Looking for a tire thread

[babyninja1968]

So my bike still has the original tires on it from 1988 and I need to change them but was looking for a tire thread suggesting what tires should and should not buy...(on a budget)

[Triple Jim]

You could start by reading this if you haven't already:

https://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Tires

[babyninja1968]

awe man....looks like the Dunlop gt501's are only available fer the 1st gens and not available fer the pregen's ?

[Triple Jim]

Each rider has his/her own opinion on "best tires", but I don't think I'll change to different ones when my Bridgestone BT45s wear out. It was interesting to see lots of them at the supermoto track last month, on competition bikes. That confirmed what I've experienced with them.

[Z1R rider]

here's a copy and paste from an earlier post I made on tires: all are pre-gens with 16" wheels

We have 5 Ninjettes in the family and they all have different tires and I've ridden all of them on the street and 4 on the track. First let me say that they all have a different "feel" when riding, none have a bad feeling (like the stock Dunlops) just different.

Bike one has Metzeler Laser Tec 100-90 on front 130-90 on rear, this is my personal favorite on the track or the street, very stable on the straights or the corners, turns in quickly and holds it's line. It seems that the tread doesn't wrap around as far as the others as it has no "chicken strips" left on front or rear, or maybe I push harder on them because they feel good to me.

Bike two has Shinko SR740 100-80 on front and SR741 130-80 on the rear, contrary to "wiki; Shinko tires: No better than the Dunlop K630" these are a surprise!! they are good enough to take the stock forks to their limit, you can drag footpegs all day long with them, stoppies, no problem! Turn in is quicker than the Metzelers, and they feel a little bit "twitchy", but never scared me. One of the racers on a 300 was amazed when he came to our pit and saw it has Shinkos.

Bike three has Pirelli MT75s 100-80 front and 120-80 rear, turn in is quick like the Shinkos, and are a little twitchy, but no unhappy surprises. Shorter rear tire lets the pegs drag sooner than the others.

Bike four has Pirelli Sport Demon 110-90 front and 130-90 rear, turn in is a little heavier than the others but no where near as heavy as a 600 or 1000. Is stable everywhere and taller front tire gives extra cornering clearance, feels to me like it wants to stand up in the corners. Had to move the front fender up to clear the tire.

Bike five has the Pirelli Diablo Scooter tires, 100-80 front and 130-80 rear, I haven't ridden on the track with this bike, but on the street it's the only one that I've had the rear "step out" on the 1-2 shift. Might be it just needs a little more heat in it to grip good.

None of the bikes have enough miles to say which one will last the longest, the Metzeler is, by quite a bit, the most expensive of the bunch, and if past experience means anything, the rear will last around 7000 miles and the front about double that.

[Ram Jet]

Originally Posted by babyninja1968

So my bike still has the original tires on it from 1988 and I need to change them but was looking for a tire thread suggesting what tires should and should not buy...(on a budget)

I installed a set of Pirelli MT75s this past spring and I'm very pleased with them. They seem very "sticky" in the rain also. They meet the stock tire size perfectly. I don't push my bike like some the other young whipper snappers here do so you might get a different recommendation.

Bill

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by Ram Jet

I installed a set of Pirelli MT75s this past spring and I'm very pleased with them. They seem very "sticky" in the rain also. They meet the stock tire size perfectly. I don't push my bike like some the other young whipper snappers here do so you might get a different recommendation.

Bill

We had MT-75s on one of our Ninjas and Diablo Scooters on another, and they stuck well when new but traction degraded rather quickly as they aged. They also started to show cracking way before they should have, which leads me to believe that Pirelli's rubber compound dries out quickly.

I had a set of Pirelli tires on one of my cars, and it did pretty much the same thing.

No more Pirellis for me...

[Ram Jet]

Originally Posted by jkv45

We had MT-75s on one of our Ninjas and Diablo Scooters on another, and they stuck well when new but traction degraded rather quickly as they aged. They also started to show cracking way before they should have, which leads me to believe that Pirelli's rubber compound dries out quickly.

I had a set of Pirelli tires on one of my cars, and it did pretty much the same thing.

No more Pirellis for me...

NOW you tell me!

Bill