Pirelli Sport Demon or Dunlop GT501?

[pilotgeorge747]

So after reading through an hour or so of tire threads on here I have yet to make a decision on new tires. I am replacing my GT501's on my bike even though they have about 2,000 miles on them because I fear they are too old and not as sticky as they should be. Since I am new to riding and haven't had any real experience with the 501's other than short distances and a lowside. I'm still not sure of the exact cause of the lowside other than taking a turn too wide trying to avoid a puddle and the bike came out from under me. Therefore I am looking for the most grip I can get from the new tires.

So any thoughts for which would be best for commuting and the occasional fun ride? I've read about the Sport Demons being sticker than the 501s in the dry but what about in the wet?

[Havok]

Look at the pilot powers as well. I have them on the fazer and found them quite sticky, I liked them so much I put them on the ninjette as well. Don't know about wet roads as it's been nice and dry here in so cal.

[Ichiro]

Tires are reviewed here
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=9780

[Snake]

My vote is for the Pirelli Sport Demons.

[heylookitsfranco]

I vote for the sport demons. I had a similar situation (questionable 501's) and I threw on some sport demons and never looked back. I feel a lot more confident taking turns with the sport demons than i ever did with the old tires. They're also grippy in the wet; surprisingly so sometimes lol.

*disclaimer* as a total noob, I decided to blame the old rubber and not my ineptitude for MY lowside. so.

[Alex]

Either would be good choices. I think the 501's will provide somewhat longer life, but they are both pretty good in the wet as well.

[pilotgeorge747]

I think I am going to go with the Sport Demons. I'm not too concerned with the thread life because an extra $200 or so a little more often is worth the extra grip IMO. I am a little concerned with putting new tires on reading all the horror stories of people going down right afterward.

[alex.s]

2000 miles is not very long for tires to be replaced... i would be looking at putting that money into maybe an advanced rider course or even just extra practice time instead of replacing them so soon. i always hear people blaming their tires but in reality it takes a combination of bad tires and improper riding technique with those bad tires to really get you in trouble... not to be hating because that's kinda how its coming off. i've seen people with some questionable tire conditions and even stock IRCs toward the end of their life able to ride them like noones business, even in not so great conditions. after seeing some of the people i know ride with some of the tires they ride with, i have no doubt rider skill can more than easily overcome unfresh tires. not to say fresh rubber isn't more sticky... it definitely is. but if you're lowsiding maybe look into things like throttle control before blaming 2000mi old tires... unless that is they have massive flat spots from lockups or something...

anyway to the point, i've recently become a huge fan of the bridgestones... used to be all about the sport demons but i think i might like the bt's better... it feels like... maybe a firmer tire carcass

[pilotgeorge747]

Sorry if I made it sound like I was blaming the tires for my lowside. I never meant for it to seem like it was a major factor in the incident. It was mostly stupidity in trying to make a turn too wide to avoid a puddle because I just washed the bike the night before. It was rider error from the beginning. I am just trying to evaluate the situation as a whole and find ways of minimizing future risk. I was questioning the tires ever since I got the bike seeing how the bike was in storage for awhile, stored with an PSI of about 10. I've read places that if you buy a used bike with tires over 3 years old you should put new ones on regardless of amount of thread left just to be safe. I agree with the practice advice as you can never get too much practice. However to me personally I've been finding it hard to practice since the lowside knowing that the tires may not be in their best condition. When I took flight lessons I wouldn't have learned anything if I feared the aircraft wasn't in it's top condition.

[alex.s]

while i completely agree with what you're saying, and agree a used set of tires that sat on a bike at 10psi for a few years could be replaced, i still think regardless of how much traction the tires provide, learning to cope with varying amounts of traction is part of riding a bike, and learning to ride well with low amounts of traction will make you a much better rider in emergency situations. if it was me i'd use the opportunity to get used to less traction and cope with it a little before throwing on something stickier. if they really are going off they should wear through fairly fast right?

just my opinion... and people tell me i'm insane when it comes to things like safety, so don't take my word for it

[bdavison]

I vote GT501's all the way. When mine wear out, Im putting another set on. They are awesome.

And the reason people dump the bike when they put new tires on is lack of experience/control....not the tires.

They either dump it because the tire hasnt been properly scrubbed in, or they dump it because they spent the last 6 months riding around on a square tire before they decided to finally change it out, and now that its round again, it leans into a corner faster...and they freak.

[pilotgeorge747]

I went ahead and ordered the Sport Demons so I should have them on in another week or so. I will update as to what kind of difference they make. I may also post up the 501's I remove for sale in the For Sale section since some people think the tires are still useable. Thanks for the input guys!