Finally getting some decent miles on my Kawasaki Z900RS SE, great bike and due it’s first service next week. Only thing is for some reason and it may just be me but I don’t feel the tyres are the best for the bike, I’m thinking about changing them but they’ve only done 600 miles.
Would you change or just run them until they are actually ready for changing them?
Had a similar dilemma, I’ve just changed my OEM tyres, I have had the bike about 7 months and had done around 500 miles myself. The tyres had done a little over 2k in total and had loads of life left but I had convinced myself that they were pretty poor so had them replaced. I am very glad I did, whether it is all in my head or not, it has changed the riding experience for me.
Seen loads of reviews saying great for on the road and on naked bikes hence looking at them.
Plus Neevsey at MCN news said he put it on his and it transformed the ride?
That was why I was thinking them.
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They are a great tyre, but they are really optimised for fast-road road/track tyre (and it doesn't matter whether a bike is naked or not, all bikes can be naked). In other words, I still think they need a fair bit of heat in them to work at their optimum - and probably more heat than one might typically generate with a Z900. It might be worth considering a sports touring type tyre like the Pirelli Angel GT2 as they work at their optimum at significantly cooler temps compared to the M9RR. The Angel GT2 or Diablo is a great tyre with amazing handling feel for road use. They are stronger in the damp/wet too. They won't last as long as the M9RR on track, but they weren't designed for track either. Don't get me wrong - if one had a V4Tuono or similar hypernaked, I'd consider the M9RR given the bike's power outputs and intended use; but for sporty but reasonable road use like [one could reasonably expect] with the Z900, I'd pick the Angel GT2 every day. Of course, you could tell me that you ride the Z900 like Eddie Lawson did in his hey day, and I'll shut up. :-)
This strikes me as being, on paper, the perfect bike for an ex sports bike lunatic.
All of the performance where it matters and the lack of fairing to keep you below prison speeds, mainly.
Plus it’s rather special, so does for the heart what the mechanics of it do for the head.
Congratulations!
Simon Relph put the M9RR on his Kawasaki Z900RS and was very pleased.
See his review here:
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/mcn-m...wasaki-z900rs/
M9RR is my tyre of choice for more or less anything with some performance. I’ve got them on my GSXR, had them on my speed triples, if I had a z900rs, they’d go on that too. I do have Angel STs on my Tiger Sport (only because it came with them), they don’t seem to last appreciable longer than the M9s do, don’t grip quite as well in the dry (but they do ok for a tourer) but are slightly better in the wet (which I generally avoid anyway).
Last edited by Groundrush; 22nd April 2023 at 08:28.
Oh dear, don't want to run out of water here!
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Eddie Lawson, 4 time GP winner with 3 manufacturers. One of the greatest ever. Won AMA twice with Kawasaki.
https://classictwowheels.com.au/raci...-eddie-lawson/
michelin road5/6 or metzeller roadtec 01 se are all most ppl will need , all decent 'tourer' tyres are dual compound now and just as good in the dry as the wet - and they last a hell of a lot longer.
lol! I heard the eMpTy10 is a terrifically fun bike to ride - a good mate of mine spends most of his time on his on the back wheel and has toured all over Europe with it. He still has it but hardly rides it at the moment as he's thinking "heat the house" or "ride the bike?" I told him to ride the bike...(!)
I looked at the MT10 as a possible do-it-all bike (including getting down to South of France) and even looked at bespoke pannier frames to get there.
Took one out for a test ride and was a bit non-plussed about it.
Then read the stories about fuel consumption, which in real terms - looked like a range of around 120miles. If on the peage and trying to make headway - I'd be looking for fuel at 90-95 mile marker.
Went for the S1000XR and loved it from the start. I imagine the S1000R is similarly capable without the horrendous consumption of the MT-10
i'll probably keep the MT10 another year then the new GSX 1000 GT is a good possibility or the BMW 1000 XR , i also like the superduke r/GT but pretty much everyone i know thats had one has had problems with it in one way or another and end up getting rid of them (great bike when running fine though)
if the MT10 had another 20/30 miles fuel range it would be the perfect bike for me, lots of fun thou keeping the front wheel down gets some getting used too.
