motorbike tyre help please

[Richard Harvey]

My son has got his 1st motorbike , honda NSR125r.

In his first 2000 miles he has come off the bike twice , both on roundabouts,once in the dry and once in the wet, he says he was going slow and easy but the bike just slipped away.

Ok, his a learner but i have seen him out on his bike when i was driving my car and he was going steady.

After the first spill i had a friend ride the bike to check it out and he said the tyres felt slipy on the corners , and he rides a 900cc race type bike, ( i'm not insured to ride motorbikes).When he got the bike it was 1 year old and had only done 750 miles from new, do you think the tryes could of hardened with low use?The tyres are checked and at handbook pressures.Some people on a bike site my son visits say the make of tyre he has on(fitted from new) is well dodgy, they are a well known make and i have the same make on my car and are thought of as very good car tyres, i won't mention the brand on here.

We know about oil, diesel,rain,grit, painted lines etc on roundabouts etc and we know he's still got to gain experience as a rider.

A number of people have told him to change the tyres for Bridgestone which they say are very good bike tyres. He wants to change them but at probably £100 each he wants to try to get it right.

In my opinion as an old biker( from the passed)the tyres on these stye of bike don't seem to have proper tread, they are like slick race tyres with a few groves to make them road legal, probably great grip on a dry smooth and clean road.

MotorCycle News talked about these style of 'Race' tyres as good when hot after a couple of laps of a race track ( after pre warming with heated covers) but on road use they take alot to warm them up at normal road speeds.

If anyone can comment on the above or give me details of some kind of independant motorbike tyre tests ( all makers say their tyres are the best ) or personel experence i would be grateful as it worrys us each time he goes out on the bike.

E-mail me if you don't want to post on here please at #####

Thanks ,Richard.

Edited December 3, 2007 by Richard Harvey

[Baldrick]

Bridgestones are my personal choice. I've tried a lot of other brands, with Pirelli coming a close second, but I now stick with Bridges (pun intended).

 

Look for "sport" tyres, not "race"...the compounds are totally different.

 

I'm not sure what is available for your sons bike but Bridgestone make excellent "dual compound" tyres for bigger bikes. With these you get a harder compound in the center of the tyre for longer life but a softer, stickier, bit on the sides for good cornering grip. Might be worth checking out

 

Hope this helps

[dave_h]

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your son coming off i hope he is o.k.I have ridden bikes for 30 years so i hope i can be of some use.

Are u sure that he did not leave his front brake on whilst going round the roundabout? i only question this by the way he said it "just slid away" it is a common mistake made by novice riders, please no offence was intented just a thought?

Tyres tend to be a personnel choice and if you rode motorbikes years ago then i can understand you looking at tyres of today and asking the question about tread?

Motorbikes are safer to ride nowadays because the bikes handle much better and that includes the tyres but most of all its the brakes that are vastly improoved.

The problem is that it is alot more dangerous out there for us as there are alot more "idiots" on the road out there than there was.

My advice would be to put some bridgestones or pirelli's on there and make sure he "scrubs" them in (200 miles) and then treat him to a "track day" he will then be able to go round a circuit like Brands hatch or cadwell park at his own pace with no other traffic or obsticles in his way this i promise you will make him a more controlled rider and comfident, just make sure he is in the beginners group, i promise you he will love it!

Safe riding to him and enjoy!!

regards

[Baldrick]

dave_h:

and then treat him to a "track day" he will then be able to go round a circuit like Brands hatch or cadwell park at his own pace with no other traffic or obsticles in his way this i promise you will make him a more controlled rider and comfident, just make sure he is in the beginners group, i promise you he will love it!

Safe riding to him and enjoy!!

      regards  

Sorry I don't agree...track days are ok for a bit of fun but teach nothing when it comes to riding on the road!It's ok pushing on a track with 40m of soft grass to crash into should you make a mistake, it don't compare to making a mistake on the road with lamp-posts, fiat punto's or buses comimg the other way!

