What's up all?
So yesterday I finally got my new tires slapped on, after a week long wait to get them in. The tires I chose are Continental Road attacks, here's a link if you wanna check em out...
http://www.continental.de/generator/www/de/en/continental/motorcycle/themes/motorcycletires/sport_touring/road_attack/roadattack_en.html
If you type Conti Road Attack into google, you will get a couple of good reviews from other folks, specifically from VFR world and Canyon Chasers.
Initially I was attracted to the unique look of these tires, but being a rather aggressive rider, needed to find out if they worked well. After reading a couple of reviews from folks who seemed like they could ride at least as well and probably better than me, I decided to go with them. Mine were paid for as part of a prepaid maintenance program, but the cost for the dealer was around $138 for the rear, and $118 for the front.
Now that I've filled you in on all the boring stuff, let me tell you how they work.
In a word, phenomenal!
Upon first sitting on the bike, the bars seemed a bit heavier to move, I assume partially due to the fact that these tires are a bit grippier. Pulling away, the heavy feeling continued, which was a bit of a surprise to me, after the reviews I read, I expected uber quickness out of them....read on. Much like another review, I noticed much better shock absorption from these tires, they make the bike far less bouncy (I have my suspension set pretty heavy on the preload) and transmit far less road nastiness to me. I read this is due to the heavy construction of these tires, makes sense. So off to the supreme pretzel works of on and off ramps of the area to get them scrubbed in a bit. First one, good, no traffic, and Holy f*****g s**t!!! These things tip in well, and once you get them in, they stay where you put them. I felt like I could drag my peg and wave with one hand, no problem!!! These tires are VERY stable, the complete opposite of those trash Dunlops (I've hated Dunlop ever since I found out how rancid they made my YZF feel). On this bike and on my YZF, the Dunlops made my bike feel nervous and hard to control. The Contis take some getting used to after coming off the Ds, as instead of fighting to keep the bike on a line, you have to learn to get them where you want them, and then just let the bike follow your line. If you need to change it a bit, no problem, a bit o' love on the bars, or a little body english, and pow, corrections made!!! Whereas I felt like I had to remain very still and keep very light on the bars with the Ds to avoid upsetting the bike mid corner, the Contis are stable enough for you to make corrections without the bike wobbling about, and still feel very responsive. Then off to the local mountain passes and highways...Several times I found myself initially going deeper into a corner than needed, as the bike just goes down so easily now. The grip on these things is amazing, I had the Ds for about 6k miles, and still had chicken strips (albeit tiny ones) on them!!! These took 50 miles to get edge to edge (barely) and 60 for me to scrape a peg!!! Not that I would recommend this as an intelligent scrub in practice... I've gotten about 200 miles on them and will report back on how they wear if anyone is interested. As usual, here's some pics for ya to oogle!
Fukken cheers,
Erik!!

Thanks for the report!

Good info to have. I swore I would never have a set of Continental tires after the miserable performance I had with a set of ContiTrac's on my old Bronco. But it sounds like they can at least make a good motorcycle tire.

Awesome looking tires, and a great write-up. Will file this away.
p.

After your write up I'm interested in these. Have you tried them on wet roads yet? And please keep us updated on how they wear.

Went for a big and heavily aggressive ride today, and learned a few things...
1. I am now comfortable dragging my pegs on the ground.
2. These tires grip like a vise right up to the edge.
3. The "edge" happens not to far after pegs are firmly dragging.
3.5 Skipping can occur when traction is on the way out.
4. The tires regain grip quickly with proper throttle application. *whew*
5. R-1's can lean A LOT further than V.'s *DAMN*
6. Riding corners supermoto style with leg out and up near yer mirror is pretty damn fun, and actually gives a bit o' confidence.
As for the wet handling, I have gotten in the rain in the twisties with them a bit now, and they seem to hold pretty well, although to be honest, my usually aggressive behaviour tames down quite a bit in the wet. Never been too sure about how much I can push it in rain, and not really interested in finding out!!!
I will report on wear after about 2500 miles or so, when I can make a better judgement.
Fukken cheers,
Erik!!!
P.S. One more thing to add to your pre-ride checklist...I noticed my left footpeg loosened up a bit on my ride today, don't want that guy falling off!

Moto,
Maybe you dragged the left peg a bit too much???:)

The conti's sound pretty good. Keep giving the reviews. I don't think that I'm as aggressive a rider as you, but it's nice to know what your tires are capable of handling.

Are you running factory suggested tire pressures?

