Need tires.

[j3gq_imp]

I have been reading this thread with quite some interest, but it seems to beg the question : aren't there any professional tire tests for motorcycles ? May be I am not riding fast enough to ever "feel the difference in the twisties", and don't burn enough tire tread to buy 5 more pairs to remember and compare in a few years. I hear that there are more choices for the standard, than for the EX, but in any case, do you really "test" your tires ?
Don't get me wrong, don't say this thread is useless, I just can't imagine there ain't a better way than "liking" a tire.
Any objection, any other opinion I will read and consider with great care.

I noticed this in many threads, and gotta say I am quite amazed with your trust in OEM engineering, parts choices and recommendations. In reality tho, they are not perfect and very often after a certain amount of money has been spent by a company on development of a specific feature or characteristic the rest is an afterthought. And very often tires, switchgear, lighting, even suspension components are just pulled out of the box they have lying around. If every component of the every motorcycle, including the owners manual, would be critically engineered, motorcycles would be ridiculously expensive.
There is always a perspective that an OEM sets a machine for "optimal" performance, somewhere in the middle, with a specific type of rider in mind. And as we learn to get along with the bikes, we start riding them closer to the edge (or over the edge), that is when we upgrade the components to make the riding experience more suitable to the type of riding we do. And as I said before, tires and suspension components are usually the first ones to go, because someone rides more on the highway and requires a harder middle compound with higher longevity, someone rides in a wet climate and requires a tire with better water evaluation properties, someone rides only twisty mountain roads and wants a softer outer compound for better grip while leaned over. Suspension is the same, someone is of a lighter stature and perhaps finds suspension to hard and sitting in the top of the travel all the time, someone rides two up with luggage and requires a more firm setup in order not to bottom out on every road imperfection.
If you are perfectly happy with the bike as it came out of the showroom, then you are the lucky one, so just enjoy the ride

'14 CB1100 STD 5 speed

@tod,
I do entirely agree with the text now highlighted in Italics. But the beginning of your answer confuses me a little. I did not say, and did not mean to say ANYTHING about OEM vs. aftermarket. My point was entirely about tire tests, and who is able to provide useful results. What made you misunderstand and say "trust in OEM" and why ?