Tyres feeling not right.

[piperjon]

Hi guy's,

Well yesterday I went for a ride from Sunny Corner to bald hill. Then to Robertson pie shop for a coffee and pie and then home. I wanted to see Bazman but didn't want to get home to late because i knew it would be very cold after ringing my wife.

I have found that my busa feels funny when you lean it over in the corners. The tyres I have on this busa are Michelin Pilot road 2CT new all round, they were fitted to the busa on the sale. Now when i hit the corner and try to set the bike up it feels like it wants the drop down so you lift it up. I be come unsettled and so slow down to get through the corner, but it still feels like it will fall over or down. I first found this problem when I took the busa out for a short spin to Wentworth falls that when I hit the corners at river let ( if that's how you spell it) and then up Victoria pass.

So I set the busa up to what MAX said as I am 91K in weight. But if I had checked the tyres to see what pressures I had I would have thought it was that. only 28rear and 38 front, now 42PSI.

I never had this problem with my LTD busa which still had the tyres on as new. I use to touch the ware pigs some times and sure didn't feel like it would drop when you really wanted to lean her in the corners. This bloody busa feels totally different to the other busa LTD I had with the GEM tyres that came with the busas new, feels like it wants to keep going down so you lift it up and slow down.

Is it the tyre 2CT that it is on the corner of the hard compound and a little in the soft compound?? Dale who I meet at bald hill said he was having the same feeling as he has the same tyre on the back of his busa GEN1.

So is it me not letting the busa lean right down in the corners that i have to back right off and go round the corners slow then I should as Dale and Nigel left me for dead up the pass to robo pie shop>

I think I will try a Michelin Pure or back to what the busa came out with new. I'm just pissed off that i can not enjoy the corners to get my busa to lean with out feeling it's going to drop!!

[Ward P]

28 in the rear is a little low?? Are they a matching front to back set? And are you getting to the edge of the tyre before it feels like it will fall? On the Gen 1 the road2CT are brilliant for lean and mid cornering grip, but they do step out a bit if you get too heavy handed out of the corners.
If it was me I'd swap a ride with someone with the same bike and different tyres to feel the difference and get their impression on yours.

   
This is the road 2ct on the back and I have a power on the front.
hangs on all and feels good all the way to the edge.

Hope you get to the bottom of it. It takes the fun out of it if you don't have confidence in your tyres.

[Dale]

Mine are both Pilot 2CT (Both brand new .. which might have something to do with it). I really had to fight my Pirelli's to get them over and I may be just not used to these ones yet. I spoke to a tyre dealer at Robbo pie shop and he suggested I drop the pressures a bit. I was running 40 front 42 Rear .. he suggested 36 Front 38 Rear. Now .. a big question !! .. Should I be aiming for these pressures when the tyres are cold (ie before leaving home) or when they are warm / hot (when I get to the servo) ???. I don't have a compressor at home .. maybe I should ???.
What about you John, when are you checking your pressures ??
I dunno about about me and Nigel leaving you for dead .. I'm damn sure I was holding that green Kwaka up as well. (Sorry Nigel).
I'm also not sure if my suspension is set up correctly either. I need a busa savvy member to sit with me and show me how to do it properly ..

[CeeJay07]

Tyre pressures should always be set cold. I'm running Pilot Road 2CT and set mine at 36/38...front/rear as mentioned to you Dale. As the tyre gets hot the pressure increases in the tyre so it brings it up to about 40psi anyway.....if you set them at 40-42psi when cold, once you've got 'em hot they will be rock hard and could give the impression the bike could topple at any minute (no give in the tyre)......that's my impression anyway.....others may/ will disagree.

[Troppo]

I have Pilot Power 2CT. New, matching set.

40 back, 38 front cold.

Excellent.

[piperjon]

Hi,

Yes Dale I set my pressures cold and at 42PSI as the booklet said but that are for Bridgestones that come with the new bike. is that what they come out with?? I will check and drop them down to 36/38 and see if that does change the feeling I was getting before. Bloody shit to ride when it does feel like it go down. I really slowed right down because I thought there was some wrong with the bike and stopped on the double line to check to see if the wheels where falling off ha. I even checked the tyres to make sure they were ok did seem very hard but had no pressure gauge to check. I'll take it with me next time a go for a blast. You see I had 28 in the rear when i checked the pressures before and thought it was that but it's still the same as before. anyway all I can do is give it a try and see what I come up with. I may go to Bathurst race way and ride around there but can only do 60K's. and I think you can only go one way.
I don't know what to do but try different pressures. Thanks again for your help!!

[Axe]

I'm running Pirelli Supercorsa SP's, front and back...
Pretty shitty milage, but sooo much grip.

Even when you light the rear up on exit, it still stays pretty str8, just leave big black lines!
Very controllable, and forgiving!

I lve them!

