Tires: suggestions?

[Larz]

Just about 5K on the clock- had to do a lot of Freeway ( ran down I-15 thru the length of Utah) on the way home from Idaho- rear is about down to the wear bars. Don't like how often these Dunlops kick in the traction control, so going to do both front and rear. 

What do folks out there like for tires on the Tracer?

[chitown]

Michelin Power front + Road 2/3/4 rear is my preference. 

[koth442]

My next set will be Dunlop GPR300's. I has a rear on previously, and stuck great. Tire life could have been better, but for $100 / tire phuck it.

[fjrpittsburgh]

Shinko Ravens.  I have them on all my bikes.  Awesome tire and low price.

[Ddog gt]

This is one of those questions you will get 5 different answers from 5 different people. For me it is Angle GT dry or wet great grip.

[StealthAu]

Pirelli GT Angels are a great tyre. Grip in dry is as good as it gets. In the wet, it is surprising how well it grips. 

On another bike I had a set of Dunlops fitted, in the wet I would step it out sideways for a bit of fun. Changed to the GT's and trying to do the same in the wet, the GT's would just hook up, no loss of traction. 

Mileage on them is great too. 

You'll get a lot of different answers, as these days there are a lot of good options to pick from. 

[kingfisher]

As Ddog and StealthAu said, everyone will have an individual opinion, mine is the Dunlop Roadsmart 3’s. It is my go to street tire on all my bikes. Good mileage and wet/dry traction with good handling even when they get worn. I’ve had them on bikes from an FZ 09 to a Concours 14, and they were great. A lot better than the stock Dunlops on the GT. 

Edited June 21, 2019 by kingfisher

[betoney]

2 hours ago, StealthAu said:

Pirelli GT Angels are a great tyre. Grip in dry is as good as it gets. In the wet, it is surprising how well it grips. 

On another bike I had a set of Dunlops fitted, in the wet I would step it out sideways for a bit of fun. Changed to the GT's and trying to do the same in the wet, the GT's would just hook up, no loss of traction. 

Mileage on them is great too. 

You'll get a lot of different answers, as these days there are a lot of good options to pick from. 

Many different answers for different applications. 

@Larz Are you commuting? touring? sport riding? track days?  A good sport-touring tire cant be beat as an all around tire, wet or dry.  I have been using Bridgestone S21 sport tires lately, aggressive sport riding, long distance touring, wet, dry and cold pavement, even a several mile long road construction zone during a downpour with mud ruts! 

In the last 3 weeks, I have gone almost 4,700 miles during 2 road trips through Northern California.  In the twisties and mountain pass sweepers we were riding very aggressively, absolutely punishing the tires (and suspension) and the tires performed without a fault.  I had the Bridgestone S21's, my brother had Pirelli Angel GT's, a friend had Pirelli Angel ST's and another buddy had Michelin PR4's, I was very impressed with the performance of all of the tires used.

[Larz]

13 minutes ago, betoney said:

Many different answers for different applications. 

@Larz Are you commuting? touring? sport riding? track days? .....

Touring/Sport riding application

[fjrpittsburgh]

@Larz  Try the Shinko Raven front and rear.  I do mostly sport touring, but also rip up the technical twisties at high speeds.  I have never been disappointed.  I buy the rear tire for $91 online, remove the rear wheel, and take it to my local shop to spin on the rubber and balance.  You will not be disappointed,.  Dry or wet conditions, you will love them.  Great tire!  I have over 200,000 miles of experience with these tires.

[runnerhiker]

6 hours ago, kingfisher said:

As Ddog and StealthAu said, everyone will have an individual opinion, mine is the Dunlop Roadsmart 3’s. It is my go to street tire on all my bikes. Good mileage and wet/dry traction with good handling even when they get worn. I’ve had them on bikes from an FZ 09 to a Concours 14, and they were great. A lot better than the stock Dunlops on the GT. 

I also vote for Dunlop Roadsmart 3 with similar experience to Kingfisher.  I've had two sets of Michelin PR's with excellent results but they are more expensive than the Dunlops.

[RandyN]

I also have the Roadsmart 3 Dunlops and can say I like them very much. Big improvement over stock tires. They have been used exclusively in NC/GA/TN mountain roads so far. Handling of bike is very light and neutral. Easy to turn in and stays where I want it. Have put about 1500 miles on so far and no noticeable change in handling with that amount of wear.  No scary moments yet but No rain use yet though. Maybe today.

[Larz]

10 hours ago, fjrpittsburgh said:

@Larz  Try the Shinko Raven front and rear.  I do mostly sport touring, but also rip up the technical twisties at high speeds.  I have never been disappointed.  I buy the rear tire for $91 online, remove the rear wheel, and take it to my local shop to spin on the rubber and balance.  You will not be disappointed,.  Dry or wet conditions, you will love them.  Great tire!  I have over 200,000 miles of experience with these tires.

Shinkos are a bargain, for sure. How's the tread life? It's always subjective, but I think I'm a pretty aggressive rider overall- need something that will go better than 5k.

[fjrpittsburgh]

You'll get much more than 5k out of a rear Shinko Raven.  The front tire seems to last forever.  I keep 42 psi in the front and 40 psi in the rear.  If you buy these tires, you'll buy them over and over again.  I've read some folks posting that Shinko tires are junk.  They have no idea what they're talking about.  Trust me on this one.

[chitown]

Shinko is Korean for "lowside". 

That's a joke  

Will say after helping a friend mount Shinkos they performed well but needed more weight for balancing than any tire I've ever mounted. QC may have improved since as that was a few years back.