Let's say I get a substantial discount on Conti tires.... Which ones should I get for my NT?
Don
Don
which Conti tires should I buy?
- Thread starter BessonGuy
- Start date
My personal favorite source of "objective" comparison data is the British motorcycle magazine "Bike." They rate tires and say that the Bridgestone BT-023 is their "favorite all-around sports tourer. Good handling, ride quality, and grip levels." 4 stars.
Dunlop Roadsmart is also a four star tire that has been replaced (although it's still available) by the Dunlop Roadsmart II. Both are 4 star tires.
The Michelin Pilot Road 3 ("sensational (kneedown) in the wet, very good in the dry with easy handling character. 4 stars.
Colntinental Road Attack 2: "a softer, sportier, replacement for the Road attack. Good griplevels, but the softer carcass means faster wear than the original." 3 stars.
There may be tires that they aren't rating. I have no experience with Continental except on my wife's Nissan Altima where they have impressed me with their grip and their longevity, and on bicycles, where they were my favorite road bike tire.
Dunlop Roadsmart is also a four star tire that has been replaced (although it's still available) by the Dunlop Roadsmart II. Both are 4 star tires.
The Michelin Pilot Road 3 ("sensational (kneedown) in the wet, very good in the dry with easy handling character. 4 stars.
Colntinental Road Attack 2: "a softer, sportier, replacement for the Road attack. Good griplevels, but the softer carcass means faster wear than the original." 3 stars.
There may be tires that they aren't rating. I have no experience with Continental except on my wife's Nissan Altima where they have impressed me with their grip and their longevity, and on bicycles, where they were my favorite road bike tire.
+1 on checking the age...A lot of mail order deals are on older warehoused tires...
Mellow
Admin
... get the round ones... sorry, that's all I got...
Bear
2
I'll go with the Bridgestone 023--seem most popular with NT. I do wish that MAXXIS still made MC Tyres. They still make bicycle tyres which I use exclusively.
Tire age lifetime is accepted to be 7 years. I wear out a set in a couple of years. So if the discounted tires are 4yrs old I'd buy them. If they are 6yrs old I'd pass. But, that is me.
If a set lasts you longer, then look for newer tires.
If a set lasts you longer, then look for newer tires.
So far my tire life seems to be six months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. Replacements are BT023s which seem to holding and performing well.
I'm not too worried about the age of the tires. They come directly from the distributor and the Road Attack 2s have only been out for about a year in the USA. This is an employee discount, not some shady back-door deal.
RoadAttack2 is probably what I'll get, but I thought perhaps others might have experience with the Force or Motion.
Don
RoadAttack2 is probably what I'll get, but I thought perhaps others might have experience with the Force or Motion.
Don
Warren
2
The Road Attack 2's are a premium tire that I am sure you would be satisfied with. The Motion is a budget tire with many positive reports at a significantly lower price than about any other tire you can get for the NT, even lower than the BT023's
Chuck, are you actually getting 12,000 miles out of BT-023s? I haven't done that well so far. I'm on my 5th set of tires in 33,000 miles. The BT-020s were replaced at 6,000; the first set of BT-023s only lasted a bit over 6,000 (but I had a bad puncture in the rear that led to that replacement. Then I got about 12,000 from ME-880s, but the rear was a bias-ply tire. I've got BT-023s back on now and have about 5,000 on the front and 3,000 on the rear.
Actually, I got 12,500 miles from the OEM BT-020s. The rear had wear bars just rising to the surface on the rear. The front had plenty of tread but was pretty well cupped. I replaced both to keep a matched set. I now have 18,500 miles on the bike so about 6,000 on the BT-023s. Tires seem to be wearing well so far.
All that said, I'm fairly "annal" in keeping up tire pressures and VERY gentle in my riding habits. It doesn't hurt that I don't weigh much and never ride two up.
Keep the shiny side up,
Chuck
All that said, I'm fairly "annal" in keeping up tire pressures and VERY gentle in my riding habits. It doesn't hurt that I don't weigh much and never ride two up.
Keep the shiny side up,
Chuck
I'm only semi-anal about tire pressures, fairly gentle with acceleration/decelleration, not quite so gentle in turns, and ride lots of straight-line miles at higher-than-average speeds. Plus, I'm not skinny. That probably doesn't help my tire longevity.
The worst thing is that I ride lots and lots of miles in very straight lines.
The worst thing is that I ride lots and lots of miles in very straight lines.
I hear that regarding the straight line miles. My commute is 52 miles per day (round trip). 40 of that is freeway and almost all is straight lines. Figure 200 miles per week of straight up. No wonder my tire have a flat strip in the middle.
