Counter steering

[Jamz]

Only if someone pulls out in front of you!

it worked for my VFR to lose a bit of that nasty rake angle, anyway!

[masterofinsanity]

might try dropping the forks a bit then, see what happens.

[kermit the frog]

the bike came with the 020's brand new from a bridgestone dealer so i aint gonna change em until the rear is worn out then ill change them both and put on either BT090's or BT016's possibly 014's but it'l probably be the 090's. im waiting to see what the bridgestone guy recommends. will let you all know soon.

superman, i suppose your the greatest rider ever then?

[crushedlizard]

the bike came with the 020's...

I can vouch for 090's; never had the front give on me, though the rear spins like a bitch in the wet giving me little confidence when damp (probably a good thing). My friend has 014's on his VFR400 and says they are phenomenal even in the wet.
I used to have Dunlop 209's (Qualifiers) on my old RS and they used to heat up so quickly. You'd probably rip through a pair very quickly on a 400, but they have the best grip I've ever had (which admittedly comes down to only about 5/6 different types).

As for counter steering: there is no other way to steer above 20kmh! Body position merely aids cornering.

[superman]

yea of corse i am, tought rossi everything he knows.

[kermit the frog]

well i suppose they dont call you superman for nothing eh?lol

neway, i have had the reply from the bridgstone man;

You best option will be the new BT-016 which features worlds first technology on mass production road tyres. There is too much to write here so at this point I will direct you to http://www.battlax.co.uk This site will give you the press reports and the technical info you require. They are approved for the ZXR400.

i dont know if anyone knows whether they would be any good in the wet, the website says they are as good as the bt014's in the wet bt i dnt know ive never used them????

he could just be bigging up bridgstones new tyre??

was gona go out on me bike 2day but its rained :smt013

also i mite be altering my geometry, just to have a play. if i do i will let you all know how i got on.

[masterofinsanity]

i heard the battlax is shite?

[Jamz]

I had an 016 rear on my 9r when I got it, and it felt fine - however, they're pretty expensive and last about 15 miles. Funny they should recommend that to buy from them, then?

In all honesty, ANY modern tyre will be excellent in the wet and the dry. That includes the 'sports touring' tyres like BT020's etc.

People buy super-sticky tyres for the road because they're sucked in by the marketing, but in reality most people even thraping it on the road won't be able to exceed the limits of even a sports-touring tyre.

Tyre technology has come a hell of a long way in the last 10 years.

But, having said that, it's all about YOUR confidence in your tyres...

[Gemini]

my michelin pilot power dual compounds are amazing,

glad the bloke in tyre shop talked me into them cuz i was gonna go for sticky dunlops

gem

[superman]

Well i had 020's on my zxr they last a long time an let me lean the bike right over with no problems, and i have the pilots on my cbr and they are just as good lol. there wont be much between market leaders.

[Xphyral]

In all honesty, ANY modern tyre will be excellent in the wet and the dry. That includes the 'sports touring' tyres like BT020's etc.

People buy super-sticky tyres for the road because they're sucked in by the marketing, but in reality most people even thraping it on the road won't be able to exceed the limits of even a sports-touring tyre.

i keep exceeding the limits of my touring tyres, give me soft compound sports rubber any day. infact if your going to go out with the intention of pushing some boundaries a little i'd reccommend a sports tyre anytime. I also find touring tyres start to get very unsettled and a little lacking on edge grip if you've been out thrashing it for a while. if touring tyres have say a maximum adhesion level of 1000 and a focused sports compound has say 2000 and we use maybe 60% of our tyres potential on the road, 60% of 2000 is far better than 60% of 1000.

Hence i tend to disagree with the opinion that just because we dont go through tyres like GP stars we shouldnt be looking out for the best product we can find to stick us to the road.

[kermit the frog]

well said,
i can wheele spin mine in 1st, i left a decent darky pulling out of a layby the other day, made me smile when i looked in me mirror and saw it.
im not gonna change them until i wear the rear out then il put some other bridgestones on it.
going out in the morning, more countersteering practice.

[Caz]

you can shorten the wheel base by either dropping the bike through the yokes, or by putting a spacer above the rear shock - they both have the same effect and will make the bike turn in quicker - BE CAREFUL

My personal experience of bridgstones
- the BT010 was a great tyre
- the BT014 which replaced it was no where near as good; didnt last as long and gave next to no feedback on my gixer - wont fit another set
- the BT016 which replaces the 014 - dont intend to try these.

if you want longevity and good grip - i recommend metzeler sportec M3s. Ive gotten 6.5k miles out of these so far and theres still plenty of life left (annoying as I want to fit corsa IIIs). I've gotten my knee down with them in a very unlikely place!! No shortage of grip in the wet or dry.
I know plenty of peopel that use these on the 'ring successfully

/Caz

[Xphyral]

seconded on the m3's. fantastic tyre, the bike just seems to lean and lean and lean as opposed to the continentals i use during the winter which just make the bike feel as though it's drifting away from you in a bend

[zimm]

this thread STILL going .. ?!?

nothing to add except 020's suck.

well, im sure they are fine if you dont ride hard, but if you do, or want to then they arent anywhere near 090's or alpha 10's, or even BT92's,

ive had 020's on 2 zxr's and my Ducati, and ok, you can lean the bike over.. but thats not the same as cornering hard.

try getting hard on the power while banked over and they just skitter across the road, where a full on sports tyre will just grip, similar when braking into turns

in my experience

BT92 >> hard to fault, almost as grippy as 090's, last 50% longer
BT090 >> very good, good feedback, high level of grip, nice balance between stability and flickability, not the BEST rain tyre, but good enough for me to lap mallory in 1:10 on my first ever track day when it was so wet there was standing water most of the way round Gerards.. only had one slide.
BT010 >> surprisingly good, enough grip to wheelie out of roundabouts all banked over/crossed up(600), and enough feedback to make you want to try it again
BT020 >> hate hate hate.. lol, ive actually got some almost new ones in the garage, but wont fit them. Very little feedback, not much grip when you start pressing on a bit
BT45 >> last ok, good feedback, grip ok too, but V twitchy .. had more tankslappers with these than anything else
BT39SS >> not for 400's, but essentially a road legal race tyre for 125's, had them on my TZR-250, stupid levels of feedback, enough grip to be pegs down at 70, and looking behind me to see where the mrs had got to.. bit unstable though, got a bit squirmy on rough surfaces.
dunlop d207's >> very good, excellent feedback for a ZR rated tyre on a small bike
dunlop gpr alpha 10's >> really, honestly cant fault them .. stunning grip, stunning feedback, very quick steering but somehow rock solid stable, probably wont last long though.
metzeler mez 1>> didnt like them, felt a bit like 020's with more grip