O brother, you said open up a HUGE CAN OF WORMS.
My 2¢ for
MY pregen is Brigdestone BT-45s or for mostly commuting I'd go with KENDA K-671s, excellent wear, and wet traction as well, I run those on my ninja 500 i get about 8k miles out of the back, and they are extremely affordable too, I get mine from Bike Bandit.
I evoke THUNDERDOME RULES !!!!