Triumphrat

FifeTiger

Well, they're only just on the bike but first impressions are

1 - they look small, possibly just the profile they're a lot rounder than the Avons that came off and a lot rounder than BT020's I've had on other bikes.

2 - possibly a consequence of the above, the bikes a lot more nimble and willing to turn without losing any stability.

3 - new tyre syndrome undoubtedly but they're ever so soft and bouncy, all that new rubber soaks up the bumps beautifully

Still in the scrubbing in period but the sun shines on Edinburgh today and it might just be a longer, twistier ride home today than normal, was having kittens in the rain this morning but they didn't show any signs of new tyre slidiness.

Will report on handling and wet weather behaviour once I've got over the worrying in period. :-D

FifeTiger

Day 2....

Getting use to this concept of the Tiger being a bike that just takes a nudge on the footpegs to change direction rather than a hefty shove on the bars.

Still seems odd having a fully tanked up Tiger skipping about in traffic like a KLR but very handy. Have tested speed stability up to 90 so far and not a problem.

Scrubbing in going well, my favourite slip road/roundabout tonight will get a couple of circuits for fun.

What I have noticed is how quickly they warm up, and how warm they do get. Even today which was pretty nippy first thing tyres were warmed nicely when I got to work, despite most of it being stop/start.

Something BT020's never did October to April.

FifeTiger

Day...errr 4 ?

Seems I'm posting these just for myself but they say writing about one's own experiences is very cathartic so......

Wet weather performance.....certainly had a chance to test that last night on the way home, hit a puddle that had water coming over my knees. Torrential.


So, handling and braking in a downpour ?

First rate, the roads were running with water last night and never had one fresh underpants moment, even on my least favourite greasy roundabout.

Overall, I'm very impressed with them. They've lived up to the feedback given by the sports touring fraternity. Just need one dry day now to give them a little more of the 'sports' in sports touring.

jaak

No Fife, you're not just writing to yourself, we do read and are thankful!
Taken them to gravel yet? How's the tread pattern, 100% road or 90/10 like the Scorps and similars?

cheers!

FifeTiger

Very much road, big chunks of rubber with a deep slash every 6 inches or so, nothing like the close cut pattern of the on/off roads I had before.

Never really tried the bike off road but don't think I'd want to take these on anything worse than farm track type hardcore or forest tracks, certainly not loose gravel or mud, reckon it would spin badly.

But I bought them specifically to see if road tyres made much of a difference. I was already impressed with the Avons as far as grip and feedback went.

BoneyMalloney

That'll be next May then... in Scotland.

Yeah we're listening, carry on...
We all need tyres at some point.

Chris.

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Chris.

Pansmiker

I have just done 2000 miles in France on Michelin Pilot Roads fully loaded.

heavy rain - no problem
Dry - excellent
Squaring off - very little.

keep posting interesting to know your experience.

Paul

GasCitySmitty

[quote]
On 2006-10-09 08:17, FifeTiger wrote:
Well, they're only just on the bike but first impressions are

1 - they look small, possibly just the profile they're a lot rounder than the Avons that came off and a lot rounder than BT020's I've had on other bikes.

Thanks for the report. For me it's very helpful since I'm thinking about putting the Conti's on my '05.

It's not the rain where I'm at but the cooler fall temps that need to be addressed with the tires, and it sounds like these heat up and get soft fairly quickly.

Again, thanks. :chug:

FifeTiger

Possibly time I let this one die but, as it was dry last night albeit a little cool, gave me the chance to try my favourite roundabout for the first time

Two observations :-

1 - no strain from these tyres at all, front felt planted. The old on/off road tread used to grip but tended to wander I thought. The Conti's removed the vagueness so much I thought any second now they're just going to go.

OK, never quite got up to my practiced lean and speed from the VFR but that leads me on to the next point...

2 - you've gotta have huge balls to lean a Tiger over any distance !!! Needed quite a strong push on the bars to keep it balanced in the corner, felt a looong way over but there was still miles to go before grounding a peg. If you've ever done this...I'm not worthy....

My passing summary of the tyres then

Agile
Quick to warm up
Great wet weather grip
No tramlining
Superb dry weather grip

all I need is some decent mileage and that'll be the set. But put these on to see if there's a measurable difference between the semi off road tyres and road tyres and the answer has to be...

YES.

Bushwhacker

Nope. All you need is to have the suspension set at its softest setting and then run thru about 4 or 5 25-30 mph tight corners back to back.

Seems that without a chance to rebound, every corner compresses the suspension just a little more and before you know it, you are way the heck over there.

-

[ This message was edited by: Bushwhacker on 2006-10-17 08:19 ]

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