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Mike
05-26-2016, 08:26 PM
I've got (4) freeway days (337 miles) on the Bridgestone S21, (190/55) tires...and already down to about 1/4 " of side "stripe".
I removed Michelin Pilot 3 (190/50) tires. I've run the various Pilot tires on several bikes and have been fairly happy. But putting them on the EBR was not a good move. Don't know whether is was the Pilot 3 design, or the combination of that tire on that bike.
In comaprison to the S20...the Pilot 3 tires are harsh riding, follow "every" groove in the road, from rain grooves, to open expansion joints, to sealed expansion joints to cracks in the concrete. Just not very inspiring.

Decided to give the Dunlop, "Qualifier" a try. Got to my favorite tire dealer and noticed the S21. I talked to one of the guys about them...he talked me into the S21's.

If you want a tire that's smooth riding, not kiddish, and doesn't follow the cracks in the road, is smooth in the side to side transition, and leans with confidence, you might like this tire. Note that the overall S20 traction seem's at least, slightly better than the Pilot 3's also.

Though to be fair, this tire is a 55 vs a 50 series and I also dropped the forks a tad, so the turning is smooth and easier than before the tire change. So the combination of the tire design, the tire height and dropping the front...it's a different (read that, BETTER) driving bike.

Mike

buell-fan
05-26-2016, 09:05 PM
Good to see this review Mike. A lot of reviews are based on what's popular, not just trying a new product.

zviadi
05-27-2016, 01:03 AM
On all my motorcycles use only Michelin Pilot Power 1, 2 or 3.
No problem, except for driving in heavy rain.

One problem - in this motorcycle, I still can not get rid of "chicken stripes". I have knee sliders touch the asphalt in city driving - and "chikens" still there.
Miracles...
I do not understand how this can be - strong tilts to sliders and "chicken-stripes". For five years I have not seen "chiken" on my motorcycles.
Maybe it's in the height profile of the rear tires? Or the reason in a small rake?

rx1190kevin
05-27-2016, 03:36 AM
On all my motorcycles use only Michelin Pilot Power 1, 2 or 3.
No problem, except for driving in heavy rain.

One problem - in this motorcycle, I still can not get rid of "chicken stripes". I have knee sliders touch the asphalt in city driving - and "chikens" still there.
Miracles...
I do not understand how this can be - strong tilts to sliders and "chicken-stripes". For five years I have not seen "chiken" on my motorcycles.
Maybe it's in the height profile of the rear tires? Or the reason in a small rake?

First,I really like my pilot road 4s,I feel way more comfortable with them than the corsa 2s,but then I ride all year,rain or shine down to about 20 degrees ( thank god for heated gear) the tires heat up quickly,and do siphon water away from the contact patch well. Guess its all a matter in what makes you comfortable so you can push the envelope of your skill level. I purposely push into turns way faster than braking is a good thing so my only choice is drop deeper. Its getting desensitize thats all. The chicken strips come off eventually that way naturally,lol

zviadi
05-27-2016, 03:44 AM
I do not do that:

943

It is not right.

Jbaker229
05-27-2016, 09:41 AM
On all my motorcycles use only Michelin Pilot Power 1, 2 or 3.
No problem, except for driving in heavy rain.

One problem - in this motorcycle, I still can not get rid of "chicken stripes". I have knee sliders touch the asphalt in city driving - and "chikens" still there.
Miracles...
I do not understand how this can be - strong tilts to sliders and "chicken-stripes". For five years I have not seen "chiken" on my motorcycles.
Maybe it's in the height profile of the rear tires? Or the reason in a small rake?


I am not an aggressive rider, so any bike I ride will have massive chicken strips, but i notice they are much larger on the EBR than other bikes I ride. I am still running the stock Perrelli tires, I am guessing the large chicken strip has much to do with the tire profile as the rider. Flatter and/or thinner tires always tend to have smaller chicken strips for me.

Moose
05-27-2016, 07:49 PM
I will be replacing the Corsa's with Pirelli Angel GT's once they are worn out. I had a set on my B-King and loved them. I am not too terribly aggressive, but they lasted just over 8k miles before I replaced them with another set.

zviadi
05-28-2016, 12:37 AM
On my motorcycles any rear tire lives 5000-5500 km. Riding without burnouts and wheellys. No track.

Classax
06-15-2016, 09:46 AM
I am not an aggressive rider, so any bike I ride will have massive chicken strips, but i notice they are much larger on the EBR than other bikes I ride. I am still running the stock Perrelli tires, I am guessing the large chicken strip has much to do with the tire profile as the rider. Flatter and/or thinner tires always tend to have smaller chicken strips for me.

The EBR turns like a 250. It took me a while to really wrap my head around how well this things corners. I found myself running inside a few turns using the same lean angles and speeds I was used. Didn't take long to get used to it though, VERY FUN! The only place the RX does NOT shine is in a parking lot. If you ever have to take a riding test on DON'T take the EBR, the limited steering lock makes it suck at doing the box. It can be done but you will find yourself pushing way harder with more risk than on something with more max steering angle side to side.

