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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.....
 
#65 ·
The stock tires aren't too bad I think. I've riden them in down pour with the roads having a lot of water on them and riding the bike at 65+ the tires felt fine. On turns you just have to watch alittle, they will slip out but will grab again. As for dirt I also put them through the paces and they did fine there also. I was out on an ADV ralley in JT and the ride I was on was with KTM 950's, Vstroms, XR650, and KLR650, I was able to keep right up with the bik bikes in the dirt and mud roads.
 

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#66 ·
Well I have been over gravel, dirt, wet pavement and oily pavement. Just watch out for oil on the pavement... That is the most dangerous!! The tires are fine but they are not like some of those gummy bears.
 
#69 ·
IMO, YES, THE STOCK TIRES ARE CRAP! At least mine are. There's a possibility it is partly age related. History: I bought my 09 a few months ago with 1800 miles on it. I don't know if the bike was sold in 08 or 09 - I guess I could look it up. Anyway, although the tread looks fine, i nearly lost the front three times on an 800 mile ride this weekend. To put it in perspective, I've ridden the same set of twisties faster, and safer, on my KLR650, also running a street-oriented Dunlop. I actually had the front end tuck on me Friday - and somehow I managed to save it. Later that afternoon, I felt the front slip again. Both of those were in the dry, on a warm day. Sunday, in the rain, I had the front slip again, but I wasn't going anywhere fast enough to warrant it.

These tires are coming off this weekend, with only 3000 miles on them, and I'm going to hole saw them so no one will think they can mount them up. What CRAP!
 
#70 ·
It's been a while... My bike has almost 30,000 miles now...

If my memory is correct, the stock tires were fine until they near the end of life... I remember my front start slipping around 4000 miles or so and I rode it less aggressively for another few hundred miles and replaced them...
 
#71 ·
I replaced my OEM Dunlops (with Michelin RP3s) on my 2011 at 5200 miles last week in preparation for a 19 day haul that will be around 5500 miles total.
The rear looked like it had a bit of cupping going on but was probably good for another 3 or 4k...
We didn't really look closely to the front tire as we were losing daylight.
I live in Florida so 99% of those 5200 miles were in a straight line.
 
#76 ·
...I live in Florida so 99% of those 5200 miles were in a straight line.
WOW! I would've thought that Florida had AT LEAST ONE turn... :stickpoke: !

I have found that hitting a tar snake when leaned over in a turn is not a good thing on any type or brand of street tire, expecially when its hot out. You have to watch for them and adjust your line, speed and lean angle accordingly.
X 2! And my new ContiMotions do it too.
 
#72 ·
Have almost 4500 miles on my original 09. Bought the bike new in may 2011. I have noticed that the rear tire has "slipped" several times when riding on paved roads where cracks have been sealed with tar (tar snakes). Not a pleasant experience to have the back slide out 1 or 2 inches.

Still plenty of tread on both front and rear tires, I only weigh 150 lbs and hardly ever ride 2 up.

This is my first bike where I plan to get new tires when needed, but I was watching tread wear, and very little tread has worn.

Am I being too conservative? Is there a mileage number where you should replace them? :feedback:
 
#73 ·
I don't think you're being too conservative at all. Don't have a ton of experience with bike tires specifically, but tires in general wear EXTREMELY differently with varying conditions, and perhaps between batches. Some have complained about the stock Dunlops being either gone or unusable at 4000 miles, others have made it all the way to 11,000 with few issues. The 221's have always felt really squirrely to me in the wet, so I've been waiting for them to wear out so I can try something new (I hate ditching stuff before it's used up, and they're pretty decent on dry tarmac). 8400 miles later and I'm still waiting, and look to be waiting a while longer yet.

Oh, and re: the tar snake thing, I don't know if any tire truly deals with those well.
 
#75 ·
I rode the stockers until about 6,000 miles. Probably could have ridden a lot more miles. I'm a non-agressive rider however up in the mountains I tend to push it a little more, at least by my standards of riding. I purchased the PR2's a few months back after I got caught in a rain storm coming home from the mountains. I just didn't feel comfortable anymore on the stock tires in wet, slick conditions. The PR2's are noticably better tires. Even at slow speeds the bike dives into turns. Overall, its a better V experience with better tires.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have ridden the stockers for 3-4,000 miles (just to get my money's worth) and then make the switch.

