Pete in PA Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 They are great! Border on telepathic! So smooth from straight up to fully heeled over. In a half hour I was already dragging pegs and chewing up Bib (the Michelin man on the edge of the rear tire). They also absorb bumps straight up and leaned over better then any tire I've had. At 78k miles this is the first set of sport tires I've mounted on my XX. I'm sure I'll toast the rear in 2k miles or less but I'll have fun doing it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcrich Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Rookie!!! Where ya been? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBadExxample Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Agreed. I'm currently riding on Pilot Roads, they came with the bike. I can't wait to wear 'em out and get back on Pilot Powers. To me, the biggest difference is the profile. Pilot Roads have more of a "U" profile instead of a "V", like the Pilot Powers. Hence the lean angle doesn't give a proportional amount of turning through the profile of the tire. But the center contact patch is greater for the Pilot Roads, FWIW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 I LOVE the powers, but I will say one thing about dragging pegs... There's a corner on the way to work that I drag the right peg feeler pretty frequently... I'd drag it almost every day on the Powers at 50mph, but with the Diablos, I can go through at 53-55 before I drag... I think it's because with the Powers and their triangle profile, they give "real" sport bikes the same amount of clearance at crazy lean angles, but at the meager angles that the 'bird drags, we're in the middle of the triangle part, and therefore have less ground clearance than we would on a more round tire. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkxx Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Pete, did they balance up well without a lot of weight? No dot on the tires, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Para045 Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 I LOVE the powers, but I will say one thing about dragging pegs... There's a corner on the way to work that I drag the right peg feeler pretty frequently... I'd drag it almost every day on the Powers at 50mph, but with the Diablos, I can go through at 53-55 before I drag... I think it's because with the Powers and their triangle profile, they give "real" sport bikes the same amount of clearance at crazy lean angles, but at the meagre angles that the 'bird drags, we're in the middle of the triangle part, and therefore have less ground clearance than we would on a more round tire. Mike It is interesting that you say this because I recently (due to shortage of $$) went from a PP fr and PR r to Shinko 005's which have a more rounded profile. I can do similar speeds through corners on the 005's as the pilots but I feel I need to hang off more and it takes a lot more effort to get them leaned over and have the same speed, yet with the pilots and the pegs being lower due to Dave's brackets I was constantly wearing the sides off the sides of my boots ( no feelers ) I think I will go back to the PP on the front with my next set and depending on the wear maybe a PR2 on the rear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollie Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 There's a Continental Tire made specifically for the bird, busa and zxr1200 and 1400. I forget what they are called, but they have a zero degree belt, and I'm not sure of what that means. (my guess would be more traction and less wear, but not sure). The powers are awsome though; I tried those on a 954 (not mine), and they were just incredible for a whole track day, and even better on the way home. Love them. I was told a good combo is power front and road in the back. I'm a Michelin guy. The Contis just look like a better deal for me at the moment. I just bought the bike, so I don't really want spend a fortune on tires as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon haney Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 With tire companies changing rubber compounds and constructions every year, it's hard to say this street tire is better than that street tire and have it be true for more than a few months. Last year I tried the Pilot Powers on my 99 Bird and was not that impressed. They had good grip, but the feedback was not as good as the Dunlop 208 street tires that I had before. Now I have the new street Qualifiers and they are definitely my favorite. I shaved a full second off of my best lap time at Hallett Raceway in Oklahoma. Just got back from the Star Racing school at Heartland Park Topeka and they performed great there too. Jason Pridmore was involved in the testing of the new Qualifier and told Dunlop that they would make a great replacement for the 208GP tires. He didn't know at the time that he was testing a new street tire. They put them on all of the bikes they use for the school. I'm sold. I haven't tried any other brands recently, so I can't say that Dunlop is the best. Just the best I've tried. Just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exskibum Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Yep -- but I get 4,500 miles from new to belts ready to show on the rear Powers. Have one to change out right now, so Bird is sitting until I get a few hours free to do the work. I'm running Pilot Roads on the FJR and like tehm on that bike, not to mention a little better mileage out of them on anotehr bike that eats tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXTi Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 I like the Powers too. I've just worn out my first rear Power at about 3,000 miles. Not too bad for a soft tire and the handling improvement is well worth the few extra $ for the reduced life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 Yeah, Pilot Powers are pretty decent tires.... although I prefer Metzeler M3's. Pilot Roads on the other hand I didn't like so much... it seemed they were shaped like "U", they didn't roll through turns at all, and quite a bit more slippery than sport tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in PA Posted May 19, 2007 Author Share Posted May 19, 2007 Pete, did they balance up well without a lot of weight? No dot on the tires, right? Yep no dots. :icon_thumbsdown: The rear needed no weights the front needed an entire ounce. (4 1/4 oz stick ons) I think that is the most I've ever put on the front. Isn't there a post somewhere stating what the max amount of weight allowed to add front