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Re: BT020 paranoia?



Barry Croft wrote:
>Has anyone else had trouble with the new BT020s picking up nails? I had one
>at about 600 miles, and today I picked up another at about 3200 miles. This
>is on an RS.<snip>

I've apparently been very lucky. I replaced my original BT020 at 9700 miles
or so (!), and never had any issues. In fact, if I may digress, I've never
had any traction issues either; wet, dry, cold or hot.

I ride my RS the full range, from very sedate 2-up riding with my youngest
son (10), to very hard riding on track days. I have ridden on wet,
near-freezing mountain roads, and on very hot summer days when the heat
rising off the tarmac would distort my view ahead. The BT020 has been a
PERFECT partner. I have a theory which should generate a fair amount of
debate:

Smoothness. That is the key. Many riders complain that their tires don't
have grip under certain conditions. True, but I believe their t*res aren't
the problem so much as the rider, especially in the area of smoothness.
Transitioning from brake to throttle is the key area. I have found that
t*res give up traction most frequently when a rider has dialed in too much
throttle while leaned over, or been too ham-fisted about it.

Buying the most sticky premium t*res can help overcome much of the problem,
but I know a few riders who have tossed bikes with D207's, Pilot's, or
Dragon's, just as riders on ME55's have. If you ask too much of a t*re, it
will give up traction. A premium sport compound gives you a bigger margin,
perhaps, but at the sacrifice of mileage, wet capabilites, etc. It only
masks what the larger issue is, smoothness. I have seen a fellow on a 30yr
old BMW, riding skinny little bias-ply t*res, ride circles around a fellow
on a sportbike because he was  s_m_o_o_t_h.

Further, I believe a rider gains confidence in one t*re over another because
they had a *really* smooth set of turns on it one day, but another t*re
started letting go another time when the rider *wasn't* so smooth. Do we
recognize that? When I did, all my riding got better. Objective analysis is
difficult, but it is possible. What say you?

Ken M.


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