Tire Opinions (Diablo Rosso or Bridgestone BT-023)

[amkluttz]

So I have a bit of a head vs. heart issue on this.  I'm looking to replace my wearing tires on my GS.  The rear is a cheap Shinko SR741 and the front is some type of Michelin and both came on the bike when I bought it.  The SR741 was supposedly almost brand new when I got it and it looks like this after about 3000 miles...

The middle is getting close to flattening out.


I really would like to go with a 160/60/17 on my Kat wheel and stick with a 110/70/17 on the front.  I want the 160/60 mainly for appearance sake because I like the look of the wider rear and it's a lot easier to find better tires.  A couple of questions...

1. Would there be any benefit in running a 120 front tire vs. the 110?
2. I have heard there are several 160's that simply won't fit.  How do I know what will fit and what won't without buying it?  I don't have the money laying around to make a mistake like that.
3. Would I be better off going with a 150/60/17 or a 150/70/17 and not having to worry about fitment and chain spacing as much?
4. If I go with more of a sport tire will the lightness of the GS counteract the quick wear?

Also if anyone has any opinions on any of the following tires or know of fitment it would be helpful. 

Pirelli Diablo Rosso II
Pirelli Angel
Bridgestone Battlax BT-023
Bridgestone Hypersport S20

I really would like a dual compound tire and I *think* all of these are.  Here's where the head vs. heart issue comes in to play.  My heart (along with about a million reviews) say that the Diablo Rosso's are my tire but then I read about how horrible the tread life is.  My head is telling me to go with the BT-023 as it seems to have fun and longevity combined in to one.  If you told me that I could get 7000-8000 out of  the Diablo Rosso's I know which one I'd have.  If I go with the BT-023's I'm thinking of doing the front in the Hypersport S20's due to the ugly tread pattern of the front 023.  The price difference is negligible between these tires (roughly $20 difference from the cheapest to the most expensive) so that really is not a big deal to me.

The nice thing is that they are tires so as long as I don't get ones that won't fit they will eventually wear out and I can try something different.

[Slack]

The GS will wear through tires more slowly then a sport bike.  Not so much because of the weight, but power difference.  Only putting out 1/3 the power of several modern bikes the rear tire gets much less of a work out while accelerating on a GS.  And since you don't have a big engine to push you to 150+ mph you won't be braking from those speeds, so the front won't wear as quickly either.  If you want the rear to last longer spend more time in corners to spread the wear out across the entire tire.   

I would stick with a 150.  Even some 150's are too wide (Michelin Road 3's) so there's no reason to push your luck.  Also, as you push the size limits and get the tire closer and closer to the chain you have to maintain the chain on a more regular basis to make sure you keep it from smacking into the tire and chewing through the side wall.  More maintenance time means less riding time.

A 120 on the front will slow down the handling a little bit.  I really liked having a 120 front when I was doing a lot of Interstate riding; you wouldn't get blown about as much.  They aren't bad though the corners either, but they are different.  With a 110 the bike is very maneuverable.  You can easily change lines mid corner and quickly run though chicanes.  But when really pushed it feels a little squirrely.  With a 120 your front end will feel planted and stable though every single corner.  But, you will have to put more effort into mid-corner corrections and you'll be slower and need to use more muscle during a fast change of direction.

[gsJack]

The 160/60 on a Kat 4.5 wheel is too tight a squeeze on the GS.  A couple here who did it said they'd put a 150 on next time.  I wouldn't shim the rear sprocket for the 160 like they did, it will wear out your tranny drive spline in time due to the misalignment.  A 150 made for a 4.0 wheel will be a bit wider on the 4.5 Kat wheel so if your doing it for appearance the difference will hardly be noticeable.  Suzuki ran 150/70 tires on the 4.5" wheels on the 750 Katanas.

I've run 150/70 and 150/60 tires on the stock 3.5 GS wheel and liked both the performance and the appearance of them.  I've run both the 110/70 and 120/70 fronts and agree with Slack, the difference isn't great but I prefer the 110/70.  Have run 110/80 too and they're hard to tell from the 110/70.



I think a 150/70 RoadAttack radial rear run with a 110/80 Lasertec bias front were my all time favorite best all around handling of the many tires that I ran on my GSs for over 170k miles.

[amkluttz]

Thanks to both of you for the info.  gsJack, thank you especially for the pics.  It's always hard to decide when you can't visualize.  I actually like the look of that 150/70 Continental.  What is the actual difference in a 60 series versus a 70 series?  Is it all sidewall height?  I think I've been sold on the 150 and it's nice not to have to modify the driveline. 


So I think I'm down to these two sets of tires if anyone has any opinions on either that would be very helpful.

110/70 Bridgestone Hypersport S20
150/70 Bridgestone Battlax BT-023
$238.98 from Motorcycle Superstore with free shipping

or

110/70 Pirelli Diablo Rosso II
150/60 Pirelli Diablo Rosso II
$236.98 from Motorcycle Superstore with free shipping

I'm going to have to keep an eye on these prices as I probably won't be purchasing until at least mid summer.  I hope to get all the life out of the tires I have now and be able to save up a little cash by then.

[gsJack]

Yes that is the sidewall height or more accurately the aspect ratio of the tire, on a 150/70 for example the distance  from the rim to the OD would be 70% of 150, etc.  Here's the calculated dimension of the tires that fit the GSs:



Generally speaking the bias and sport touring radial tires would be 150/70 and the sport/supersport tires would be 150/60.  There are a few that vary from this for example the Pirelli Diablo Rosso II you mention is also available in a 140/70 size with the rest of the line being the lower profiles.  Also various makes and models vary from the calculated dimensions but they are all getting closer to them than they were 20 years or so ago.

As far as the pictures go they can be misleading sometimes.  Here's pics of that same RoadAttack tire taken at different times from different distances.  Moving back and using the telephoto gives a more honest picture.

[weedahoe]

Im running Kat front and rear rims with matching Sportec M3 tires (120/160). They ride good but Ive only done 600-700 miles on them so far