Battlax BT015 OEM - 5,600 miles

[FALQN]

Just a quick note, to offer real world tread wear...

This is the original rear tire on my 2012 LE that I purchased at the end of March. I have put 5,600 miles on the bike since then. I returned from a 120 mile ride last weekend and found the tire in this condition. I have been watching the tread closely since the 4,000 mi mark, knowing that many riders get far less. For perspective, I live in Ohio with no immediate access to 'great' curves. I use compression braking most of the time and the bike sees WOT thru the beginning of 4th gear at 150mph, a couple of times during each ride on my favorite route. I still have an inch of side tread on both sides of the rear that has never seen pavement. No wheelies (although the front as been off the ground a few times under WOT), no burn outs, no track time, but I have locked up the rear a time or two while practicing emergency braking and finding it's limits.

 

[GIXERHP]

Just ride on the sidewalls now!
LOL

 

[Tufbusa]

I suspect you have run the factory recommended 42 psi and for the most part been very mellow with the throttle. I'd also be surprised if the roads you use has a nice smooth surface. In my neck of the woods we have lots of chip seal roads which eats tires. Good for you on tire life. I have not heard of anyone getting that sort of mileage from a BT015. 2500 is about the max I have ever squeezed from a BTO15.

 

[busa clubslinger]

The mileage is pretty good actually but I hate all the battlax tires!!! When I bought my busa the rear stepped out on me several times during corner acceleration so I yanked it off and fitted 'er with perelli Roso Corsa. Somehow got 7000 miles out of the first set (and there are no chicken strips) and I'm on my second set now. They are like glue!!

 

[masterblaster]

I just noticed mine at the red limit on the depth gauge today , have 3400 miles on them. Same riding style as you, with straighter roads here in Fla. I guess I will start searching for a tire now.

 

[FALQN]

The mileage is pretty good actually but I hate all the battlax tires!!! When I bought my busa the rear stepped out on me several times during corner acceleration so I yanked it off and fitted 'er with perelli Roso Corsa. Somehow got 7000 miles out of the first set (and there are no chicken strips) and I'm on my second set now. They are like glue!!

bc - I have had it slide out under hard acceleration, just past the apex a couple of times...but I felt it coming and I was almost vertical by the time it broke. My riding abilities have not yet exceeded the performance of the OEM, so I'll get another rear and then replace the front and rear next fall. Thanks for the Corsa info, I'm always interested in tires and what members are running.

 

[FALQN]

I just noticed mine at the red limit on the depth gauge today , have 3400 miles on them. Same riding style as you, with straighter roads here in Fla. I guess I will start searching for a tire now.

masterblaster - I had no idea when I got the bike that I would be going through a set of tires every year. I'm going to look into buying the NoMar tire changer and a static balancer. It will pay for itself in a couple of years...or I'll get my friends in on it and earn my money back right away. Does not make sense to throw good money away on tire change labor.

 

[Tufbusa]

The mileage is pretty good actually but I hate all the battlax tires!!! When I bought my busa the rear stepped out on me several times during corner acceleration so I yanked it off and fitted 'er with perelli Roso Corsa. Somehow got 7000 miles out of the first set (and there are no chicken strips) and I'm on my second set now. They are like glue!!

Actually, Bridgestone Battleaxe tires are among the best on the market. The BT015 that came on your busa has been upgraded three times with the BT016, BT016 pro to the current BT020 (I think its called the S20 actually). All of these tires work exceptionally well. I've romped through several sets of 15's & 16's and found them to be really good tires with better than average grip for street tires. I have not used the BT020 but a couple of the guys on "Team Gixxer" have and they can speak for performance.

Bridgestone tires perform very well. They produce tires for all levels of riding. Tire choice should be carefully thought out to match the riders needs. All four of the major tire manufacturers make a wide range of tires to suit any riders needs. It's simply a matter of choice.

 

[masterblaster]

I looked into this with my Harleys, Decided it would take me too much time which could be spent riding. Harley tire changes run twice what these bikes do, 4 to 5 times the mileage out of the Dunlops for the Harleys though.
I think I am leaning toward the Mich Pilot Road 3's, will have my Busa mechanic Blais Cycles install them, they are pretty anal about getting everything right so will be good for a once over while I am there.

