BT45 or Diablo rosso II?

[Graugaard]

Hey! I need a set of new tires and would like to hear which of those i should choose?

I use my ninjette for about 11000 miles a year mostly for road trips/commuting
but also for a racetrack now and then.

I got the sports demon on, but would like to try something new, but ofc. not downgrade.

Mostly important are:
Grip
good breaking/steering ability in the wet

secondary are:
mileage...


So should i got for 110/140 - Rosso or 110/130 BT?

Thanks!

[Jiggles]

Question: Are your tires squared off?

Answer: Yes
Solution: Get BT45s

Answer: No
Solution: Get Diablo Rosso II's

[tubarney]

I have the Rosso's, don't get them if you want mileage. As far as grip goes they are excellent, super sticky. The rubber peels off them in 95+F heat.

[tubarney]

if you go for the rosso's get 140/70. You will gain flick-ability.

[DaBlue1]

If you are looking for good grip, good steering and braking ability, good mileage and traction on wet surfaces, the Bridgestone BT-45 is a good choice.

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

Question: Are your tires squared off?

Answer: Yes
Solution: Get BT45s

Answer: No
Solution: Get Diablo Rosso II's

^this

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

Question: Are your tires squared off?

Answer: Yes
Solution: Get BT45s

Answer: No
Solution: Get Diablo Rosso II's

hahaha beautifully answered, jigglet.

[rojoracing53]

Basically if your tire looks like this and your ok with that the get the 45s


If you tire looks like the above pic and are unhappy with your chicken strips and plan to correct this utterly dyer situation or if you tires look this then get the rosso IIs

[Graugaard]

would say i should use rosso II then, they are round but still with chikken strips, i like to lean in every turn. Thanks!

Should i use front wheel size 110 or 120? :/ some say 120 gives a better "big bike" feeling.

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by Graugaard

would say i should use rosso II then, they are round but still with chikken strips, i like to lean in every turn. Thanks!

Should i use front wheel size 110 or 120? :/ some say 120 gives a better "big bike" feeling.

I'd pick 110 if they're available if not 120 is fine.

[Jiggles]

110, post a picture of your tires, we'll tell you if they are square

[alex.s]

what exactly is a "big bike feeling"??? hard to maneuver? does wheelies uncontrollably during wot runs? maybe its just the price tag...

[Graugaard]

This is my current rear tire.. been used for about 8000 miles last 2000miles in COLD tempeture so no leaning for me. is it to square or should i go for rosso? would like to improve the chikenstripes btw.

[alex.s]

buy bt45s.

buying rosso 2s will make things worse because you dont lean very much and they wear faster than bt45s and will square off quicker.

[Graugaard]

ok, but can i still trust BT45 enough to get the knee down? Don't want it to be the tires reason for a low-slide you see :P

[areifel]

My vote goes to the DRIIs. Love these sticky guys, even though i only commute about 50 miles a week.

Never tried the Bridgestones, but i am sure they are good, too. anything beats the stock IRCs.

Just buy whatever is cheaper. You will be satisfied.

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by Graugaard

ok, but can i still trust BT45 enough to get the knee down? Don't want it to be the tires reason for a low-slide you see :P

Do you have stock rear sets? You can scrape the pegs with IRCs

[Graugaard]

nope its pirelli sport demons but my shop only sells pirelli rosso II and BT45, + wanna try something new, but i liked them a lot..

i take that as a yes then!

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by Graugaard

ok, but can i still trust BT45 enough to get the knee down? Don't want it to be the tires reason for a low-slide you see :P

BT-45s on the track. 45s on the street is not a problem.

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by Graugaard

nope its pirelli sport demons but my shop only sells pirelli rosso II and BT45, + wanna try something new, but i liked them a lot..

i take that as a yes then!

You didn't read what I posted

[Graugaard]

nice one. would i feel big diffrence on 130 or 140 rear tire or should i just go on with stock size?

oh sorry got it now.... yea i do, rgr that... but does that mean they scrap before your knee goes down (even when "hanging" off the bike)? or can u still have fun without buying aftermarket

[csmith12]

You will not feel a big difference.

EDIT: You will not feel a big difference if your actually countersteering effectively.

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by Graugaard

nice one. would i feel big diffrence on 130 or 140 rear tire or should i just go on with stock size?

oh sorry got it now.... yea i do, rgr that... but does that mean they scrap before your knee goes down (even when "hanging" off the bike)? or can u still have fun without buying aftermarket

Not really a big difference in 130/140, but always go as close to stock as possible, bigger tires hold no advantages other than different compounds (150s)

You could get a knee down with stock rear sets but you run out of lean angle faster. I kept scraping my pegs so I got new rearsets

[Jiggles]

Here's inspiration

[Graugaard]

where can i get a poster of that picture!!

Ok thanks a lot guys... really helped me out...

will go for BT45 110/130's and wait for the heat to come ._.

[rojoracing53]

If your worried about handling put a rosso front on with the 45 rear that way you'll get good feel from the front and longevity from the rear.

Just don't get bias-ply

[Graugaard]

but on the description there stand it is a "bias" tire, why would that be bad?

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

If your worried about handling put a rosso front on with the 45 rear that way you'll get good feel from the front and longevity from the rear.

Just don't get bias-ply

Bt45s are bias ply, they are still a great tire and he's not going to notice a difference in the handling.

