Tire update

[Dave S]

Well, as some may have seen, I had a bit of a fiasco with the tires for the Connie. I figured I would start a new thread instead of hijacking Duckslayers thread.

A few weeks ago yesterday, I arrived home after a rough day at work. I had a run-in with a guy who had a hint of road rage and realized that I had the steel belts showing on my back tire.

The stock Battlax (sp?) tires were junk and were replaced after 4000 miles. or atleast the front was completely bald. My choice of tire at the 4K mark was a set of Pirelli Diablo Stradas. It only took 4-5 days for delivery to the dealership and promptly delivered the bike for the mount and balance.

The dealershsip forewarned me to take it easy for atleast the first 50 miles. The tires could be a little slick until they are "worn in". Basically removing the slick film on the outside of the tire. While riding home, I noticed the bike handled totally different. I mean to the tune of almost 200 lbs lighter.

Over the next 8K miles, the handling was more ZX-10 type handling vs. a sport touring bike kind of handling. Cornering was an incredible experience. It was nothing to lay the bike down in an extreme angle into the corners. Far more so than I could with the stock tires. After a few hundred miles it finally dawned on me.....the front tire was smaller than stock. The stock size is 120/70ZR-17. The Strada they put on was only a 120/50ZR-17. That 20mm difference was like night and day.

Now that I've hit the 12K mark on the odometer, the time has come to order the new tires. I placed the order 3 weeks ago today. I thought if the Stradas handled that much better, I would stick with them. The dealership placed the order and it took 7 days for the front tire to show up and 10 for the rear (they shipped from a different warehouse). Once the dealer received the rear tire, they already knew that I was impatient with the wait and regretted having to tell me that the tires I ordered were discontinued and that the rear tire that was shipped was a different model. There was apparently a break in communication with the warehouse and the dealership. The part number that "used" to be on the Strada, was now on a different tire. I received the call towards the end of my day so another day passed before I could call back and ask if they could return those tires and order the model that replaced the Strada. Not a problem.

The stock size Pirelli Angels arrived yesterday and were mounted and balanced. Happy camper here!!!!!!!!

I took the wife out for a ride when I got home this evening while we still had some sunlight left. Her first comment was how much better the bike rode with the new tires. From a driver standpoint, I did noticed there is more of a tendency of the handle bars to turn in while cornering. Not a problem with me. One thing this did change is the lean-in angle while cornering. There's atleast a 5 degree difference in lean-in angle now. Another big plus for passengers who prefer to stay in a more "upright" position

Overall, it was a frustrating wait with not having the bike for Memorial Day weekend or last weekend when it was so nice. I also lost out on some fine commuting weather. But if there is a brighter side to this soap box rant, the dealership came through. They made things right and ensured my intent to continue to take my business there.

NOW WHEN IS THIS RAIN GOING TO STOP?

Thanks for reading.

[The_Duckslayer]

Glad you got er back on the road!!! A long time ago in a land far far away I had a Yamaha 850 Special. I bought some Pirelli Phantoms for it and had them put on. Don't know if you have ever been on highway 5 between San Jose and Santa Cruz but those tires made that road sooo much fun! Had a heck of a grip but not much for mileage! N Joy the ride!

[Whoaru99]

Just new tires in and of themselves, regardless of brand, make one heck of a difference. A change of brand/style can make it even more dramatic if the tire has a slightly different profile. Changed from some Dunlops to Conti Road Attacks on my Suzuki RF900 and it was like a different motorcycle. I now have a pair of Michelin Pilot Road 2 that need to be put on. Hopefully I'll like those as much or more than the last two sets of Conti Road Attacks. Got the Michelins to try to squeak out a few more miles from the tires...we'll see.

I'm sure you did, but I'd be having a serious talk with the dealership about putting the wrong size tire(s) on my bike.

[Dave S]

Part of the wrong tire size was a case of one of the parts guys wanting me to be the guinea pig for his choice of tire. He was pressing me to put on Pirelli Corsas, which IMO are more for a sport bike, not a sport tourer. He's no longer with the dealership.

[2thepointsetters]

Part of the wrong tire size was a case of one of the parts guys wanting me to be the guinea pig for his choice of tire. He was pressing me to put on Pirelli Corsas, which IMO are more for a sport bike, not a sport tourer. He's no longer with the dealership.

The corsas on my 1125R didnt even last 1200 miles.

[Dave S]

Drop that kind of $$$ on a tire only to have them burn out in 1200 miles......OUCH!!! I'm still learning bike tires, but my best guess would be the Corsas are more of a track tire than a street tire.

[Whoaru99]

Lots of info on Pirelli's HSOforum.

There are a few different "Corsa" models, but they are all listed in the "Hypersport" category. So, yeah, probably not the best tire for a sport-tourer unless you drive it pretty aggressively, more sport mode than touring mode.