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Seriously, you dont need expensive tires on the street

16K views 310 replies 56 participants last post by  8you4t 
#1 ·
First off, I in no way claim to be a good rider. In fact, this video would almost certainly serve as an example of things not to do than things to do. I suck, no doubt about it.

I want to make a point- you don't need super grippy tires on the street. I was riding on regular old Diablos. They were cold (you see me pulling out of the pits) with no tire warmers on a 70 degree day about after 8 hours after it rained. The tires probably have about 100 laps on them and they are about 80% gone. They aren't even getting tear on them. The bike is, outside tires, a bone stock 2008 CBR 1000RR.

This pace is about 10 seconds off my best and I've NEVER had the tires slip on me or even feel like they were slipping. While I am far from anything resembling fast on the track, this is harder than 99.99% of street-only riders CAN ride and harder than almost anyone should ride on the street.

Also, I'd like to point out that the camera is a bit crooked, so it makes it look like I'm leaning a bit harder to the left than I am and bit less when I lean right. I'm down to about 1/8th" chicken strip in the front IIRC.


Obviously, if you do track days with your street bike, that's a totally different story. If you don't do track days, and especially if you've never dont track days or very few, your hyper sticky tires are worthless.

 
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#3 ·
I run power pures on the street. I also ride harder than I should on the street, but in my defense, we have some pretty killer roads an I have no kids or woman at home waiting on me. Depending on the road, my tires look like they just came off the track at times. Its the only thing between me and the ground (depending on the corner).. so I don't mind paying for better tires.
 
#6 ·
You're literally 1 out of 1000. I know a bunch of guys that run that hard in the mountains, but they're all very experienced track riders and/or former racers.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I've been running a set of BT-021's (yes, the sport-touring tires) on my K6 & they handle the power of a literbike just fine, thank you. Tread is worn edge to edge.
 
#9 ·
I really hate when people start with this "you can't use race parts on the street and you need to be a pro to take advantage of what they can do".
You don't NEED sticky tires on the street, but I have been able to make normal street tires slide on the street, and depending on how and where you ride you will need some kind of softer tire.

Agreed you don't NEED that kind of tire on the street, but whatsmore you can take advantage of what they can do on the street.

Sooner or later you are going to crash on those tires you are going to the track on, and believe me they are going to slide when you least expect it and it's going to be in the middle or out of the corner and I think you know where that will end.

Not using tire warmers will only make your tires wear faster and it will make the rubber harder since you are putting the rubber through a lot more heat cycles than it would have with warmers on it.
 
#17 ·
I think they've got one more track day in them and I'm either stepping up to the 2CTs I already have or a true trackday tire.

You don't need tire warmers on street tires. That's just silly. I just take it easy on the first lap and they're plenty warm. Street tires heat cycle just fine. They're designed to do that.
 
#12 ·
Ohhhhhhh now i see what you were saying. :lol I thought everyone was about to start bashing me for riding hard on the street.

Anyway back on topic.... I just ordered some Pilot Road 2's. I'd be amazed if they can't handle street riding like I'm about to put them through
 
#13 ·
Ohhhhhhh now i see what you were saying. :lol I thought everyone was about to start bashing me for riding hard on the street.

Anyway back on topic.... I just ordered some Pilot Road 2's. I'd be amazed if they can't handle street riding like I'm about to put them through
You've only been riding 3 months. Plus with cold weather, its not a bad idea as they should heat up quicker.
 
#16 ·
I do not feel that EVERYONE needs to visit the track to be a good rider and benefit from a good tire on their sport bike. Granted would cut down on the time one needs to learn good riding skills etc,but learning is half the fun. At 35 years of seat time on the street I continue to become a better rider every time a leg is thrown over,refining my skills and or learning something new. Do I need a super sticky tire on the street?...not really but want one with good grip and feed back that is consistent in it's performance.
 
#18 ·
More 1 out of 1000 guys here :) Heres a quick vid from just yesterday..(typical late Fall day at the gap), that shows a couple locals going by. First rider(red-me) goes by on reg ol Q2s. 2nd rider(blue-good friend) on med compound 211 Ntecs. And, a truck added(rolling chicane) in-between just to confirm its street riding haha. The middle slow moving rider is me again, since upon going by, I saw some peeps on this pulloff and turned around. This is close to the end(if going away from camera) of a 9 mile 270-turn pass, taking about 10 minutes per pass. Actually pretty hard on tires, and AMA spec DOTs or even slicks are commonly found on local's bikes(I'm on my 12th set of tires this season alone. But I ride this road just about everyday, sans winter of course).

 
#19 ·
Yup, you guys are far from the norm and venture to guess most of you 1 in 1000 riders actually have track time ;) None of you are asking "which tires should I get!!!!!" which is who this was really addressed to anyway.
 