Mike
06-16-2016, 09:07 PM
Class -

The RX turns fine, especially if you drop the forks a little.
The XB series Buell's handle much better, or should I say quicker than the RX. The RX won't give back 9 cents change after a sharp (dime sized!) corner like the XB bikes will.
I currently have an XB, a 1125CR and the RX. And that's the order of handling expertise each bike has...in my opinion. The RX is by no means bad, it handles better than my (past) S1000RR BMW. Stock chassis wise, the XB is quicker to change directions.

Mike

noone1569
06-17-2016, 08:48 AM
I will be replacing the Corsa's with Pirelli Angel GT's once they are worn out. I had a set on my B-King and loved them. I am not too terribly aggressive, but they lasted just over 8k miles before I replaced them with another set.

that's a pretty hard set of tires on a superbike. I've installed tons of Angel GTs on buell xbs, but man, this is a superbike! They do last forever, but they are HARD.

Classax
07-16-2016, 11:27 PM
Class -

The RX turns fine, especially if you drop the forks a little.
The XB series Buell's handle much better, or should I say quicker than the RX. The RX won't give back 9 cents change after a sharp (dime sized!) corner like the XB bikes will.
I currently have an XB, a 1125CR and the RX. And that's the order of handling expertise each bike has...in my opinion. The RX is by no means bad, it handles better than my (past) S1000RR BMW. Stock chassis wise, the XB is quicker to change directions.

Mike

I could not agree with you more about the XB series machines! In fact the XB9r was named the best cornering bike of all time by Fast Bikes. To the RX's defense, the XB's are 3 whole inches shorter in wheelbase with a 180 rear and 3 degrees steeper rake. Not to mention one typically arrives at the end of straight carrying considerably more steam on the RX as you hit the braking zone with about 40 extra pounds of motorcycle to flick about. The fact that it is in the ball park is astounding. Whenever I hop off the RX on to the 1199 the Pani always feels like a truck despite being a bit lighter. Even my beloved RSV4 is like riding a bucking bull compared to the RX.

darkducati
07-20-2016, 08:09 AM
I agree with both of you. My XB was a beast in the mountains and on the streets. I used to stick to the back tire of a friends R1 in the mountains and it drove him nuts. But I have two plans for mine when running on the streets to help. One, is dropping the triples. Second, is bumping up to a shorter sprocket without adding chain length. This will basically shorten the wheelbase. This should help it's street manners and keep me from having to change chains when going back to a track setup. I'll report back once I've finished testing with results.

Mike
07-20-2016, 01:10 PM
Ha...my RX is relegated to the garage for a while...so I'm back on my XB12 till I can get a new regulator for the RX...
I forgot how nice the XB head lights are. Mine have HID bulbs in them...really nice, but the handling is great.

Mike

Classax
07-21-2016, 07:57 AM
I agree with both of you. My XB was a beast in the mountains and on the streets. I used to stick to the back tire of a friends R1 in the mountains and it drove him nuts. But I have two plans for mine when running on the streets to help. One, is dropping the triples. Second, is bumping up to a shorter sprocket without adding chain length. This will basically shorten the wheelbase. This should help it's street manners and keep me from having to change chains when going back to a track setup. I'll report back once I've finished testing with results.

Good luck with that lower gearing on the short chain... I tried the 44 with stock chain and the bike became a unicycle at any reasonable application of throttle from 1st thru 4th. I'm no Geoff May, so I'm not comfortable with wheelies while still leaned a good bit over. The bike didn't seem to mind, but none the less I went back to stock.

Classax
07-21-2016, 07:58 AM
I agree with both of you. My XB was a beast in the mountains and on the streets. I used to stick to the back tire of a friends R1 in the mountains and it drove him nuts. But I have two plans for mine when running on the streets to help. One, is dropping the triples. Second, is bumping up to a shorter sprocket without adding chain length. This will basically shorten the wheelbase. This should help it's street manners and keep me from having to change chains when going back to a track setup. I'll report back once I've finished testing with results.

Good luck with that lower gearing on the short chain... I tried the 44 with stock chain and the bike became a unicycle at any reasonable application of throttle from 1st thru 4th. I'm no Geoff May, so I'm not comfortable with wheelies while still leaned a good bit over. The bike didn't seem to mind, but none the less I went back to stock.

mackja
07-21-2016, 11:47 AM
Good luck with that lower gearing on the short chain... I tried the 44 with stock chain and the bike became a unicycle at any reasonable application of throttle from 1st thru 4th. I'm no Geoff May, so I'm not comfortable with wheelies while still leaned a good bit over. The bike didn't seem to mind, but none the less I went back to stock.

Bike should not wheelie that easy, I am running the 44t sprocket with 118 link chain, suspension is set up properly and the only way I carry the front end on the track is hammering it like hell in 1st-2nd gear. Have a suspension pro who knows the Buell/EBR chassis set up your suspension, and it will make a world of difference.

Classax
07-22-2016, 10:52 AM
The 118 chain buys you about 1/2" more wheel base over a 116 with a 44, which to me settled the bike down, but for COTA and TWS it makes sense to stay stock. On a short track I'll go back to the 44.