Tires for 1150RT

["Tom Brown" <tbrown@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bob:

I also have had good luck with Bridgestone BT 020.   My new favorite is 
Metzler's new Z6.   But unlike you, I ride every tight twisty out of the way 
road I can find at a sporting pace when practical.    The Z6 has phenomenal 
stick and will give about 8K miles on an RT.   I once got 10K on a set of 
020s and they could have gone longer....still nice to ride on with good 
turn-in etc.  They did look a litte shagged, but were working fine.  They 
don't seem to react as strongly to being squared off from straight line 
riding as other tires I've used.   Metzler Z4's in particular are really 
nasty when the rear tire starts to develop corners on it.

If you're an interstate type of rider, the 020 is probably your best bet. 
They're a bit lower priced than some of the other tires available as well. 
They're very good in wet weather (as is the Z6).  Tread on the front 020 is 
a little goofy and is prone to some noisy but non-harmful cupping on a small 
corner of the tread pattern.   Just ride through it and you're fine. 
They're great tires.   Rear 020 is probably the best tire around.   Wish 
they'd fix this front tread pattern, but it's a small annoyance rather than 
a big problem.

I wouldn't recommend using different brand / model tires on front and rear. 
They're made to work together and there's not much of an advantage to mixing 
and matching.   I've seen some real disasterous handling caused by 
combinations recommended on the net.   010 on front and 020 on rear is one 
combo...I don't like it...010 takes a long time to warm up and is a little 
dicey in cold weather and before tread warms in normal conditions.

I've never tried the Michelins.  Some of the iron butt guys used to like 
them, but I don't know if it was because of high mileage, belief in the 
company brand or just that they were new.

I did try a set of Dunlop D220 and corded the rear tire in 5K miles...in 
winter/early spring...almost no riding at temps above 75 degrees and a lot 
of riding below 50.  This type of riding usually makes for very high 
mileages.  I don't recommend the Dunlops at all.   I'm told that the first 
D220s had problems...and that they improved them shortly afterward.   I'm 
not trying them again to find out.  Heavy, expensive, didn't stick as well 
as 020 or Z6 and tread wear was a joke.

- -TB

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End of oilheads-digest V1 #330
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