Kawasaki zx6r for Michelin Pilot Sports ?

[revhead]

NEED ADVICE!!!
I have a zx6r f3. Im wanting to replace both front and rear tyres. Old tyres are, front Bridgestone Battlax 120/60 zr17 55w and rear Bridgestone battlax 160/60 zr17 69w. For a replacement with Michelin pilot sports front 120/70/17 and rear 180/55/17. Is this a good idea? or should I keep to the old tyre sizes? Ive done a few track days this year and must say that I had no problems! :P But to ride on the road is a diffrent kettle of fish. :(
So please I need some help before I commit to buy!!!

[bunglehaze]

what is the reason for the size change?

Nevermind - having a dumb day... I did the same thing when I put the PP 2CT's on my bike, it does not make much difference to be honest, only really that you dont get wear right to the edges of the front tyre but you do on the rear (if my 6R is anything to go by)


leigh
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[revhead]

Hi Leigh, Thanks for the reply, Just want a better grip to be honest, ive lost a bit of faith in the old tyres plus they are worn down beyond. But im a bit worried that they will not fit. But some people are saying that they will. Also had some advice that my handling will be affected. Cheers, Kind regards, Chris.

[bunglehaze]

I have never tried pilot sports but the Pilot Power 2CT on my ZX636 are the same sizes as yours and are fantastically grippy. Handling will be affected slightly if you change from stock sizes but not by much - also if you want Michelin you are stuck with those sizes.

If I was not looking at getting a different set of tyres on Bikechatter to review I would go back to the 2CT in a heartbeat but I need to get a different model tested. I have never liked bridgestone too.

leigh
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Motorcycle Products Reviews and News
06 - ZZR600 > 07 - ZX6R J1 > 08 - ZX6R J2 > 09 - ZX636 A1P > 11 - ZX10R C1H

[TheDonUK]

For a road tyre, and especially with winter coming, give the Dunlop Roadsmarts a go
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[evoboy]

Ive run Pilot Sports on my J1 ZX6...(120f 180r).

Feel fine on the road, but tend to square off after some 3k miles ( being a single compound ) and i wore the rear out after 5k. (arent so happy on track, squirm around alot!) Can be had for £130 odd a pair though!)

Currently have Avon Viper Sports on it (£120 a pair with a 180 rear, or £110 with a 160 section rear) and they feel brilliant in the wet or dry. Put about 2-3k on them now and they look hardly worn! (Mways, commuting and playtime)
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[G]

A 180 tyre will give you marginally better grip getting on the power leant over, but will slow the handling down a little. If you are a competitive race in a 'superclub' class at least and have a decently-tuned engine, you may well get an extra .2 seconds a lap or something.
Throughout a ten lap race this may mean the difference between fifth and third place say.
So basically, what I'm saying is it won't make a noticeable difference .

However, on road tyres you can generally go up/down '10' at a time, so it's quite likely that going up 20 will mean the tyre won't fit properly and will be a funny shape if it does.
Could well be dangerous if you do get it on there.

With car tyres, an extra 20mm of width will give you around 20mm extra contact with the road. On a bike tyre, it gives you very little extra.
Further, apparently, it's only the 'keying with the surface' that is improved, not grip from straight-out friction.

Stick with the sizes god Kawasaki gave you .

I don't like Pilot anything due to bad experiences, but generally they're fine when warm.
I'd also, personally, never get an Avon. Some might be good, but I have had far too many bad experiences with them. They're fine in most situations, but then so would wrapping a truck innertube around a worn out tyre be, probably - it's when you've pushed a little too far that they seem to suffer a lot worse than others.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

If the rim width is under 5.5 inches then if you fit the 180 section rear it'll go a strange shape on the rim and won't be worth bothering with IMO.

Personally I'd just leave it as it is unless you're struggling with a lack of rear grip.
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[The Tot]

Had the same bike as you and I would have to say dunlop roadsmarts behave impeccably on the road, especially in winter and in the wet. They're more than enough for fast summer blasts and track days too. For the road, once warm, they grip like buggery and gives the bike very good feedback. Loved them so much that I have them on my blade by default.
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[revhead]

A big thank you to you all for taking the time to put you views forward to me. Im going to go for the Dunlop's I think. Im just living in hope that they will hold out on a track day. Cheers to ya all, REVHEAD!!