Brammo Owners Forum
Brammo Empulse Discussion => Brammo Empulse => Topic started by: Jeff on June 29, 2013, 08:41:43 PM
-
Welp, the Avons made it a shade over 6000 miles (granted, most of those suffering from me being an idiot) before getting down to the wear bars. I'm putting some track tires on for tomorrow at Laguna, and once I get back I'll be putting on some Pilot Road 3s . . . but before that! What better way to celebrate than with sweet sweet burnouts?!
(http://i.imgur.com/9oYuwRQ.jpg)
-
Have fun at Laguna! I'll be switching to PR3s for winter, myself. Post up what you think about them. They'll be the first non-sport tires I'll have ever purchased.
-
I'm changing to PR3's also. Almost 5800 miles and a slight bit of tread above the wear bars remaining. Hey, the steel cords aren't showing yet... no hurry!
I had a set of PR2's and another set of PR3's on my BMW R1200R and loved them. Good stickiness in the twisties and close to 10K on the rear tire.
I even used a trick I read on the BMW forum: when the center portion got flat from freeway use, put the bike up on a stand, run the rear wheel in gear, and re-bevel it using coarse grit on a belt sander. Restored nice handling.
I know they're "non-sport", but you may be pleasantly surprised at how they handle curves. But then I only scraped the pegs a couple of times on the R1200R and still had 1/2" chicken stripes.
-
The 2014 bikes will apparently come on ContiRoadAttack 2 tires (according to the online manual)...
-
Sick burnout! At 6k the Avons had a good run and went out in style.
-
So what's everyone running for their second set of tires? My Avons are at the wear bar and I have to get a yearly safety inspection soon. Irritates me, because I'd run them another 500-1000 miles. Alas safety inspections are a good idea. Keeps idiots from running wasted tires...see example below. :)
I just ordered some Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsas. These are actually the first sportbike tires I've bought in 10 years so I had no idea what to get. I used to run takeoffs on the street before. Really dumb idea, BTW. After a bunch of heat cycles they grip about as well as cardboard. They're usually fine...unless you're trailbraking into a corner hard. That one hurt.
Anyhow, I always rode Pirelli on the track, so I figured I'd give their street tires a go. I usually take my cage or my gas moto when it's wet, so I was looking for something with good dry grip. I considered their Diablo Supercorsas SP (street compound), but I couldn't justify the extra money. So I went with a step down, which I think should be worlds better than the Avons. And heck, I liked the Avons. I guess I've been putting too many miles on dual sport tires lately. I figure if I go through a set of tires a year, then I can probably experiment with quite a few tires. I'll let people know that I think of these after I spoon them on next weekend.
-
I went for what I really liked on my BMW R1200R which is Michelin Pilot Road 3, but it sounds like you ride more aggressively than I. I got 10 to 12K on the rear on the R12R. So far, on the Empulse, they've gripped really well for all my needs. And I guess Michelin and Pirelli are one now.
-
That is interesting about the mileage that you got from your PR3 tires, Shinysideup. I just replaced the PR2's on my R1200R with Bridgestone 023's because the PR2's only lasted for 3,500 miles before hitting the wear bars. :( Now Michelin has just introduced the PR4 model. Naturally it does everything better than the PR3 version - as does every new model of tire that comes out from every tire manufacturer. ::)
-
I've been running these Continental SportAttack 2s on my bike for awhile and have been very impressed. Great grip in a variety of conditions. Nice, progressive profile, providing a lot of confidence during tip-in and at lean. They've even got a surface finish when new that doesn't have to be "scrubbed-in" like other tires before you've got grip.
(http://www.conti-online.com/www/linkableblob/motorcycle_de_en/6807952/data/sportattack_2_uv-data.gif)
http://www.conti-online.com/www/motorcycle_de_en/themes/motorcycletires/sport/sportattack_2_en.html (http://www.conti-online.com/www/motorcycle_de_en/themes/motorcycletires/sport/sportattack_2_en.html)
Also hard to go wrong with the Pirelli Supercorsas as that's what I ran on my S1000RR, but they do wear quick and can be spendy. I'm a believer in focusing more on good grip than good wear/life.
-
NICE! bookmarked for when I do my tire change!
-
Dang...I must ride like a wimp...I'm at 5000 miles and my tires still look new...
Gavin
-
Dang...I must ride like a wimp...I'm at 5000 miles and my tires still look new...
I guess you will replace yours when they get square...
-
I picked up a Pilot Road 4 front for $145 with free shipping from Motorcycle Superstore. My front Avon still looks good at 5k, but I ride in the wet fairly often so I think I'll go ahead and change now. A nail force an early replacement of the rear tire.
-
I just replaced the bias-ply 130/17 IRC Road Whiner rear tire on my Zero last weekend, after putting 8K miles on them. (The front tire still looks like new.) I replaced it with a Michelin Pilot Activ tire, which seem to be a big improvement over the stock Whiners (which have a tendency of sliding when braking). On the other hand, the IRC tires were a breeze to cut up with a hack saw and dump into my garbage can - especially compared with steel-belted radial motorcycle tires. :o
-
A nail force an early replacement of the rear tire.
