Wearing rubber. 10/26/2006
Many times, I get asked by people about the tyres on the bikes I ride. It’s a little hard to miss them, especially on a modern superbike. Rear tyres on a superbikes are usually of 180 cross section, and with the minimalist rear fender that is the style these days, they are a prominent feature in the bike’s image. Unless you ride a 916, in which case, the recommended fitment is a 190 section rear tyre.
Oftentimes, I get asked what the tyres for the bike cost. I guess everyone has an idea of how expensive performance motorcycle tyres are. But very few non-riders are prepared for a pair of tyres for a modern bike being able to buy 3 sets of tyres for their standard 4 door saloon car. I often get a “you’re crazy” comment.
But, I’d like to point something out. A modern sportsbike tyre is a performance item. Like a titanium free flow exhaust, or a set of cams, or a re-mapped ECU chip. The amount of engineering and design that goes into a tyre these days, be it for a car or motorcycle, is incredible. Through a mixture of engineering design and chemistry, a modern tyre is expected to, and does, provide a comfortable ride, grip like crazy, wet or dry, and be puncture resistant under some severe conditions of use.
So my usual reply is that, when you look at a superbike’s pair of tyres, try and compare like for like. And since the equivalent to a superbike from the car world is usually a supercar along the lines of a Ferrari, Porsche or Lamborghini, I usually ask them to go price up a set of tyres for a supercar. At which point, bike tyres begin to look cheap by comparison.
- Posted in : On the road
- Author : thesnark
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On my “commuter” Triumph Trident 900, I used to weep buckets over tyres. It almost made me sell the bike. The standard Michelins made for “interesting” corner slides, but as I am no Freddie Spencer, I moved up to some super sticky Brigestones (sorry, forget the number/name). Awesome tyres, the one’s I trashed and overheated/blued and orange peeled on Brand’s Hatch circuit - unstickable.
But, riding in London, one inevitably does a lot of riding between lanes, where loads of muck accumulates. Four punctures (all rears of course) in eight months. All in unrepairable parts of the tyre, or too badly holed to plug.
@GBP200 a rear, thats 800 quid (plus labour!) in six months. At todays rate RM5600. Plus labour nearly RM7000.
Strangely, my BMW R1100R did a lot more mileage, on similiar tyres, and only ever got one puncture, which was pluggable.
You brought back some potent memories there - some good some bad. Nice post.
ok. rubber. hmm. got it.
now where’s my Girl Friday?
Snark,All good points,Yet the biggest mistake guys make especially with the rear tire is they think wider is better,not so .Most sport bike rear rims are either 5″,5.50″,6″.I have seen many 180 tires on 5″ & 190s on 5.50 ” .even though the 180 is similar to the 190 profile by squeezing a 190 on the 5.50 they are the contact patch changes by as much as 6mm & or aspect ratio,this changes the ride height,unaware to the rider who will find out the first time he turns her in .The same goes with the 180 on a 5″,always stay with bike mnaufacturers recommendations & or wheel recommendation.On my 900ss I am running Dunlop D207rr at the time which was 3-4 years ago they were 7 still are the best in development for both street & track,wet 7 or dry my rear is a 180/55zr/17 mounted on a 6.0″ Marvic mag wheel ,the front is Dunlop 207rr as well shes a 120/70/zr17.later…Dom
Dom : Yeah, wider is not necessarily better. I can actually carry a crazier lean angle on the 140 tyres on BikebikeII. But then my lean angles on any superbike is crazy enough as it
. I’ve used the D207RR to good effect as well. If you look closely at the rear tyre on the Silver Lady in the above pic, I think you’ll recognise the thread pattern.