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After much tossing and turning, review reading and web discussing, I decided that I would shoe the bike with a pair of Bridgestone Battlax BT 020 tyres, 120/70/ZR17 at front and 170/60/ZR17 at the back. These are aimed squarely (or should that be roundly) at biggish sports and sports tourers ... Read review
Advantages: Quality, bike built to suit them, reasonable cost Disadvantages: None really
...bike with a pair of Bridgestone Battlax BT 020 tyres, 120/70/ZR17 at front and 170/60/ZR17 at the back. These are aimed squarely (or should that be roundly) at biggish sports and sports tourers and are supposed to balance grip with stability, good wet weather performance and tread wear.
Choice made I phoned round for quotes (cheapest being National at £192 including valves and balance, though they couldn’t balance the rear as ... ...but these seemed good value. Bridgestone were the tyres the bike was designed around and so I’m happy to keep them on. Rivals, with the exception of Continental Conti force are about the same price, and we have to remeber they are ZR rated (speeds over 150mph) As I mostly use the bike when one of my other favourite things is riding pillion, (no not the dog), I’m happy not to cut corners.
Those of you who know me will know that the three most important things in my life are...my wife (brunette), my dog(also brunette) and my motorbike(red VFR 750). I’ll leave those who know me to set out the order of merit.
Well, being a spring/summer only biker now, ( post accident arthritis and the thought of salt eating into my beloved bike during winter makes me avoid riding in winter) the bike is off the road for the winter and since spring is upon us it’s time for some fettling for the road.
Chiefly this year this involved the fitting of a new pair of tyres. Those of you who don’t ride bikes (the unenlightened majority) will perhaps still yet understand how important this choice is to a biker as, for my bike, power of 100hp is put down to the road through a contact patch perhaps one sixth the size of that of one tyre of a medium sized saloon.
Basically, you rely a lot on the grip of the tyre. Wear is not so important to most sports or sports tourer bikers as we accept short tyre life for increase in grip and safety.
Another factor is looks, as like sporty cars, we like our bikes to look sexy, and the tread pattern has a lot to do with this. Let’s face it the back tyre is all many drivers see of a bike so it should look good.
After much tossing and turning, review reading and web discussing, I decided that I would shoe the bike with a pair of Bridgestone Battlax BT 020 tyres, 120/70/ZR17 at front and 170/60/ZR17 at the back. These are aimed squarely (or should that be roundly) at biggish sports and sports tourers and are supposed to balance grip with stability, good wet weather performance and tread wear.
Choice made I phoned round for quotes (cheapest being National at £192 including valves and balance, though they couldn’t balance the rear as it is a single sided swing arm wheel.) then took the wheels off the bike and had the new hoops fitted.
So what are they like? Round and black mainly.
LOOKS: Look good, particularly the rear which has a very agressive swirly central rain groove and curvy lateral grooves. The crown profile is shallower than the sportier BT 010’s but as my BT54 rear had been squared off by many dual carriageway miles, anything is an improvement. The front has lost the central line of the BT54 it replaces but in it’s own way looks good, though not as good as the equivalent Metzeler or Avon.
STEERING: The bike turns in really quick now, again a factor of the unsquare rear, but whereas with the BT54 it always felt you had to hold it from dropping too far into a corner, the new front seems much more neutral.
GRIP: Can’t really comment so far as I’ve only been out in the dry and still running the tyres in. Seems ok tho’ and all reports are of good wet weather grip too. Since my accident, my tyres all have a “chicken strip” at the edge of the tread as I don’t lean as far as I used to! The bike’s capabilities far outweigh mine!
COST: For motorists, nigh on £200 for tyres that will last perhaps 5-6000 miles if I’m lucky may seem a lot, but these seemed good value. Bridgestone were the tyres the bike was designed around and so I’m happy to keep them on. Rivals, with the exception of Continental Conti force are about the same price, and we have to remeber they are ZR rated (speeds over 150mph) As I mostly use the bike when one of my other favourite things is riding pillion, (no not the dog), I’m happy not to cut corners.
Funnily enough, the guys at National confirmed that whereas they see some real horrors of tyres which the car driver “thinks might need replacing”, bikers are always very particular.