LOL, Chuck. There ought to be a way to move unused rubber from the sides to the middle.
Amen, brother.
JQL
Growing old disgracefully
When I had my CBR600 I used to use both Metzler and Continental.
In the winter, for the wet weather, I always used Metzler and in the Summer, for the drier weather, I used Continental. This combination was really excellent and the bike held the road like the proverbial on a blanket. I'm sorry but I can't remember the actual "model" of the tyres, basically they were the sizes that fit the bike.
Tyre choice, IMHO, comes down to want you want. High grip levels v longevity. As a basic rule of thumb, the higher the grip level the lower the longevity. You pays your money and takes your choice!
Erm... I used to get about 4,000 miles out of a rear tyre and 6,000 out of a front tyre but, then, I wanted high levels of grip. I still do now but I also want a longer lasting tyre.
Someone mentioned about the UK "Bike" magazine tests. Although these may be useful, please remember that the construction of the road surface, in different parts of the world, is not the same. They have to take into account temperatures maxima and minima, rainfall, temperature variation etc. For example the road surfaces in France and brilliant in the dry but much worse than the UK in the wet. So what may suit the UK may not suit the US or the rest of the world.
I was told at one point, but this may be an urban legend, that the tyre compound in the US is different to the UK. The theory was, in the UK, the road played a larger part in gripping the tyre and in the US, this in not the case.
In the winter, for the wet weather, I always used Metzler and in the Summer, for the drier weather, I used Continental. This combination was really excellent and the bike held the road like the proverbial on a blanket. I'm sorry but I can't remember the actual "model" of the tyres, basically they were the sizes that fit the bike.
Tyre choice, IMHO, comes down to want you want. High grip levels v longevity. As a basic rule of thumb, the higher the grip level the lower the longevity. You pays your money and takes your choice!
Erm... I used to get about 4,000 miles out of a rear tyre and 6,000 out of a front tyre but, then, I wanted high levels of grip. I still do now but I also want a longer lasting tyre.
Someone mentioned about the UK "Bike" magazine tests. Although these may be useful, please remember that the construction of the road surface, in different parts of the world, is not the same. They have to take into account temperatures maxima and minima, rainfall, temperature variation etc. For example the road surfaces in France and brilliant in the dry but much worse than the UK in the wet. So what may suit the UK may not suit the US or the rest of the world.
I was told at one point, but this may be an urban legend, that the tyre compound in the US is different to the UK. The theory was, in the UK, the road played a larger part in gripping the tyre and in the US, this in not the case.
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Xwinger
Guest
Just put a Conti Motion rear tire on the NT. Here are some details:
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/28/396/24836/ITEM/Continental-Conti-Motion-Sport-Touring-Radial-Rear-Tire.aspx
1. The Conti replaced a Pirelli Angel. http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/28/396/23655/ITEM/Pirelli-Angel-Sport-Touring-Rear-Tire.aspx
2. 11,835 mi on the odometer. The Conti is the third tire on the rear. I'm averaging just under 6000mi
per tire. Hoping to do better with the Conti.
3. Paid $90 at the local Honda dealer. With the sales tax tire came in just under $100.
$27 to mount / balance / new valve stem. $10 for Honda molly grease
for the splines.
4. Took the wheel off / on the bike myself. (Thank for all the advise here in the forum and
Soundtechguy on youtube.)
I have 120 highway and back road twisty miles on the Conti. So far the bike feels just as stable as the original Bridgestone and the Pirelli when they where new. All miles are in dry weather. I guess the true test will be when the tire has a few more miles on it and I have to ride in wet weather. I'll keep you posted.
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/28/396/24836/ITEM/Continental-Conti-Motion-Sport-Touring-Radial-Rear-Tire.aspx
1. The Conti replaced a Pirelli Angel. http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/28/396/23655/ITEM/Pirelli-Angel-Sport-Touring-Rear-Tire.aspx
2. 11,835 mi on the odometer. The Conti is the third tire on the rear. I'm averaging just under 6000mi
per tire. Hoping to do better with the Conti.
3. Paid $90 at the local Honda dealer. With the sales tax tire came in just under $100.
$27 to mount / balance / new valve stem. $10 for Honda molly grease
for the splines.4. Took the wheel off / on the bike myself. (Thank for all the advise here in the forum and
Soundtechguy on youtube.)
I have 120 highway and back road twisty miles on the Conti. So far the bike feels just as stable as the original Bridgestone and the Pirelli when they where new. All miles are in dry weather. I guess the true test will be when the tire has a few more miles on it and I have to ride in wet weather. I'll keep you posted.