Last edited by pugster; 22nd April 2023 at 11:09.
KTMs are a bike I want to love. But every time I've taken one out it has either broken down on me (including an 890Adv and 1290SAS), or the general build quality suggests it should be half the price they are (and they are normally already discounted).
KTMs scare the life out of me purely on the basis that every person I've seen riding one in London rides like they honestly don't care if they die.
i test rode the s1000r and the gsx1000s before settling on the MT10 , i found the BMW had no character at all and was completely sterile - its a very fast and capable machine that is an absolute bullet and makes a great track bike - it does everything without any fuss.
the MT10 will quite happily kill me if im not careful , all the latest super nakeds are great machines and i'd have one of each if it was possible - theres no need for a dedicated sports bike any more unless you do a lot of track days (if i did track days i'd probably have ended up with the BMW)
Thanks for the help fellas. Fitted the shocks this morning, I had to remove the Remus silencers to do them, so I think that I will run with the Motone exhaust tips for a little while before I refit the Remus cans.
Straight out of the box these feel great, I will be getting them set up professionally so they will be even better. Starting to feel that it’s coming together now.
Mrs C is getting twitchy, she’s convinced that when I’m happy with it I will buy an addition to the stable to keep me occupied!
I'm planning a pitch to Dragon's Den.
Performance cars now have quiet exhausts for the benefit of everyone outside, but have fake engine noise played through the speakers inside so the driver still gets the "brum, brum" noises they so crave. I'm thinking of in-helmet speakers linked to the bike's ECU so the rider can enjoy 120dB of authentic simulated engine and induction noise but the general public don't need to "enjoy" the noise as well :-)
Spent a great morning at Stafford Classic bike show, I wont bore everyone with photos, but highlights were
Listening to Giacomo Agostini laugh about Uk traffic and trains
Watching the wall of death for £3 where else will you see riders on 100 year old bikes riding no handed whilst “ on the wall”
Seeing that even when throwing a ton of money at classic bikes they can still be eclipsed by some simple genuine oily rag machines.
Great track day at RAF Odiham today. Very cold riding there in my vented leathers at 4 deg c, but it warmed up nicely throughout the day except for the 40 minutes or so of rain.
This was my first 2 wheeled track outing of the year and will be the last on the S1000R which performed flawlessly. The pops and bangs on the overrun at track speeds are laugh out loud brilliant.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Got a Tiger 900 as a loaner while my 1200 is in for service. Have to say the smaller bike is a bit of a revelation. It's clearly lighter and more agile, seems equally comfortable, has enough performance - and makes me wonder if I made the right choice with the 1200. Perhaps a downsize is in order...
I can't really claim the smaller stature thing - to say the least, so the 12 is probably a better ergonomic fit. There were a couple of recalls on my bike (clutch-related) as well as several software updates. This, combined with new steering head bearings (warranty) have fixed all the major issues I had with the bike - heavy and slow steering, snatchy clutch, daft auto revving of the 'anti-stall' function - so I am happy with it again.
Next time round though, I will definitely look closer at the mid-weight bikes.
I tried to get a test drive on the 900 around feb last year (before I bought my T7) - visited my local triumph dealer - said he might have one in June - only might and a test ride was out of the question. I virtually had to beg him just to let me sit on the one he had in the store
Needless to say I didn’t get one
Exactly the same reason I steered away from a Triumph last year, went into a dealers, no bikes to test ride, couldn’t sit on the bikes in the dealership as all the ones I was looking at had sold signs on them and no idea of when he was getting any more in.
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I think there's no doubt that a lot of manufacturers are still having supply chain issues, including Triumph. 900's seem far more readily available now but the dealer was telling my his supply of 1200's is very limited. To be fair, my local dealer (Staffs Triumph) do everything they can to help, unlike my local Ducati and BMW guys.