What tyres for the 8V.

Bill Hagan wrote:

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And, ugly or not, even tho I have but 100 or so miles on those, so far, mighty fine on twists and turns of local back roads.  Mighty.  Taking it to the Ohio Guzzi rally next week, and will get more anecdata.

But, thanks; had not realized how ugly that dangling reflector is, so it'll be off soon.  

Bill

Hey Bill, just take out the "middle man" on that reflector.  If you remove that mounting strap you can retain the little reflector directly on the base of the rear fender.  That's what I did and it improves the looks yet still retains the little reflector.

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FWIW I HATE Metzeler tires. The profile on every one I've ridden turns in slowly, the tread wears unevenly on these heavy bikes, and cannot wear out soon enough. I've had good luck with various Pirellis, but have found my favorite in the Pilot Road offerings from Michelin.

For me on this heavy bike, it's Dunlop.

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Crap photo, but here's my PR4, after 5k miles.  For reference.  Still another 5k left?  

Steak wrote:

it improves the looks yet still retains the little reflector.

FWIW I HATE Metzeler tires.  The profile on every one I've ridden turns in slowly, the tread wears unevenly on these heavy bikes, and cannot wear out soon enough.  I've had good luck with various Pirellis, but have found my favorite in the Pilot Road offerings from Michelin.

I didn't really notice the low-hanging reflector before but now of course I have to move it up  [Charlie: They said you was hung. Bart: And they was right.]

re: Metzeler: I noticed that right away when I replaced the front with a Michelin; suddenly the bike turns much quicker with the pointier profile as opposed to the "lazy" feel with the stock tire. Silver lining to having to unexpectedly get a new front. I might actually lower the forks back a notch to slow down the turn-in a tad.

Any suggestions as to what tires to use on the GRiSO for some off road and gravel touring?
For the road I've been happy with the Bridgestone Battlax 30t GT.
Thanks

Add a Stelvio to your garage.

Unable

Omnis wrote:

Any suggestions as to what tires to use on the GRiSO for some off road and gravel touring?
For the road I've been happy with the Bridgestone Battlax 30t GT.
Thanks

Steak wrote:

Add a Stelvio to your garage.

Omnis wrote:

Unable

Before getting the Stelvio I used to hit the occasional fire (dirt/gravel) road on the GRiSO.  Never had anything but straight up road-touring tires.  While not the best option for off-road touring, the GRiSO can do just fine in "non-technical" situations.  Meaning well maintained forestry service roads and the like.

If you plan on hitting the dirt more than every once in a while, you might want to try a hybrid tire like the Michelin Anakee III.

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Thanks for the tip Steak, I'll check'em out

Omnis wrote:

Thanks for the tip Steak, I'll check'em out

You'd have to settle for a 170/60 R17 instead of the spec'd 180/55 R17 or pick up a Stelvio rear wheel...

Spotted a GRiSO having a rear tyre change in a local Triumph/Suzuki dealership, I whispered to the mechanic, "Rear wheel bolts require 110Nm."
He replied. "Really?"
"Google it." I said "Or the rear wheel will fall off."
Hopefully the owner benefits and the mechanic gains some wisdom.

I guess the question has been asked already but I can't find it. Does a narrower tyre give better handling or is it not done? I remember the tyre on my bandit that was narrower than the factory given measures and gave a noticeable netter handling. But does that count for a Wide motorcycle as a GRiSO too?

Anyone?

Well, past experience on my part.

Back when I had my 1100 I experimented with a 170 rear. I never tried narrowing the front to match.

I now run stock sizes and haven't felt the need to change on my 1200.

My Stelvio runs a narrower rear and a bigger, narrower, front. As an 'Everyday' rider it actually feels better than my GRiSO. Start pushing though............

i found that going to a 170 gave my bike a quicker turn in , feels a little better in transition as well,
i would do it again ...

Thanks for sharing the experiences.

I now have the Michelin PR4 shod to the GRiSO.
The guy in the shop was either upselling or most insistent that a bike the weight of the GRiSO should be on PR4 GT. I chose the standard PR4

Has anyone tried the PR4 GT ? Same same ? Better wear pattern ?

I went PR4 GT after reading they work better on heavy bikes (helped by fact they were in stock on the day and exactly same price as PR std - no upsell)....all I can say is they handle at least as well as Pirelli Angel GTs that were previously fitted and so far both front and rear are wearing much slower and much more evenly than the Pirellis and AFAIK I'm riding same...sadly (for you) I can't compare with PR4 std as I had those on my BMW R850R which is a different animal.

I put Metzeler Z8 interacts on my 1100 and thought they were superb, even on a track day at silverstone. I ground 5mm off the sidestand that day. On the MV I had Pirelli Angels which were very good, but not that grippy on such a light bike. The Ducati had Pirelli scorpion trails which were awful and the new GRiSO has Metzeler Z6's on, but it's too early to comment on them

I've got a PR4 GT on the front, standard on rear. I will be putting a GT on the rear when I replace it.

GRiSO Rosso : Those PR4 GT's sound good in the reviews, I'll throw a set on the Rosso soon, but will have to wait a bit as I have just re shod the trackie and Fat GRiSO. I have found some more grip from the original metzeler's by lowering the pressure a bit. 28 rear and 30 front, I don't care if it stuffs them as I hate them anyway, but they have to much tread left for me to throw out yet  

GRiSO Trackie : For Amazing grip I have the Pirelli Diablo Super Corsa SP's on the track bike. The confidence these tyres give you is nothing short of astounding. When up to riding temperature they actually Glue themselves to the front wheel stand. Shit mileage though, 600 to 700 km from the last set so not practical for road use. ( is Kilometerage a word   ) Riding at normal road speeds I've heard you can get a few thousand km's out of them

Fat GRiSO : On the Selvio I have a set of Pirelli Scorpion trail II's. Shit loads of grip for the type of riding we do on her. It tips into corners better than the GRiSO I think, but as Pete said earlier, it may be because of the narrower tyres. These tyres are supposedly made to the same specs as the pirelli Angel GT's so have the hard wearing center and softer side tread areas. No experience with these in the rain yet, but the worn out Scorpion 1's felt better in the rain than the metzelers mentioned above.

I have been using Pilot Power 3's on the 1100 for a few years. I have put them on the 1200 as well.No drama in the wet and they stick like shit to a blanket in the dry. Also much less road noise than the PRs. However they are being discontinued. The replacements look like a wet race tyre...but I will give them a go. The difference between the PR3s and PP3s is negligable.

OK, of course, I have to add anecdata to a tire thread.

As I (think I) said in an earlier post here (but have only had one cup of coffee ... served by somewhat truculent spousal-unit staff ... wonder of it is the "spring forward" time change?) I have had PR4's (not GT's, tho have those on my Norge) and like 'em; lots.

That said, has anyone who has used both 3's and 4's noticed what I (again, think I) have WRT wet-weather handling, i.e., that the 3's are actually a bit better than the 4's in the rain?

May be what I understand (without being certain) is the 3's soft/medium/soft (S/M/S) composition v. the 4's M/H/M?

OK, that's what passes for a technical review from me.

Bill

Ron,
those PR4s (non GT version) of mine you saw the other day... 10,000km.
can't fault 'em, but I just don't like 'em.
Thats as 'bout as technical as I'm getting!

bahamazoo wrote:

Ron,
those PR4s (non GT version) of mine you saw the other day... 10,000km.
can't fault 'em, but I just don't like 'em.
Thats as 'bout as technical as I'm getting!

Pat, Post a pic of the rear tyre wear pattern, there's something strange about it