#24 ·
Irrelevant. Skimping on tires would be fitting up Chen Sings to your machine.
 
#23 ·
Most people don't need top end tyres, however most people DO need more confidence which better tyres offer, simply by being what they are...
Si
 
#27 ·
Anybody riding hard enough on the street that tires are a factor should really evaluate their outlook on life.

I know how hard you can push OEM Tires, Sport-Touring tires and non-OEM Hypersport tires. I know how hard you have to ride to "need" something other than a Sport-Touring tire and if you are doing so on public roads, i hope you don't live around me.

I almost find it comical when people talk about pushing brake markers, using different lines, feedback, sliding the rear and shit like that on the street.
 
#28 ·
Anybody riding hard enough on the street that tires are a factor should really evaluate their outlook on life.
Probably..:shifty

I know how hard you can push OEM Tires, Sport-Touring tires and non-OEM Hypersport tires. I know how hard you have to ride to "need" something other than a Sport-Touring tire and if you are doing so on public roads, i hope you don't live around me.
Not too close.

I almost find it comical when people talk about pushing brake markers, using different lines, feedback, sliding the rear and shit like that on the street.
Agreed.
 
#34 · (Edited)
Is there a NEED for track hybrid tires on the street? Certainly not.

Is it a bad idea to have a tire that you have confidence in, or that has the ability to make up for a lack of rider talent in a situation where a less sticky tire could be disastrous, especially for any person who gets out and rides the twisties every single time they are on their bike and doesn't just commute? Of course, I am referring people who actually do check their pressures every time they ride, etc.

IMO, I don't think extra "insurance" for a street tire is a bad idea. I see it as like wearing extra gear, sure it costs more, but if it saves you, it is probably worth it.
 
#39 ·
You are talking an entirely different type of rider. You are talking the (in my opinion) idiot who uses the twisty public roads as a race track. Sure he can benefit from better tires.

But the AVERAGE street rider, who spends 5000mi commuting on a set of tires, for every 100mi he spends "serving the canyons" for one likely does not have the skill to listen to the feedback a better tire is giving to gain from it, and does not ride hard enough for the increased grip level to matter.




How many people crash in novice at track days from tucking the front? How many of those have we seen do so in controlled parade laps, where a group of ten riders are going the same speed, on varying machines and tire compounds.... and all made it but the one rider?

HOw many of those guys do you HONESTLY think the tire made one damn bit of difference?

To ask the guys who lowsided in novice, they will tell you the tire was a huge part.

Truth is, they likely would have crashed just the same, if they had the latest MotoGP spec tire on. The tire was not the culprit. A lack of talent was.

That is not talking shit on novice riders. We all learn somewhere. But we have to be realistic as well. VERY VERY VERY seldom is a crash caused by the machine, or the parts on that machine. Almost always the crash is caused by a rider who either didnt listen to that machine, or didnt know enough to know what he was listening for.......... like the novice rider mentioned above.
 
#46 · (Edited)
I've ran those same tires on my 600, and my rear end was sliding on me daily (yes on the street). I thought I was in tokyo drift or something! Definitely not cool, I shat my britches at least on 5 different occasions. Switched to BT-016 and hadn't been slipping since, except in the rain. While I will agree that you don't NEED them, but for those that like to get really leaned over on the street (maybe this is a bad idea...) its better to have a little extra buffer of traction with the grippier compounds available instead of doing the tokyo shit your pants drift slide. The Bridgestones are pretty damn cheap I might add, got the front and rear set for $200 shipped!
 
#49 ·
I disagree with Joe on that point. Most usually, that idiot will kill himself and it won't be the tires' fault. It will be his lack of skill and/or debris/fluid/bump in the road. Very very very few street riders can push a basic hypersport tire beyond its limits. Some can, almost all can't.
 
#52 ·
We could go back and forth on this all day long and the points I see from both sides are valid... but stickier tires do have the ability to make up for a lack of talent in situations where your talent runs out and you just got in over your head.. not to mention making it that much easier to go faster. I've ran many types of tires for the kind of riding I do, and you can't tell me that a pair of $75 shinkos would have performed equally as well or that they wouldn't have been a limiting factor in a fast corner. More lean angle and speed = more weight and g's pushing further outward. A less sticky tire wouldn't hold in situations that a better tire would. Its pretty self explanatory. You do get to a point though where a stickier tire doesn't perform as well though due to getting the tires to temp, etc.. but that comes down to the rider's ability.

Yes, in most street situations, crashes are caused by debree etc. and the tire choice is irrelevant... but not all the time. I have had a couple friends who ran a cheaper tire after running a relatively good tire and they ultimately lowsided because of it. No debris, etc. I followed my friend Bobby and you could watch his rear end stepping out on him all morning, which normally never occured before hand. We checked and changed tire pressures, etc. By lunch time he had finally lost control of it and sent his Gsxr sliding down Highway 30..
 
