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Dare I venture here…

RoadRacing World (the magazine) recently had a tire shootout amongst all the big brands for both race compound tires and street/track day compound tires. This shootout was done at the track. The results, for this article, are not important. Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely great information about the finer performance characteristics of each tire. But one thing that a track shootout cannot address is the rider’s history.

While I read the article, the first thing I did was to scan through it to find my brand and how it performed as probably did everyone. But I am fortunate enough not to be mired in the tire selection process. I knew that no matter the results I probably wasn’t going to change…I’ll explain.

First things first, for the street race compound is probably a bad decision. They have great grip characteristics once they are at temperature, but usually take a LONG time to get there (relative to street compounds). Second, if you don’t get them to temperature on a colder ambient temp ride, they will probably cold tear which will leave deep scuffs in the rubber. Third, they will simply not last very long on the center where most of the riding is done outside of the twisties.

My philosophy when people ask about “the best tire” is to answer with the follow-up question “What have you used and what have you liked in the past?” Everyone has different riding styles as well as different expectations and preferences in tire performance.

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The latest example is the Michelin Pilot Power. From what I have read, it seems to be an incredible tire. Its a dual compound with a harder center for extended ‘commuting’ life and softer sides for better cornering grip. I have two friends (one of them a contributor here) who think they are excellent. I have another local friend who had a low speed low-side using the MPP’s, ending a long drought of crashes, and will never use them again.

My thought is that good condition tires don’t crash motorcycles…riders crash motorcycles. I cannot tell you how many times people have blamed their tires as the root cause of their crash. I’m sure its possible, but highly unlikely. Whether or not it was a new brand you’re not used to, wrong inflation pressure, wheel-spin, etc., its the rider’s responsibility to know the tires.

So when it comes to tires, I first recommend tires that worked well for you in the past. The brand I use, I have used on my sport bikes for the past ten years or so. Sure the tire model number gets upgraded with new flashy compound features and tread design, but they have continued to perform the same.

Predictability and experience with a tire (to me) is far more important than brand versus brand and the nuance between them. I know my tires. I know how my tires will perform. I know how to light them up coming out of the turn. I know that it takes only a couple of turns to heat up sufficiently. I know I’m going to get about 1.5-3k miles out of them. And most important, because I am a mere mortal and overcook turns every now and then, I now know to read the tires and register saves.

I consider myself lucky as I know riders who are on the endless search for the perfect tire. I truly feel for them because when I am hanging it out at say…9 tenths…I am NOT thinking about if my tires are going to give way or tuck the front end. For me, its a matter of sticking with the knowns versus unknowns. I don’t have the money, the available riding time, or the desire to conduct a tire shootout for my favorite section of mountain roads…of course if someone wants to sponsor a test

So where to start? Check with some buddies (personal or forum/bb) that ride that you trust or that you have similar riding styles. All established, major brands of tires are excellent quality. If you choose these tires (reference T1), you are destined for a deserved life of mockery and a diet of calamari. Also, try to find someone who has settled on a tire for their bike and find out why. If its simply price, that’s probably not good enough. I would then go to the magazines and compare notes. Again, they provide excellent detail for how tires perform on the track, but that does not always apply to street / mountain performance. Finally, understand that twins perform much differently than inline-fours. A tire that has full grip on a twin, may still spin up the rear tire on an inline-four.

I know this seems obvious, but if you are new to sport bikes, the best starting place is with the OE tires if the bike is new or whatever is on the bike when you buy it, given that they are in good shape. Gulp - I have known of folks that with 0 miles on their new ride, had new skins put on because a buddy said “Brand X sucks”. All of the testing during development of the motorcycle was done on these tires or at least revisions of them. Second, the OE tires are usually a middle ground between street & race compounds, but you should confirm this by sending a quick email to the tire company (they will respond!). Back in the day when I was piloting my ‘93 CBR900RR, I tried different brands, but actually went back to the OE Bridgestone Battlax compound (BT50 or 58?).

Ultimately, you will probably want to make a decision on tire brand and model and use it until you are no longer happy or your need have changed. I can’t tell you how much clearer my head is since I dont think about tire performance when I need to focus on that bad-ass decreasing radius in front of me. There will always be better tires than the one you have. Always. I have learned over the years that the best tire for me is unlikely the best tire for you. Find something you’re confident riding on and stick with it. Its worked very well for me.

What - you were hoping for a brand and model? Yeah right.