Which road tyres?

[MarkShelley]

Chuck some RT alloys on it and jobs a good un!
It lowers it slightly, turns in quicker and gives you a huge choice of tyres.

 

[ahutcheon]

Tourance exp

Will handle differently on an 1150 than on a toilet, so you're answer is a moot point. Sure they'll be better than they need to be

Tourance EXP feels a bit better on road than the original Tourance, worse on gravel, and looks to be wearing lots quicker (the first two effects are relatively subtle, the last is a pisser because I was forced into a pair of EXPs by non-availability of the originals here in NZ).

But that's not the Tourance Next, which is a new even more road biased version (about which I know nothing else).

 

[tyclyd]

Dunlops

i have a look at this - Dunlops have been superb todate - on my 3rd set now...

 

[oddshapedballs]

Dunlops

Another vote for Dunlop TR91's, brilliant tyres, better than the Anakee 2's they replaced and the Tourance's before them.
Only got a couple of thousand miles on them so far but they've been faultless in all conditions.
Not the cheapest, but as with everything, you get what you pay for.

 

[Martyn H]

As I totally accept my GSA is a road bike - off-road being across the pavement onto my drive - I have Dunlop RoadSmart 2's fitted. Superb, IMHO.

 

[Bucephalus]

New Bike.

If you are happy with the current tyres then try the latest version of it. There are very few bad tyres out there, most of tyre preference is personal and in ya head. I hooned around at 100+ speeds on a gpz900 with me33, me99 and someone managed a 116mph lap of the isle of man on em, that was 20+ years ago.

The only crap tyre I ever had was a deathwing bridgestone, and even that was ok in the dry.

A new tyre is better than a shagged old one, so you're sure to like whatever you get

+1 Back then we always used to say the cheapest way to get a new bike was a tyre change and chain adjustment.

 

[Littledumptruck]

From what ive read on here over the years regarding tyres on GS's, by swapping to road tyres all you really gain is lower mileage, greater cost and maybe a little less noise and vibration. Seems little return for the extra expense.

Personally never had any issues with tourances on any of the three GS's I've had/got. Not so keen on the distanzias I've just removed from my 850, so just fitted trail attacks at about £145 for the pair. Not tried it yet as my mates borrowing it, but I can't see how you can justify the extra cost of PR3's or roadsmarts or similar at £250+ which won't last anywhere near as long, and not provide any more grip.

Swapping to alloys is probably the best mod, if only to make cleaning easier. I've got a set of alloys, not fitted them yet, but was thinking if fitting trail attacks to them anyway, as I believe they come in road bike sizes.

 

[The Grey One]

My new tyres now fitted

My thanks to all of you who made helpful suggestions. I now have a pair of Michelin Road Pilot 3s on the GS. Replacing worn tyres with new is always going to make a difference and I have only managed around 150 miles since they were fitted. (seems I have to run a hotel sometimes)

Initial impressions are of a slightly more compliant ride with small ridges and cracks in the road not being as noticeable. As they are new I have not pushed too hard but they feel very stable so far. I will be able to comment further when I can get out on the Nockalmstrasse next week.

As for paying for road tyres as opposed to semi off road ones. I used various chunky tyres for a few years, never got much more than 6,000 miles out of a rear. I changed to a Bridgestone BT021 and still got 6,000 miles out of them so no disadvantage there for me. The Michelins were 250 euros the pair fitted to loose wheels so around 50 Euros more than I would have to pay here for the semi off road options.

A lot of biking is about confidence, they way you feel about your bike effects how you ride and the pleasure you derive from the ride. Good road tyres give me a bit more confidence (real or imagined the result is the same) and are therefore good value for me.

I once bought a VFR 800 with only 2,000 miles up, the previous owner had only ridden in straight lines by the look of the rear tyre. Despite being square there was plenty of tread left but for me a new tyre vastly improved my experience riding the thing so was good value for money.

Only time will tell how long the Michelin tyres will last and a bit more use will enable me to comment on their grip-or at least my perceptions of their grip. It would take a far more talented rider than me to accurately assess the levels of grip available on any modern tyres. As I said what I look for is tyres that add to the pleasure of riding rather than detract. Having used the Bridgestones for around 5 years I was interested to see what more modern rubber might offer. Technology moves on and reading the reviews tyre technology is no exception to this.

Thanks again for all the comments

John

 

[Chekov69]

+1 for Tourance