Kawasaki Versys Forum banner

Are the stock V tires really that bad?

55K views 184 replies 91 participants last post by  DK35vince 
#1 ·
Been reading up on the Dunlop 221 tires and are they as bad as most of the user reviews say they are? The 221's are the only experience I have with street tires and so far they seem adequate to the way I ride. I plan on upgrading to the Michelin Pilot 3's when needed however I may do it sooner than later if the 221's are a less superior tire than others.....
 
#103 ·
Was just mentioning the chicken strips as an indication of the confidence these tires inspire me (not scientific proof of what tires can do). I have about 120000km of experience with motorcycles, and I've tried tons of bikes from all makes and styles, and chicken strips usually disappear after 150km on the bike, that is when I feel I can push the bike without feeling the rear (or front) wanting to slide out all the time...I bought many new bikes and have never been SUPER impressed by the stock tires (exemption made for my 2009 Speed Triple that came with Metzeller Sportec M3s), but the Versys has by far the worse stock tires I've seen. I wouldnt want to be caught riding them on a curvy road on a cold rainy day, they'll feel like hard plastic...
 
#105 ·
http://sixthgearbikereview.blogspot.ca/2009/04/longtermer-test-kawasaki-versys-650.html

"After 5000 miles of faithless wet and icy conditions, and god knows how many binned sets of unwashable undercrackers, the Dunlops were ditched gratefully for the (newly introduced at the time) Bridgestone 021 dual compound treaded tyres. Initially the tyres went on and scrubbed in unbelievably fast, in I suppose about 50 miles as opposed to about 200 for the Dunlops. The Bridgestones have the same compound as the D221, but only for the centre portion of the tread, whereas the shoulders have a(slightly) softer compound, to give more supple and reassured cornering. Just changing the tyres alone transformed the bikes performance in the wet from a nerve wrecking to a pretty competent tool, and in the dry, unbelievably good grin inducing goodness.

Don’t go trying this in the wet kids, turn out those pockets and replace those budget O.E Dunlops asap! Don’t be a Scrooge! Good tyres and good suspension set up will transform the Versys into an unlikely, yet formidable tool."
 
#106 ·
I'm using Michelin Pilot Road 3s. Great tire! I find I can push harder and do things I wouldn't dream of doing on the Dunlops. They're also super rain tires, best I've ever had in that respect.
 
#107 ·
Amen, replace those doggie Dunlops. They tried to kill me more than once. :)

As posted elsewhere, I have put trust in Metzeler Z8 Roadtec Interacts - just FINE tires. They use the same rubber across the entire tire so there's not boundary between different rubber types, but they vary the belt tension to make the center more wear resistant and the edges more grippy. See: http://www.us.metzelermoto.com/web/products/newproducts/roadtecz8/product_features/default.page
I had a pair of the Sportec's, really nice sticky tires, but unfortunately you'll grind them down in a few thousand miles. The Roadtec's are more sport touring durable, but last much longer, as mentioned on a few other threads here.
 
#108 ·
I have a BT-016 off my BMW S1000RR. The BMW was too much bike for the 016, so it now lives on the front of the V.
I'm trying the Michelin PR2 on the rear. It feels pretty good in town. We have a trip planed for this weekend, so I'll test it over the passes in the Eastern Sierra's.

The BT-016 worked great on my CBR1K and feels right at home on the V. :yeahsmile:
 
#111 · (Edited)
Yeah I read somewhere that there was a normal version and a supermoto version. Couldnt find the normal version even on the Heidenau web site. If it last through Fall and Spring, it will be a 300$ well spent for the extra grip in tough conditions and cold weather :)

I'll certainly post a review once I've got them on the bike and see how long they last...if I find they melt pretty fast I'll just put some Michelin PR2 during summer and swap these for when the average temperature goes under 10C...quick warm up is more then welcomed lately around here.
 
#116 ·

Yeah I know, I'm waiting for new windshield rubbers to reinstall it (ordered 8 for 40$...but at least after that I will be able to adjust the screen without having to removing/tare apart the rubbers)




Ok so here they are on the bike!

Here are the first impressions:
-They look great
-Rode them in 5C (40F) weather to bring back home, a little highway, some riding in town, and I was surprised how confidence inspiring they were (didnt feel slippery like new tires usually do and even more so considering the low temperature).
Changed handling quite a bit, it makes the bike "fall" into curves. After a few km I got used to it and it actually feels great!
-No noise or anything noticeable at 130km/h
-Tried them on packed dirt and the grip is pretty impressive.
-Predictions the compound feels so soft that in cold weather I expect them to last maybe 3-4000km, in hot summer weather though I think these would simply evaporate under agressive riding...

Will keep you posted as I put more milleage on them, but really so far they are exactly what I was wishing for Fall/Spring tires for our canadian weather, and once they are broken in, I think the grip will simply be nothing short of amazing. Just glad I got the crappy stockers off before they got me off the bike :)
 
#117 · (Edited)


Love em, love em, love em! Took them on country roads and packed dirt/gravel roads today. These are just brilliant in this cold weather, no warm up time necessary, they just stick from the get go...and it just makes the Versys even more nimble then with stock tires! And on the dirt roads it's really awesome and confidence inspiring too, I tried braking in wet grass, wet dirt, gravel, and really they are super predictable.
 
#118 ·
That is one good looking tire :) No wait, two of 'em! I'm just afraid it won't survive long on my Autobahn cruises... :( So I'm going to stick to Bridgestone BT023. I really like the BT023. Just as agile as Pilot Road 2, but it lasts longer, and it's full fun from beginning to end.
 
#119 ·
Yeah for sure these won't beat longevity records. But if I did highway cruises and thought I might catch some cold rain or snow, I think I'd live well with the short life span to get the maximum grip :) But like I said, these will come off just before summer, and go back on at Fall. The colder the temperature the longer they should last...
 
#120 ·
The stock Dunlops were fine for me, once they were scrubbed-in. Then again, I don't ride the Versys like I rode my VFR, so the tires didn't have to be as sticky. I recently replaced them with Pirelli Scorpion Trails, which are billed as 90/10 street/dirt; they're basically Pirelli's Scorpion with a bigger blockier tread pattern. The Scorpion Trails are stickier on the asphalt than the Dunlops, and the tread pattern gives them some more grip on packed dirt and on gravel roads. So, the Dunlops are good commuter tires - they still had plenty of tread on them at 6k miles when I took them off - but there are better tires available for pretty much any kind of riding you do.
 
#124 ·
I felt bad that it took 53 wks to put 10,000 miles on the stockers.
Just finished mounting the bt-023s & have come to the conclusion that I will probably just write a check next time. This was the only maint. on my list at this time and figured since it was abt 0 deg f & the wilf was in south beach, I'd do it myself. It seems that each decade adds to the difficulty of the task and will now pass it off on the kids.
 
#125 ·
Finally got my stock tires changed out a couple weeks ago after 8,000 miles. Put on the Michelin PR3s and wow... what a difference! Cannot believe I stuck with the originals for so long. My confidence in corners and on wet roads has been completely renewed, and then some!

I did have a fun time getting the tires to the shop to be changed though. :thumb:

 
#127 ·
Great set up to transport your tires. Few things make me happier than being able to use the bike for transporting cargo!

Looks like your rear tire was well flattened in the center and ready for replacement. The PR3s are awesome, so happy with mine.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top