Sullaha
Active member
To Bridgestone T31 sport touring tyres.
I took them for a ride this morning to test them out and these are my initial impressions.
The profile shapes are almost the reverse of the DT3, the front T31 has quite a flat profile in relation to a lot of front tyres including the DT3 which has an almost vertical tread at the shoulder. The rear being oversized for the rim will always create a pinched high crown effect, this is minimal on the FTR but I means there's a small part of the tyre that never gets used.
At parking lot speed there's no difference to feel, the bike is still a doddle to ride slow.
Once up to speed initial turn in feels a touch slower, this is counteracted by the bike steering slighter quicker with less lean.
Dry traction on both ends is much better, I tried my traction testing loop and left no rubber behind, I have mixed feelings about that😉
I ran them at the standard recommended pressures as a start and can say the stiffer construction definitely makes for a harsher ride, there's a ton more feedback but I'd prefer it communicated a little more gently.
I'll be experimenting a couple of Psi at a time downwards from now.
Road noise was non existent though my other ride had tyres that were considerably noisier than the DT3 so this a relative viewpoint.
We don't have many rain grooved roads here but I could tell there was less of the "wandering" feeling, generally the bike tracked better and seems less effected by chambers and uneven surfaces.
These are very confidence inspiring right from the get go, even the scrub in was quick after one little deliberate slip of the rear wheel, you can see from the pics below that I'm already using most of the front tyre and the rear is working nicely. I'm looking forward to trying these in cooler temps and rain as from what I've read they have a short warm up time and excellent wet weather traction but there's only one way to find out.
So many more miles are required for a full test though I'd say if they work this well and I get more than 3000km out of them I'll be happy.
Another cool thing is now I have a left over road legal flat track tyre that will suit the look of my SR300 street tracker perfectly! That rim colour doesnt though!
I took them for a ride this morning to test them out and these are my initial impressions.
The profile shapes are almost the reverse of the DT3, the front T31 has quite a flat profile in relation to a lot of front tyres including the DT3 which has an almost vertical tread at the shoulder. The rear being oversized for the rim will always create a pinched high crown effect, this is minimal on the FTR but I means there's a small part of the tyre that never gets used.
At parking lot speed there's no difference to feel, the bike is still a doddle to ride slow.
Once up to speed initial turn in feels a touch slower, this is counteracted by the bike steering slighter quicker with less lean.
Dry traction on both ends is much better, I tried my traction testing loop and left no rubber behind, I have mixed feelings about that😉
I ran them at the standard recommended pressures as a start and can say the stiffer construction definitely makes for a harsher ride, there's a ton more feedback but I'd prefer it communicated a little more gently.
I'll be experimenting a couple of Psi at a time downwards from now.
Road noise was non existent though my other ride had tyres that were considerably noisier than the DT3 so this a relative viewpoint.
We don't have many rain grooved roads here but I could tell there was less of the "wandering" feeling, generally the bike tracked better and seems less effected by chambers and uneven surfaces.
These are very confidence inspiring right from the get go, even the scrub in was quick after one little deliberate slip of the rear wheel, you can see from the pics below that I'm already using most of the front tyre and the rear is working nicely. I'm looking forward to trying these in cooler temps and rain as from what I've read they have a short warm up time and excellent wet weather traction but there's only one way to find out.
So many more miles are required for a full test though I'd say if they work this well and I get more than 3000km out of them I'll be happy.
Another cool thing is now I have a left over road legal flat track tyre that will suit the look of my SR300 street tracker perfectly! That rim colour doesnt though!
) then gather it all up and send you on your way, now it's like mum is controlling the torque and doesn't want me to get near hurting myself, ever.