 

Ok it may teach a little bike control but on the road?? There's no time or space to use it... too many cans not knowing what day it is never mind which lane they should be in!

 

Put your boy through an approved training course....it will teach him 100% more than any track day.

 

Tyres & training, you need both with todays traffic...

[chesters1]

i for 1 hate modern tyres ,they are designed for fair weather riders ,yes they have excellent roadholding providing the roads are like racetracks without real life potholes ,loose gravel and manhole covers ,give me tyres that dont resemble tyres that are worn out (slicks) i have ridden many bikes in my life from 900cc bmws through 500cc motor marini`s down to the honda 90 i ride now ,modern bikes even small ones boast their horse power but give me my put-put any day ,where in the winter are all these 1400cc monsters :confused: i ride mine every day winter or summer it is extremly forgiving and the centre of gravity is very low ,snow just ride round with your feet on the ground ,modern bikes are intended to be looked at by pre menstrual girls but not ridden ,honda 90 is the bike for general riding and commuting ,40 million people cant be wrong

[dave_h]

How strange? i would have thought any kind of experience whether it be track or training course is beneficial :confused: but you dissagree :confused:

[Dan]

I say do both: track day and training course, any motorcycling skills learnt can be put to good use, you never know when your going to have to make a sudden turn or brake hard, getting to know your bike will always help.

As for Chesters, like you Ive ridden alsorts, biggest CB 900 F2 smallest.... yep Honda 90! (still have the piston and it was overhead cam!) the best thing was you never had to put any petrol in it didnt use any! but that crash box big yuk! Better than the raleigh Runabout I had though, that had block front brakes like a pedal bike suicide on wheels!

Now Im thinking about a bike again, yes its prob a mid life crisis but I only gave up the 400/4 cos of the family! my choice.... well being 6'4" I have to find something my legs can tuck into the 600 bandit is looking good at the moment, good alround bike and cheap, new at £3999!

As for tyres bridgestone are the fave.

 

Dan (anyone seen my Norton?)

[chesters1]

i would think an offroad course would be far more benificial ,it would certainly improve your ballance and the greatist help would be looking ahead for hazards ,a race course is deliberatly made safe for the riders so a higher speed can be attained ,apreciating hazards and anticipating what other road users are up to are far better than seeing how fast you can go

had a go on brother inlaws ninja ,frightened the pants of me ,VERY easy to go fast before you could look down it was at 70 in second alright on a nice dual carraigeway but not on surreys minor roads,i stick to my honda because it doesnt go fast and i like going fast and have the court summonses to prove it :cool: so i`l save my money and stick to my put-put

balance also depends on the bike design and the driver sitting position ,i have had the pleasure of owning several lambretta scooters (told you i have ridden lots of machines) these because of the engine layout were a hazard on cornering but a zundapp scooter was a great improvement as the engine was mid mounted .is your son of average build and weight as these effect the cornering ,the rear shocks may be too hard / soft for his build?

 

[ 07. October 2002, 09:03 PM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]

[Smegger]

Sorry to hear about the accident,

I would reccomend Pirelli with Bridgestone coming a close second,

ensure that both the tyres are a reccomened size as too many people now are choosing to fit oversized rear tyres cus it looks good, and they think they can chuck it about, but this isnt the case, the tyres need to be of the same profile, there's no point fitting a " square " profiled tyre to the rear with a round profiled tyre as the front will roll smoothly and the rear will try to stay upright until it gets the to the limit of camber and then want to fall over a.s.a.p.

Pirelli are reckoned and its my opinion as well that they are an excellent all weather tyre both my bikes ( GSX 750 & FZ 600 ) have pirellis fitted and they are good in the dry and the wet, Bridgestones are a close second but you get what you pay for so dont go for the cheapest.

[chesters1]

take a look at parked motorcycles i have seen many with the tyres on the wrong way round ,most have the rotation arrow on but some dont ,anyone replacing a tyre after a puncture (although most are tubeless) can increase the danger of coming of by forcing the water to the centre of the tyre by having it on backwards by mistake