[ST] Re: RS tyres

["barry.croft" <barry.croft@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I promised to update the list on my experience with RS tyres.

I'm now at 12,300 miles, and I've just fitted Pirelli Dragon GTS front and
back.

I started on Bridgestone BT020 front and rear. I liked the handling on them,
and they were OK in the wet. The front lasted 6500 miles (but I should
really have junked it at 6000). You may recall that the rear punctured
(twice) so was replaced at 3500 miles, with another BT020, then THAT
punctured too at 6000, and was chucked out - so I never determined the
rear's true mileage.

So, I swapped to Avon Azaro II, the rear at 6000 and the front at 6500. They
have both just worn out. In fact I let the front go way too far again and
should have swapped it earlier, so I'd say the front Azaro only really
lasted 5000 miles. Unusually, wearing out before the rear, and not as good
mileage as I got on the BT020. The rear was just about on the wear bars, so
lasted a genuine 6000.

Why did I change again? I didn't really like the front Azaro. It was
ratcheting badly long before it was worn out, and was starting to
understeer, and to skip and hop under braking. It also started to feel very
uncertain early in it's life in the wet, which matters a lot to this
every-day commuter. And the rear let go on me coming gently out of a damp
bend in Cumbria, giving me a fishtailing 'brown-trouser' moment! That was
probably due to squaring-off though, after a long motorway run.

The BT020s were definitely better in the wet, wore more predictably, and
were peg-scrapingly excellent in the dry, but my multiple punctures have
made me wary of them.

So this time around I'll try the Pirellis, which have always given me good
service and worked brilliantly on my VFR. I'll let you know how they pan
out.

Keeping an RS in tyres is bloody expensive, isn't it? I've spent £700 (well
over U$1000) on rubber since I got this bike, and it's still not our first
anniversary!

Barry
00RS


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