ZX6R Tires

[timmr]

My buddy's son just bought a used '01 ZX6R. It's a pretty nice little bike, but needs a set of tires.

My first thought was to set him up with a set of Z6's or Pilot Roads. Both come in sizes for the bike. At this point mileage is important to him. He's not going to the track and doesn't need a true sport tire.

Are there any issues with putting a sport touring tire on a bike like this? He's seen the Z6's on my S and mentioned that if they were good enough for me, they would work for him.

Thoughts and comments please.

[USAF1]

Heck yeah......do it! I got the same mileage with the Z-6's that I got with the Z-4's (10-13K miles). The 880's are even better for mileage....but have a bit of a howl when vertical, and are a tad quick to break loose in the wet. If he's a hot dog at all though, the Z-6's will go pretty quick.....folks on this board have reported some really low, low mileage figures!

 

Pat

[Firefight911]

Shouldn't be a problem at all to put a sport touring tire on in place os a sport tire.

 

Other than the obvious mileage difference, you will probably anotice a slight change in the handling of the bike. This is due to the difference in design of the tire. The carcass will be a little stiffer and the profile will tend to slow the steering as the geometry will not be as triangulated.

 

Try the Dunlop D205 or D220 in the same size as the bike comes with. Happiness will ensue!

[russell_bynum]

No problem at all.

 

I know lots of folks who run Pilot Roads on 600 Supersports for commuting/touring/etc. I'm sure the Z6 or other sport touring tire would be fine as well.

[Stuart Bliwas]

I'd like to know how in the heck did you get 10-13K on Z4s. The best I can do on my 1150 RT is 6K.

[timmr]

I've ridden with this kid, and was impressed with his maturity. Rides his own ride, and asks lots of questions. He knows he's not ready to be fast yet. I recently took the Experianced MSF course, and he wants to get together so I can run him through those drills. Sounds like a fun afternoon to me. The bike is used mostly to commute to school and his part time job.

I think I'll order the tires and tell him Santa came early. That way I won't worry about him running around on those skins.

Thanks guys.

[USAF1]

I don't think I've ever gotten less than 10K on any of the Metzlers I've ever run. I've always thoght I was pretty hard on the throttle, but after seeing some folks getting such low mileage I'm really wondering. The material that's used in making any Road/hiway has a LOT to do with the mileage you get out of your tires. Up here I ride on a BIG mix of concrete, and asphalt streets and freeways. Personally I think that asphalt is more forgiving on tires...where concrete seems to wear so that the gravel/rocks is what you end up on. It's all wierd.....

 

Course now that I'm riding a Geezer Glider/Road Sofa I do find myself being way less aggressive I think.

 

I'd love to see Z-6's for the LT.

 

See this link THAT DISCUSSES TIRES.

 

Best of Luck

 

Pat

[MarcS]

IMO the best thing to do is to put an M1 on the front and a Z6 on the rear, or, a Pilot Power/Pilot Sport on the front and a Pilot Road on the rear. Why?

 

The thing with the ZX6R is that the Z6 and Pilot Roads actually DON'T come in the right size for the front.

 

The front takes an odd 120/65; whereas the Z6 and Pilot Roads come in 120/60 and 120/70.

 

Still, plenty of folks run the 120/70 tires on the front.

 

This has two implications. Firstly, the steering will be slowed (turn-ins will take more force) and it's definately noticable. You can fix this to a degree by raising the forks in the triple-clamps, but because of the increased wheel diameter, you can't really restore stock handling (you'll never get the trail right with a stock rake angle).

 

Secondly, you lose some clearance between the tire and the front fender, and so if you pick up some gravel, you can damage your fender easily. So far I haven't had any issues, but you never know.

 

With the sport-compound fronts, you'll get a little more traction, but you'll sacrifice the wet-weather grip these tires are known for (I actually run a Z6 front on my zed for this reason). You'll end up replacing the front and the rear about the same time, instead of getting 1.5-2 rears per front.

[timmr]

IMO the best thing to do is to put an M1 on the front and a Z6 on the rear, or, a Pilot Power/Pilot Sport on the front and a Pilot Road on the rear.

 

The thing with the ZX6R is that the Z6 and Pilot Roads actually DON'T come in the right size for the front.

 

The front takes an odd 120/65; whereas the Z6 and Pilot Roads come in 120/60 and 120/70.

-------------------------------------------------

 

I had some similar thoughts this morning before going to the tire store. Wondered about mixing a M3 front with a Z6 rear for the above reasons.

Then I remembered that this isn't my bike. Not the time to experiment

I ended up getting him a set of Z6'S. The set is approved for the bike on Metzler's website. Blane had them on the shelf, so I took them.