12-15-2020, 04:27 AM
Tires like seats, windshields, helmets or any other consumer products are accepted and liked differently by each individual. Certain things on tires can be measured scientifically, but things like "confidence they instill" can not. If you follow a forum you will see that once the oem tires (a compromise tire between manufacturer of motorcycle and manufacturer of the tires determined by price..ie manufacturer says we want to buy 10,000 tires from you but are only willing to pay $50 a tire..and the tire manufacturer ssys Ok we can do that but we are going to have to use less rubber and make the tread a little shallower to accomplish that) generally are replaced by more premium tires as soon as the oem tires are worn out. Forum members try different tires and some say tire A handles well but doesn't last, others say tire B last but don't grip well in the wet and last about as long as the oem tires. Others say tire C has good grip wet and dry and last longer than the oem tire ...so generally a lot of people go with the C tires. On every forum I have been on there has been a preferred tire for that motorcycle.
That doesn't say that everyone is going to like that tire. Generally the road racer type guys will give up longevity for traction. The touring type guys will go for longevity over traction. All season riders worry about wet grip, and some guys are just worried about price.
In my experience Moto Journos can't really test tires because most are located in Southern Ca and are road racer types, and never venture out on long freeway trips or ride in the rain or snow or put enough miles on a tire to see just how long they will last. They ride them in the canyons on sunny days for maybe a couple hundred miles and declare how good a tire is. They have a deadline they have to meet. In order to really compare 5 different tires, IMO it would take the same motorcyclist, riding the same motorcycle, every day, in all types of weather on trips and in the canyons for 6-8000 miles per tire, or about 30,000-40,000 miles total for the 5 tires tested. Even for a really dedicated rider that would take a year and a half. Moto Journos can't do that. Even then you would only be getting one person's opinion about handling, grip, traction etc.
I recently read a "Long Term " motorcycle test. They "lived with the bike", commuting and pleasure riding for 2,500 miles. I had to laugh and shake my head. For me, long term doesn't begin to apply until at least 30,000 miles. But that's just me. A lot of the motorcycle tests you read are written after a 115 mile ride lead by the manufacturer's representative.
Almost all the tires on the market are "good enough" and probably better than most motorcyclists are at judging them. The majority generally aren't stressing their tires to begin with. Add in the fact that most motorcyclists only ride about 2,500 miles a year, in good weather conditions... above 60 degrees, sunny days, 100 miles a weekend, 25 weekends a year.
That doesn't say that everyone is going to like that tire. Generally the road racer type guys will give up longevity for traction. The touring type guys will go for longevity over traction. All season riders worry about wet grip, and some guys are just worried about price.
In my experience Moto Journos can't really test tires because most are located in Southern Ca and are road racer types, and never venture out on long freeway trips or ride in the rain or snow or put enough miles on a tire to see just how long they will last. They ride them in the canyons on sunny days for maybe a couple hundred miles and declare how good a tire is. They have a deadline they have to meet. In order to really compare 5 different tires, IMO it would take the same motorcyclist, riding the same motorcycle, every day, in all types of weather on trips and in the canyons for 6-8000 miles per tire, or about 30,000-40,000 miles total for the 5 tires tested. Even for a really dedicated rider that would take a year and a half. Moto Journos can't do that. Even then you would only be getting one person's opinion about handling, grip, traction etc.
I recently read a "Long Term " motorcycle test. They "lived with the bike", commuting and pleasure riding for 2,500 miles. I had to laugh and shake my head. For me, long term doesn't begin to apply until at least 30,000 miles. But that's just me. A lot of the motorcycle tests you read are written after a 115 mile ride lead by the manufacturer's representative.
Almost all the tires on the market are "good enough" and probably better than most motorcyclists are at judging them. The majority generally aren't stressing their tires to begin with. Add in the fact that most motorcyclists only ride about 2,500 miles a year, in good weather conditions... above 60 degrees, sunny days, 100 miles a weekend, 25 weekends a year.