Quote:
Originally Posted by csmith12
Trust me, you're not alone. Seasoned track riders still ask about tires, the differences and such. There are pro's and cons to bias-ply vs radial. As of right now though, it's mostly all about tread rubber compounds for these little bikes. Some of the longer lasting tire tread compounds are found on bias-ply tires. The hardness is what ensures the longer milage life but at the expense of higher traction levels. At the same time, much of the radial tire market for sport bikes is geared toward "cornering performance" riding habits. Which in turn has the manufacturers putting softer tread compounds on the tire surface. That is why you get less miles out of them.
That is why you had Alex recommend the Michelin Pilot Street. It's a radial tire with a "street rider" oriented tread rubber compound. ie... it's built for pounding pavement vs carving track corners.
To keep thing simple to understand, you have;
DOT (Department of Transporation) : Street tires (pretty good mileage out of these tires)
DOT/RACE : Tires that are street legal, sticky and suitable for track usage (mileage varies)
RACE : Slicks and some NST (Near slick technology) tires, some are street legal, most are not but these are really made for maximum side contact patch traction (mileage normally sucks)
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I cant remember exactly why I didnt go with the Michelin, but it had a majority to do with there was very little reviews on it, so I couldnt see how it actually preformed rather than how they SAID it preformed. The battlax had many reviews on motorcycle superstore including some Ninja 250 riders.