VFR Discussion Group -> Stock tires?

Hey guys, I was wondering about the quality of the stock tires on a '94 VFR.  I need to replace my front (stock) tire, but I was wondering if I should get a OEM replacement for just the front, or spend the extra cash and get aftermarket f&r.  Expense is a pretty big concern - unless it's going to make a huge difference to a newbie, I'm going to save the extra $150, and maybe buy myself a pair of boots.

jerky1280,

Tire technology has advanced quite a bit since '94.
Whatever was mounted then has been replaced by upgraded models from all mfgs. Most certainly replace both F&R with a matched pair from your mfg of choice, be sure to stay with the "stock" sizes your '94 came with.

The "Sport-touring" models are pretty affordable, consider that your tires are your most important piece of safety 'gear'.

You really can't go very wrong with any of the offerings from the major mfgs but the various tire threads will give you a feel for what's out there and where to purchase.

I buy on-line from Discount Tire or South West and will be going to Michelin Pilot Roads when the Dunlop D-220's are shot on my '98 FWIW. I have a local shop that can't compete with the on-line dealers on tire prices and is happy to get the labor $ to install and balance for me.

Many VFR owners have been extremely happy with the Bridgestone 010/020 combo, me among them.

I get around 13-14,000km out of a rear, not sure on the fronts yet, as I was running the 020 front previously.

If you're not a banzai canyon guy, or doing trackdays all the time, then a set of sport-touring tires represent a good balance between traction and longevity.

Can't really go wrong with the Michelin Pilot Roads, the BT 020's or the Dunlop D220s. Metzeler also has a brand new sport-touring tire coming to market, the RoadTec Z-6.

You can get a set of tires from the online retailers for cheap.

Under 200 bucks (US) a pair.

And to echo VFR_ATL, the stock sizes are best. Wider tires slow your steering and reduce "flickability".

In no particular order:

http://www.discountmotorcycletire.com/

http://www.swmototires.com/

http://www.denniskirk.com

http://www.chaparral-racing.com

Good luck!

WOW after 8 years and your just replacing the tyre?

Or have you been replacing it with the original spec and they are now no longer available?

Regardless, tyres should be bought with your type of riding style in mind.

If you'd like to give us some more riding info We'd be happy to recomend a choice of tyres.

Like veefer800canuck I use the Bridgestone 010/020 combination on my '95 VFR750.  I do a mixture of riding - daily commuting includes town and motorway, weekend blasts.  Front and rear tend to last 4000 miles each but warm up quickly, grip well wet and dry, and give plenty of feel.  Bridgestones tend to steer more neutrally than Dunlops, which drop into corners more quickly than I like.

veefer800canuck: how the hell do you get that mileage from your tyres?

moved

Druid, Nov. 30veefer800canuck: how the hell do you get that mileage from your tyres?

Hey Druid. How the Hell do you keep your pipe lit going into turn 9 at 120?  :goof:

That's 13,000 Kilometers, not miles. That works out to 8125 miles.

I get that mileage mostly by running 42 PSI religously.

The last 020 rear went 9,000km to California and back, one up, with a ton of luggage in >100'F heat. About 2000km of twisties, 7000km of slab, and the remaining 4,000km was a mix of city and (short) highway riding.

I do try to work the sides of my tires pretty hard, accelerating out of corners while leaned over. I find it helps keep the tires round over their lifespan.

The worn out 020 rear was still quite round, just not much tread left in the center. Was just to the wear bars. Estimate ~13,000km on it total. Still more there, if you were to go past the wear bars. I don't like doing that.

My Tire history:

Got bike used @ ~7000km, original rear D204 toast. Replaced with D205.

~13,500km, D205 not yet worn out, but close, probably another 1500-2000 left in it. Went to Bridgestone 020s F&R as I was heading out on the California trip. OEM D204 front was badly cupped at ~13,500. Still some meat on it, but handling was crap.  :shake:

~26,500km, rear 020 toast, replace with another 020. Front still pretty good until ~28,500 (cupped quite a bit). Replaced front with 010 then.

Presently 32,500km, rear is about 1/2 gone.
Actually, this rear was bought used off a friend who had crashed his VFR. It had about 1000km on it before I got it, so it's more like 7,000 and just over half gone.

I love my Bridgestones.

As a matter of fact, I convinced my ZX-12R riding buddy to try the 010/020 combo. He had run the original D208 rear into the ground, then tried an 010 rear (replaced while out on tour). By the end of the 010 rear, the original D208 front looked like a cheese grater!

He never did like the D'lops, due to their cold weather slipperyness. Also their handling was "agressive" as they were so damn pointy, even when they were just freshly scrubbed in.

