tires tires tires and more tire questions....

[91rtstealth]

ok..i have just about 4k on my zzr600 and the back tire has just about had it. So, my first question...for all you people that don't do burnouts with good tires, how long to your tires usually last?

second...any recommendation for tires for my bike? should i go with the stock ones? I mean, my buddy has michilins..said they made a big difference...ok, that's fine and dandy..but i use this bike to commute a lot..i want a tire that's going to last...is 4000 miles good for a tire? I basically don't know a damn thing about bike tires...i'm looking for good perforance, but i don't want something that's going to last 1500 miles...know what i mean?

3rdly...my front tire is still ok...my buddy was saying it's bad to have 2 different tires...one might grip better than the other..etc...is this true?

4th...when's it time to replace a tire? i know on my car, i replace them when the belts are on their way to say hello..haha..

[Lawn Masters]

On a bike, most will say 4000 is about average for a tire, if you get GOOD tires, ride conservatively and arent riding like a monkey on crack, you can possibly get 8k out of them.

I'd recommend Pilot Powers, or Pirelli corsas, Diablos, something like that because they have good handling characteristics.

[Thmastr]

ok sooo... 4k is a bit low I would think 8k is a huge distance on the zzr (I think)

I spoke to my mechanic and said that the metzeler m1s would be the equivalent of the stock... It is a bit harder compound than the m3s, corsas, and pilot powers... which means the m1 will last longer.

I will change to metzeler m1s when I done with my stock... I dont do crazy carving and I do a lot of super slab commuting.. so this type of tire is fine for me.

The tires have wear marks (just like the ones on cars) and you can check how worn down a tire is...

Yes mismatching is bad. What I will do is.... since usually you can change the front every two back ones I will replace my stock rear and then change both tires when they are due... by spring I should be getting close to changing the pair and thus canyon carving season will begin!

I have no experience on this but yes you should change both tires... specially if they are not the same brand and type!! ie dunlop front michelin on back...

[ervins]

I ride Diablo Corsas now...Great tire with excellent grip. Grip is more important than wear to me. I also got a set of Prielli Diablo Corsa IIIs waiting to be put on. I get tires based on my riding which is commuting on highway and also for riding twisties. Pilots Powers are nice and have tried them as well as BattleAxes. I like Corsas the most because they definitely fit my ride characteristics. I have hit my wear bar last week for the rear and the front ones are about to get hit...When I hit the wear bar on my last set of Corsas, I replaced them. I roughly get 5000-5500 miles on them before the bar gets hit. IMO they still have a few hundred miles left, but I am one of those safety first people and $130 is nothing compared to the value of my life. I would not recommend mixing tires however AZ makes a good point. If they are the same make and model it should be fine...However, the Corsa IIIs just came out and I want to try this set so badly. You can get longer wearing tires but is commuting all you do? No serious twisties? You can get Diablos which are Pirellis long wear tire. Continentals make a nice long wear tire as well. It is up to you. 4000 does seem low but again it could be your roads, your speed, etc. Good luck.

[stefano]

Wear bar? What's that all about?

More specifically, I mount BattlAxes on my bike... where is the wear bar and how do I know when I need to change tyres?

[ervins]

There are wear bars on tires for bikes just as in car tires. It is a bump in one of the treads...It tells you that you are wearing the tires and may want to consider changing them soon. Technically you can wear them more but I prefer not to...Spin you tire round and round and you will see the bar in one of the treads.

[91rtstealth]

hmm..i'll have to look for that wear bar next time i'm near my bike...and this sucks because my front tire is relatively newer...cuz i had run over a nail after having the bike for about 1000 miles..so that tire is newer..that's why i don't wanna replace both of them..so i guess if i'm looking to save money, i should replace the rear tire with a similar make and model?

anybody know where to get tires real cheap? like online?

also..what do u guys think about something a little wider than stock?

[pester]

Originally Posted by Lawn Masters

On a bike, most will say 4000 is about average for a tire, if you get GOOD tires, ride conservatively and arent riding like a monkey on crack, you can possibly get 8k out of them.

I'd recommend Pilot Powers, or Pirelli corsas, Diablos, something like that because they have good handling characteristics.

lmfao @ monkey on crack

[91rtstealth]

ok..the belts in my rear tire are showing..and i can't wait til spring to ride it again..so i gotta try to scrape money together for a new rear tire...i'm looking for the stock dunlop to match the front on my zzr600..*i'll switch brands when the front goes bad*...neways, i'm poor..so where can i find some discount tires? i never buy tires for my car in stories..i usually find some cheap source..since i'm new to bikes, i have no idea where to look...any suggestions?

[Thmastr]

I have not had to start looking for tires yet.. but I can suggest some of the sites I frequent.

Kneedraggers.com

bikebandit.com

and the local places.. cycle gear had some good deals last time I checked them out... i was pretty surprised!