Good tyres for wet weather?

[ScottishBiker234]

Hey all, I got 2000 gs500e, It still has stock tyres, they have not been worn out since it was garaged for a good 10 years, I know that the stock tyres prior to 2004 are a joke in wet weather, I live in scotland so i need something that can handle the wet, anyone got any suggestions?

[peteGS]

Pirelli Sport Demons if you can get them there 

[Janx101]

Paging gsJack !!! ... 

Reckon Jack will have the 'good oil' on wet tyre info!

[sledge]

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Type/Motorbike/

[adidasguy]

I use the stock Battleaxe tires. As long as they are new, they grip really well. Any tire more than a few years old will be slippery.
HUHSKY will be my first build with Sport Demons. That will give me a chance to compare them.
However, I ride in the wet all the time =here in Seattle and the stock tires are fine as long as they are not more than a couple years old (which  with any tire because they get hard.)

[AnonRider]

i hear so many good things about the sport demons, i haven't found a review about the technical aspects of the tire, WHY it's so good though.

In the US they're pretty cheap at 120 a tire.

[Slack]

I've put a lot of mileage in during rain and I think the best combo would be a Michelin Pilot Road III front with a Pirelli Rosso II Rear.  The Michelin inspired way too much confidence in the rain, but I didn't care for the rear (it runs larger then stated and rubbed on the chain).  That said, if I could have gotten the rear to fit I would prefer Michelin front and back in the rain and Pirelli's front and back in the dry.  FWIW the Michelins cost more but last twice as long.

[gsJack]

The current Demons and BT45 as well as the Activs and Roadriders will all be much better in both the wet and dry than those hard dried out 10-15 year old Excedras on ScottishBiker234's 2000 GS.  Be careful until they're replaced.

Best tires for the wet are probably still the radials.  About 12 years ago I replaced the bias tires on my 97 GS with a pair of Z2/Z4 sport touring radials and they were a world of difference better than the bias in the wet, we quit slowing down in the rain on them.  But since then the newer major brand bias ply sport touring tires have all come out with profiles and compounds similar to the radials and they are much closer in wet performance now.  The ones mentioned above and a couple others.

I like the bias Roadriders that I've used the last 40k miles or so getting 15-18k miles out of oversized rears and more from the fronts with good performance.  That UK Bike Magazine test of 6 brands of bias ply tires on a GS500 on a track is a good read for those looking for GS tires although it doesn't include wet testing.

http://www.ex-500.com/wiki/index.php?title=Tire_Comparison

Note their last rated Demons got the fastest lap time but were only a nats hair faster than the Roadriders they rated first overall.
 
http://www.gs500.net/gallery/data/500/GS500tirelogs.jpg

If I were 10 years younger and headed back to the mountain twisties to play in the rain I'd like to try a pair of the new Michelin Pilot Street radial tires that come in 110/70 front and 130/70 and 140/70 rears.

[gsJack]

By the way, a radial Pilot Road front with a bias Demon rear is a bad mix, can cause serious over steer if pushed to the limit.  I like a bias front with a radial rear on the GS which is an OK mix. 

[Slack]

By the way, a radial Pilot Road front with a bias Demon rear is a bad mix, can cause serious over steer if pushed to the limit.  I like a bias front with a radial rear on the GS which is an OK mix.

Just realized I typed Sport Demon, the tires I meant to refer to are Pirelli Rosso II's   .  I've never actually ridden on Demon's.
I edited my first post, thanks.

[Badot]

On the topic of tires, Jack, have you had any change of opinion on the traction of the Roadriders? I know at one point you felt traction was on the low side (I feel the same with my rear) but I keep thinking back to the article you linked.

[gsJack]

Badot, I still think that Bike Mag comparo test of bias tires is a good read for those looking for tires for the GS but I don't completely agree with some parts of it.  I don't agree with their bottom rating of the Demon and Lasertec tires, I had a pair of Lasertec tires and thought highly of them. The Demons got the best lap time and many GS500 and Ninja 500 riders think highly of the Demons performance.

I was surprised the Roadriders came in just a bit behind the Demons for fastest lap as they are not as sticky but there is more to turning fast laps than ultimate traction.  I agree with their opinion of how the Roadriders are suited to the GS and how well balanced and stable they made the bike feel in the corners.  Besides, I don't need as much traction at 80 yo as I did at 70 and the Roadrider tire life is great.

[adidasguy]

i hear so many good things about the sport demons, i haven't found a review about the technical aspects of the tire, WHY it's so good though.

In the US they're pretty cheap at 120 a tire.

I'll have Sport Demons on HUHSKY next week.
We have wet roads here every day so I'll let you know in a week or so after I have time to test them.