In the Honda ST (Sport Touring) community, discovered that the bike handled much better and tire wear improved when we boosted the tire pressure over recommended by the OEM. I personally run 42 front and 46 rear all the time now. The Honda ST1100 is a heavy pig at parking lot speeds but handles waaaaaaaaaaay better at speed :)

With the Versys weighing so much less, a little experimentation with tire pressures might reduce the "heavy feeling" you experienced.

Red

Thanks red, I saw something about that on the VFR forums as well, I am planning to up the pressures today actually, now that I have had a chance to see how they are with stock pressure. Will mos def report here how they feel then.
As far as the aggression level goes, remember folks that these are the least aggressive in the Attack line-up. There are also Sport Attacks, Race Attacks, and Race Attack rain (NHS).
Tat, can you drag a peg TOO much?!?!:eek:
Fukken cheers,
Erik!!!

Hooligan, Do you post on the KLR forum?[/QUOTE]

Has anyone had any experience with Scorpion sync's. I have been kind of leaning in that direction but have no personal experiece with them.

Has anyone had any experience with Scorpion sync's. I have been kind of leaning in that direction but have no personal experiece with them.

I have a little over 500 miles on my syncs and I love them. Great handling tires. Much more confidence inspiring than the stockers. No chicken strips on my syncs now. :D

I was considering getting a set of the Scorpions for the winter time... Not that they are gonna be good snow tires, but surely better in such an emergency than the Conti's!:eek: Baddone, how is the turn in and the cornering stability? These are two of my biggest concerns, especially after finding a tire I like so much as the Conti's! With no chicken strips they must be far better than those damn Dunflops!!!
Fukken cheers,
Erik!!!

Turn in is very precise and stability is rock solid. With the suspension tuned and the Syncs rolling the V is one stable platform and more capeable than me....... for now. :yeahsmile:

All,

How are the sync's on gravel and sand?

I had a set of these on my Honda ST1300 and after one trip to ride the "3 sister" in the hill country of Texas, the sides were worn out so the tires took on the Shape of a V rather than an oval. After that, the bike was especially hard to control, especially at high speed as the sharp V angle seemed to catch on every uneven road surface and tended to try and track on their own. I still had over half the tread on the center of the tires, but the edges were gone. The road surfaces in the Hill Country are known to eat tires and they certainly did these. When new they were great, but I think they don't have much of a live on the heavier bikes. I replaced them with the new Dunlap Streetsmarts and we'll see what happens.

Alright, I've now got about 11,100 miles on the V. and about 5000 on the Conti's. They seem to be wearing fairly well, (better than anything I put on My YZF 600) and look like they will last about another 1000 miles. The front and rear are wearing fairly evenly. I do a lot of stoppies and quite a few wheelies. The rear has got a fairly large flat spot in the center, due no doubt to my wheelying and long largely straight :mad: commute. The fronts have some weird wear on them with the rear of some of the blocks seeming to be going faster than the front. I assume this is due to the stoppies, and does not really seem to have any ill effect on the ride. I will get a couple of pics up if anyone is interested... I have pretty much decided these will be replaced with Pirelli Scorpion Syncs, and should have them on in the next month or two.
Aus,
Erik!!!

I had a pair of the Conti Road Attacks on my ST1300 and got very poor mileage out of them. I had to change them after about 3K miles. The edges wore off quickly while the center still had some tread at 3K miles. I can attribute most of this I believe to riding the "3 Sisters" in the Hill country for a couple of days. The pavement on these roads is that hard, big gravel, embedding in the tar and makes for a VERY rough surface. The ST1300 weighs in over 700 lbs and is very hard on tires when riding aggressively. Anyway, I put a set of Roadsmarts on it and we'll see how they wear.

I am super happy with my 150/70/17 Anakee 2 and 120/70/17 Roadsmart. Transformed the bike into a very nice handling machine.

The Anakee is no good in mud tho, got stuck the other day in the woods and thought I was going to have to call for help. Unhitched the panniers and got off the bike to make it lighter and got out barely after 20 yards of slop. This is no dirt bike, way too heavy!

I liked the agressive look and feel of the Avon Distanzia's I put on my KLR, do they come in sizes for the V?

I always loved the Metzeler tires, but now i've got a set of Dunlop Roadsmarts and they are great. Very impressive in the wet.

Ofcourse not suitable for off road use

Paul

After 2000 kilometers on my Pirelli Scorpions - they are starting to square off. After a hard ride through the twisties a few weekends ago - I came back and found little stringy things like eraser shavings all over my tires. Never seen this before. I'm not as impressed with the Scorpions as I was with the RoadTec's from Metzler. For me, the Metlzers felt planted and solid on the road. They wore evenly and didn't have much squaring off towards the end of their life span at 12,000 kilometers. After the Pirelli's are worn out - I'll switch back to the RoadTec's. They have a new model of the RoadTec's coming out next spring. Hope they'll be as good as the last one.

