Contact Patch: Reading Motorcycle Street Tires (TRAILER)

This is the 3rd installment of Dave's street tire reading from 2018. We condensed all the treaded tire reads into 3 videos so you can focus on that skill set.

[sergedagher]

your opening sentence was like a eureka moment for me; i started out on pirelli tyres (came stock on my 2015 Street Triple R) and a lot of times i found myself surprised with the rear stepping out without warning while the front felt like a sponge. Moved onto Dunlop Q3 and man my confidence in the bike was restored... i instantly felt confident on the track to drive through the turns, it just took me 2 sessions at first to get over the fact that i shouldn't over analyze bike reaction in some turns because i was comparing it to when i rode on pirelli and back then it gave minimum road information feedback ...

[kylesmith]

Everyone always flatly says soft or hard for objective performance. Turning the objective “best” into a subjective “best” with the ADD brain thing was *chef’s kiss*. This is top tier coaching.

[nickb]

Lmao that last guy
My "college job" was working part time at a cyclegear, and the amount of people who would come in with bald tires looking for a warranty was astounding
That and the people who would pull in with a full 360 loop of wires showing on their tires saying that I was trying to scam them suggesting they get new tires

[Bikeadelic]

“They’re bald”
“Really?”

Oh dear haha

[clifton]

Opening impression, hard vs soft.
I was falling asleep driving my minivan.
The amount of joy and information flooding my brain on the bike. It's cause I got the dunlops? What?!!
Mt03 cones with dunlops at 45 ish in the rear 33up front.
It's not the fast boy. But I am so happy to ride that and feel everything, the tires the wind. Checking my mirrors blindspots. The whole thing is educational and alive. 🐢🐢🐢mt03

[vr___]

Nice hair dude 😂😂you should have seen my first expression when I saw you 🤣🤣🤣

[TBagr]

“They’re bald”
That’s what the fool gets for taking someone’s take offs.
I wish Dave was near me.

[thevideogamermg]

when the title said "street tires" i didnt assume hypersport street tires in track use

[yng_mali]

Godamm, in detail by details. PERFECTION. 😦

[ginoasci]

i have a new XC…..the ride is always bumpy. new paved roads are bumpy.
old paved roads are bumpy.
the ride is always bumpy.
my bike is a 2022, which i bought this week in june of 2023.
considering it’s a left over i’m thinking it has been sitting in the showroom for a long time and one or both tires have a flat spot.
as that flat spot hits the ground on every revolution, it will feel bumpy.

i could be wrong but that’s the only thing i can come up with.
unless the suspension needs tuning.
even if the suspension needs tuning the ride should be smooth of pavement, especially a newly paved road. this is why i think it’s flat spots on the tires.

your thoughts ?

[Richard-dhny]

Thanks for the excellent video Dave! When comparing soft vs hard tires is it safe to assume that the hard tire will always offer higher mileage when every other variable is equal?

[leatheru]

I believe in learning from the experts. You are certainly one of them. You do wonderful very informative videos, My question is, if I have my tires dialed in and then I go two up with the same person is there a formula or do I have to redo that whole system which I'm willing to do because my life and certainly being responsible for my passenger is Paramount. Yet another factor, I pull a timeout pop-up tent camper sometime solo sometimes two up, with all that do I do all the steps that you showed for each one of these scenarios or is there some kind of a formula by adding weight or something?

[cduartebr]

Great info, thanks for the upload Dave! When you say Pirellis, do you mean all Pirelli tires in comparison to other manufacturers? For example, the Diablo Supercorsa SC is quite soft (intended for track use) while the SP has a stiffer carcass meant for street/sport applications. I have a SP V3 on my 22´ Street Triple RS, I´m always amazed by how much grip there is and how it transmits the road imperfections while soaking everything up and maintain grip. So I wonder if this lack of feedback is something only from the road-oriented Pirelli tires, or the track-oriented SP and SCs also present this characteristic.

[maximilliancunningham]

Where do Michelins fit in ? I had one, rear, R1, loved it..

[canalealeable]

I didn't understand: when a tire "eats" the front angle, is it a problem of carcass or softness extension brake of the shock absorber? They reach me it's the second: because to avoid softness problems of carcass, we could just pump them a bit more

[russellstokke]

You said Dunlop have a stiff carcass but then said the GPR-300 have a soft carcass (3:02) -- is this because the GPR -300 is aimed at low power / beginner friendly bikes?

edit: never mind! I watched some other videos and the question is addressed

[usesap]

Hi Dave, What are your thoughts on mixing tire brand/models front & rear?

[stinkerdoodle]

So Dave I under stand the information a stiff vs a soft carcass tire will give you but I was wondering if a tire carcass is stiff and one were to be riding a bike that is more flexible like a ninja 300 or a Katana 600 vs RC51 or R1 ect would using a softer carcass be better as the harder tire would send more feed back into the bike / frame causing flex or dose the carcass stiffness not have a big influence on the chassis and frame flex when the bike is being pushed hard like at the track or canyon riding? Good video thanks for all the info.

[RTK]

Whays the best track day Tyre for a R6 want lots of feed back and nice turn under brakes any ideas??

[justaguyreal]

About how much contact patch is needed for bike to stick in corners and leaned over? I'm still unsure of my lean angles and cornering speeds possible. I feel like I need to have as big a patch as possible, but then that would be lower tire pressure, and opposing what you say about having a preferred higher pressure to keep patches smaller in lengthen the life, which all contradicts my paranoia. I'm thinking a4" patch would be great but higher pressure make it smaller, and also considering the softness/stickiness of the rubber. No doubt a track day would do me some good, but I can't ever get out there. Besides the fact of my questions of certain pavement types like the rocky surface stuff of most old black tops that get really slippery, esp when wet.