He thought that the 'stones were far more rounded in profile and made for more consistent and neutral steering manners. Also they were more predictable when cold. Hell, on a 12R, it's easy to slide ANY tire, but they were real smooth in how they slid, whereas the Dunlops were very abrupt when cold. We're talking about the rear tire sliding under power here, BTW.

They jury is still out on the rear tire mileage, as he threw a rod bearing last August, and the bike is still in the shop.  :(

I bought my '97 in June of '02 and it still had the original tires on it with less than 2500 miles. There was a lot of tread left but after I had it for about a month I was doing a close inspection of the tread and noticed a ton of small cracks running longitudally (is that a word?) or with the tread. Once I saw the cracks, I was very uncomfortable at just about any speed so I replaced them with the D 220's which is just the newer version of the 207s that came on it. Very pleased with them so far with the exception of riding below 40 degrees. Then they skitter all over the place. Warmer weather lets me ride edge to edge.

I bought the bike 6 months ago; it has just over 5,000 miles right now.  I have a 204 on the front and a 208 on the rear.

Right now I'm leaning towards getting a Dunlop 220 on the front.  I wanted to get a 208 on the front to match the 208 on the rear, but I've heard that some people have problems with wobbling using a 208 on the front.

Don't use a harder compound on the front than the rear. The front may slide sooner than the rear, which is highly undesireable.  :wow:  :shake:

If you want stick AND mileage, and you really are a dyed-in-the-wool Dunlop man, use the 220 on the rear and the 208 on the front. As long as your steering head bearings are in good shape and properly adjusted, and you maintain correct tire pressures, you should have no more issues with front tire cupping than the next guy.

D220= harder compound for sport-touring and mileage
D208= soft compound for trackdays, canyon carving and outright grip. Lesser mileage than 220s.

After doing a bunch more reading, I sorta came to the same conclusion...

Unfortunately, I don't really want to spend the $$$ for two new tires, but I'm shying away from using a 208 on the front due to the phantom wobble I've heard about.

ARG!  What to do, what to do?

Dunlop Schmunlop. Get a pair of Bridgestones and you'll sleep easy.

I got a 208 put on the front, and WOW, what a difference.

No wobble, just awesome turning!  With the old tire I had to force the bike over, and it was kinda scarry.  The 208 makes cornering so easy!  I feel like I have to concentrate to keep the bike upright!  I guess being a newbie to bikes, I never knew that this is how a sport-bike is supposed to feel.

jerky1280, Dec. 19 2003I got a 208 put on the front, and WOW, what a difference.

:twist:   Now put a 220 on the rear and enjoy !

Mailman:  The 220 replaces the 204(sport touring) not the 207. The 208 (sport)replaces the 207. :P
:beer:

I'll probably get beat up for this but I had no problems with the 204's other than sliding the rear wheel out before I heated them up on the road. Once they got to temp they were very predictable. Think I'll replace them with the 220's this spring since they are the replacement for the 204's. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Surprisingly good traction in the twisties for a sport-touring tire.

Dunlops - Me personally I don't care for them, I had the older 204 on my bike when I bought it and boy did that front tire cup, I could feel 1/4 inch divots as I ran my fingers along the treads. �By Buddie Craig is a Dunlop guy, he loves them but I think he is starting to want more in a tire. �He uses the D220 on his bike and can hardly get 4k out of the rear, after 3k the traction is reduced significantly, he is like a totally different rider when hes gone past 3k on his tires.

Bridgestones - I have used BT56 on a busa and found them to be very compliant and well suited to high speed riding, they don't last long barely 3k. �So I switched to BT020 when I got the VFR, they are very confident in the rain and do a good job of high speed work. �I found them to be susceptible to cupping and the fronts crown easy, and slip on road snakes, painted lines very easy. I don't care for the front at all for the BT010, if you like me and ride all year long, sometimes you just cant lean it over in the winter months cause of the sand and ice. �So come summer you have to replace the front even if it only has 2k miles on it cause they form a ridge where you lean it too, and then it feel like the bike is gonna fall over if you go past that ridge. �I �Tried the BT020 and found them to be not good for mountain riding when temps hover around 50-60 degrees, the tire just doesn't have traction at those temps, but you could get 6k out of them easy. �One get off with those tires on from a rear tire slipping out on me and that was it. �Bill and I both had on a set of BT010 and went for a ride through HWY 50 at high speed and the temperature was somthing like 90 degrees out in the hot sun. �100mph sweepers and both of us had shaved edges like a race tire, I think I lost 1/8 inch of rubber on that one run! The rubber balled up like a race tire.

