New Tyres on the Z900
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- Metzler Roadtec 01 SE or Michelin Road 5 or Dunlop Roadsport II? The tyres on my Z900 are getting dangerously low and it is now time to decide. We take a trip through the selection process and over to Chris Mullins Tyres where they fit a nice new set of winter boots.
Yes, I did some research before I saw your video and came up with the Metzlers as well.
I fitted Metzeler Roadtec 01 SE on my 2021 Z900.
The OEM Dunlops were pretty much done anyway and were just horrible in the wet. The final nail in the coffin was when the rear started to step out when I pulled away from a green light at 1/4 throttle.
The Metzelers are overall superior tyre by quite a large margin.
They are a bit more expensive than a set of Roadsport 2s, but I'd wager that the increased longevity more than makes up for it.
BTW, my front tyre had done the exact same thing and I only use the recommended pressure of 36 psi front and 42 psi rear.
Thanks, it's good to hear that I'm not alone - I was wondering if I'd done something wrong or there was a fault but it looks like we have experienced exactly the same things with our tyres.
the wear pattern could be just a problem because of the dunlops. I remember when I first picked up the most expensive dunlops for street motorcycles and they were nice for at least 3000 miles then my buddy said go for metelzer. i was really happy with the Metelzer. the dunlops were too hard and eventually cupped on my front wheel where the metelzers had zero issues.
I have been riding Motorcycles for 50 years and every time I get to ride a bike shod with Dunlop's it scare's the life out of me .Tyre technology has changed markedly in 50 years as you would expect , the Tyre's I use now are Metzler Sportec M7 RR , these are now super seated by the M9 RR .They were developed By Metzler and Guy Martin at the Isle of Mann.
I have found them to be good in all conditions and get good mileage out of them. After many discussions with other motorcyclist's the conclusion I have come to about the wear pattern you are getting with the front tyre is due to pushing the front end into corners .Older sport bike's ie Ducati's you rode them from a more rearward position making them light in the front end , this in turn wore the sides of the front tyre flat through cornering . Modern bike's have more or less have equal weight distribution ,50/50 , putting more weight on the front end so you get the flat sided wear pattern you are experiencing .
It's funny how i posted a video today about these roadsport 2 tires and described how awful they are along with experiencing the same front wear pattern as the OP then came across this clip. My rear lasted only for 3k miles too. I never liked Dunlops and always happily used Michelins. Can't wait to slap on those power 5's
Those front road sports suck they have something wrong with them
@Louiem28 agreed! The back tire too , was gone under 3k miles
The wear pattern is normal, every sports bike I have had looks like that way back to the early 90s and would be wary of going to a tyre fitter who did not know that..its just as Mark surmised , extra force going thru the tyre when turning in....
Hello, I have a Kawasaki Z900 rs and rapidly changed the std tires with the Michelin road 5…WOW??!! What a difference 🙏🏻🙏🏾
Got the Michelin Road 6 on my KTM SA S.
Started with the Michelin road 3 long time ago, You might have to pay a bit more but You get so much more in safety and Fun 🧐😀😀😀👍🏻👍🏾
Great advice, I'm starting to realise that the cheaper tyres really aren't worth it.
@@bikerevz Seriously; the Michelin Road series never let me down, neither in dry or wet conditions 💪🏻👍🏻
The uneven tire wear is due to the suspension rebound being set to fast or to slow.
Just put on the Metzler m9 rr on my z900 2020. I know they were expensive but the grip i got is amazing.
I have to agree, I was out in the rain and mud over this weekend and the Metzlers performed brilliantly. No complaints from me!
I have Michelin Pilot Road 5 and I have never had any slippage on them....had only once in a year a bit of traction control problems because of squidding on the black ice :)), other than that they are quite great.
Another friend with a z900 had the same experience and can confirm.
That's really good to know and Pilot Road 5 does seem to be the tyre that sets the standard. My slip was due to a patch of oil and no tyre is going to help with that! Really I just wanted to try something different this time.
@@bikerevz only thing you can do in that situation is less lean and trust the tyre.... had my stints with oil, but i never knew why people were afraid of a patch of oil more than a patch of black ice. If it's not on 2 km and only on some meters, chances are you will not even notice it. Yeah, i've driven through 2 km of oil and bituminum, it was hell, but i didn't fall on my ass.
I have a 17 Z9...my stock fronts ended up having odd wear as well and at the end had a pretty sharp profile...was also losing air with them despite having no leaks after testing..
I fitted the roadtec 01 (non se) and absolutely love them...i am now trying out the road 5...and will be going back to the roadtecs...
The road5s and roadtecs are very very similar....but i find the road5s tend to be a little more lazy to lean into corners whereas the roadtecs just love to lean into corners...
No complaints with these Metzlers, they are grippy as anything - wet, dry, hot or cold. Love 'em!
Chris said Road 5’s, then you said pilot 5’s ? My front road 2’s wore a bit like yours, I ran slightly lower pressures , but I think it’s the dual compound, the centre is harder, ? Suspension can also cause this. My road 5’s have been fantastic, great grip and quick to warm up, and last really well, 7,000 miles.
Well it's now time for another tyre change. I'm going to try something a bit cheaper, just for experimentation but other wise I would definitely be going Road 5 or Road 6.
@@bikerevz I found the 5’s lasted really well. The cheaper weren’t as grippy and wore quickly. Tyre prices are insane at the moment though.