#50 ·
best tyres i ever had on the street was a set of bridgestone slicks that had tread cut into them !!! had them on my R1 unbelievable performance , will use them again for sure !!!!!!
 
#51 ·
What a lot of people are failing to realize is the other MAJOR benefit sticky tires offer on the street (besides increased cornering and acceleration abilities): Decreased braking distance. Going from my ancient Pirelli diablos to the bridgestones I noticed I could stop WAY faster and without the rear locking as easily. This can save a newbie rider some valuable distance between him and a car that decided to brake check him.
 
#55 ·
If you are using yoru front brakes to their limit, the rear is a moot point anyway :dunno.
 
#60 ·
To be fair, I dont consider sport riding on the street in general dumb.

I consider sport riding to the point you can brag about how fast you are, or how much you can shred tires, or the limits you are pushing etc.......... anything involving pushing your limits or those of the equipment........dumb.


If I were to get another street bike in the near future, I very well might end up taking another trip to deals gap. I very well might be seen dragging my knee through deals gap. But rest assured I wont be anywhere near my edge, or the edge of the machine, and there will be plenty left for the unexpected.

There is a siginificant difference in riding for sport, and treating the road like a race track IMO
 
#68 ·
First off, I in no way claim to be a good rider. In fact, this video would almost certainly serve as an example of things not to do than things to do. I suck, no doubt about it.

I want to make a point- you don't need super grippy tires on the street. I was riding on regular old Diablos. They were cold (you see me pulling out of the pits) with no tire warmers on a 70 degree day about after 8 hours after it rained. The tires probably have about 100 laps on them and they are about 80% gone. They aren't even getting tear on them. The bike is, outside tires, a bone stock 2008 CBR 1000RR.

This pace is about 10 seconds off my best and I've NEVER had the tires slip on me or even feel like they were slipping. While I am far from anything resembling fast on the track, this is harder than 99.99% of street-only riders CAN ride and harder than almost anyone should ride on the street.

Also, I'd like to point out that the camera is a bit crooked, so it makes it look like I'm leaning a bit harder to the left than I am and bit less when I lean right. I'm down to about 1/8th" chicken strip in the front IIRC.


Obviously, if you do track days with your street bike, that's a totally different story. If you don't do track days, and especially if you've never dont track days or very few, your hyper sticky tires are worthless.
Good Point! :thumbup However, I am sure it will fall on DEAF EARS!! :biggrin

You can say the same for the 2 and 3 up gearing, the 520 chain, and heaven forbid, more horsepower.. Ain't doing jack on the street, and get a load of this, ain't going to do too much on the track unless you high expert!! :biggrin

But, it is a liittle hard telling our fellow brethen those FACTS...

On power, 98% of them can't handle the power of an SV650 in a turn, much less the mega horsepower of the 1000 class bikes..

Let me shut up....:biggrin
 
#71 ·
Good Point! :thumbup However, I am sure it will fall on DEAF EARS!! :biggrin

You can say the same for the 2 and 3 up gearing, the 520 chain, and heaven forbid, more horsepower.. Ain't doing jack on the street, and get a load of this, ain't going to do too much on the track unless you high expert!! :biggrin

But, it is a liittle hard telling our fellow brethen those FACTS...

On power, 98% of them can't handle the power of an SV650 in a turn, much less the mega horsepower of the 1000 class bikes..

Let me shut up....:biggrin
I agree completely with this post.
 
#72 ·
I have a theory on MOST 'slides" or "slips" people thing they feel.

I have stated it before.


Most street riders and time on the street, the tires are not providing any feedback really. They are simply rolling over the road. They are not having to work to grip at all.

I think as a new rider starts to push the tires the slightest bit, they start to feel them actually have to work to grip........ they start feeling feedback they have never felt before. They interpret that as slip, when it is in fact just the tires starting to work to grip. It is just a foreign feeling to them.

Most riders who claim to be getting slips, slides etc.......... are not. I think most people fail to understand just how big of a deal a slide really is. :lol. It is no small feat to save a slide.

There is also a difference in a tire squirming or wiggling, and sliding, which I think is mistaken too.

A rear slide is not a huge deal, but no small thing either. A front end slide up until not so many years ago was thought to be impossible to save....... it is that big of a deal. If any mere mortal "saves" a front end SLIDE... true slide.... it was as much luck as it was anything
 
#76 ·
I thought my tires were sliding after I did a track day or two. Nope, just suspension under heavy load, tires flexing, etc.

I've had one REAL slide. There was water I didn't see on the track. Holy fuck. To anyone but a very experienced rider, that will scare the ever living shit out of you. It scared me so bad I had to take the rest of the session off because I was thinking about that the rest of my lap.
 
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