like talking about politics, everone's got a heated opinion on the best tires. Whatever ones fit your riding style and give you the most confidance are the best. What one guy loves the next hates it seems. So ya pretty well have to try them for yourself. I took "heat" on here for saying the Pilots are better than 010's, but I still stick to that obviously.

Just to clarify the Bridgestone line:

Their highest level (performance) street tires (aka Super Sport)are:
BT012
BT012SS
BT019

The next level of performance is "High Performance" and has:
BT010
BT011

then "Sport":
BT56
BT57

and then Sport Touring:
BT020
BT45
BT54

I won't bother listing other lines, or anything below sport touring. All I'm getting at is if you weren't happy with an 012's perforamance, chances are you won't like something less sporty in the line either. On the other hand, if it was somethign like treadlife you didn't like, the others will be a lot better, plus cheaper.

The CBR1000RR has a custom built BT model, BT014, so that must be a Super Sport model too. Eventually available for all bikes I'd imagine.

My next set is going to be Metz or Bridgestones (or maybe Pirelli) again to see if I can top the Pilots. Good luck
 
#13 ·
My '03 636 came with the 012-019 combo and I have to say they are amazing. I question anyone who says they are crap - your name better be Bostrom or you're an idiot.

Every tire shootout has listed them at or near the top of thier list and trust me, no manufacturer would put a crap set of Buns on thier latest, greatest SuperSport bike.

207's weren't too bad but I prefer the Bridgestone's - seem to be a little better in cool riding and the wear factor isn't too bad either. I got 10,000km's (6200 or so miles) out of a set and trust me, I don't baby 'em.
 
#14 ·
Dunlop D207's I hated them so much I was glad when I got a bolt in the rear and had to have them replaced. I've got Metzeler Sport-tec M-1's now and absolutely love them. Great tire in my opinion. I hear the D208's are a great tire and some of the guys I know love 'em, but those D207's left a bad taste in my mouth that may not go away for quite some time.
 
#16 ·
My 01 is still having 207's. I am satisfied with them. But as soon as I get to track day(s) next season, I will look for a Metzgeler M1. My brother recently bought it and he is very happy after 207. This winter will fade away with 207's.
 
#17 ·
I just replaced mine from the OEM Bridgestone on the front and had the 012ss on the rear to a sweet set of 208's. I hated the 207, which i had several sets on my 99 and they suck but the 208 is a whole different creature. Better than the Bridgestones IMO!
 
#18 ·
this thread is kinda confusing to me:D people are feffering the the 12's and 208's and how they like one better than the other but of course your going to like the sticky gp compared to the stock 12, while your going to like the increased grip of the ss when your comparing it to a stock 207 zr. i cant really say anything because i've only ridden the stock bridgestone set up and 208's zr on an r6. they both felt great to me.[^]
 
#19 ·
Originally posted by YoungLion
and trust me, no manufacturer would put a crap set of Buns on thier latest, greatest SuperSport bike.
You don't know much about Japanese motorcycle manufacturers then. The OEM tyres on bikes are almost never the same as what you buy off the rack. They have different compounds and are often a different construction or size. The '01-'02 GSXR 1000's for example had a "190" rear tyre on them, but it was actually closer to a 180 in size. It was made that way for Suzuki so that the bike turned in and handled well but still had pose value for owners because of the markings on the side. "See, it has a 190 on it."

You can replace the OEM tyres of any japanese bike you buy with exactly the same size and compound tyres off the rack and get tyres that handle differently and stick better. The OEM tyres are usually a harder compound too, so that they last a bit longer, but they also have less grip.

Italian bikes are different, I think Ducati, Bimota and such don't have the volumes to get special tyres made for them. Of course, they may also actually want to put really good tyres on their bikes.
 
#20 ·
My 02 game with OEM D207's. They were ok tires, but they seemed to suck in cool damp road conditions...But on clean pavement I had no complaints. They did tend to square off too much which really effected handling...

Replaced them recently with BT010 front and BT020 Rear and have been extremely happy. They haven't slid on me without me wanting them too yet. Ofcourse I did have a few hairy moments on some wet paint strips and in some gravel, but any tire will do that.

If the BT010/BT020 give me a few more miles than my D207's and they don't square off too badly, I might put them on again. I also want to try the Pilot Roads, heard they were some pretty nice sport touring tires.

i dont need anything to sticky for street riding, casue once you start pushing your bike hard enough to need race like tires, then your going to fast on the street IMHO...
 
#22 ·
^^
Mines came with BT019 and BT012

I'm pretty content with them. But I'd like to try something different as well. My brother has Metzeler M1's on his R6. They felt really good compared to his old set of D208 GP which were squared off.
 
#26 ·
The Pirelli Diablo's and Metzeler Sportec M1's are both great tyres and are made in the same factory. They are almost the same as each other. The Metzeler's turn in a bit quicker than the Pirelli's.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top