The shop section of this site will feature series of build articles, how to's, and just various other bits that we have going around that we think will help you out in your own projects. Coming up will be an on going build of a 250 Ducati that will be used for track days and the occasional vintage run. If you have any questions or things that you'd like to see please feel free to get in touch with me at mds@megalink.net


The Big Tire Question

We've all heard the question before; "what's the best tire for my bike"? Like most folks, you probably have a preference for a particular brand/ model of tire. And like most, you probably defend that choice like it's the last bastion. So what makes a tire "the best"? Is it wear? Traction? The way it makes your bike handle? Or is it a combination of all the above with a little personal bias thrown in for good measure?

I'm not going to tell you what I think the "best tire" is. I'm going to try and tell you how I feel about some of the tires I have run on my bike and the reasons I run what I do. What you run is your own choice. What I think everyone should do is to try different tires. Today's tires are so varied in construction that going from one brand to another can make a huge difference in the handling of your bike. If you think your bike is a little slow steering a change to a different tire can quicken that up. The same goes the other way. If you don't try something other than the norm the reason you may dislike the handling of your bike may be cured by something as simple as a tire change.

First things first though. A little background on tires. The tires that I tested on my 98 Triumph Sprint Executive were some of the more common sizes out there. 120/70-17 (front) and 170/60-17 (rear). The Triumph is a fairly heavy bike so the mileage figures for the tires would be higher on something like a Ducati 900. One thing that a lot of people don't realize is that tires, although the same "size", differ a lot in height and width. Although I knew this, I didn't measure inflated size when I was checking out a tire until the end of last year and then I didn't record measurements. (To give you an idea though, Avon Azaro IIs were as much as an inch taller than the front Dunlop 220s). This difference in height (and width) from brand to brand is one of the reasons you'll get a better ride or better handling from one tire to the other. I won't get into construction of the tires as everyone has their special way of building one and, to be honest, I don't care how they build them as long as they work! All tires were tested at factory specs for air pressure with the exception of the front Azaros and Azaro IIs with were run at 38 psi instead of the factory recommended 36 psi. (trust me it made a difference)

My riding style is sort of old school in that I don't charge into a corner, brake hard, and throw the bike into the corner. I make a nice arc through the corner with no big drama. Because of this I've found tires that just don't feel good in that transition between upright and over on the sidewalls. As you can see in any magazine on your local newsstand, the motorcycle press is always looking for that tire that turns in fast and works good at speeds that I'd get hauled to jail for. That may be good for them and the folks that ride on the track (or ride like they should be on the track!) but, 400 miles into a 10 hour day, the last thing I want is a tire that goes where it wants in a corner and not where I want it to go. Some of the tires tested would drop into a corner faster than I wanted them to. This meant I was always correcting my line just a bit. You'd go to turn in and the bike would fall in a little more than needed for the turn so you'd correct mid corner. Not by much, but enough that with some of the tires I was wondering if I'd lost my touch. And, after a long day it would start to tire you out a bit.

In the following months I'll go into detail with the tires and handling. For now here's the tires tested and the mileage.

Metzler MEZ2 – 6407 miles
Avon Azaros – 5205 miles
Pirelli Dragon GTSs – 5452 miles
Bridgestone BT54s – 5600 miles (rear only, front was toast long before the rear)
Avon Azaro IIs – 5700 miles
Continental Conti Force – 4800 miles
Michelin Macadams – 7500 miles
Metzler MEZ4s – incomplete for mileage