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Old 04-Sep-2006, 22:20
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Ducati Dealer wilf wilf is offline
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Posts: 496
Join Date: May 2005
Mood: Just fallen in love with road riding again!
Andy,

Thanks for the vote of confidence asking my opinion!
There are pros, lots of grip, lots of lean angle and they do last longer.
There are cons, they can be confusing with lots of compounds, sizes etc. and they can cost a lot more.

My 2 p's worth.

I would go for a pair and try them. Slicks give you a much faster turn in (especially compared to the 209s), much better grip braking into corners and getting on the power out of them. The harder you push them the better they feel - to a point !

If you go for slicks.. from what i've tried..

Dunlops -

Pro's... they are very very good. lots of feel, lots of grip and slide gently. last the best of all the slicks i've used.

Con's... only do a 195 rear section not 190 and a 125 front. so will take a bit of mucking about with your settings and gearing, expensive (typically £230 pair) lots of compounds to confuse.

Michellin -
Pro's... good grip, last nearly as long as the dunlops, readily available
Cons.. lots of grip until they go, but they do go suddenly. take ages to heat up.

Bridgestone -
Pros.. Cheaper than the others, simple compounds, VERY good feedback/feel, makes the front feel great! easy sizes.
cons - dont last as long, sensitive to heat cycles more than where.

Metz / Pirelli - same as racetecs/supercorsers without any tread. no different carcase or rubber.

So.. I use the Bridgestone slicks because they have great feel from the front, dont do anything unexpected have simple compounds (soft front, med rear, easy) and are the best value at about £200 per pair - ish.

Key thing with slicks is temprature because they have no cuts to help the rubber move about and cause heat, use warmers, get them really hot.

Heat cycles kill them too, so when you come back in get the warmers on and keep them hot all day, it will really help the wear n tear.

Good luck. you'll love them. you just dont know how much road tyres move about until you're on a new set of race slicks.


748RS race bike (well, 853 but who\'s counting!)
999S road bike,

www.motorapido.co.uk

Last edited by wilf : 04-Sep-2006 at 22:23.
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