Disclaimer: My tire testing process is flawed now that I have raised the rear of my 6th gen so my initial thoughts of the Bridgestone S20s may be influenced by the revised chassis geometry and improved ground clearance.
The new S20s are the best pure sport tire I have used on my 07 VFR. Better turn in and slightly better grip than my previous favorite the Dunlop Q2. As close to perfect a street sport tire that I can imagine. My only complaint is low speed steering out of a turn is wonky, almost as if the tire is stuck to the ground (think velcro). Minor quibble that is barely worth mentioning.
There is a set of sweepers I use to gauge tire grip on my usual route to the Gap for Saturday breakfast. I peak at the speed mid-corner and with a fresh set of decent tires I see between 68 (Michelin PP) to 70 (Q2) as the tires begin to squirm (20 MPH corner). The Stones took me through at 77 MPH with no squirm, just a little less peg feeler at the end.
Fabulous tires. Grippy, stable, very smooth riding and I really can't say how they are under heavy braking because I just don't have to slow down anymore. Bridgestone says they are superior rain tires as well and their performance does not degrade as they wear. The sustained performance will be the key factor because if I can get 1,600 miles or so of this quality of grip then I will buy lots of S20s.
I change tires every 5 to 6 weeks on the VFR (I ride two bikes or it would be 3 to 4 weeks otherwise) so I don't forget what new tires feel like. Even The Girl remarked how easy the VFR turned when we swapped rides Sunday and she usually hates the VFR. I jumped on the Tiger and the steering effort felt identical to the VFR. It really is too bad sport tires have to wear so quickly and cost so much because they can enhance the riding experience so dramatically.
Here is a pic of the rear after a casual Skyway run:
Dang Kimball, 77 is 10% faster than your usual speed through the same turn....
How long before you push these enough to make 'em squirm?
I hope they last you two months, I will look at a set if they do.
Keith
Yeah, 10% is ridiculous for someone like me who maintains a consistent speed all of the time. Even my gas mileage went up so I am starting to wonder if the rear tire is smaller diameter. I rode with Yellow Wolf's red twin this past weekend and he could not keep his hot rod Goldwing in sight of the mighty VFR on 28 but I followed him around Waya and Joyce Kilmer so that explains the improved gas mileage. The owner has more money in the suspension then I have in my bike and I loved following him in the technical stuff. Freaking amazing what a hot rod Goldwing can do.
Squirm testing to resume today in the NC mountain?. Could it be the altered geometry and ultra warm temps have upset my testing methodology? Dammit man, now I have to ride more to seek the truth. :tour:
If nothing else, you inspired me to get off my lazy butt and go for a ride today! C'hala then the The Crossroads for lunch, then back through 28 and 143, back over the Skyway, and 39-315-30.
Awesome loop! I know I don't ride anywhere near your pace, since I can probably squeeze 3K from a rear Power... Switching to a PR3 rear did nothing to slow me down, so probably no reason to try the S20 at this point. Maybe for a track day on the RC?
1,100 miles and still have tread and they still steer and grip better than any tire I have had on this bike. The front looks great while the rear is starting to look worn but they both have perfect shape.
If they go 1,500 miles with the kind of riding I have put them through then I will buy only these from now on though I should try the Q2s again with the bike's revised geometry. The S20s transform the bike.
Thanks for the impressions. When these came out to good early press reviews and essentially as an update of the BT 016 Pro, I thought they ought be pretty good, pending real world durability.
I had front a BT 015 on a Street Triple about three years ago and in the short time before I sold the bike I found it to be pretty darn good. It felt kind of somewhere between a PR2 and Dunlop Qualifier (OEM), probably with better grip than the Mich, but not quite the feel of the Dunlop. Given my familiarity with various Dunlops vs limited time with the Bridgestone, it might well have been a case of just needing some time to get to know the 015. That said, straight after having it fitted I went on an often "spirited" three day ride, including forest twisties in the rain (with an unpaved section) and it never gave a single slip.
I ordered another set because I don't care how long they last. At $218 a set (Chaparral so free shipping) they are just too good to pass up. I will probably order another set next week when I get some stuff for the Versys to save on the shipping costs. I actually ordered some maintenance items and when I saw the shipping costs I figured I would order the tires so the actual price could be considered lower (using a somewhat perverse logic).
I will pay more for these tires when they go up in price like the Q2s ultimately did. I should know the miles expectancy by the end of the month if the weather cooperates but if I had to guess they will slot in behind the Q2s by a 100 miles or so as they are getting close to the side wear bars at 1100 miles. We will see as I have brutalized this set with lots of higher speed sweepers and the upcoming rides may be more technical, slower stuff so the wear rate may drop slightly.
One item of note is the rear tread is not nearly as cupped as a Road 2 or Q2 even though they turn the same shade of blue afterwards. The front has almost no detectable deformation at all in 1,100 miles which is an all time record for any VFR I have ever owned. I really need to cycle through another set of Dunlops and Michelins to see if raising the rear is the reason the bike steers so effortlessly now but I'm hooked on that S20 black tar.
On the heavier VFR you should run 36/Front 42/Rear as a minimum. I am writing my 2135 mile update just now as I put on new S20s last night. My inspection tells me the highest pressure recommended for the bike will give you the best, safest tire experience.
The idea that running low pressures improves tire contact patch, and therefore grip, on the street is dangerous logic sometimes as the street and track are such different environments. It is always a good idea to look at the manufacturer's instructions in the owner's manual, or on the bike, and see what tire and what pressure is recommended then apply some simple logic. The S20's are quite a bit lighter and softer than the recommended VFR tire (BT-020) so the pressures should be raised when used on the VFR. I would be willing to bet a tire engineer from Bridgestone would tell you to run 36/42 street and track pressures on a VFR. That is what they told me when I talked with them in Daytona when i running the 016s.
Run 36F/42R if you are using S20s on a VFR would be my best recommendation. But I'm no tire engineer, just a tire serial killer.
KEB
End of thread · 15 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 19 Apr 2016
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