Selecting a sportbike or sport-touring motorcycle tire

I read with great interest an editorial in a recent issue of Sport Rider Magazine in which Kent Kunitsugu laments extreme tire bargain-hunting among sport bike riders (We're a Legion of Cheapskates, Sport Rider, March 2008) - including buying 'cheap' off-brand motorcycle tires and used race tires ("take-offs") for street use.

Expensive skins

While I understand the need to put quality rubber between me and the road, I can sympathize with the bargain-hunters. The last time I bought a set of quality skins (Metzeler ROADTEC MEZ6 front and rear) for my '98 CBR1100XX, I paid close to $400 for the pair, including mounting, balancing, California and local sales tax, and the obligatory California tire disposal fee penalty. If I ride as often as I can, I can expect the pair of tires to last about a season.

Weary of uneven wear

And, as is often the case for those who commute to work, or live a long way from the twisties, I ride long stretches of straight-up highway or secondary roads - that being the case, I can expect to throw away over 2/3 of the useful rubber on the tire - the center strip wears out much faster than the edges, and I end up feeling like I'm throwing good money away. I live where there are lots of mountain roads, so I do try to get out as often as possible and 'balance' my riding style, and put some wear out at the edges - sadly, I'm may not get a chance to ride the desired 'back road' miles... Read  More...

Tunnel VisionTucked In
Copyright © 2007 Michael Curry, RoadCarvin.com

First gear. Throttle open wide.

Scenery rushing by. Faster, now.

Second gear.

Head down low, behind the windscreen. Just enough to keep the turbulence from ripping at your protective leather hide, your 'second skin'. You can hear the mechanical gnashing and whirring, the honk of the intakes. You feel the vibration of the machine just below you, the barely muted roar straining to escape as you unleash the fires of Hell within the confines of the engine. Read  More...

The Sunday Morning RideThe Sunday Morning Ride
Copyright © 2007 Michael Curry, RoadCarvin.com

Early Sunday morning. Sun rising over the hill. Birds flitting about, chirping.

You approach the garage. The air is crisp and clear. No wind. It’s quiet out, not many people up right now – the usual buzz of human activity is conspicuously absent.

You open the garage - your ride awaits. You roll it out of the garage. A quick check of tire pressure: just right. Oil level: perfect – you can’t remember ever having to add oil, but you check it anyway. Chain looks good, tension is spot-on, you lubed it after the last fill-up. Controls? Adjusted. Brake light? Check. Read  More...