| Hi Robin
Firstly..in my experience..888's are very sensitive to tyre pressure..not surpising when you consider there weight I spose!! I have experienced the same thing your describing (but then my bike has michelin pilots on it which as we all know are s**e) - they were new on when I bought the bike and as my T8's just a sunday afternoon bike..im gonna let them run low.
Here is some advice from one of my fellow 888 contacts... taken from a recent e-mail where we were conversing on the very same subject;
Rennsports (road compound) work best on 888’s, outrageous lean angles, traction and stability under braking can be achieved with these tyres, they have good feel and being very compliant give a smooth ride. One spin-off, is their low weight, which combined with a mag wheel and light disks make a real difference to directional changes and steering. For track only try Rensport RS1 front/RS2 rear combo, however you will have to bin them after one track day, as these are one shot wonder tyres that cant cope with repeated heat cycles. I have just got a pair of K1 Racetec’s that superceed the Rennsports, haven’t tried them yet but will let you know, again these are track only, but are reported to survive longer than the RS1/RS2 combo. Caution, whenever you fit new road Rennsports take it VERY easy for the first 100 miles and choose a hot day with some abrasive tarmac to do it, failure to respect this will cost you dear.
The track pics I sent you where with the following tyre/suspension set up:-
Tyres – Rennsport road compound front 31.5 psi, rear 29-30 psi (this is also best for solo road work)
Front suspension: preload – 4 rings. Rebound – 4 clicks off hard, compression, 9 clicks off hard
Rear suspension: preload – stock, compression 2 turns off hard, rebound, ¾ turn of hard, rear hoop ride height – stock, rose joints wound completely in.
On that session I went out in front and no one overtook me, and there was some serious Jap and Italian machinery running at the same time.
I’m 75Kg in my birthday suit, and unless your 10kg or more these settings should work fine unless the suspension has been tweaked, in which case my only advice is to put everything back to stock and start again, the ‘93/’94 Stradas were also spot on out the crate, messing with the settings only upsets what is already a good all-round setup. Only start this process once you have put the Rennsports on. If you don’t like Rennsports the only other tyre I have some success with is Bridgestone 012 SS, heavier and not quite as much feel but capable and way ahead of Michelins.
Hope that helps..
Nat  |