Triumphrat

Doc_Hollywood · 08-22-2005

You would know it. the day I get the Bonnie registered and ride it to work it starts raining!

How well do the stock tires bite in the rain? I don't much feel like skidding down the road in the rain on my first day out on the machine....

Anybody got any insight?

Doc

asphyx9 · 08-22-2005

Although I did not negotiate tight corners at high speed in the rain, I did ride 200 miles in heavy rain from Idaho to Central Washington on my Thruxton at cruising speeds of about 80 to 90 mph indicated.

Not once did I ever feel I lost traction up front or in the rear during that ride. The only times I have lost traction on the streets was due to sand, oil, and painted lines on the roads.

Doc_Hollywood · 08-22-2005

The rain seems to have let up now, but I am still a bit wary of the trip home. These little downbursts are just enough to flush the oil and garbage out of the asphalt, and make things slick.

Will let you know how it turns out.....

Doc

JPS66 · 08-22-2005

If you just got it registered, is it safe to assume it's brand new?
If it is, then a couple of hundred miles will see the tires scrubbed in properly. I wouldn't push them too hard until then.
If you got it used then, as long as they are in decent condition, you can probably scrape the pegs.
I've pushed the Bonnie quite hard in wet conditions when in a big hurry but usually tone down my riding when it's raining.
But in terms of general usage, the stock tires are just fine and do a good job in all conditions.
It rains consistently about 8 or 9 months of the year here in Seattle and for 18,000 miles or so I used Bridgestones and never had any scares in wet conditions, the usual caveats of road markings, tar snakes and oil spills excepted.
And of course the "rain after a long dry spell" which creates a whole new world in terms of tire grip.

I swapped to Dunlop GT501's two sets ago and have found them a big improvement in terms of stability and the wet weather performance is confidence inspiring. When it comes time to get replacements, I'd recommend the Dunlops.

Ride safe
- J

Diego · 08-22-2005

> The rain seems to have let up now, but I am still a bit wary of the trip home. These little downbursts are just enough to flush the oil and garbage out of the asphalt, and make things slick.

Quite right. Take it easy going home.

As JPS66 says, with a bit of wear the tires will be pretty decent in the rain, but take it cautiously, especially right now.

On the day I bought my 2002 Bonnie, I had made preparations to not have to take it on the Interstate the first day, nor out in the rain for quite some time. Circumstances ended up forcing me to do both that very first day--though not simultaneously, thank goodness! (I was lucky that my dealer had been planning to keep that bike for himself, so the engine was already run in a bit and the tires were already scuffed.)

Even so, remembering how my old Bonnies and my old Suzuki had been in the rain, I was pleasantly surprised by the Bridgestones. The rain handling secret of modern tires is the "magic" engineered tread patterns, but be sure to keep the inflation right on the nose, or the magic goes away pretty quickly.

[ This message was edited by: Diego on 2005-08-22 15:37 ]

Doc_Hollywood · 08-22-2005

I got the bike used with 2300 miles on the clock. The tires don't look like they have been much more than rolled around the garage, but I am sure they have at least the clock mileage on them.

I am partial to Avons, but the Bridgestones are what came on it and I am not chaging without reason to do so for now. I wan't to get some money out of the machine for a bit before I invest in tires.

I am thinking the tach is off on this thing though as it seems to rev waaaaaayyyyyyyy to high for the mph indicated. Oh well, different subject and one I have a cure for.

Doc

markbvt · 08-22-2005

Don't worry about the stock Bridgestones. I've pushed mine pretty hard and have never had cause to mistrust them. I've ridden in heavy rain, fresh sprinkles after being dry for some time, even snow that turned to slush when it hit the road. Never had any traction problems at all (not counting a slight wobble when I hit an oil splatter, and a few rear-wheel lockups during emergency braking).

I've also eliminated my chicken strips riding some serious twisties at ever-increasing speeds. Even leaned way over to the edge of the tread pattern, these tires remain planted. (Granted, that was on a dry road -- I wouldn't try that in the wet.)

I actually ordered a replacement rear tire today, since the tread on the original's almost gone, and I decided just to go with another BT45, albeit a 140 instead of a 130. No point spending the money to replace both front and rear tires when the rear is the only one getting bald, and I have no reason to complain about performance...

--mark

Copper · 08-22-2005

As my a resident of Washington state, I can add a bit about rain.....

The Bridgestones were great tires, I rode a lot in the rain with them. I never noticed any loss of grippiness on wet roads, although I didn't push them quite as hard in the rain. Dry, they scraped the pegs and still felt like they were glued to the road..

I replaced the rear at 6,800 miles though...It was worn down past the indicators in the middle. I wanted a longer lasting tire, I can't buy tires every 7,000 miles, so I went with the Avon AM52......Good tire, but not quite as solid as the Bridgestones. Next time I might try Venoms.

bmwhd · 08-22-2005

The OEM tires on the BA are terrible in the rain. I've almost gone down twice due to the horrible front tire and its lack of traction. Avon or Metz when you replace them.

AllanCook · 08-22-2005

Maybe it's coming off a 120 front/170 rear Metzeler radial setup, maybe it's the rubber compound in the Bridgestones, but I have found the narrow, more rounded, less radial Bonneville tires pretty skittish in the rain. Enough so that I will take the bus if there's more than an even chance of rain, and I have ridden a lot in the rain.

Allan