Busa men advice on BT016

[2hip]

While at Cycle Gear in Fairfield today I was trying to figure out if I wanted to cough up the money for the Dunlop Q2 or go with the Bridgestone BT16. He asked if I wanted the 180's or the 190's. I am currently running the BT015 190's. The tire is down to the wear bar and I commute over mountainous windy roads. My question is this, since I carry luggage..both side and top case so there is substantial weight on the tail...should I stay with the larger tire patch with the 190's or go with the quicker dip tire with the 180's? Second question..I have about 5500 on the tires but the front tire still has some life left in it..hard to tell how many thirty-seconds are left...if I go with a sticker rear tire shouldn't I match the characteristics on the front tire also? Money is not the issue...since I probably will have to replace front tire in another month or two anywho!! Advice welcome ..tx, 2hip

[Bird Hunter]

Hey 2Hip,

I run the BT016's with a 190/55. I really like them and the 55 lets you lean in a little better than the 50's. I would personally stick with a little more rubber on the ground, especially given your riding conditions.. Personally, I always run the same tires front and rear, not that I know sh*t about it, that's just what I've heard by the guy's on here that know, like Tufbusa, etc...

[dolilind]

i have a set of the Bt016's on my 1k. Im suprised i like them. Im a power pilot guy but these are not a bad tire.

[Bird Hunter]

I have 3 sets in the garage I got during a sale, was gonna offer you 1 set for a good deal since I have plenty, but I see there is a decent sale on at MC Superstore..

[Mr Bogus]

I would not run the 180...

that "quicker dip in" thing comes from an older day when the 190 was not available in the HP tire lines.. (So I was told by the Pirelli guys)

I have heard some good things about the Q2 .. would love to try a set of them..

[carlsbadbusa]

BT016 in 190 specially with more gear on the back...i do the same ane they are the only tire i use besides dunlops.... i use the 55 and they give me a more aggresive feel when cornering and lil more patch since the are taller

[GILMAN]

Originally Posted by 2hip

While at Cycle Gear in Fairfield today I was trying to figure out if I wanted to cough up the money for the Dunlop Q2 or go with the Bridgestone BT16. He asked if I wanted the 180's or the 190's. I am currently running the BT015 190's. Second question..I have about 5500 on the tires but the front tire still has some life left in it..hard to tell how many thirty-seconds are left...if I go with a sticker rear tire shouldn't I match the characteristics on the front tire also? Money is not the issue...since I probably will have to replace front tire in another month or two anywho!! Advice welcome ..tx, 2hip

2hip, while I have never used the BT-16's several of my good riding buddies have. They are a quality tire. 190/50 or 190/55 but I would tend to shy away from going the 180 route.

Back when I was slower I could get 2 rear tires to a front...or so I thought. I have also run mixed matched rubber. Different compounds and makes from front to rear. It can be done. I ended up exceeding the traction provided by my front by over driving it with a newer rear with better grip/sticker compound. Lesson learned. This tend to answer your question about mixed compounds. You'll need to understand or remember which tire should give up the grip you need first.

Tires are the cheapest thing you can replace on a sport bike in my opinion. I now tend to run matched sets. I also now change front and rear at the same time. Let me explain why.

How much time does it take to change the two tires vs. one? Now why would you want to have do that twice as often? If I change the rear and a month later need to change the front only to turn around a month later to change the rear again and on and on it goes. The bike is up on the stands twice as often now. Or change them both at once and be done with it.

I change both at the same time now, which for me up until just resently was about once a month. (I was on a thousand mile a week pace there for a bit)

At this point I also check brake pad wear front and rear. Deep clean chain, sprockets, and crush drive. Since the wheels are off and the bike isn't rolling an oil change and air filter swap and air box wipe down are in order. All this saves on the amount of time the bike is out of service. Adjust the chain and re-lub everything and away I go.

Another way to look at it is how much is your insurance deductable? More or less then the cost of a new front? I'll bet the new tire is cheaper in the long run. Why push the life cycle on a front to "save" a few bucks? Or struggle trying to figure out how far another X number of 32nds of an inch will take you.

Here is a link to GP BIKE PARTS the are selling Bridgestone RS 003's a tire a bit sticker for $245 a set in the 120/70 and 190/55 size you might want.

https://us-dc2-order.store.yahoo.net...onId=ysco.cart

They had the BT 16 and the 002's as well but the 003's are Bridgestones newest offerings and I have run against my buddy on the track and can vouch for them being a nice set of rubber.

YMMV

-Gilman

[BIKE DUDE]

I got my 016"s at Cycle Gear a while ago when they had a sale on them. The rear was 199.00 and they gave you the front for free.

[lar300mag]

I've got about 1000 miles on my 016's and went to the 190/55, love the way it handles.

[2hip]

Thanks guys..might add...that it is way cool that you can get such feed back in so little time by guys actually using the equipment..not some wanna be bs artist...thanks guys..everyone had a little different slant but it all adds up to great stuff..tx, 2hip

[TruWrecks]

The BT016 is a great tire. about 2500 on the set on my Busa and they almost look new. A riding buddy of mine got a set and also loves them. They instill confidence that I didn't get with PP 2CT's. Try them. You'll be hooked.

[Kento-Moto]

I prefer a matching pair but only if your going to push the tires... If you use the Busa mostly for commute and you catch the sometimes wet conditions, the AVON Storm may be a better option.