QUOTE=FALQN;2962540]masterblaster - I had no idea when I got the bike that I would be going through a set of tires every year. I'm going to look into buying the NoMar tire changer and a static balancer. It will pay for itself in a couple of years...or I'll get my friends in on it and earn my money back right away. Does not make sense to throw good money away on tire change labor.

[/QUOTE]

 

[busa clubslinger]

Actually, Bridgestone Battleaxe tires are among the best on the market. The BT015 that came on your busa has been upgraded three times with the BT016, BT016 pro to the current BT020 (I think its called the S20 actually). All of these tires work exceptionally well. I've romped through several sets of 15's & 16's and found them to be really good tires with better than average grip for street tires. I have not used the BT020 but a couple of the guys on "Team Gixxer" have and they can speak for performance.

Bridgestone tires perform very well. They produce tires for all levels of riding. Tire choice should be carefully thought out to match the riders needs. All four of the major tire manufacturers make a wide range of tires to suit any riders needs. It's simply a matter of choice.

Do you have stock in Bridgestone? Respecfully dissagree on the 15 sir out of exerience, when a tire comes out from under you more than once, a strong opinion is formed! And as you know, a rider is only as good as his confidence in his gear! So as you said, it simply must match a riders needs and personal choice. I have not tried the 16s but mentally, bridgestone is low on my confidence meter!

 

[cheferman65]

I looked into this with my Harleys, Decided it would take me too much time which could be spent riding. Harley tire changes run twice what these bikes do, 4 to 5 times the mileage out of the Dunlops for the Harleys though.
I think I am leaning toward the Mich Pilot Road 3's, will have my Busa mechanic Blais Cycles install them, they are pretty anal about getting everything right so will be good for a once over while I am there.

QUOTE=FALQN;2962540]masterblaster - I had no idea when I got the bike that I would be going through a set of tires every year. I'm going to look into buying the NoMar tire changer and a static balancer. It will pay for itself in a couple of years...or I'll get my friends in on it and earn my money back right away. Does not make sense to throw good money away on tire change labor.

[/QUOTE]

Only 1 set? Welcome to Florida! 2-3 here. I ride quite a bit and the summer heat kills at least one set.

Opinions on here are all subjective, especially on tires and Bridgestone being the hot topic.
I personally had no issues with my OEM Bridgestone tires, they did their intended purpose for 5200 miles.
People who ride more aggressively and push the limits of the tire on the street will have more issues with grip/life span of an OEM spec tire. That's why there are compound & brand choices.

I have tried 2 brands and finally decided that the Pirelli Angel ST's 190/55 suit me and my riding style.

 

[black diamond busa]

Only 1 set? Welcome to Florida! 2-3 here. I ride quite a bit and the summer heat kills at least one set.

Opinions on here are all subjective, especially on tires and Bridgestone being the hot topic.
I personally had no issues with my OEM Bridgestone tires, they did their intended purpose for 5200 miles.
People who ride more aggressively and push the limits of the tire on the street will have more issues with grip/life span of an OEM spec tire. That's why there are compound & brand choices.

I have tried 2 brands and finally decided that the Pirelli Angel ST's 190/55 suit me and my riding style.[/QUOTE]

How many miles do you get out of the angels because I keep looking at them. I have a friend that put the s20s on his r1 and he loves them. I have ridden it a couple times and like them also

 

[dadofthree]

Well we could be talking politics


Avon Storms roughly the same. :stirpot:

 

[FALQN]

Only 1 set? Welcome to Florida! 2-3 here. I ride quite a bit and the summer heat kills at least one set.

Opinions on here are all subjective, especially on tires and Bridgestone being the hot topic.
I personally had no issues with my OEM Bridgestone tires, they did their intended purpose for 5200 miles.
People who ride more aggressively and push the limits of the tire on the street will have more issues with grip/life span of an OEM spec tire. That's why there are compound & brand choices.

