DiplomatR1 Posted February 4, 2006 Posted February 4, 2006 Hi, has anyone had experience of racing tyres on their road bike, I have just fitted a pair of Metzeler Racetec's to my YZF1000, it appears that the rear profile is more convex than standard as it almost contacts the front of the swingarm, I had to pack the hugger I fitted too as that was rubbing on the centre of the tyre. As the weather is icy at present I have not been able to get a proper feel for the tyres or compare the grip, I do know that the rear will spin out over large metal drain covers though!! Anyones experiences please?
ANDYROSE Posted February 5, 2006 Posted February 5, 2006 This isn't something I can comment on from personal experience so I may well be corrected by others who are better qualified, but my understanding has always been that fitting race tyres onto a road bike is asking for big trouble. All the advice I have ever read or been told is that they are very different animals and not suited to road use at all, particularly as they won't give as good grip as road tyres a lot of the time. Race tyres operate best at higher temperatures than you can realistically achieve on the roads, and until those temperatures are reached they are less effective than road tyres which are designed for the job. Another aspect is that if you change the tyres from the standard fitments, your insurers may well have reason to walk away should you be in the position of making a claim. Cheers, Andy
chrisw Posted February 6, 2006 Posted February 6, 2006 Andy is right, fitting Race tyres to a road bike isn't clever at all. Race tyres require alot more heat than Road tyres, and riding those tyres on the road they just won't heat up enough to provide the grip of a good quality Road tyre. Also what happens if it start to spit with rain when your out, it will only need to get slightly damp before you could have a serious slide out. Then there's the Plod issue, if he catches you it could be a hefty fine and points. My advice keep to good fast road tyres if that's your thing. Don't fit race tyres. In fact the Ron Haslam Race School don't even fit Race tyres to there bikes for the track, they fit road tyres because people aren't at race speeds.
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