tires 2002 LeMans

[Dimitris]

On my Breva I use Metzeler Z6. Wonderful tires! 24.500 km till now and I am ready to change to Z6 for the 3rd time.

 

On my Le Mans 2002, Metzeler M3's, more sporty, perfect grip, they get warmed up pretty fast. I don't know their performance on the wet yet...

[Ryland3210]

On my Breva I use Metzeler Z6. Wonderful tires! 24.500 km till now and I am ready to change to Z6 for the 3rd time.

 

On my Le Mans 2002, Metzeler M3's, more sporty, perfect grip, they get warmed up pretty fast. I don't know their performance on the wet yet...

 

Ah, Greece. Wonderful country, wonderful climate. I was there this past July. I can see why you would not have much chance to drive in the wet. Here in New York State, I get plenty of opportunities!

 

Let us know when you test the M3's.

[Ryland3210]

I'm definitely leaving the M1's behind. At 3000 miles, the rear is just about finished in the center. <_ i been doing a lot of long distance high speed highway driving. sides look almost new. it shame to waste all that rubber. start scrubbing off more agressively. looks like michelin pilots or m6 in the near future for me.>

[Guest ratchethack]

John, I can only speak for my own experience with these tires, but allow me to frame my own perspective on M-1's in a little different light.

 

Just a coupla thoughts.

 

Per previous posts, I have considerable experience with M-1's, and not anything like a claim of being a talented rider the likes o' whom would be capable of pushing these pure Sport tires to their limits on a regular basis. I'm much more of a Road Geez. But I do ride in fairly demanding terrain whenever possible, just for the joy of it, and I do wear my tires all the way to the edges. You've said of your M-1 tires that the "sides look almost new", and "It's a shame to waste all that rubber." I would tend to agree. If you're not using the M-1's for challenging terrain and/or aggressive riding, and making full use of the tread all the way to the edges at least on occasion, I'd say that these tires are not a good fit for your use, as it appears you've concluded. I would also note that M-1's have been superceded by M-3's in their target market by Metzeler. IMHO this doesn't make the M-1 a "bad tire" by any means, but that's just me.

 

Now by my experience, if I were to recommend my own personal choice of tire for your purposes (assuming you will continue to ride primarily on straight highways and not make use of the full width of tread anyway), this would undoubtedly offend someone who has chosen a different tire, and therefore may well elicit some kind of a challenge to my recommendation. BTW, who cares, but that wouldn't be very helpful here, IMHO. . .

 

So let me just say this. IMHO, if you select ANY of the current crop of consistently top-ranked Sport/Touring tires -- particularly the ones constructed with dual compound tread (NOTE: not all the tires constructed this way are specifically marketed as such!), may I suggest that this would be a far far better fit for the use to which you put your tires, and you'd be happier with them -- at least from a mileage perspective. From a handling perspective I doubt you'd have any complaints at all, ditto grip, and you'd probably be much happier WRT wet performance, if this is any consideration at all. IMHO you'd surely have a great margin of "safety cushion" in reserve, ready for use at all times, should the unforseen or unusually demanding terrain present itself! By my experience, by that of others, and by the mileage reported in comparison tests, these kinds of tires can provide up to DOUBLE the mileage of pure Sport tires these days, while offering very nearly the same grip and handling as pure Sport tires -- even at the same extremes of use.

 

On this last point, I'm sure you're mindful, but it's been my observation that a surprising number of riders are NOT -- If two tires are comparably priced, and one gets double the useful miles over the other, the one getting the superior mileage actually costs HALF that of the other on a cost/mile basis.

 

NOTE: I would be remiss in all my ravings about my own personal choice of tires if I didn't also repeat one "trade-off" of these and any tire without a center groove or center tread : At least on the Guzzi, they will tend to track less than perfectly rock-steady at speeds of ~70 mph and above under many conditions. This is NOT anything like a big deal, but it has been, and will be at least somewhat unsettling to the uninitiated at first, and there are some who will actually find it unacceptable! Since it presents NO KIND of a handling problem wotsoever (at least to Y'ers Truly), and is simply a matter of conditioning to get used to, I consider it a minor annoyance at worst, well worth putting up with considering the many fine (some would say unprecedented!) attributes of these tires, and one easily forgotten about, since the bike will STILL track very accurately in a straight line, a tiny bit of rear-end "wiggle" notwithstanding!

 

BAA, TJM, & YMMV

[Ryland3210]

John, I can only speak for my own experience with these tires, but allow me to frame my own perspective on M-1's in a little different light.

 

Just a coupla thoughts. ...

 

NOTE: I would be remiss in all my ravings about my own personal choice of tires if I didn't also repeat one "trade-off" of these and any tire without a center groove or center tread : At least on the Guzzi, they will tend to track less than perfectly rock-steady at speeds of ~70 mph and above under many conditions.

 

... I consider it a minor annoyance at worst, well worth putting up with considering the many fine (some would say unprecedented!) attributes of these tires, and one easily forgotten about, since the bike will STILL track very accurately in a straight line, a tiny bit of rear-end "wiggle" notwithstanding!

 

BAA, TJM, & YMMV

 

Ratchethad, thanks much for taking the time to help me with the tradeoffs.

 

Mindfulness is definitly strongly ingrained in my thought process.

