NICE tires

[Mike]

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]

Good to see this review Mike. A lot of reviews are based on what's popular, not just trying a new product.

[zviadi]

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]

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]

I do not do that:



It is not right.

[Jbaker229]

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]

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]

On my motorcycles any rear tire lives 5000-5500 km. Riding without burnouts and wheellys. No track.

[Classax]

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]

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