Get one of these. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018EUDHW)
I picked up a screw in my rear Avon maybe 3k in, and rode another good 3k on the plug. I seriously seem to attract all kinds of stupid road debris to my rear tires very frequently, so I carry that thing on me at all times. (In addition to these (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015V45F4) and this (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003M2PNGY))
-
A nail force an early replacement of the rear tire.
Get one of these. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018EUDHW)
I picked up a screw in my rear Avon maybe 3k in, and rode another good 3k on the plug. I seriously seem to attract all kinds of stupid road debris to my rear tires very frequently, so I carry that thing on me at all times. (In addition to these (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015V45F4) and this (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003M2PNGY))
I have used that tire plugger in the past and it seems to work well. I have the gun for the garage and carry their little pocket plugger on my bike for use in the field. It works well too, but it does take a little longer to figure out the instructions.
One tip that I haven't seen anyone do lately is to install a type of "mud flap" attached to the swing arm pivot, engine belly pan, or center stand cross bar, ahead of the rear wheel. (Unfortunately, such locations are becoming harder and harder to find on modern motorcycles.) The prevailing theory about motorcycles picking up nails in the rear tire is that they get picked up by the front wheel and flipped into the rear wheel tread. Installing a flap before the rear wheel is supposed to knock the nail aside and prevent it from hitting the rear tire. I don't think anyone has been able to prove that this works, though. But it does sound somewhat logical.
-
Finally found time the change the tires. It's a bit cold, but I managed to scrub the new Diablo Rosso Corsas in. I'm following Pirelli's recommendation for tire pressure, using the upper end of the range due to the cold and the Empulse's girth. I put in 35/32 and it felt pretty nice once up to temp. When pulling out of the neighborhood, they were still pretty cold and the wheels felt a little "square". The profile of these tires is a little taller than the Avons. This gives them a nice side contact patch, but it means that they want to be all full lean. I'll have to see how they do once it gets a little warmer out, but so far they feel a little loose in the transitions, but they feel great once cranked over.
Couple of tips I picked up:
Even though the forks have holes in the bottom to accept a front stand with studs, you don't want to use them. My cheap front stand uses hex head cap bolts as the studs, and the hole in the right fork leg is so shallow that the stud form the stand hits the axle. This made the axle a pain to get out, and it scored the axle a little. Well that scoring did a number on the inside of the fork as the loose material worked its way through. I managed to clean the burrs out just fine, so no harm done. I ended up ordering a new front stand that lifts under the forks but without studs.
The caliper bolts do not appear to be treated with anything from the factory. I had to break them loose with with some PB Blaster and my big impact wrench. I cleaned the corrosion from the threads on a wire wheel and then used some anti-seize on them. I'm not too worried about them coming loose, but if they do I'll just retorque them and then safety wire them.
-
Well, the Pilot Road 3s are finally getting down there, and I thought I'd provide an update. To tell the truth, I'd sort of forgotten that it had been forever since I changed tires, which when I think about it is a rather nice compliment for a set of rubber. It's been over 9000 (!!!) miles since I put them on, and (as Brian can attest :D ) I do not tend to baby my rear tires.
I believe the front has developed a little bit of a flat spot -- one of those things I didn't even think about until I rode another bike and then came back to the Empulse. On turn-in it feels very subtly like there is a slight . . . edge? Other than that though, they still feel totally solid. It's been raining on and off here in SF, and especially with the Empulse's insane power delivery it's really nice to have confidence-inspiring tires in the wet.
The new PR4s are out, and I believe I'll be giving those a try. Michelin claims even more longevity and better handling. I wouldn't even care because the PR3s are fantastic, but why not. Revzilla did a great video overview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGD6HLdNcW4) of them. TLDW: Apparently the 4 has a harder compound in the center of the rear and less siping around the edges for more grip while at lean. Also it's a bigger number so therefore clearly better.
I'll let you know the result -- and also I'll likely have to take another picture of sending the PR3s out in style, obviously.
-
I do not tend to baby my rear tires.
Hahaha and I just realized: In addition to the 9k miles, these tires have both a full trackday at Thunderhill (that I was too lazy to put on slicks for) AND a burnout in the middle of a clean energy convention on them.
Seriously impressed.
-
I too am running the PR3's and liking them.
The other day in the rain, I needed (wanted) to make a light that was turning yellow so I could get onto the freeway to go home at the end of the day.
I was going about 20 mph, and was in Normal mode, 2nd gear when I pinned the throttle. The rear spun out a bit. Wowza, this thing's got torque! The nice thing is that the throttle gives you instant control: I backed off a bit and the tire locked up into good traction, all in about a half second.
-
A little over 8 k and I broke down and got some pilot road 4s for the front and back...took about 10 miles to break them in and I love them...great feel...I should have changed the old ones out sooner :)
G
-
There's nothing like the feeling of new (good) tires when you've waited too long to replace the old, squared-off ones!
I think you'll continue to be pleased with the Pilots.
In looking back over this thread, I see I put PR3's on at 5800 miles; I just passed 18K and the front has probably half its tread left and the rear is about 1/2 to 1 mm above the wear bars... very impressive for 12K miles on a bike that has gobs of off-the-line torque. And while the rear is somewhat squared off from my excessive freeway commuting, it's really not very pronounced and handling is still fairly smooth in the transitions.