I would have thought that this wear would be normal as these sorts of tyres use harder rubber in the middle for longevity and softer rubber at the sides for better cornering grip.
You might have a point there! Having said that, the Metzlers aren't doing it, well not yet but I guess they're not so quick to wear.
Z900 arriving soon hopefully, will change the tyres straight away as is generally advised, will either do Road 5 or the Metzlers depending on price and availability.
I also noticed the same tire wear on my bike, when enquired I was told ,if one does many highway miles the concave road can cause uneven wear , it made sense to me , since all other components have been checked out. Hope this helps.
How many kilometers did you cover before the change ?
Hi there, I managed 8,000KM / 5000Miles on the stock tyres. I've done about the same on the new Metzlers and they are now looking ready for a change - the rear has squared off and the front has that same wear pattern. Plenty of depth on the tread but the wear pattern is making it awkward to ride around corners! I thought the Metzlers would last longer although I'll keep them on for a bit and get a fresh set for winter.
You may have solved my issue! My Z900 has just over 2k miles on it. Within the last week or two, the handling has been a bit squirrely. I am not an aggressive driver, so to me it seems like the handling is like hyper sensitive and unstable. I checked chain tension, rear wheel alignment, loose hardware etc. But cannot pinpoint the issue. Of course I looked at the tires, but not that closely as they still seemed to have plenty of tread. I relooked at my front wheel after watching this video because too also noticed that it seemed thicker in the middle than on the sides. In fact, it feels like a band of rubber around the center section - very similar to what you showed. Going to do a much better inspection in the daylight on both front and rear tomorrow. Did you ever find out the cause? Thank you.
Thanks for your comments, it sounds like you have the same problem that I had. I guess this bike puts down alot of power and there isn't much weight over the back so you need a decent tyre. As for the wear pattern on the front, apparently quite normal as the tyre only really wears on a bend, especially with a heavy bike like this. Good luck with your issue.
When I bought my Z900 new in 2020 I had the OEM tires replaced by Michelin Road 5's immidiatly.
Whoever decided to put Dunlop Sportmax tires under that sporty kind of a bike must be not riding himself, i guess.
The Road 5's are not too bad, but they are not what I really expected from a Michelin just alone for the road feel.
They lean in heavier than others and can loose traction with low temperatures in wet conditions with what I experianced myself.
(Old but still a stupid sometimes, riding too fast and brutal for the road conditions... ;) )
But the Road 5's are still going strong with already 15k kilometers on them, so that's a plus.
So I will try the Metzeler M7's or Michelin Sport 5's next.
I have M7's on my MT-09 and absolutly love those, great tires, even in the wet and cold conditions .
Will they last as long as the Road 5's?
I don't know, because choosing sport tires instead of touring kind of tires that most probably will not last that long... apples and pears, difficult choice to be made...
On my former '14 the M7's still had ample profil (50% -60%) after a good 8k kilometers, so... we will see.
Hi, great to read all this I'll be trying the Road 5's next time, I think. Although by then we might have something else to try out.
I had Michelin Power5 on my SV1000 and seriously they're bad on wet. So back to Road5 for rainy days and Supercorsa for dry track days (I've got 2 pairs of wheels)
How are these holding up Mark?
Does the front tyre still have the same wear patterns. Also what are they like in terms of grip in the dry and wet?
That's very timely, I'm going to review the Metzlers this week. 1 year / 6,000 miles and they've just about had it! Same wear pattern but I do alot of commuting on fast straight roads, so hard acceleration and then roundabouts, all of which squares off the back tyre and rubs out the front on one side. In terms of grip and performance, I've never known anything grip like it - wet, dry, hot or cold.
Hey Mark, I put a set of Michelin power 5 on my Z, and the ABS light is on all the time now and the KTR is going off in both modes, when I turn it off it's fine is it just the tires? Or did I screw something up?
I doubt that would be the tyres. Much more likely to be the sensor on one of the wheels. The front one is especially easy to damage, have a look at the front wheel on the left side, there should be a slotted disk in the middle of the wheel and a sensor with a small wire next to it. Perhaps the wheel was put on the wrong way round or the sensor damaged?
@@bikerevz that's exactly what it was, I must have bent the little disc when I put it on the front stand, I took it off and straightened it with my hammer, back on the road, thanks Mark!
To me, it’s the best tire I’ve ever tried on my Z900 Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV. Ok, I have a completely different driving style, I see it in your tires, but the mileage is not as important to me as it is to me that the tire will not betray me when I am on an extreme incline. With my driving style (aggressively) I cover 5,000-6,000 km with Pirelli.
Sounds about right for the more aggressive rider. I've heard nothing but good things about the Diablo Rossos and I would have maybe tried them if I didn't spend so much time commuting in the wet!
I have a 2017 z900 I run Avon Evo sports and I love them , it's a very personal thing bike tyres and I've never liked Michelin's.
I'd never really considered Avons but I'll definitely put those on the short-list for next time - thank you.
I just bought my Z, and I have heard the Dunlops that come with the bike are terrible.
I have a bunch of bike related questions for you, if you don't mind.
To be fair, they were fine in the dry, but riding in the wet was a very different experience! Happy to answer any questions - on here or message me. Thanks for supporting the channel, check out the Z900 review and Mods videos if you haven't already.
Which metzelers did you get?
I went with the Roadtec 01 SE. I think it was a good choice.
@@bikerevz Thank you
Yes, the Dunlop is very bad, but this is very ugly in my opinion, but Ok man. 😄
Jajaja
stock Dunlops are wank