by Bill Jurgenson » Mon Apr 30, 2007 1:07 am
I have no experience with newest Dunlop tire. My bad experiences from the past have kept me from considering them.
Last week I replaced a set of OEM 205 on an Aprilia RS125 with SuperCorsa; the difference is black/white. The client is cured of Dunlops forever.
That said, the Qualifier is supposed to be very good.
In th EU we have the problem that for the Skorpion both tire sizes and and type and make are specified in the registration. Only those listed or alternatives approved by MZ can be used and always as a pair, never two different tires as you suggest. I did have added in fact a mixed set of Michelin in the registration of one of my Skorpions, but it is a hassle and costs money. In the short lived tire model world, that set is redundant today anyway.
Whatever. The law being what it is, and apart from the Michelin mixture mentioned above (strictly for long distance freeway use with good mileage and good enuf grip; that particular Skorpion would run 100miles at a time at a real 210kmh), I have used/tested only tires of the same model. Starting with the Metzeler ME Z1 originally mounted on my first Skorpion:
Metzeler:
ME Z1, ME Z3
stiff, good tracking but unwilling handling and lots of shimmy across diagonal bumps, OK in the rain. Would not use it - no problem is also no longer available.
Sportec M1
Metzeler belongs to Pirelli; this tire is supposedly a twin to the supercorsa but for some reason, I cannot really warm to it.
Good grip in dry, dangerous in the rain.
ME33 Laser front, ME22, both in CompK, I used this combination on the Motobi and loved it, but there was no way this could be legally used on the MZ ever. Did not try it.
Pirelli:
MT 01
the alternative back then and another OEM
very good handling, reasonably good grip to a point, then bang it lets go without notice! Not good in the wet, either.
SuperCorsa - THE tire for superb handling and ultimate grip in the dry without needing to be professionally treated, i.e. preheated and kept at temperature by hard riding. Treacherous in the wet. For track fun days, the first choice and good enuf for racing, too. The SBK Superbike series runs on these. I used these until the end of last year on the racer and still do on the racing Bimota and for this one, there is no limit in leanover of any kind until the pegs hit the ground and believe me, that is WAY over! Tires are used up to the very edge and beyond.
Bridgestone:
BT56
after the ME Z1 and MT01, a revelation! Very good all round tire available in the required sizes and one ot the OEM tires for the Skorpion. Used two fronts and several rears with only good experience. Good grip, good in the rain, no shimmy, neutral. only drawback is the price: they are Z rated (beyond 210kmh!!)) which is totally unnecessary. This is true of all the OEM types for the Skorpion. This absolutely stupid prescription is only because at the time (1993) the only radial tires available in the required sizes were Z rated, That, too, is the reason for the 150 rear tire: there simply was no 140 tire to be had in radial.
BT90
looking for a H rated tire, I mounted these, after the BT56. Really good for general street use wet and dry. And the were OKed by MZ once I asked.
Went out of production, replaced by the much more modern
BT 090
also the much better tire. Already talked about this one; best possible choice.
BT45
This is a diagonal tire, i.e. an oldfashioned tire. That said, it is pretty good for general purpose, wet and dry, with lots of mileage. It is H rated. I would say the best choice for people looking for mileage who do not do track days or entertain high cornering speed and hefty leanover. The tire will do it, but the front scuffs disconcertingly...
For older frame designs with a rear wheel weight bias, the tire can even be raced. It is used a lot in the pre1982 class and we use it on the 1978 3-cylinder Laverda where it actually does perform much better than on the Skorpion. In that class, we have to run street tires on 18" or larger rims.
Michelin
Pilot Road
this is what I used in back together with a Pilot Power in front. This worked well enough, but is not legal in the EU. (above)Mine were after the hassle. Good balance of grip with mileage, rear tends to break loose much earlier and is thus pretty safe. Alright in the rain. Not worth the effort today.
I tried Pilot Power front and back and was not enthused, in particular and like all Michelin sport tires, it needs to be carefully warmed and kept at temperature. Otherwise only mediocre performance. Some testers called it capricous. Very good performance when good and hot in the right hands. Not a choice for everyday use, and not as good as the Supercorsa, likewise not for everyday use.
I have not tried the Power Race yet. It gets mostly raves, but I am always a bit wary of the press.
I have used all these in the stipulated sizes 110 front 150 rear on my own MZs. I have ridden BT 010, 020, Pirelli Diabolo, and would not recommend them without their being out of the qustion, just no advantage in using them. Along with the additional disadvantage of having to use a160 rear which is WAY to wide. Then Continental and Avon on MZs belonging to other people and was in no way impressed, but that is subjective in any event. Since none of my MZ have the OEM strut in the back or the OEM springs in the front ( not to mention the other tampering), so a real comparison would only be possible on my own wheels.
not for the road: on the racer I used Super Corsa SC2 in front and SC1 in back until recently and Dragon Rain SC1 for both. I still use the Dragon Rain.
After an event requiring Bridgestone, I am using Bridgestone R07 and R09 slicks on the racer and am impressed.
bottom line:
first choice for serious riding, wet and dry, is the BT090 in 110/70 (I mistyped 110/60 yesterday - sorry!) and 140/70.
Apparently the tire is not available in the US. The US Bridgestone site does not list it. Who knows why. 65mph speedlimit?
The Bridgestone OZ site refers one to the Japanese homepage for motorcycle tires and they are listed there.
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