Tyres
When I first got my Exup it had some worn out tyres on it that I knew that I would need to replace.
With the standard sizes being a 130/60x17 front and a 170/60x17 on the rear there wasn't much of a choice.
So when I attended a bike show where various tyre manufacturers were showing their products,I got a printout of the tyres that they recommended.Only Pirelli and Metzeler would do this at the time.Dunlop and Bridgestone wouldn't commit themselves,saying that they had no recommendation at the time.
Pirelli specified the MP7S Radials,and I put these on the bike in time for the Isle of Man TT back in 1997,and they gave excellent grip.
But as these tyres were superceded with later versions, I tried the MTR01 Dragon Corsa and MTR02 Dragon in the 120/70 front and 180/55 rear sizes as specified by Pirelli.But there was a strange lack of feedback from the back that I couldn't put my finger on.
So I tried a Metzeler MEZ1 180/55 and staright away I got that feedback that I was looking for.
Nowadays I have a Dragon Evo Corsa front and a Diablo rear.But in this I had a problem with the rear tyre pressures.When I first put the Diablo in place I used the 37-38-39 psi that I had played with using the other tyres.It just didn't 'come-in' as you'd expect from a new tyre,even after a run to the coast.But the tyre didn't give me the confidence that I was looking for to start really chucking the bike about.
So when I got a chance to give my brother a shout to ask him about the Diablo rear,he said to try 41 psi...and straight away it felt 'right' and I got that feel that I wanted.But I was surprised that those few psi could make such a differance.
On the R1 I have a Pirelli 120/70 Diablo Corsa 111 on the front and a 190/55 rear Diablo Corsa 111...and i've never had a slip or a slide from either of them...even in the wet.Very confidence inspiring.
With the standard sizes being a 130/60x17 front and a 170/60x17 on the rear there wasn't much of a choice.
So when I attended a bike show where various tyre manufacturers were showing their products,I got a printout of the tyres that they recommended.Only Pirelli and Metzeler would do this at the time.Dunlop and Bridgestone wouldn't commit themselves,saying that they had no recommendation at the time.
Pirelli specified the MP7S Radials,and I put these on the bike in time for the Isle of Man TT back in 1997,and they gave excellent grip.
But as these tyres were superceded with later versions, I tried the MTR01 Dragon Corsa and MTR02 Dragon in the 120/70 front and 180/55 rear sizes as specified by Pirelli.But there was a strange lack of feedback from the back that I couldn't put my finger on.
So I tried a Metzeler MEZ1 180/55 and staright away I got that feedback that I was looking for.
Nowadays I have a Dragon Evo Corsa front and a Diablo rear.But in this I had a problem with the rear tyre pressures.When I first put the Diablo in place I used the 37-38-39 psi that I had played with using the other tyres.It just didn't 'come-in' as you'd expect from a new tyre,even after a run to the coast.But the tyre didn't give me the confidence that I was looking for to start really chucking the bike about.
So when I got a chance to give my brother a shout to ask him about the Diablo rear,he said to try 41 psi...and straight away it felt 'right' and I got that feel that I wanted.But I was surprised that those few psi could make such a differance.
On the R1 I have a Pirelli 120/70 Diablo Corsa 111 on the front and a 190/55 rear Diablo Corsa 111...and i've never had a slip or a slide from either of them...even in the wet.Very confidence inspiring.