I have tried 2 brands and finally decided that the Pirelli Angel ST's 190/55 suit me and my riding style.[/QUOTE]

cheferman65, although my wife would disagree, I would gladly go through two sets a year just to be able to ride through the winter months!

 

[busa-saga]

i don't think i hit that much mileage with my Avon. i wasn't down to the wire either but real close. Got a new Front and back now so will drop feedback.

 

[Tufbusa]

Do you have stock in Bridgestone? Respecfully dissagree on the 15 sir out of exerience, when a tire comes out from under you more than once, a strong opinion is formed! And as you know, a rider is only as good as his confidence in his gear! So as you said, it simply must match a riders needs and personal choice. I have not tried the 16s but mentally, bridgestone is low on my confidence meter!

Having a different view due to your experiences is the american way. A healthy means of expanding views.

My experience with tires in general is when a rider has issues of re-occurring loss of traction it's not the tire, it's the riders ability to feel for grip with the throttle. Whether it's a race tire or a touring tire, every tire has it's own 100 points of traction. It takes a skilled hand to milk 99 points from a tire without loosing traction. A skillful rider can feel for that grip through the throttle hand. Your OEM BT015's had more than enough grip to drag your knees or your foot pegs, which ever occurred first.

See the photo below of a friend on an R6 on BT016's with the elbow almost touching the pavement. In proper hands the 15 will do the same. While the 16 is an upgrade of the 15, there is not a big step up in traction.

As an old racer friend told me once when I lost the front on a BT014 and scuffed up my leathers: "It ain't the tire my friend, it ain't the tire"!

 

[cheferman65]

[/QUOTE]
How many miles do you get out of the angels because I keep looking at them. I have a friend that put the s20s on his r1 and he loves them. I have ridden it a couple times and like them also[/QUOTE]

Summer set average 6500-7000 miles(the heat cycles kill them). Set before those, 8200 miles Some tread left, front began to cup. A cheap fool could have squeezed a few more miles out of them. I'm impressed that they hold up that well for that long. They go off quick when it's time to replace so looking at them every time you ride is really important. Spinning the rear becomes easier and more frequent(kinda of fun leaving darkies out of turns...)

 

[880jedi]

My experience with tires in general is when a rider has issues of re-occurring loss of traction it's not the tire, it's the riders ability to feel for grip with the throttle.

+1. This is the best wisdom out there!!! I have 12K on my current set of Michelin Pilot Road 3's, and I'm not losing traction. I control the throttle, not the throttle controlling me.

 

[busa clubslinger]

Having a different view due to your experiences is the american way. A healthy means of expanding views.

My experience with tires in general is when a rider has issues of re-occurring loss of traction it's not the tire, it's the riders ability to feel for grip with the throttle. Whether it's a race tire or a touring tire, every tire has it's own 100 points of traction. It takes a skilled hand to milk 99 points from a tire without loosing traction. A skillful rider can feel for that grip through the throttle hand. Your OEM BT015's had more than enough grip to drag your knees or your foot pegs, which ever occurred first.

See the photo below of a friend on an R6 on BT016's with the elbow almost touching the pavement. In proper hands the 15 will do the same. While the 16 is an upgrade of the 15, there is not a big step up in traction.

As an old racer friend told me once when I lost the front on a BT014 and scuffed up my leathers: "It ain't the tire my friend, it ain't the tire"!

You cannot conclusively say, "it aint the tire". It wasn't the lean, or grip at lean that I was questioning, I drug everything but my helmet with both tires. I was referring to the grip under hard acceleration coming out of the corner. Yes every tire has its own 100 points of traction, and yes, you have to FEEL with the throttle where the end of that 100 points is, which is why I never said the bike got away from me. I was simply implying that I was riding on the edge with the OEM tire and wouldn't let myself go over that edge. However, that same edge is different on the diablo, and that is my experience. I love how people are so fast to shoot down something that someone else says based on their own opinion, or experience, or studies. I have many years of riding under me and many miles of racing, and to infer that I kept losing traction due to a lack of ability is really arrogant and judging on your part. This is why people just stop posting. I will make sure and check with you first the next time I go to post something. Give me a break....