and rear is? I should probably dismount and spin the tire 180 degrees. Pain in the ass, I'd rather ride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinskii Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 Has anyone compared the Pilot Powers to the Metzler Z6's? I've been running Metzlers ever since I decided that I liked them much better than my Dunlops a few hundred tires (and motorcycles) ago. My only complaint is that once they start to wear out, they go very quickly. I typically get about 4000 miles out of them, and they seem to stick to the road okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rider99XX Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 I've been doing track days on Pilot Powers and I must say they are the best tires I've ever put on the XX. They stick well and their predictable. The set I have on now have 5 track days and a weeks worth of riding at Deals Gap and the surrounding roads and they still have some life in them. PPs are great tires for the Blackbird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Para045 Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 Isn't there a post somewhere stating what the max amount of weight allowed to add front and rear is? My manual says no more than 60 grams ( 2.116 oz ) on each wheel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R1000 Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 They are great! Border on telepathic! So smooth from straight up to fully heeled over. In a half hour I was already dragging pegs and chewing up Bib (the Michelin man on the edge of the rear tire). They also absorb bumps straight up and leaned over better then any tire I've had. At 78k miles this is the first set of sport tires I've mounted on my XX. I'm sure I'll toast the rear in 2k miles or less but I'll have fun doing it! I've always used the Pilot Powers on my GSX R1000 -03. They have also been used on a CBR 1000 F -92 and now on the Blackbird -97. The downside is that they wear out very quick on a heavy and strong bike. The fact that they replace old tires and one also knows they are about the grippiest road tyre to buy also boost the impression. I believe one would run as fast on any new decent tyre if one believed it is a real sticky tyre. The commitment and confidence in a tire plays a greater role than the tire itself. If one look on e.g. classic racing where people get better lap times than most human, on old bikes and old type tires, that shows how much of the grip that is in the head and not only in the tires. My next set on the Bird will be the new Bridgestone BT021, they should be more than enough grippy on road, like the Mexeler Z6 are, and does not need to be replaced as often as the Michelin PP. However, I agree that the PP are awesome and the tire to trust when the going gets tuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodster Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 Has anyone tried matching a sticky front with a longer-life back, eg Pilot Sport on the front, Pilot Road on the back? I'm guessing this combination won't work as you guys say the profile is lots different but I remember this is how I used to run Michelins on other bikes. I always run a sticky front which normally lasts as long as a longer-life back so I can change them as a pair. Still got the original Dunlops on my 02 Bird so starting to think about what to replace them with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 Has anyone tried matching a sticky front with a longer-life back, eg Pilot Sport on the front, Pilot Road on the back? I'm guessing this combination won't work as you guys say the profile is lots different but I remember this is how I used to run Michelins on other bikes. I always run a sticky front which normally lasts as long as a longer-life back so I can change them as a pair. Still got the original Dunlops on my 02 Bird so starting to think about what to replace them with. Do a search... LOTS of posts on that very subject... Yes, it works. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Para045 Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 Has anyone tried matching a sticky front with a longer-life back, eg Pilot Sport on the front, Pilot Road on the back? I'm guessing this combination won't work as you guys say the profile is lots different but I remember this is how I used to run Michelin's on other bikes. I always run a sticky front which normally lasts as long as a longer-life back so I can change them as a pair. Still got the original Dunlops on my 02 Bird so starting to think about what to replace them with. A lot of guys here in Aus run the Pilot Power front and Pilot Road rear and Love the combination, I was until a month ago when I put the Shinko's on and I think I will go back depending on the life I get from the Shinko's The main reason I changed was the $100 a set difference in price and being a bit short on $$ at the time and the fact I do most of my riding as commuting ~135km a day although that is on some windy/bumpy rural roads so I still need something that handles OK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilisht2003 Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 i'm prolly gonna run powers on my 1098 next i think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Dave Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 I put Powers on mine and just ran 4 tankfuls of gas thru the bike at Deal's Gap last week and I gave up way before they got near their limit. Combo of not being a fool and not wanting to crash. I have about 2/3 of an inch chicken strip on the back.Mostly run in 3rd gear as I had it step out twice in 2nd gear leaving a corner. I don't want to paint the bike again, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 Pete, did they balance up well without a lot of weight? No dot on the tires, right? Yep no dots. :icon_thumbsdown: The rear needed no weights the front needed an entire ounce. (4 1/4 oz stick ons) I just received my Pilot Power front. The 14 came with a new PP rear and a shagged Bridgestone front. Anyway, it's marked- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkxx Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 Anyway, it's marked- I'm sorry, I can't see it. There is a painted dot on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 The white spot on the bead, it'll be hidden once the tire is mounted- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 I always thought that was just a date code sticker put "just anywhere" Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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