Thinking about a wider rear tire

[Pterodactyl_imp]

Today, it was my first ride with the Pirelli Sport Demon on wet roads ("normal" rain). To make a long story short: no, the Pirellis do not have as much grip on wet roads as my former Dunlops D205. In one 90° turn with approx. 40 km/h speed, the front tire started skidding a bit - it was not dramatic as skidding started slowly not abruptly so I was able to intercept.

Wet grip together with the - for me - too agile handling in curves seems that the Dunlop would be the better choice for me and my CB compared to the Pirellis.

this is the reason I always go with manufacturer's recommendation. I don't want to change something then find out I don't like it and have to live with it.

For sure that's safe and I appreciate your point of view. In my case when it came time for me to change my D205s they were a "special order" and expensive. BT54s were no longer available so I went with BT45s, bias ply and not manufacturer's recommendation. I would say that, overall, they were a better tyre than the D205s. Handling good and better wear. When they needed replacement (I got about 15000+kms) I wanted to go back to radials. At this stage I became interested in CIP's views on the Michelin RP3s. OK, so I took the jump and 900kms later I have not regretted it at all. However, after reading ingobohn's report regarding the Pirelli Sport Demons I would do a lot more research before considering buying Pirellis. Front tyre breakaway in the wet is not good. I am surprised because review (revzilla et al) gives them 4.5/5 for wet traction. I would assume that he had a matching Pirellis front and rear. The best aspect of the Michelins, according to expert review, is wet weather performance. In other areas they are not the "best" but adequate for me. I really like the easy turn in - smooth as silk and then, leaned over, as sticky as a mouthful of peanut butter. The different profile when going over glass road eyes and small ridges is noticeable and initially disconcerting, but after some 900kms I have complete confidence in the Michelins. They just feel different.

In short I couldn't be happier that I have gone away from the manufacturer's recommendation. Over the next two weeks the CB's new shoes will get a good workout over a lot of good roads in the northern NSW coast and hinterland region. Probably around 3000kms or a maybe a little less. Bring it on!

Cheers