I ran the Metzler Sporttecs (sp?) which is a much more sport oriented tire.  I did a great deal of riding in the mountains on the VFR and was very aggresive in the turns so I felt the need for a much softer tire.  At best I was getting 3500 out of a rear tire and 4500 from a front...I was very hard on the brakes and throttle though when in the hills...I've mellowed some now and will begin shoping for a harder compound tire to run on the GS. 

 

Before the GS I had heard really good things about the Michelin Pilot Road, but I never go the chance to run a set.  I don't know if you would do much better than the 7K you are getting out of the current set. 

 

I'll be honest and say my knowledge about cycle tires is pretty limited.  I pretty much call someone I trust and ask them what they would p ut on the bike were it theirs.  I sell tires among other automotive service for a living so the last thing I want to do is study up on tire tech. when I'm at home! 

 

I know there are some tires out there that have a harder compound rubber in the center of the tire and softer compound on the on the sides to provide a little more confidence in the turns.  The one piece of advise I can give you is some that carries over from the car world.  Check the speed rating of your tire and make sure you do NOT go down in speed rating...you do not want V or below as the tire will handle much more poorly than what you are used to.  A dealer may tell you they will last much longer, but the sacrafice is too much IMHO.  I'm not sure how many H and V rated tires are out there that will fit a VFR, but better to check than not.

 

I do plan to do some studying before I get my next set of tires for the GS, but I imagine an hour or so on the message boards will teach me enough to have an educated guess.  I'll let you know what I decide and what I think of the new ones.

 

One tire I know I did NOT like... I was stuck in bumf*ck Arizona at 6PM on a saturday and in bad need of a tire before I headed on...I took the only tire I could find that fit, a Dunlop D208...it lasted about 4K, but for whatever reason I never fealt comfortable riding aggresively with that tire.

 

Funny how you mention the chicken strip getting smaller on your tires, mine seem to be getting larger!  I'm getting slower with my old age...there used to be none at all, now there is nearly a 1/4 inch on either side...of course one good get off rob you of a lot of confidence.

 

Anyway, I hope that was at least some help...although I doubt it. 

 

How many of you guys are riding the Cape Fear 1000 this weekend?

 

Mike

 

PS If any of you see David Riley (License tag "CDOG") at the awards banquet please tell him Mike Allen said hi and that I'm jealous of hell that he got to ride while I was at a damned wedding.