Tire recommendations for local riding?

[poppyseed779]

Hey guys, I bought my FZ8 late last year and the tires were on their last legs. The previous owner was running Battlaxs front and rear. I liked the grip on these tires, it just seemed like they wore down so quickly and were a little soft for my liking. On my previous bike, an R6, I ran Shinko Ravens and really liked the mix of grip and longevity. Does anyone have any tires they swear by? I don't tour very often and most of my rides are limited to <30 miles. Any help would be appreciated as I am planning on buying them within the next few weeks. Thanks!

 

[Bagman]

You ride in the rain, or just sunny days? Do you commute? Do you do any occasional longer distance stretches on the weekends or planned rides?

 

[poppyseed779]

You ride in the rain, or just sunny days? Do you commute? Do you do any occasional longer distance stretches on the weekends or planned rides?

Umm well I avoid the rain but can't say it doesn't happen from time to time, i mostly use the bike to commute to work and back during the week and go for rides on the weekends but like I said they're normally not long rides... Most of the time just ride someone relatively close for dinner or something along those lines

 

[Bagman]

Last question - do you at all care about tread life? Certainly you want something that will last more than a season, but would you want something you may not have to replace for a long time; possibly not even if you sell the bike in a few seasons?

 

[Blackfin]

You're going to get as many answers as there are makes of tires and owners.

I went from the OE Battleax tires to Pirelli Angel GTs and really like them for "sport touring" riding. I'm just an average rider of average skill and not a tire expert nor do I have experience with many different makes and models of tire. These tires do exactly what I need them to; lots of confidence in corners, good braking and accelerating grip and what looks to be good wear. I don't ride in the rain as a general rule but looking at the tread I wouldn't be averse to should I face that situation. I'd recommend them...

I've also read good things about Michelin Pilot Road 4 tires. I don't know that you're going to find a really bad tire in the sport-touring class if you stick with "known" brands.

 

[Keach]

Lots of guys swear by the pilot road 3. I'm still on stocks, but will go with them or the pilot road 4s most likely next. If you're on a budget the contimotion by continental are super cheap, offer really good tread life, and worked alright for me for average/normal riding on my yzf600r.


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[jmsandy77]

Hey guys, I bought my FZ8 late last year and the tires were on their last legs. The previous owner was running Battlaxs front and rear. I liked the grip on these tires, it just seemed like they wore down so quickly and were a little soft for my liking. On my previous bike, an R6, I ran Shinko Ravens and really liked the mix of grip and longevity. Does anyone have any tires they swear by? I don't tour very often and most of my rides are limited to <30 miles. Any help would be appreciated as I am planning on buying them within the next few weeks. Thanks!

I have Shinko Ravens on the bike and love them. They are perfectly fine for the type of riding you plan on doing. For $165 a set from Chapparal Motorsports they can't be beat for performance/longevity/price. I have 4800 miles on the front and rear and have had no issues what so ever and expect to get about another 2500 to 3k out of the rear. And when this set is done I'm definitely going to be getting another. If you want to spend some coin go with Pilot Road 4's. Another great pic is the Pirelli Angel.

 

[npeifer2308]

Still running stock on my FZ8 but on my previous GSXR, I put Pirelli Angel GT's on it and I absolutely loved them. Will defiantly go with them again once I need new tires.

 

[OdinSon]

Honestly you can't go wrong with some Pilot Road 4's. I bought then when they first came out and they are honestly great. I have at least 3,500 - 5,000 miles on them and they barely have any wear. They also grip way better than the stock tires in snow (yes, I rode through a little bit of snow this year with them), Shallow creek (about 4"-6" of running water), dirt roads, muddy trails, grass, and wet pavement. The only area the stock tires were better were on hot summer days. I live in New England though. We get all sorts of weather, the roads are in a constant state of needing major repair, and we have twisties and hilly roads some of you can only dream of.

The Pilot Road 4's are brutally expensive but when it comes to safety and longevity they are worth every penny.

 

[poppyseed779]

I appreciate all the information guys. I am going to look into getting the Pilot Roads if my wallet doesn't mind when it comes time to go ahead and buy them. Thanks!

 

[cxa0897]

I've had Ravens on my fz8 since last fall and have about 7k on them now. The rears are approaching the wear bars and the front barely even looks like tread is missing. I do a few hundred miles a week commuting and they have held up great. They are also pretty good when you get a little more aggressive and I've had no problem scrubbing the front and back within a few 1/16ths of the whole tire. They certainly aren't a great sportsbike tire, but they are hard to beat for value if you are just rolling around and occasionally like to get on the gas.

 

[reALIGNed]

I'm still on my stock tires from 2012 with 11,000 miles on them. When its time to replace, I'm going to replace with the same as oem, I don't care to start a new learning curve as to how my new tires will perform, I'll already know. If the tires were shit to begin with, then I would start shopping for a different brand. So my vote is stock.

 

[buzzyclonecattleman]

My vote goes to the Pilot 4's which is what I'll put on as soon as the OEM wear. I put some on my SV650 right before I traded up to the FZ8 and they were definitely confidence inducing in the corners.

 

[Geanmage13]

Honestly you can't go wrong with some Pilot Road 4's. I bought then when they first came out and they are honestly great. I have at least 3,500 - 5,000 miles on them and they barely have any wear. They also grip way better than the stock tires in snow (yes, I rode through a little bit of snow this year with them), Shallow creek (about 4"-6" of running water), dirt roads, muddy trails, grass, and wet pavement. The only area the stock tires were better were on hot summer days. I live in New England though. We get all sorts of weather, the roads are in a constant state of needing major repair, and we have twisties and hilly roads some of you can only dream of.

The Pilot Road 4's are brutally expensive but when it comes to safety and longevity they are worth every penny.

I'm with OdinSon on this one. I bought the Pilot Road 4's after my stock tires (back in December) and i am more than happy with them. You can't put a price on your safety.

 

[sirdyza]

I got this link from a previous thread on tires. I apologize if we are not to post links. I used the price quoted at this link with the price match provided by RevZilla, and used some credits that I got when I purchased my helmet from them. With the free shipping, I got the PR4s for about $275 to my door. Here is the link (again I apologize if we are not supposed to provide links - I won't do it again if that is the case).

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/...ot-Road-4-Radial-Rear-Motorcycle-Tire?v=11250

Their prices are $169.98 for the rear and about $135 for the front.