Axe

[Rubberman]

my 2 cents, all though i dont ride the hayabusa YET! i ride a TLR open road i run 36 front & rear as mentioned above set pressure when cold ( i do have a compressor easy for me ) open road riding the tyre pressure increases to approx 40/41psi
A basic/starting point is to look at it is look at the manufactures setting on the tyre assume thats the optimum pressure ( its been a while since i too have looked ) check your cold settings go for a ride once all hot re check there and then the rise of tyre pressure and deduct that from the manufactures setting off the tyre again once cold, this may help you on your way to perfect the pressures that suit you trail and error.
Have you adjusted your front suspension setting pre load commpression rebound ? are the both forks identical.. even if the bikes new it doesnt mean the settings are correct, something to review.( re your lack of confidence with leaning the bike over )
Also as you have changed tyre brands, be aware new technologys are coming out quickly with as you mentioned 2ct rubber types side wall strength profile and the list goes on. i have been caught out re a track day at Phillip Island last November on my TLR i ran the Rensport similar to Pirelli Super Corsers, i ran 29 psi in the rear with 30 psi in the front after 3 x 20 minute sessions i was tearing holes in the rear tyre, i didnt understand what was happening i was advised to decrease the pressure from cold setting to 24psi and presto the tyre lasted that day. Pressures are important there are endless factors ambient tempreture is another as i'm sure you would know but not so critical on the road v race track, keep us informed as to your progress i hope what i mentioned above is a starting point that you can use and perfect Cheers.

[piperjon]

Well after playing with the pressures and resetting the suspension I find it is still the same problem.

So I'm going to buy a set of Michelin power pures front and rear. I have spoken to Craig White about my rear tyre and he thinks it's hard a hard life even thought it looks ok. I have also got to change my back brake pads they are just about shot!!

So a set $399 plus fitting and the balance. $88.

[Dale]

I dropped my pressures yesterday and went for a quick blast up the pass. The bike felt 100% better than it did on Saturday, so was a bit of a confidence boost anyway ..
I still think it's me, not the tyres .. time will tell.

[Ward P]

I dropped my pressures yesterday and went for a quick blast up the pass. The bike felt 100% better than it did on Saturday, so was a bit of a confidence boost anyway ..
I still think it's me, not the tyres .. time will tell.

It's amazing how you can talk yourself into somthing feeling not quite right when riding. I've stopped and checked my tyres, wheels etc after it has felt "a bit weird", especially if I haven't checked pressures and it's been sitting for a while. I convince myself something is wrong. once I've stopped and checked everything and convinced myself everything is ok and normal, the bike feels great. I'm sure we've all done it, but it always pays to check.
If I'm out for a fang I like to run my pressures at 34-36 for the pilot road2. If I'm 2up or touring, I run them at 40-42. For the track I've been down as low as 28.

[Greeny_SA]

Before you go rushing into Michelin's ,I've seen a lot of people on here rave about them ,but I Value the opinion of one of the better Busa rider's
that I know & He Won't have michelin's on his bike even for free .His reason's below .
+2
I am on the tread wear indicators at 4000 & belts at 5000

I just put a 2ct on the rear & a pure on the front and IMHO they remind me of the old pirelli corsa which I put in the Poo category.

Why you might ask

I have to move my upper body more to keep a tight line.
Hard to find a smooth line in tight twisties (a lot of wallowing)
The grip is less than ordinary especially in light rain.
They find every track/rut in the road & follow it.
They have a hesitation at upright when changing directions
When turning corners the Bars get heavy & try to turn the direction you are going which I started getting after 200km and this is normally my indicator of the front tyre going off.

I will be going back to Avons before winter although I have noticed the Ultra II Rear tends to let go easier than the Original

Anyone thinking of 2CTs may i suggest to read a few reviews before making a decision (I wish I did)
This is just my opinion & is not meant to ruffle any feathers so it

[piperjon]

I dropped my pressures yesterday and went for a quick blast up the pass. The bike felt 100% better than it did on Saturday, so was a bit of a confidence boost anyway ..
I still think it's me, not the tyres .. time will tell.

It's amazing how you can talk yourself into somthing feeling not quite right when riding. I've stopped and checked my tyres, wheels etc after it has felt "a bit weird", especially if I haven't checked pressures and it's been sitting for a while. I convince myself something is wrong. once I've stopped and checked everything and convinced myself everything is ok and normal, the bike feels great. I'm sure we've all done it, but it always pays to check.
If I'm out for a fang I like to run my pressures at 34-36 for the pilot road2. If I'm 2up or touring, I run them at 40-42. For the track I've been down as low as 28.

I'm going to try some more changes in pressures just to see if it's me.
Thanks

[crumpy]

john mines a 99 and have had mich 2cts on and found no problems steers good and a good feeling tyre i run 40 psi front and back rides a bit hard but corners great.when i bought my bike for the second time it had metzlers on it i would not recomend them as i found them very slippery and the same problem as yours has reminded me of my old waterbottle (old school bikes)but got a lot of experience from those old bikes hope you get it sorted soon as we need to catch up for a ridecheers glenn

[09Fatboy]

I dunno about about me and Nigel leaving you for dead .. I'm damn sure I was holding that green Kwaka up as well. (Sorry Nigel).

hey dale , i would have held you up going up the pass if i was leading , you had the mighty busa hammering up the pass, infact it was the highlight of the days ride , nice work Dale

john, you were going fine with your busa in the nasho considering it was wet and mossy. did tyres seem ok then ????

It's amazing how you can talk yourself into somthing feeling not quite right when riding. I've stopped and checked my tyres, wheels etc after it has felt "a bit weird", especially if I haven't checked pressures and it's been sitting for a while

yes , a few weeks ago i felt my rear tyres was a little funny after exisiting the twisties , i pulled up at the servo about 20 minutes later and found it had 8psi in it , no puncture just a slow leak.