So, it's finally started to rain here in Perth, been pretty wet over the last week. Dunno if the roads are extra greasy coz of the long dry spell, but I'm getting wheelspin all over the place. Take off from the lights, spin, change to 2nd, spin again, up to 3rd, spin some more.... It'll bloody spin just by opening the throttle, even after taking off gently. Maybe I need a new tyre? The tyres were on the bike when I bought it, tread looks OK but I guess they could be old and hard.
No maybe about it - you need new tires. Tread is the least of your concerns. If the tire is so hard it can't grip the road, all the tread in the world won't help - these aren't off-road tires in dirt, physically digging in! <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s -->
Hey, thanks for the reply. The wheelspin is actually kind of fun - when you know it's going to happen. Cornering, on the other hand, is a little sketchy, high speed sliding is somewhat disconcerting... Just don't know how far I can push it! Anyone got any (current) tyre recommendations - the threads on here are pretty old. Tyres that are good for wet or dry!
If the tyres have no grip then get rid of them. If the are old and hard then it is your life at risk. Have a search of the old posts and see if there is anything that looks good.
I wasn't having any problems before the rain. And it has been a loooong time since it rained here in Perth, like just a couple of light showers in the last few months. The roads became slick after a couple of days of downpour!
Haha wheelspin happened to me the other day around midnight lol took a right hand turn flicked to second with a bit of throttle and starting sliding haha good fun. In your case not so much very dangerous. I have battleaxe bt92's front and rear and I love them great tires with plenty of grip. People usually suggest bt45's cos they are harder compound and last longer but bt92's are not that bad even for commuting highly recommend.
Cool, these BT92's seem to be pretty popular. Put a new one on the front today - the front tyre was noticeably hard and was really due for replacing. I think there's a little life left in the rear yet. Man, a brand new tyre on wet roads - really sketchy. Hopefully it'll be dry tomorrow and I can bed it in by the time I get to work.
Woohoo, the roads finally dried up! How awesome is new rubber - first time for new rubber for me, and in hindsight well bloody overdue. Will doing the same on the back give me a similar boost in stickiness? Or is the back less important for traction? Seems silly to change the tyre before it's due, but man I sure like the way the front feels.
Interesting you say that. When I came off my FZR (over 3 years ago now) it was due to loss of grip on the front tyre on a barely damp road under brakes. The tyre was on the bike when I bought it. In retrospect, and comparing to the grip I have on my current bike, I would have to say it was hard as rock. It could have been 10 years old. I admit I have had the front on the new bike slide a few times on greasy roads (never a nice feeling <!-- s:-? --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_Eyecrazy.gif" alt=":-?" title="Eye Crazy" /><!-- s:-? --> ) but it has always regained the grip quickly.
Mate if you change the back to bt92's as well there will a massive difference in the amount of grip when cornering and so forth. Same stickiness, tread pattern etc You would have a lot more confidence and fun wet or dry. Be careful with the new tires, let them remove the silicon crap before fanging it around. Changing the rear tire? Really depends got the spare cash why not. If you think you can manage with the tire that's on now go for it. When time comes to change the front, tread will be lower than rear. You could always keep the current tire as spare or burnout tire to impress the ladies <!-- s:Biker1: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/th_Biker_1.gif" alt=":Biker1:" title="biker_1" /><!-- s:Biker1: -->
Nice idea! What tools will I need to carry with me for swapping the tyre over when I see some ladies?? <!-- s:mrgreen: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_mrgreen.gif" alt=":mrgreen:" title="Mr. Green" /><!-- s:mrgreen: --> I think I'll go for a new tyre on the rear, I can totally feel the difference between front and rear and it would be nice to have that same feeling at the back.
