Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Forum banner

tires?

25522 Views 108 Replies 47 Participants Last post by  Biddles
what kind of tires is everyone running?
1 - 20 of 109 Posts
So far still with the OEM. Interested in the comments. I had these on my FZ1.
Dunlop Sportmax Q2
Nice sport performance, sticky not sure about longevity...
When I burn through the OE's I plan on some Pilot Road 3's. Good traction with great longevity. Hopefully they'll offer more feedback than what's on there now which are an OE version of the s20. I have the s20's on my Hypermotard and love them on that machine. Perhaps the OE version and the retail version vary....
+1 on the dunlops. Have used them on every bike I have owned. Plus the Dunlop plant by my house is one of the motorcycle tire plants. So kinda cool to me. Don't expect to get more than 6k-8k or so, but who cares the performance is there
Btw. Not sure what tires kawi went with in 14, but the oe tires the 12s came with absolutely suck when they are cold (and when up to temp lol) You have been warned.....
  • Like
Reactions: 1
PR3's are on my bike. I like the rear, so-so on the front. I'll go for a more sporting front if this tire ever wears out. At 3000 miles, it still looks brand new. I dont know, based on the wear, its a great tire.

Also, if you get in a rain storm, you'll swear nothign else will ever be considered. It sticks like super glue on fingers and lips.
Pirelli Angel GT. Awesome grip and so far I should be able to get nearly 15000 out of the front and probably close to 10000 out of the rear. Most expensive tire I've ever tried but also the best in terms of grip/longevity mix.
  • Like
Reactions: 1
+1 on the OE's absolutely being terrible... my old man uses the PR3's on his BMW R12RT, actually looked into them but was curious as to what everyone was using.
  • Like
Reactions: 1
I'm with Sailor Jack. Angel GTs.
Revzilla has an interesting tire review on their website now, IMHO, worth reading & listening to.
I'm on Pilot Road 3s and they are great. I bought them 4000 miles ago and they still look good. The handling is way better than the Battlax the bike came with and the rain performance is incredible. Sooner or later you will ride rain so might as well have something that you feel safe on.
If I needed new tires I would probably try the 4s just to see if they are better.
I'm running PR3 rear and PP 2CT front and like them a lot. I have made both a couple of track days and longer touring and they work just fine for me and my speed. I have maybe 10000 km's on them now and they look great still.
Next set I will probably try the Pirelli Angel GT and then go for the 55 profile rear.
After the Bridgestones wear out I'm going with Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT's. I've give the stockers about another 3500 to 4000 and I' sure they will be done.
Michelin Pilot Power 3's with a 55 series rear. Only about 1k on them, but so far really loving the performance and comfort of these.

And totally agree with the OEM Bridgestone BT-016's, they suck. Cold, hot, dry, wet, they suck. I tried them years ago on my Z750s (the aftermarket dual compound front, triple compound rears), which were 'ok' at best, but far too many "pucker moments" for me to feel comfortable with putting another set on. Then had them again on my '09 ZX6R (OEM) and they lasted about 500 miles of disappointment before being replaced. And AGAIN on my '12 ZX10R (which I blame partially for when the bike went down, I blame myself as well for riding when it was only like 52 degrees out, breaking my own rule, but for the fall, speed, situation, etc vs. other tires I've had, they would've not felt like a race slick on ice like the BT-016's did). So yeah I didn't even ride my Ninja 1000 home until different tires were put on.
  • Like
Reactions: 1
My 2014 Ninja 1000 didn't come with BT-16's. It came with S-20's. Going with a 190/55/17 on the rear which will allow for easier control in the twisties.
just a little update on me. almost 3,000 on the tires this year. maybe another thousand and they will be shot. hated every second of them! i have the thinnest chicken strips out of everyone i ride with though! my dads bike is close but i rode his down too haha.
Here's a good article on the 50 vs 55 rear tire.

The Five-Percent Difference a 190/55 rear tire makes | Sport Rider
  • Like
Reactions: 2
Michelin PR3s. Mine were great for the first 5k miles but at 6k I have started to break the grip barrier every so often in aggressive riding to pucker up the a hole a little. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I think they may have another 5k or 6k left on them. They are awesome in the rain.

Will probably go with PR4s next.
Rear: PR4 190/55
Front: PR2 (not as squirmy as PR4)

No issues on the street in any weather. Haven't tried them in the rain yet.
im running shinko 190 50 17 ravens seems like a great sport touring tire with awesome performance plus i gave a buddy 80 bucks for a brand new one cant beat the price for performance ratio :}
1 - 20 of 109 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top