I had bt45s on my first ninja, I got them because I commuted and hit the twisties on that bike. The bt45 has a denser center to keep the tires from squaring off as quickly and softer sides for tons of grip in the twisties. I didn't get bt45s on my current ninja because this one is a dedicated twisty and track bike, I never commute on it (go in straight lines)

Squared off tires feel lame for turning, If you are planning on commuting with the 250 at all get the bt45s you'll likely enjoy how they feel for longer. If you only go to the twisties/track get the diablos

[Jiggles]

And the point of that pic is to show how little you need to lean to get a knee down. For the turn that guy is doing he could also not hang off and just lean more

[alex.s]

why are you trying to get a knee down? its a side effect not a desired result. *trying* to get your knee down so you can look cool like rossi means you are probably riding incorrectly crossed up or something. you shouldn't be getting a knee down regardless while you are on the street. if you want to ride agressively do it in a safe environment where you have runoff and crashing doesn't mean hitting a bus or a tree or something that will kill you. i don't mean to be an asshole sounding like i'm talking down to someone but if you are asking the questions it means you dont know the answer so i have to assume you are new to riding... so i will be very clear when i say this... going fast doesn't mean skill. knee down doesn't mean going faster. learn to ride smoothly and you will naturally go faster without feeling faster. when you "feel fast" it means you are out-riding your brains ability to process the stream of information you are receiving... feeling "fast" is a feeling of you getting overwhelmed. and that is what leads to crashes.

[choneofakind]

BT45's rock. I think mine were mis-balanced because the front wore funny. But other than that, I loved loved loved those tires. They do great on hot asphalt and they do great in torrential downpours. Good tire for the money.

Originally Posted by Jiggles

And the point of that pic is to show how little you need to lean to get a knee down. For the turn that guy is doing he could also not hang off and just lean more

Or he could just not jab his knee out so far and ride the same lean angle around that turn.

[mfresh]

Gettin' my DRII's (110/140) mounted tomorrow (upgrading from IRCs).

I don't really "commute" on the bike so mileage is not a big deal, I just wanted maximum grip. Plus the bt45's were actually more expensive than the DRII's on MSS.

I am sure either is a good choice compared to the IRC's. I have scraped the pegs using the IRCs (startled me a good bit) but never really "felt" confident in them for some reason. Something just didn't feel right whenever I attempted to lean over on them (at the time I thought it was just how the Ninja 250 is).

Then on a whim I decide one day to see what sort of tires are available for the ninjette and after what spiraled into many hours of reading and research I found out the stock tires are pretty much considered garbage and stumbled on the "new-gen" tires wiki article on here which eventually led me to the DRII's.

I was actually pretty tempted to go with 150's in the rear on the Michelin Pilot Pros mostly for aesthetic appeal but decided against it.

In any case I am sure either option should be a pretty noticeable difference judging from what others have said. Can't wait to try them out.

[Graugaard]

just my way to ensure that the bike is able to stand and wont low-side when i turn. It's not like im going to destroy my secure pants on it, that would be costy :/, and as i said i am going to the track in a few months .. I got a pair of 110/130 BT's.

Thanks! Nice help to get here as always

[csmith12]

Sweet! Enjoy the track and let us know how it goes. Get some pics too!

[mania]

I went from the stock IRC's to Rosso II's

What a transformation they made to this bike ! Really way beyond my expectations.
I Have had good tires on other bikes but I guess the difference from stock on those compared to stock on this was much wider.

Right from the beginning riding I could tell they would be nice. The bike just turned in better even on my way to
the hills. Also where I had originally thought that maybe I would need to lower the shock setting/stiffness on the rear to a softer setting
all is fine now.

Before if I had to brake hard before a turn or even using high RPM engine braking the back would skittle/chatter & loose contact.
Now it is just planted solid. I guess the stock tires really had a hard long wear compound with little carcass give.

But the best are the heavy leans. You can go as far as you like now & I had no problems getting to the edge.
So sure footed! Exiting turns while accelerating now also extremely sure footed.

I am really impressed / blown away actually by the difference these made on this bike.

I am not saying it was not possible with the IRC's & will post pics below of the ones I removed with 600 miles on them. That is as far as I would take them chicken strip wise as it was just a no feedback tire. Hard & not supple enough to transmit any clue of when it would let go.
But you never felt planted or safe & I was not willing to go any further.
The slightest burble & they would skittle a bit. Also braking as mentioned is now also more planted.

[xxjarrodxx]

Rosso II's is my vote, they were even cheaper on m-superstore.

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by xxjarrodxx

Rosso II's is my vote, they were even cheaper on m-superstore.

But what if bt45s last 2x as long?

[xxjarrodxx]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

But what if bt45s last 2x as long?

From everything I have read they don't. Coming from the Bt's and just now getting the Rosso's I like the feel of them more. Opinions are just that and I'll stay with mine.

[Jiggles]

I was speaking to the cheapness factor. The bt won't square off as quickly, square tires feel like doody and you'll want to change them out quicker so, depending on how you ride you might get 4k out of a Rosso and 8k out of a bt. So even if it's cheaper it's not 'cheaper' ya dig? Pick a tire that suits your riding. On my n1k I go in straight lines a lot so I'm gna put sport touring tires on there (will do bt45s if they come in that size). Putting 'race' tires on there would be a bit silly, I'd end up buying tires 2x as often

[tubarney]

what jiggles said ^. Rosso's aren't cheap when you consider how long they last. I doubt mine will last 6000 miles.