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 not always able to ride the desired 'back road' miles...

I just had a set of Metzeler MEZ6 tires (120/70ZR17 front, 180/55ZR17 rear) installed on my '98 CBR1100XX. I do more straight-up riding than I'd like to admit, so I tend to stay away from the hard-core sport compounds (otherwise, I end up with wearing out the center long before the edges), and I have always liked Metzeler tires on my Honda sport-touring bikes.

I'm somewhat surprised at the installed cost of the tires, though. Purchased from a retail shop in the Sacramento area, including mounting and balancing on the wheels that I brought in, the bill approached $380. Add to that the travel time to Sacramento (about an hour and a quarter one-way), fuel expenses, and hassle factor, the actual cost is well over $400.