 

I have had no problem with the tracking on my M1's, or any other bike I have owned. That's probably the result of having driven on New Jersey's roads for most of my life, and plenty of dirt trail riding as well.

 

I'll start shopping around for tires.

[Guest ratchethack]

John, I'm pleased to find someone who's conscientious about wot I consider to be possibly the MOST important part of any motorcycle (Tires. Brakes would be #2). Amazingly enough, I find that many riders have little to no knowledge or comprehension of 'em, and (except for the ridiculous, handling crippling, "wide ass" bling factor fashion trend) all but ignore 'em. . .

 

I've never had a tracking "problem" with any Metzeler tire (except on bridge grates and grooved surfaces), and it's only the rear Z6 that has no center grooving. M-1 rears and Z6 fronts have center grooving.

 

If you're at all curious about how old your M-1's are, they're date stamped. As mentioned previously, if they're old, this can account for wot many consider bad road manners. . .

 

The link here has a legend for reading the sidewall, including the date. When ordering a Metz tire, I find it can be helpful in deciding which tires to order:

 

http://www.metzelermoto.com/web/products/t...ll/default.page

[Ryland3210]

John, I'm pleased to find someone who's conscientious about wot I consider to be possibly the MOST important part of any motorcycle (Tires. Brakes would be #2). Amazingly enough, I find that many riders have little to no knowledge or comprehension of 'em, and (except for the ridiculous, handling crippling, "wide ass" bling factor fashion trend) all but ignore 'em. . .

 

I've never had a tracking "problem" with any Metzeler tire (except on bridge grates and grooved surfaces), and it's only the rear Z6 that has no center tread. M-1 rears and Z6 fronts have center tread.

 

If you're at all curious about how old your M-1's are, they're date stamped. As mentioned previously, if they're old, this can account for wot many consider bad road manners. . .

 

The link here has a legend for reading the sidewall, including the date. When ordering a Metz tire, I find it can be helpful in deciding which tires to order:

 

http://www.metzelermoto.com/web/products/t...ll/default.page

 

Cool!

 

Like Pete Roper, and evidently yourself, I'd prefer to have a smaller rear tire. Any advice on wheel interchangeability with my bike. I'll bet there are those out there that would prefer the bling factor rims on my '04. Or are the thinner wheels available for purchase without breaking the bank?

[Guest ratchethack]

Cool!

 

Like Pete Roper, and evidently yourself, I'd prefer to have a smaller rear tire. Any advice on wheel interchangeability with my bike. I'll bet there are those out there that would prefer the bling factor rims on my '04. Or are the thinner wheels available for purchase without breaking the bank?

My compliments, John. Wot a bright expression of reason amidst a dark sea of folly! Yes, the 4.5" and 5.5" wheels are interchangeable. There've been a few slaves-of-fashion "eager bling beavers" openly requesting such an exchange of wheels -- wanting to go for the popular parking lot poser parade float bloat-o-ride "wide ass" look, of course -- in the last month or so. If you put a WANTED ad in, you should have your pick of many quality examples to choose from in an exchange, PDQ.

 

 

I'd make 'em provide clear photo's of proof of quality both sides before sealing a deal, and pick only the very best (you're in the driver's seat on this deal!) You might ask for not only payment for shipping in both directions, but a nice premium for wot the market will bear therewith, and I'm sure you'd get it!! But hey --

 

As always, TJM & YMMV, and to each his own . . .

[Ryland3210]

My compliments, John. Wot a bright expression of reason amidst a dark sea of folly! Yes, the 4.5" and 5.5" wheels are interchangeable. There've been a few slaves-of-fashion "eager bling beavers" openly requesting such an exchange of wheels -- wanting to go for the popular bloat-o-ride "wide ass" look, of course -- in the last month or so. If you put a WANTED ad in, you should have your pick of many quality examples to choose from in an exchange, PDQ.

 

I'd make 'em provide clear photo's of proof of quality both sides before sealing a deal, and pick only the very best (you're in the driver's seat on this deal!) You might ask for not only payment for shipping in both directions, but a nice premium for wot the market will bear therewith, and I'm sure you'd get it!! But hey --

 

As always, TJM & YMMV, and to each his own . . .

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I noticed two ads seeking a 5.5 " wheel, and put mine in, indicating I wanted to buy outright. I always like keeping the OEM parts, so that if I ever sell the bike, the new owner can restore it back to original if they like. More likely, it will be in my estate.

 

Perhaps the two ads seeking the 5.5 will be interested in cash from me they can use to buy a 5.5 inch'er. I hope to move fast, so I can get a new tire at the same time. Who knows? maybe the rim will come with a decent tire I can use for a while! I'll be sure to modify the cush rubbers and lubricate as well in the process.

[rocker59]

I'm running a 170/60-17 Metzeler Z6 on the back of my Nero Corsa.

 

I like it.

[Tom M]

I'm running a 170/60-17 Metzeler Z6 on the back of my Nero Corsa.

 

I like it.

 

I have the same on my LeMans (5.5 rim) and I like it too.

[Dan M]

 

 

 

Hey ratch,

 

You have to admit, while the handling of the shown rear end may be somewhat "spongy"; traction would not be a problem regardless of surface or weather conditions.