Sport Vs Sport Touring Tires

I put a set of Metzler Sportec M7 RR on my Speed RS in November 2018. Have about 600 miles on them thus far, they have been excellent in cold, wet and dry conditions but it is far too early to really have given them a fair shake. So far though, so good.

I had two sets of Rosso III's on my '13 Street Triple R and really liked them. The M7 are very similar in feel - at least at first blush. I got 3400 miles out of the original tires, but they were badly squared off for at least 600 miles of that.

 

I am in Michigan, generally the roads are not good. Pot holes, etc. - not pretty. However, I like secondary rural back roads as a rule so they can be awful to excellent. On my Street Triple R I got about 2500-3000 miles on Pirelli's in general. (Rosso Corsa and Rosso III). I ride about 7,000-10,000 miles a year on average..

 

I've had my 2015 94R Speed Triple from new, got about 3000mls on the OE Supercorsa's, changed to M7RR's and got about 6000 out of them, liked them enough that I'm now on my second set. They work well under most conditions the UK weather throws at us (although I don't ride through the depths of winter), living in Cornwall I ride mostly tight twisty roads and avoid dual carriageways whenever possible.
IMO they're the best sport tyres for the road giving acceptable mileage whilst keeping a sport profile that doesn't slow down the steering and still work well in the wet and cool(ish).
But ultimately it's whatever you feel comfortable with.

 

I had Road 5's fitted last week and have now done 350 miles on them and I have to say I'm really impressed!
I've had M7's on my 2016 speedie and I really liked them but, decided to go for the Roads 5s for the extra life and so far I'm not regretting it!

 

I’d be interested to hear how you get on after a few more miles on them. I’ve had Road 5 on my Tiger Sport for a while and they don’t feel as “sure footed” as the Pilot Road 4 I had in the past. It’s odd, but these are the 2nd set of Road 5 I’ve had and when I look at the profile of them, they look “bumpy” - with the rubber at different heights by the groves/threads, if that makes sense :S Probably done over 4k miles on this set and never noticed this before.

See photo of rear where the shadows hopefully highlight what im trying to describe.

 

lumpster.....do you carry a pillion regularly? Is your rear suspension up to it? The wear characteristics on that tyre looks like it was caused by a rear shock not up to the job being asked of it.

 

I've used Bridgestone Sports Tourers on my Aprilias for years both on road and track days and they have always remained planted. Ron Haslams Race School use the Bridgestone T30's on all their track bikes so they are clearly more than good enough

 

Hmmm, I never thought of the suspension, nor its setting. No pillion, though I do have a top box for the laptop/commute. Keep them above 40PSI, and typically spot on the 42PSI (cold) recommended by Triumph, checking them monthly. Bike had its 24k service last week where Triumph dealer checked the whole bike (see photo of checksheet), indicating suspension and tyres check didnt find anything suspect. :S Thanks for your reply Chewie and SteveRS - I’ll go and investigate it further and post back here when I have an update. Ps just got a puntchure on rear tyre today, so looking to replace now :S #luckyguynot

 

The mechanical check is for safety, ware and maintance it's not for settings.

 

@Lumpster
Was good to meet you this morning, (I was gettin the MOT done on my Speed Triple and met Lumpster by coincidence while his tyres were being sorted) rear tyre is certainly suffering the effects of suspension not being set up properly
As mentioned, call me when free and I am more than happy to go over suspension setup with you and see what we can find
I do recon the spring isn't up to the job though and the bike would benefit from a new shock (Nitron is my recommendation) - happy to help you fit this too.

 

@Red Thunder
Good to meet and thanks for all your advice/assistance! Much appreciated.

 

I think your correct in that the majority of riders don't need the additional grip that a full on sports tire such as the Rosso Corsa's fitted the Speed RS offer. It's a road/ track day tyre as many sports tyres seem to be. Also they seem the take a while to warm up and not perform that well when in cold condition (ie sub +6 deg c or so) I have a Speed RS with 3K on it and am now looking for a replacement as I'm of to France in a few weeks.
My last bike was is 2011 Speed with Dunlop Sportsmart 2 Max fitted. These were great, offering good feedback, nice, consistent turn in and plenty of grip wet or dry, especially edge grip. Wear is good too, 4k miles with 6mm left on the rear. The wife is now riding the 2011 speedy and likes them too.
These are my current favourite as a replacement on the RS but am also considering the Diablo Rosso's (road version of the Corsa) and Avon's 3D Ultra Sports.
Cost wise; Avons £300
Dunlops £320
Pirellis £340
These prices are supplied and fitted by my local Triumph dealer
T

 

I have Sportsmarts on my MV F4. Will be changing to these on my RS when the time comes . They are fantastic all round tyres giving fab grip and confident wet weather grip/ feel, although common sense tells you not to push on too hard in these conditions anyway...
They steer quickly and feel great in the dry, no slips or slides at very quick road speeds, when the conditions allow Officer !

 

I ran 2 sets of pilot road 4 on my speed r, great tyre that I think suited the bike.
I got about 8000+ miles from a set.
IMHO people that buy "sports tyres" are throwing money away.
We are spoilt for choice now, in the last 10 years or so tyres have improved massively, you can have great grip, confidence and durability. there are many very good options out there.

 

I agree that sport/ touring tyres will probably offer as much grip as you can use on the road. But that not the only consideration. The tyre profiles change from both one type of tyre to another or from one brand to another.
I have tried the Dunlop Road Smarts, a fine tyre. However I prefer the profile of the Sport Smarts as they offer as faster turn in and easier roll into the turn..plus the wear on them is still very good
T