Hooligan, Do you post on the KLR forum?

I used to...

Has anyone tried the Michelin Pilot Road 2? I'm thinking of putting a set on the V very soon. My rear is developing the squared off "straight line rider" look. There just aren't enough twisties around here! The Versys has a stock rear tire size of 160/60/17. Has anyone tried a 170/60/17? Would anyone even recommend such a thing?

I ordered my Scorpion Syncs last week. I was told the front tire is on back order and it will supposively be a couple of weeks. I just got my bike and have 1100 miles on it. I don't like the Dunlops and wanted a tire I could use all around. The winter is coming soon and I plan on trying to ride most of it. Well except for the snow days since I am in Colorado. I wish the Anakees had the matching front tire. I think I would have ordered that instead.

I ran 2 sets of RA's on my Speed Triple,wet performance was very good,got 6000 out of the first set and about5200 out of the second,I am going to try a set on my Versys as it seems very easy on tires with the OEM Dunlops lasting over 5k on mine

I had a pair of the Conti Road Attacks on my ST1300 and got very poor mileage out of them. I had to change them after about 3K miles. The edges wore off quickly while the center still had some tread at 3K miles. I can attribute most of this I believe to riding the "3 Sisters" in the Hill country for a couple of days. The pavement on these roads is that hard, big gravel, embedding in the tar and makes for a VERY rough surface. The ST1300 weighs in over 700 lbs and is very hard on tires when riding aggressively. Anyway, I put a set of Roadsmarts on it and we'll see how they wear.
Just keep an eye on the FRONT,I am on a sport-touring forum (over 10 years) and on heavier bikes like the St13 and Fjr the front roadsmart goes away quick.I have seen it firsthand and these guys are people whom I have know for years,check and adjust tire pressure regularly, so its the tire.They were averaging 3000 to bald .We think the front isn't constructed heavy enough so it puts too much heat into the rubber compound destroying it

Ocean- Tire scrub "little stringy things" means your tires were working.

Ocean- Tire scrub "little stringy things" means your tires were working.

This is a normal thing?

These are my third set of new tires on a motorcycle - started riding three years ago. Changed the Michelin Pilot Sports on my BMW to Metzler RoadTecs - never saw this problem. But, then maybe I didn't run the tires as hard as I did with the Pirelli Scorpions. I ran the tires hard that day I met up with the other Versys riders in Peterborough. What a ride.

Tell me more.

has anyone tried the Pirelli Diablo,s on there V ?

I've got 12,000 km. on my Pirelli Diablo Stradas. The rear is done.

Dunlop Roadsmart rear awaiting equivalent front for mounting next season.

I will be revisiting Avon Strorm STs for my second set next season. They bring out the hooligan in you and the V. :)

BBM


has anyone tried the Pirelli Diablo,s on there V ?

I was about to get the Conti's when I rode a couple other bikes that had Michelin Pilot Road 2. (Aprilla Tuono, ZZR1200, SV100) When to a small bike shop that had them in stock. They also took a half hour with me on it to set the suspension ($25) to my weight. The difference was night and day compared to the dunlops. Put 200 miles on the next day and every turn made me grin. Now I find my self looking to try somthing stupid. Not sure why the don't come factory. the first reviews of this bike would have been alot different

Are people not finding the oem tires satisfactory? i had a little issue the other night crossing over a trolly track in Boston are a narrow angle, but did not consider this a tire issue but a rider issue.... all was well the bike straitened right out with a bit of additional power and i was off again....

Alright, I've now got about 11,100 miles on the V. and about 5000 on the Conti's. They seem to be wearing fairly well, (better than anything I put on My YZF 600) and look like they will last about another 1000 miles. The front and rear are wearing fairly evenly. I do a lot of stoppies and quite a few wheelies. The rear has got a fairly large flat spot in the center, due no doubt to my wheelying and long largely straight :mad: commute. The fronts have some weird wear on them with the rear of some of the blocks seeming to be going faster than the front. I assume this is due to the stoppies, and does not really seem to have any ill effect on the ride. I will get a couple of pics up if anyone is interested... I have pretty much decided these will be replaced with Pirelli Scorpion Syncs, and should have them on in the next month or two.
Aus,
Erik!!!