Basically, stock tires are OK however a better tire such as the PR2's are much much better.
 
#77 ·
I changed the originals out around 5,000 miles. I could tell that they were getting worse as they wore down. There was a certain "vagueness" in corners. For the most part they were adequate for commuting and the type of riding that I do. I'm as frugal as anyone, so didn't want to change them out too early. When I got the screw in the front tire last week, that was just the excuse to change them out that I needed.

The Michelin PR2s have a much more planted feel to them. I love 'em! :thumb:

GDI
 
#79 ·
OEM Dunlops

These are really poor tyres, they offer very little grip. I look for tyres that give decent mileage and the best grip possible and ride in "touring" mode not sport. I did persevere with the OEM Dunlops despite the front letting go on the left side after a 300km + run on a cool day. Expensive sums that one up. It let go again on a 28c + day, again on the left side, the front slipped but I managed to push it back up more by luck than judgement. I got 10,000 odd kms before the rear was done but could never enjoy the bike as I had no confidence in the tyre after the second incident. I still have my Versys but rarely ride it now though I will try some Avon Distanzias next year and see if I can regain some confidence in the bike.
 
#82 ·
I use my V a lot on track days and the stock Dunlops tires are horrible. Hard rubber, no confidence on the front while cornering, feels like it is going to wash out. I put Bridgestone Bt014 front and back, got about 10000 km out of them. Now i have some Michelins Pilots on. Change those tires if you want to scrape the foot pegs.
For a bit of light off-road have a look at Avon tires.
 
#91 ·
...Change those tires if you want to scrape the foot pegs....
FWIW - I dragged my 'pegs (well, at least the 'feeler'... :thumb:) aprox. 7 times on my AZ '08, on the ORIGINAL Dunlops, during the rest of the winter season after I took an Advanced Riding Course from Ron Ariel.

It's now on its THIRD or FOURTH set of other rubber, currently Metzler Tourance.
:D
 
#86 ·
Mine's getting Scorpion Trails for Christmas. Still lots of miles on the Dungflops but I just have zero confidence in them, especially when it gets damp.
 
#87 ·
I have never come across the Scorpion Trail here in Canada though I guess someone may stock it, I was going for Distanzias as that is the only tyre available in these parts with some ability for off tarmac riding, as I have 5km of gravel road to get to the tarmac everytime I go out and the same back again so I need something that will not slide around like the 221s did on the gravel
I better take a look to see if Scorpion Trails can be got anywhere here before I take the plunge.
 
#90 ·
I just replaced my stock rear at 5k miles. The center was decently squared off and down to the wear bars. The sides looked brand new, except for some pretty severe scalloping toward the edges. I put about 50% highway, 25% street, 25% hard canyon runs on these. A few hundred miles ago, the back end completely kicked out on me making an easy right turn from a stop at a red light, and I almost dumped it. The other day, I completely locked up on the rear tire giving it moderate braking at low speed in a parking lot before a speed bump. The tire also wanted to grab onto the old sandblasted lane stripes on the freeway that run down the middle of the new lanes. The rear of the bike would wobble back and forth, like I was losing control. The new tire is a BT-023. It doesn't grab the lane stripes at all, and the ride is noticeably smoother. Not at all impressed with the stock tires. Neither was Kawi it seems, as even the owner's manual specifies a different tire for replacement.
 
#92 ·
It's not impossible to drag pegs with the stock tires, but you better make sure they are plenty warmed up, and that the road surface is also hot and clean, cause if you are lacking one of those conditions, you will be scrapping the pegs indeed, as well as the handlebards, mirrors, fender, front forks...
 
#99 ·
It's also a function of how much ground clearance your bike has.

Imagine for a second a bike that has 10 inches of clearance! How far does it have to lean to get all the way out to the edges of the tires? Pretty damn far!!

My fjr had about 5.1 of clearance, the V has 7... that's a pretty big diff!
It should only make it easier to reach the edge of the tires before the pegs. On my MT, the pegs grind, yet I can use the rear tire up to the very edge...
 
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