Well folks...it was but a few weeks and not even 500 miles ago that I offered up this pic...
of me roasting off the last of what was left of my stock BT56 rear as the following day I rode down to have a new BT014 rear mounted up and balanced...and the new BT014 was sweet and I heard folks got great milage but...
Yesterday afternoon after I got home from work I was giving my Hayababy a visual going over in preparation for my 3 day July 4th weekend when I spied what at first appeared to be a white pebble lodged in the sipping of my almost new BT014 and I tried to pop it out with my fingers but no dice...so I grab my needlenose pliers and snatch hold of it and pull to reveal a nail shank...damn...going into the bottom of my tires sipping sideways...as I held hope that "maybe"...just "maybe"...but the harder I pulled the longer the nail got to then reveal its full length of a 16 penny wannabe spike!!!...that left a huge angled hole right in the bottom of the tire tread/sipping as the tire completely deflated within seconds of removing the huge nail.
As I thought...good thing it did go it at a hard angle or it would've holed my rim as well.
So..spirited of mind that's it's now early friday evening and that I ain't going through a 3 day holiday weekend without my Hayababy...out comes the tire plugging kit...but as soon as I inserted the roughing rasp I was like...rut-ro...that went in waaaay to easy..then the same thing with the string plug...the result of very little "wall" (the tires thinnest at the bottom of the tread sipping)..with a huge angled hole..the worst of all conditions and the plug leaked..badly...losing about 1lb a minute...a I realized and came to terms with the fact that my new BT014 is in fact...TRASHED..by one huge nail.
Thought about hot patching it from the inside but...no shops do that (for liability reasons) and I figured...the hell with it...I ain't risking my life, possibly my daughters life or my Hayababy over rigged tires.
So..4th of July weekend Sat. morning...called around...and found a stealership with some mechs in for the morning only...over the phone the parts dept. salesman tells me...
"We have Pilot Powers and Dunlop Sportmaxs in your size but...what front tire do you have?"
Me: "The front is still the original stock BT56."
Him: "Well...The Dunlop would match your front tires profile much better than the Michelin would and...it's cheaper...and we can mount it up and balance it if ya hurry down."
So...calculating the loss of 1lb psi per minute and it being a 25 minute ride I over-inflate to 45 lbs and haul @$$ and just made it...but as I walk in the service dept?...the service writter guy and the parts dept. guy are arguing over the tire recomendation I was given...then the service writter dude tells me...
"I'm sorry....we weren't aware this tire was going on a Busa and now my parts guy is telling me that the dunlop isn't a great idea....that you should go with the more expensive michelin."
Me:"wtf?...whats that gonna do to my bikes handling since you already told me that the dunlops profile matchs the BT56 front but the michelin dosen't?"
Him: "Like I said...I'm sorry but...we didn't realize you'd be rolling in on a busa....and you could probably get away using the michelin with the BT56 front but..."
Me:"Okay then...lemme ask ya this...since ya kinda screwed up taking my order would ya cut me a deal if I go ahead and spring for replacing both?"
Note: Now...Michelins are expensive and this place is a high class clip-joint so a deal really isn't a deal but...at least it was a little off the bottom line as I glanced at the prices then oiffered him $350 for both Brand New Matching "Michelin Pilot Powers"...mounted and balanced...and he agreed...as long as I agreed to paying the tax and any wheel weights as well...so...done deal....just got back home and...for a preliminary report?...
The Michelin Pilot Powers Aree AWESOME!!!
Things I've noticed just during the scuff-in ride home...
1. Damn Thes Things Stick!!!
Like pencil erasers soaked in maple syrup!!!
2. Steering is completely neutral and predictable at all angles of lean.
3. "Ride Quality": Is like I'm floating a hovercraft on glass.
4.Yet I still get great feedback...even though they feel like thay are vacuum locked to the road.
5. I can even feel their ultra-snatchy traction levels on decel as well as accel....braking and engine braking effects are noticably more immediate.
6. Did I mention they're STICKY?
7. I usta have a slight head-shake thing happening under a 40-30mph decel with my hands off the bars...THAT'S gone now.
Next time you're in a shop with a well stocked tire rack just rub your fingers and feel the difference in compound texture between the Pilot Powers and any other tire...and here's hoping there's some credibility to the "Soft Tires Last Better On A Bike With Big Torque" theory...guess I'll soon see...meanwhile?....these are by far the best tires I've ever felt on any streetbike....the nail pi$$ed me off...but the pleasure of experiencing the Pilot Powers almost sorta made up for it...like a good bad.
