[v2Bob]

This thread is about DOT race or almost tires, people looking for long tire life should start another thread.

Triplethreat has said elsewhere he already has a set of Dunlop Q3 tires to put on before his first ride. It will be interesting to read his experience with them on the 09 and what other riders try.

I haven’t been riding for 10 years, back then I didn’t like Dunlop DOTs on my SV650, they made it feel nervous on high speed straights, front straight of VIR etc, I preferred Pirellis. But I have fond memories of the Dunlop TT100 on my CB400F back in the ‘70s, so might be time to try Dunlop again. And it is a plus that at least some Dunlops are made in the USA.

If I only used a set of DOTs on the street SV I’d get about 3,000 miles out of them, the rear worn past what it is supposed to be, sometimes even cords showing, mostly in a 60 mile radius of home. The front wouldn’t be to the wear indicators yet but I replaced it at the same time, more paranoid about the front lol. I don’t do burn outs etc but it seems like with spirited riding the rear on an 09 will need changing long before the front, how many of you will combine a new rear with a half worn front?

Because I haven’t ridden in 10 years I will be trying to take it easy for a while, the stock tires should be good enough for that. The 09 is arriving late in the Indiana riding season, so by the time I need a new set there should be plenty of reports from faster riders in warmer locations.



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[triplethreat]

Bob..........As you probably already know, the tire manufacturers make many models of tires.....each one to be used for specific purposes. For example, in the Michelin line up for sport type tires you have.....

Power 3............Pretty much a Novice rider preferred tire
Power Supersport..........Novice and even Intermediate pace tire
Power Cup.......... Intermediate to Advanced pace preferred tire
Power Slick...........Not street legal

Keep in mind, this is the current lineup in the Michelin tire lineup. There are many more tires out there that are in their lineup, some of which are no longer made, or have been replaced by the one mentioned above.

The key to selecting the right tire in any brand is to find the tire that will do what you want it to do based on your riding needs. For example: A power cup would be an absolutely horrible choice for a street tire in almost every single case, if you ride within the speed limits and with any sanity whatsoever. That particular tire has to be pushed very hard to bring it up to proper operating temperatures so that it will perform at optimum. These tires stick like no other that I've been on and is what I use for track days in the Advanced group. When ridden on the street, they will not come up to temps and will feel pretty loose. The big difference between a Power Cup and a Power 3 is that the 3 is made to heat up quickly by riding at a street pace. It also has enough sipes in the tire to be a pretty good tire in the rain............the Power cup.......horrible in the rain.

The point I'm making here is that just because you had a bad experience with a Dunlop, Bridgestone, Michelin, Pirelli, whatever...years ago, they probably have a tire that will work for you now because of the newer tire technology and the fact that the manufacturers are all competing for your business so they make different tires (tyres....for our English friends across the pond) for different applications. I've run Michelins on all of my bikes for the last 7 or 8 years, but this time, based on the stuff that I've been reading, the Dunlop Q3's are a better tire for what I'm looking for than the Michelin Power 3. Just don't ever try to put one of the DOT track/racing tires that are made to operate only when pushed or coming out off of a set of tire warmers; on your street bike. That might just lead to a cold tire crash and that's never a good thing.

Oh, and BTW, I don't have a problem using a half worn front and putting on a new rear. In fact, generally speaking, I usually will go through at least 2 rears to every front......and that's on a 600RR on the track. When I had my 1000RR track bike, it was closer to three rears for a front. The Power Cups are a much better tire though than the Power Race was, way back when.