Best Tires in 2020

[Dodgy Knees]

For UK folk, M and P are still doing these for £95 a pair. I've put about 500 miles on first pair and their Great,  been on wet and dry and a trackday with no dramas. Bought 2nd set.👍

Supermaxx ST2 120/70ZR17 & 180/55ZR17 Tyre Pair | M&P Direct

 

[Tripletrouble]

On 9/2/2020 at 10:02 PM, Michiel900GT said:

I struggle a lot with cornering my Tracer. Still in doubt whether to take the loss and trade it in or keep improving things (at a cost).

Today I had the Hyperpro springs properly set up. But the guy who helped me said that they had at least 5 Tracer owners who had changed their springs and were very happy with it until.....they put Michelin PR5 on their bikes. After that they all thought that there was something wrong with the springs or spring setup. As soon as they switched from Michelin to Dunlop Roadsmart 3 things felt normal again. Sounds strange as the Michelin's get good reviews, but the guy really knows his stuff when it comes to bike riding behaviour.

Now, the funny thing is, a month or so ago the guy from Roadlok EU told me he really recommended Dunlop Roadsmart 3 tires. He said that Michelin PR5 was too wobbly due to a soft inner construction. And that Roadsmart would be better. I didn't take it too serious as he personally knew the Dunlop importer and I thought he was just making some advertisement.

But the Hyperpro guy doesn't sell tires. So he has no real interest in promoting Dunlop.

And I just couldn't figure out why my second Tracer GT gave me so much more cornering issues then the first one I owned. Until it hit me: the only thing that is different are the tires. 

So I might just go and try some Roadsmart tires, see how that goes. Apparently the Roadsmart has a stiffer compound and inner works which improves turning and cornering.

 

Very interesting info. The reason I liked the 4's and 5's were that they had a softer carcass and were nicely compliant. Much better feel even though they wiggle a bit, but never had them skip out. I guess for others that might be unnerving, but the feel in corners is worth it for me. So I think your guys right, but some tyres  made the bike handle great but just felt a bit remote for my liking . 

Edited September 7, 2020 by Tripletrouble

[Trippinontrips]

I can't say anything about the last two but I had the Metzelers for about 9k miles and they were great. Rode like a demon through wet weather. In the future I'll probably go with the Road 5's for more all around sportiness, but if I spent most of my riding touring I'd pick the Roadtechs.

[Dirty Randy]

I've been using Pilot Road 4/5s for the last 40K miles and I love them:

Pros:

+Super sticky in the twisties 

+Heat up quickly 

+VERY noticeable difference in stopping in the rain

+Tire life is good (around ~8K for the rear the way I ride)

Cons:

+Expensive 

If you ride a lot in the rain and inclement weather I highly recommend these, otherwise I would go another route.

I have not tried the "GT" version yet, curious if anyone on here has.

 

[betoney]

7 minutes ago, Dirty Randy said:

I have not tried the "GT" version yet, curious if anyone on here has.

Like all GT spec tires, they usually have a stiffer carcass and are intended for heavier bikes like the C14 or FJR.  Not sure how you would like them on the FJ/Tracer.

[kmh0]

On 7/6/2020 at 9:21 AM, 2and3cylinders said:

Dunlop roadsmart 3 and Bridgestone T31, the latter being especially cost effective with their rebate

Keeping track of those rebates is crucial for a good price!

[kmh0]

Has anyone tried a set of Metzeler M9rr's on their Tracer?

[peteinpa]

From a mount yourself stand point the valley in the rim on I geuss all Yamahas is very shallow compared to Honda rims. That combined with a stiff sidewall (2 ply) Roadsmart, makes for real problems. Had to call my wife down for another pair of hands to get it on.