Decent(ish) Cheap(ish) Tyres?

DJP · Crazy Courier Joined: 11 Dec 2011 Karma :

For a Bandit 1250?

Let's get real here: I commute, tour and play (pretty restrained) silly buggers.

Yeah, yeah... I know - tyre hyperbole: Like every latest tyre is the best tyre ever, but I was pretty well blown away (and I mean quantum leap, blown away) when Michelin PR2s came out in the mid 2000s and I haven't felt the same quantum leap improvement with any tyre that I've used on any bike since.

So what's a decent (road normal) tyre these days?

Thanking you. Thumbs Up

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stinkwheel · Bovine Proctologist Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

I'm still going with the PR4, road5 or 6 as the best general purpose, roadgoing sportsbike tyre out there. Not the cheapest to buy, but they last and work really well even when well worn.

I was using maxxis supermaxx before that when i was doing a lot of long motorway and a-road work, they are cheap and ok. I'm not convinced they work out cheaper per mile.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha · World Chat Champion Joined: 22 Nov 2012 Karma :

ThunderGuts · World Chat Champion Joined: 13 Nov 2018 Karma :

Not completely convinced including "cheapish" as a parameter for tyre choice is a good idea . . . the price difference between "cheapish" and "decent" is unlikely to be worth the additional peace of mind and performance/safety benefits.

I'm a big fan for Road 5s, apparently the 6s are even better, but the Road 5s are brilliant IMO.
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blurredman · World Chat Champion Joined: 18 Sep 2010 Karma :

I'm not the best person to perhaps comment as I always buy the cheapest I can from Taiwanese and Vietnamese makes etc. No more than £20 for a brand new tyre that sort of thing. They're much better than they were.

Anyway- the one tyre I do have and will probably keep buying on the particular machine is an Avon Roadrider II AM26.

It's old tyre design but I'm approaching 20,000 miles on the front of one of the bikes Shocked

It is still round and unscalloped etc and still feels relatively nice grip wise despite being 8 years old. Laughing

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CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S.
Current: 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (bored to 295cc) - 38k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 49k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 9k, 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 17k.

bacon · World Chat Champion Joined: 09 Jan 2009 Karma :

Pirelli angel st are cheap. Pretty sure the set I bought for my vfr800fi early autumn last year were around £165 with an eBay code. They are a huge improvement over the contis I had on the bike before.

Like you I thought the road 2s were superb, I've not done many miles on the angels personally, but my brother went through a set on his cbr600f through all weather's and found them great and durable, hence my purchase. Only downside is single compound.

Found these. £180 posted https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165477737892?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=LDazTPH6QAC&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=haVG-5jWR_C&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

DJP · Crazy Courier Joined: 11 Dec 2011 Karma :

Thanks all so far. I'm not really looking at going for the cheapest but...

I was a Michelin fan boy for years, and as I said, I found the PR2 to be excellent. But since then I've been through the PR3, 4 and most recently the PR5 and never really felt the later ones to be much of an improvement.

My current bike came shod with nearly new Bridgestone BT023 and to be honest, I've not had a single issue with them.

Which makes me wonder if I've been overpaying for my tyres. The PR5 and 6 are at the upper end of the price range and I can't help wondering if something a bit more mid-priced might suit me just as well these days.
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to v or not to v · World Chat Champion Joined: 24 Nov 2020 Karma :

i really dont get putting cheap tyres on a high performance vehicle, especially if you ride in varied weather conditions. Confused

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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha · World Chat Champion Joined: 22 Nov 2012 Karma :

Islander · World Chat Champion Joined: 05 Aug 2012 Karma :

If you want really decent then Road 5 or Road 6. They feel solid and confidence inspiring from the off and work really well in both wet and dry conditions.

If you want cheap with decent grip then Conti Motion.

The Contis perform well wet and dry (I've run them on my Bandit 1200) but watch the wear markers - once you're down to them you'll wear through to carcass surprisingly quickly.

bacon · World Chat Champion Joined: 09 Jan 2009 Karma :

Contimotion were what I just removed from my vfr, the rear is still like new, have it as a spare. But the front was dangerous. Unsure if it had worn unevenly as it looked ok, but it would give a death wobble at 30mph, accelerating or decelerating.
So I swapped out to the angel st as mentioned above and the handling is night and day better. A new conti front was considered, but decided to go to proper sports touring rubber instead.