Metzler - Both my friends Craig and Bill had the MZ4 on when they bought the bike, it was a sport touring tire and offered at least 6k in terms of mileage but both of them complained of slipping. �Bill said that the profile was too shallow for him cause he would be at the edge before he scrapped his pegs, �both of them replaced the tire. �Bill went with M1 and has had 2 sets and quote "I think the M-1's really suck! The 010's last longer and felt much better. I can't wait to get rid of these tires....I have been through two rears...while the front is still at 60%+...what a waste of money"

Michelin - I am the only one in the group who has used this brand, I have the Pilot Roads on and love them, I am on my second rear set. They feel much different than the BT10 I was used too, but they last much longer. �I got 6k out of my rear,which for me is twice what I was getting! �I had them at the track and boy these tires stick very good on warm days, they feel better to me than the BT10 do, and they don't ball up like a race tire when it is really hot out. �I use LP race pegs cause I tore my OEM foot peg off when I got off my bike in the mountains, so I don't have feelers, but I managed to knick the end of the peg in the hairpin, I went to the edge of the tire but still had a tiny smidgen of unused rubber at the very tip. �So I know the profile is suited to this bike! �I don't like the rain performance as much as I did the Bridgestones but I really like these tires as the best I have had.

Yea I have heard that the AVONS are wonderful, Nobody stockes them Locally, and they are about $30 more per tire than the Michelins.  I would love to try them, I understand the A45 A46 combo is just wonderful, according to Peter Egan anyway.

I ran the avonazaros for 2 seasons on my bike and they wer ok, not the stickiest tire in the world plus it had tons of road noise the way the pattern is on the rear tire ,I also bought some dunlops d207's and they are crap ,I hope the 208's are better, everyone I know that has the 207's their front tire always cups funny within a 800 miles,mine too boot,my next tire is going too be the michelin pilot sports, my best friend has those on his smokin joes cbr and he loves them.The only thing I don't undestand about tires is, how come they don't have a warranty like car tires?

matt

Someone needs to try the new Metzeler Z6 tires. They are suppost to have the grip of the M1s, but twice the mileage. They do have a thicker carcus, so they might be a little rougher over small bumps.  :cool:

Well, I got 18,000km on my Bridgestone  BT010's on my VFR750F and the rear tread wear bar is starting to show.
But they may last another 4-5,000km?

I really like these tires as they are very easy to warm up, and grips dry and wet.

So, I went out looking at new tires.....the dealer had the older BT56SS on for about Cdn $380 installed and the BT010 would cost me over Cdn $500....

Which would you take?  I think the BT010 are superior but I am not sure if they are that much better then the BT56SS's.

Plastics
95 VFR 750F red.

plastics, Jan. 18 2004Well, I got 18,000km on my Bridgestone �BT010's on my VFR750F.

I could get that type of milage if I had my bike on a trailer! :D Track days take off about 1,000 miles for a grand total of 2,000 miles. Without a track day, I get about 3,000 miles. Lee and John have tought me to spend money on tires.  :D

I love the Dunlop D208s. Roasting a rear about every 2000 miles and a front every 3000 or so. But they stick and handle great.  :wheel:

Just bought a set of 2 rears and 1 front. Cuz they were on sale at Cycle Gear for $70 front and $90 rear plus tax. What a deal.  :beer:  

I think any of the major brands are good tires. Pick the one that suits your riding style and go. The D208 is called the "SportMax" for a reason. There's always the tradeoff of traction versus mileage. Oh, and cost. Pay to play.  :laugh:

Man, I don't know how some of you get the kind of mileage you get. On my  previous VFR, I had been running the 020/010 combo and was getting about 3K out of the front and 4K out of the rear. That's almost all twisty miles though, the only "commute" miles used to get to the twisties.
Obviously the type of riding makes a huge difference on mileage, but I'm still amazed at what some of you are getting with these tires. What the hell :goof:

Anyway, the new VFR came with 020's front and back which I'm glad as the last bike came with 204's.

Still, thinking of trying the Pilot Roads like Miguel has. How do they feel in comparo to the 020/010 combo handling wise. The VTECS are very neutral handling wise and would hope that the Pilot Roads are as well.
I've was pretty happy with the 020/010 combo on my last bike, but if I could get the same handling(or better) and some more miles..........what more could one ask for????

Slammer, nice tire review. Read lots of good things about the Pilot Roads. A riding buddy of mine uses them on his ST2 and loves em'. For me I guess it will be a spur of the moment decision between the 220's and Road's.

Greg