L8R, Bill.
of me roasting off the last of what was left of my stock BT56 rear as the following day I rode down to have a new BT014 rear mounted up and balanced...and the new BT014 was sweet and I heard folks got great milage but...
Yesterday afternoon after I got home from work I was giving my Hayababy a visual going over in preparation for my 3 day July 4th weekend when I spied what at first appeared to be a white pebble lodged in the sipping of my almost new BT014 and I tried to pop it out with my fingers but no dice...so I grab my needlenose pliers and snatch hold of it and pull to reveal a nail shank...damn...going into the bottom of my tires sipping sideways...as I held hope that "maybe"...just "maybe"...but the harder I pulled the longer the nail got to then reveal its full length of a 16 penny wannabe spike!!!...that left a huge angled hole right in the bottom of the tire tread/sipping as the tire completely deflated within seconds of removing the huge nail.
As I thought...good thing it did go it at a hard angle or it would've holed my rim as well.
So..spirited of mind that's it's now early friday evening and that I ain't going through a 3 day holiday weekend without my Hayababy...out comes the tire plugging kit...but as soon as I inserted the roughing rasp I was like...rut-ro...that went in waaaay to easy..then the same thing with the string plug...the result of very little "wall" (the tires thinnest at the bottom of the tread sipping)..with a huge angled hole..the worst of all conditions and the plug leaked..badly...losing about 1lb a minute...a I realized and came to terms with the fact that my new BT014 is in fact...TRASHED..by one huge nail.
Thought about hot patching it from the inside but...no shops do that (for liability reasons) and I figured...the hell with it...I ain't risking my life, possibly my daughters life or my Hayababy over rigged tires.
So..4th of July weekend Sat. morning...called around...and found a stealership with some mechs in for the morning only...over the phone the parts dept. salesman tells me...
"We have Pilot Powers and Dunlop Sportmaxs in your size but...what front tire do you have?"
Me: "The front is still the original stock BT56."
Him: "Well...The Dunlop would match your front tires profile much better than the Michelin would and...it's cheaper...and we can mount it up and balance it if ya hurry down."
So...calculating the loss of 1lb psi per minute and it being a 25 minute ride I over-inflate to 45 lbs and haul @$$ and just made it...but as I walk in the service dept?...the service writter guy and the parts dept. guy are arguing over the tire recomendation I was given...then the service writter dude tells me...
"I'm sorry....we weren't aware this tire was going on a Busa and now my parts guy is telling me that the dunlop isn't a great idea....that you should go with the more expensive michelin."
Me:"wtf?...whats that gonna do to my bikes handling since you already told me that the dunlops profile matchs the BT56 front but the michelin dosen't?"
Him: "Like I said...I'm sorry but...we didn't realize you'd be rolling in on a busa....and you could probably get away using the michelin with the BT56 front but..."
Me:"Okay then...lemme ask ya this...since ya kinda screwed up taking my order would ya cut me a deal if I go ahead and spring for replacing both?"
Note: Now...Michelins are expensive and this place is a high class clip-joint so a deal really isn't a deal but...at least it was a little off the bottom line as I glanced at the prices then oiffered him $350 for both Brand New Matching "Michelin Pilot Powers"...mounted and balanced...and he agreed...as long as I agreed to paying the tax and any wheel weights as well...so...done deal....just got back home and...for a preliminary report?...
The Michelin Pilot Powers Aree AWESOME!!!
Things I've noticed just during the scuff-in ride home...
1. Damn Thes Things Stick!!!
2. Steering is completely neutral and predictable at all angles of lean.
3. "Ride Quality": Is like I'm floating a hovercraft on glass.
4.Yet I still get great feedback...even though they feel like thay are vacuum locked to the road.
5. I can even feel their ultra-snatchy traction levels on decel as well as accel....braking and engine braking effects are noticably more immediate.
6. Did I mention they're STICKY?
7. I usta have a slight head-shake thing happening under a 40-30mph decel with my hands off the bars...THAT'S gone now.
Next time you're in a shop with a well stocked tire rack just rub your fingers and feel the difference in compound texture between the Pilot Powers and any other tire...and here's hoping there's some credibility to the "Soft Tires Last Better On A Bike With Big Torque" theory...guess I'll soon see...meanwhile?....these are by far the best tires I've ever felt on any streetbike....the nail pi$$ed me off...but the pleasure of experiencing the Pilot Powers almost sorta made up for it...like a good bad.
L8R, Bill.