Funny wear on the front may be an air pressure issue. I'm a big fan of Bridgestone 020 and 021 (sport touring) but have only used them on my ZRX1200 and ZZR1200, big heavy powerful bikes.I have no V yet. No chicken strips though, well maybe little ones on the ZZR. Oh, my point, I called Bridgestone and talked directly with someone in product development and they gave me specific tire pressures for the bike/tire. I'm wondering if you tried to call Continental for the same info. I'll bet you can. The Bridgestone guy gave me a wealth of info. Worth a call. Good info from ya', sounds like you're lovin' the V. can't wait for mine.

Are people not finding the oem tires satisfactory? i had a little issue the other night crossing over a trolly track in Boston are a narrow angle, but did not consider this a tire issue but a rider issue.... all was well the bike straitened right out with a bit of additional power and i was off again....

I like the stockers!

Ed:yeahsmile:

I think Mountainrider's lack of Peg feelers are a good indication of the Stock tires! That was an impressive picture of His Peg for sure! I have stayed with the stock tires on my KLR for the simple fact that they are the same tire every time. I will probably do the same with the V. You are always going to find a surface that doesn't feel quite right with the Tires you have. Attacking the corners is always fun, but, some roads just won't hold the grip like others. And like others have pointed out, the tire pressure does play a big roll in the wear you get out of them. I personally am finding that the stock tires are allowing me to turn into corners at least 20 km/hr faster than any Bike I've ridden with GREAT confidence with the "New" still on the tire yet! Scarry to think that there is better grip out there yet.

good thread - bringing this over from another thread.....

trying to decide on getting different tires than the stock for the cold temps - below 35f -

here were some recommendations from the other thread:
"Your best bet for sub-freezing conditions would be a set of softer compound super motard tires, such as Maxxis Presa Supermotard M6118/M6119. Front 120/70-17 is DOT approved in available medium compound, and rear 160/60-17 DOT approved in medium or hard compound. There's also Continental ContiForce SM, Avon Distanzia Supermoto, and Pirelli MT 60 RS Corsa...

http://www.maxxis.com/MotorcycleATV/Racing.aspx
http://www.conti-bike.co.uk/default.asp?spid=6
http://www.avon-tyres.co.uk/motorcyc...howspecs&id=21
http://www.pirellityre.com/web/catal...T_60_CORSA.xml"
------------------
anyone have any cold weather experience with any of these, or others?

I have had a pair of Pirreli Scorpion syncs on for a week and love them. Anyone want to buy of stock tires? 1300 miles on them. They work much better in the cold weather than the stockers. I live in Colorado and needed something different.

Hawkeye,
the stock tires are absolutely horrible in my opinion. This is not something you can possibly realise till you try a different set. When I rode my V. for the first 6500 miles, it just felt rather flighty in the corners, leaned over it felt like you had to have an absurd light touch on the bars or the bike was all over the place. I ride pretty aggressively, bear in mind.. With the Contis, the bike all of the sudden felt bolted down and solid, like you could jump around on the bike mid corner with no upset. I could drag a peg one handed, it's that stable. NOt to mention the benefit of cost... Most oem replacement objects are absurdly priced, and the stock tires are no different. They were somewhere in the neighborhood of $120 more than the Contis. Although I am now considering a more heavily sport oriented tire to replace the Contis. Michelin Pilot CT2 or Bridgestone BT016. These are both three compound tires that I'm told grip like a bastard in the extreme corners, and wear like iron down the centre. This centre wear thing is an issue for me, and I've recently heard stories of the Scorps wearing kinda quickly there...
Blipco...
Although I did not contact Continental directly, I did read about the rep telling a VFR owner to pump up the pressures to around 36-37 front and 41-42 in the rear. That is about what I run as well. I believe the odd wear is due to the heavy pressure put on by stoppies. The wear is at the back of a lateral tread bloc which would indicate heavy pressure there. That area would certainly be under such pressure when in nasty stoppie mode. And since it is the back side and has no more support behind it, would deform more than the front causing the uneven wear. But, who knows, and like I said doesn't seem to affect anything, so I am not too concerned about it.

Motodevil, I probably don't ride as hard as you but on my 520 lb. dry wt. ZZR1200 I put on BT021's I have 7000 miles on them with mostly highway miles and there is barely a flat spot in the middle. I had a Speed Four Triumph with 6000 miles on the BT014's which were very grippy and stable but had a huge flat spot with the same type of miles (same happened to the 010's).That bike, I would push hard in corners but it only weighed 375 lbs. but only 89 HP as opposed to about 145 hp with the ZZR and one half the torque. The 021's are the tire the cycle mags put on the Busa and the ZX14 so their test riders can get more miles out of them. From the pics, it never looks like they have a problem with grip. I love the Bridgestones. Stoppies? In my dreams. Keep us informed with your choice, good info.:thumb: