***OK ...TYRE ADVICE...AFRO?SMILED?ANDREW?MODS? ***

Off-topic
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:slight_smile:

As you may or may not know peeps, last saturday while have a blast out with Shewolf, i hit a patch of petrol/diesel which sent my bike into a low slide, coming home from Amersham, after a good ride THERE…coming back it had started raining…I am fine, bounced up off the road without a scratch…good ol protective clothing :slight_smile:

Damage to my blade, (boo hoo)…is the mid and lower right side fairing, the engine casing (hole in it), the rear indicator,cracked rear seat fairing (damn, damn,damn!!), swingarm bobbin smashed to bits also front fairing crash bung looks like its had a fight with a pitbull !! (but oh am i glad they did their job!):w00t: Right mirror smashed, although the casings fine, the mirrors cracked all over…:w00t:…no damage to levers, cos M9 had only just put csg’s on so much much smaller, managed to miss getting “bumped”…no damage to front fairing cos bike was on a low slide so lucky there too…

We called the police and took pics and when the council road maintenance guy came out, i showed him where the other accident had mounted the pavement and you could see the tyre marks and grazed kerb where they had prob dragged the wheel rim along cos its clear as daylight…then you could see the petrol spill and then of course you could see my recent one…He said they werent told of the first accident although he can see that there HAD been one…he did say to take pics of the road being gritted by him, which i did too…

Couldnt ride bike home but thanks to those nice peeps at RAC me and baby got home!! (big thanks to Shewolf for staying with me, can get pretty scary out there in the dark and cold with nowhere around cept bushes, not even a house in sight !!) also big thanks to ALL those people who shouted out did we need help and to the guy on a trek back home (a biker but in his car)think he was heading back to Peterborough, who stopped to see if all was ok…just thanks to all of you…we both appreciated that.

Another big thanks to all you guys with advice on where to go to get parts…again to Shewolf and M9 for calling me with adverts on the poster board, people selling parts etc…alas, non for my baby :wink: Thanks to Abbeyj and Python and Trisckie for advice and endless emails all of Monday !! ha ha…love ya to bits !!

Anyhoo…back to the heading…for some time, well to be honest since i bought my blade in 05, ive had a long standing “problem” in that i could never work out why i felt so damn uneasy on long rideouts which involves loads of corners and bends…cos i know my bike should and can take those in its stride…for some reason, and for about a year and half, i thought it was my riding (lack of) skills, that was making me feel like i was losing the back of my bike and was constantly “fighting” with it to get it back in line AFTER id made it into the corner…and im not talking when at 25/30mph slow pace here ok?..it just felt like it didnt want to respond to what i took for granted it would do on all my other bikes…i couldnt work it out and was forever taking my bike to a friend to “set up” the suspension or work out something with the rebound …cos i knew it just felt it was that kind of problem, but they always said “its set up as best as it can be for your bike”…so i would try again and again come home time after time and think, oh well, maybe its my shite riding…

That was until i had a chat with some others and thought, oh well in for a penny if they take the pee out of me, so be it…but oh no…lo and behold…(thanks Afro)…its the poxy tyres ive got on my bike for MY kind of riding?..see, i just left it to the dealer to sort out my tyres, didnt think about it really, so everytime i bought new tyres, i replaced with same …having seen me ride Afro said, “blade do me a favour, change those shite tyres, get Michelins and you will think you have a new bike”…(now back to the first part of this saga…i was actually going to sort out new tyres THIS weekend, when i had the accident LAST weekend!!)…bluddy sods law aint it…

SO…before i go and get my tyres changed…i know Afro says the Michelins…but others have now said get Bridgestones?..so what ones, going on how i ride (for those that know me?)…shall i go and get for my CBR1000 blade…that will help stop me feeling like ive gotta fight my bike in the corners and bends, ive got Pirelli Diablo sports and while brill on the straights they do nothing (for me) otherwise…(i dread going on some rideout cos i know its all through country lanes and up and down dales etc and my bike just says, “sod this” and we fight !!! :P…and yeh Afro, pm me on those prices please??? cos im skint now after having to go and get my baby sorted out…:wink:

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sorry to hear bout the spill. glad you’re in one piece htough. :slight_smile:

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Sorry to hear of your off…glad you are OK. As for tyres I went from bridgestone BT020’s to Michelin Road pilot 2’s for my cat and Michelins are much better. But to be honest, we have different riding styles/uses/ and bikes so I am not sure how much will apply to you…The Diablos are sports tyres and therefore could take a while to warm up, hence the difficulties in the country road twisties, but not sure how that would cause the ‘fighting’ of the bike that you are talking about (anyone?), unless the tyres are squared off and you are transferring from the ‘flat’ section to the side section, which can cause a twitch, which might seem as though the back is giving way.

It might well be down to riding style, and therefore it might be worth trying some track time or advanced training to see if there is any advice that can help. Now I dont know how you ride, so I am just making some general conclusions based on posts, so sorry if I miss the mark…But things like not reading the road, wrong gearing, wrong throttle application, not countersteering, not using upper body, can all lead to the symptoms you are talking about.

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I would be amazed if it just came down to your tyre choice but Diablo sports would not be my choice of tyre. I have got Diablo Corsa III’s on my blade (exactly the same model as yours) and you are welcome to have a thrash around on that to see if you like them or not. Personally I love them and have never had any worries or problems with them.

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See my post about the Pilot Road 2’s I’ve got them on my Blade (allbeit an older model blade) but love them to bits!

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tyres are so important and yet everyone has opinions about each tyre that doesnt seem to flow…the michelins are supposed to be better at lasting longer and stick just as well as the other super sport tyres…I love the Avons but they dont last 800 miles on my R1…and i am a really slow rider…:wink:

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Posted on your other thread too:

Glad you’re ok Blade but to be honest if you crashed on diesel/petrol as you say, it wouldn’t matter what tyres you had on.

I know that piece of road well, especially those roundabouts where you crashed as the one before where you came off is where my son had his bad accident last June. That bit of road HAS to be ridden with respect, there is so much over banding and repairs that you just can’t take the p1ss and ride it beyond capabilities especially in the cold and wet. You wont have a case against the council either as they were not aware of the spillage on the road. Bucks are very quick once notified of anything on that road, they came out within minutes when my son crashed too and covered it in sand.

Word of warning to all of you if you crash there… DO NOT LEAVE YOUR BIKE AT ALL!!!

The 2CTs are my preferred choice of tyres and between myself and Mark and the different bikes we have, we have tried and tested most, but it depends on the bike and use as to choice.

Hope you get the bike sorted quickly.

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Oh no, blade, sorry to hear of your off and hope you’re ok. If you need anything gis a shout.

I run Michelin pilot sports and have never felt the need to try anything else, they work great and are excellent in the wet, and I’m talking monsoon wet.

Am not experienced in other tyre makes, as I say, have never felt the need to try.

Hope you and bike mend up soon!

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hi blade - when you say you’re fighting the bike what is the bike doing? not sure what you mean by fighting to get it back into line after the corner? is the rear tyre slipping/spinning up as you get back on the throttle? when do you apply the throttle? is the bike running wide on exit? has someone else tried riding your bike and do they get the same problems? have you ridden someone else’s bike to see if you get the same problems?tyre choice is personal, but on a litre sports your normally looking at something equivalent to either the road 2s that jonesy mentioned, or the pilot power 2ct which is more road/track. personally very happy with the 2cts myself also.

theres 3 basic things that differ on tyre choice - shape (how tapered/v-shaped it is), tread (how much rain cut) and compound (basically rubber type and amount of silca used which aids grip in the wet and is the the black mess you get on your hands from handling tyres).

track orientated tyres are more tapered (faster steering, more sticky and stable on their edges), less silica and have a rubber compound that takes longer to heat up, but work best in a higher heat range, and less/little tread

touring tyres are the opposite - designed to run at lower speeds for longer, harder for more mileage, provide grip at lower temperatures.

road tyres range from full touring to road legal track tyres like the supercoras and racetecs. the diablo is a compromise tyre for the road, and not really a track tyre.

if the diablo is correctly fitted, and at the right pressures and still in good nick, it shouldn’t account for big handling problems on the road

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Good to hear you got away unscathed Blade. As for tyres I used to think the Diablo range were great but now have to say the Michelins are better.

I’d suggest going for the Pilot Power 2ct’s for that extra performance in all conditions. From the above opinions the Pilot Road has good praise too and bound to work well.

A regular check on tyre pressures is a must and also we’ll check the bike over when you come down for the suspension set up you won at the LB charity auction. We’ll make sure there is nothing else causing problems.

Credit to you really to be so keen to get back on two wheels as soon as you can:cool:

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Thanks guys…when i say “fighting” with it, im not actually having a battle as such, its just that it feels like the back wheel is not “sticking” to the road surface, sort of sliding too much compared to front? …does that make sense…cos i like to throw my bike about and at the mo dont feel comfortable doing it…the conditions saturday were not right so that didnt help, tyres werent warmed up enough, like i said, so…it was one of those, it either “would” happen, or “wouldnt”…and in my case…it did? :)…funny thing tho? why do i always feel like this on the bike in the winter months, compared to summer…but then doh…the roads hotter, tyres hotter and stick to road better…(im such a muppet sometimes)…

I think get the tyres sorted after ive got bike back to normal, get it all set up (thanks B)…and then go out and have a ride…and put this down to experience…:wink: costly one as well…ive just checked my bank balance and its bluddy overdrawn !!!

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sorry to hear about this Blade… but good to hear your ok!! ps cant say much about tires sorry :ermm:

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i think that happens to most of us to some degree in the winter. in the summer you know that even when you haven’t been riding, the rubber isn’t that cold, but in the winter its cold tyres, cold/wet/slimey roads and its much harder to guage.

you may find that because you’re concerned about the grip, you’re actually tensing up and not just riding like you do in summer but with less grip. smoothly getting on the throttle actually gives you grip and feedback for instance, but if you’re unsure of the corner, you may be hesistant/late getting onto the gas, run wider, bike will feel vague as its coasting rather than driving out of the corner etc.

also if you tense on the bars you’re potentially stopping them working as they should, and translating the movements through yourself to the rest of the bike.

dont know if you’ve read 'em already but the twist of the wrist books (esp the 2nd one) are really good, and helped me pick up on lots of things i was doing wrong, or could do better

also ‘little’ slides aren’t actually that bad - its more about training yourself not to panic when they happen

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+1 on JB’s comments there, the tensing up especially on a tightly set up bike like the blade can lead to many things…

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Not read anyone else’s comments just yours Blade so sorry if I retread ground…This is my experience.

I had a similar experience when getting first set of tyres for my R1 (which were also Pirellis)…I just told the shop to fit good tyres…They didn’t work for me…Crashed…I tried Michelins on JBs recommendation…Loved them and have used them ever since.

I used Bridgestone BT-014s on my R6…They share similar properties to the Michelins…Quick warm up time and great wet weather handling…They do square off more than the Michelins though and may not be as good on a litre bike as they were on my 600.

Like the Michelins, they gave good feedback when they were pushed…I had a slide on a roundabout on cold tyres, but I could feel it happening and just stood the bike up…In comparisson…On Pirellis…Into a right hander…Positive throttle, hanging off but not extreme lean as its a bit damp…Lowside…No warning.

I know this could have been surface contamination on the tarmac like diesel etc…But even in a straight line the Pirellis would often break traction…Just had no confidence with them and that spoilt everything with my riding…Really knocked my confidence and hardly rode the bike.

Tyres are a very personal choice and some bikes are sensitive to which rubber you fit, so I would say you may need to experiment.

Since the 04 Blade redesign (your bike is the same just different colours) I believe they have come fitted with Bridgestone BT014s or Michelins as standard so maybe you can use that as a guide.

Hope some of that helps…Hope you regain your confidence with the bike…I’m pretty certain new tyres will help you.

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…im riding on the corsa 3’s…changed em over from bt014’s and so far haven’t had a drama with them at all…and i gone into some hot corners at some scary speeds waiting for that horrible sliding feeling…but no…nothing…

quite suprised how sticky they get from the start off…aswell…

i might change to the 2ct’s next tyre change …just to see what the fuss is about…but think i may stick with the corsa 3’s.

hope you sort it out soon hun;).

smiled:D.

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I am going to try michelins on the R1 this year…in march when she goes back on the road…I assume the zx10 will have dunlops but they wont last beyond the first 1000 miles so they will be going to corsa 3’s to see how they do too…will be good to do a direct comparison…different bikes I KNOW but we will see.

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Another Michelin fan here, bring on the 2ct’s!! I’ve gone into a few corners on the road and track with them in the wet and dry and so far, not even a little scare from them :smiley:

Get 'em Jules - I promise you’ll love 'em 'cos I know how you ride :stuck_out_tongue:

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I know how you ride…Tyres must be good :laugh:

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erm - pot…kettle…