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BT21 Tyres

20K views 37 replies 28 participants last post by  JohnD 
#1 ·
I have now done about 3500 miles on the oem tyres they are about half worn but are now picking up all the lines and overbanding in the road.
On other bikes I have had this does not tend to happen until the tyres are near the end of their life.

I am looking in to changing the tyres before a 10 day tour around Europe at the end of March is there another make or model of tyre that works better with the GTR as I am a bit disapointed with the oem Bridgestones.
 
#4 ·
Hi

My front BT021 was finished at around 4000 km. Now Bridgestone has received the tire and let's me know if they are going to pay a part of the new one ...

Anyway, if the new one will take another 4000 km,the rear one will also be at it's end. I will surely not buy again any tire from that manufacturer. On my CB1300, i have the Michelin Pilot road 2ct which is great! So guess what will be the next ones for the GTR ;)

regards

marc
 
#5 ·
I'm curious as to why Bridgestone developed two BT021's 190/50ZR17TL Rear and 120/70ZR17TL Front with one designated 'E' especially for the 1400GTR. The price of the 'E' version in the UK is 20% more than the standard version.
Any Techies out there understand the rubber terminology on this one.?


This makes the Bridgestones 27% more than the equivilent Michelin PilotRoad2
which, given the mileage capability makes the OEM BT012 'E' silly money. Also it appears from media road tests that the PR2 is a better tyre anyway.
 
#6 ·
HITMAN,
I may be wrong here, but I believe the difference in BT021 tires is the fact, as you stated, they made them for the C14. Manufacturers can request specific design changes for a specific application. ie. The FJR has a specific tire that also has a "geniric" equivelent. The generic "BT021" are cheaper as they are the mainline tire. As in the FJR tire senerio Yamaha requested a different sidewall flex from the "standard" tire. I would guess Kawasaki have also deviated from the "base" BT021 design in some aspect. Hence, you pay more to get the "designer" or Brand specific BT021 tire. I don' t know specific changes between the BT021 tires so it would be hard to determine if they are really worth the extra cost. But knowing how development works Kawasaki must have seen the need for a slight design change or "they" would have spec'd the "generic" BT021 also. ( kawasaki most likely also pays a small premium for the brand specific BT021 tire )

In that regard, knowing the C14 is heavier than many other bikes, I would think that probably drove a change>>>
Just my thoughts on the matter. ( and an informed guess. Many car manufacturers also spec a special change to a genric tire design. )
 
#7 ·
Agreed but that now begs the question..Are the new Michelin PR2 tyres made to the same or similar spec as the standard BT021's. If that is the case surely the new PR2's will not be upto par with the BT021'E' tyres and should not really be used on the GTR.
I remember a similar problem with tyres on the BMWK1200LT and HAD to get the specific brand for that bike and wasn't able to use any other for safety reasons.
 
#9 ·
Hi All
I don't usually have much to say on this Forum but am always reading it! . Lots of great info. Anyway my front 021 only lasted 3500 miles the rear seems to be about 70% gone. It now feels like the front is going to "fold" when going around roundabouts. I emailed Bridgestone for comment and they may send somebody around to have a look. The middle is OK but it is down to the wear line on the side. I will use PR2's in the spring they worked well on the Busa.
 
#11 ·
Sounds strange; I have had PR2s for the past year and find them superb. Anyway, can you post the link please? Thanks
 
#19 ·
Hi Davo; can you explain why; i.e. what are the shortcomings of the OEM Bridgestones and which Michelins you would recommend?
 
#20 ·
Bridgestone v Michelin v Dunlop

Bridgestones in my opinion are not up to the job. Once they get part worn the soft sidewalls (design feature) mean that under heavy load the front deforms too much which is why you are supposed to run 42psi - which is masses.

Michelin and Dunlop both recommend 34/42 but its probably best to run 35 in the front otherwise on cold days the tyre pressure warning chimes in. Both the Michelin and Dunlop (Pilot Road 2 and Roadsmart) have stiffer construction which allows them to maintain a consistent profile even under heavy load; cornering braking accelerating etc.

I thought the Michelin PR2 were brilliant until I tried the Roadsmart - its the next generation on.
 
#22 ·
Got 4,200km on my GTR and the front can still go for another 5,000, the rear is about 60% worn but squaring off, lots of highspeed pillion riding, this slightly effects the roadholding. Had Pilot Roads on my Blackbird, very impressed with them and also cheaper, but I still believe in the Bridgestones.
 
#24 ·
I am not impressed with the BT21 wear rate so am moving to Pilot Road 2s.

PR2 can be confusing as both Pro Race 2 and Pilot Road 2 are called
PR2s by the respective sportsbike and sport tourer riders.

In fact if you search the internet for Michelin PR2 you get threads to both types.
 
#25 ·
Geting my GTR a week on Saturday. I hope the BT021's last longer than on my ZZR1100 - I only used to get 1800 miles from a rear and 2 rears to a front. I'm running Avon storms at the moment and i've done about 4000 miles on this set already and still about another 1000 left in them.
 
#28 ·
Hi

I've only 2.000km on my new GTR 1400 and I'm not impressed with the BT-021. The front is too soft and is getting a strange shape. The read tyre is OK. The grip is very good in dry roads but in wet, they are not as confidente as the Michelin Road 2 (I liked them in my previous FJR) and specially the Metzeler Z6 (I've used several sets of these).

I will not buy the BT-021 in the future. I will try the Z6 Interact.

Regards,
Pedro Gordo
Leiria, Portugal
 
#29 ·
Just copped a set of BT021s for less than $220 shipped to my door. The 016s I put on a couple of months ago are great for grip, but the rear is squaring off quickly. I got those for $205, so as long as there are those kind of deals to be had, I'll try any premium tire. At this rate, it'll be a long time before I get to sample some PR2cts.
 
#31 · (Edited)
The Pilot Roads are sport-touring tires. The Pilot Powers are pure sport. 2ct refers to two compound technology. PP is the older model sport tire, PP2cts are the latest. The 2cts are supposed to stick like a pure sport tire and wear like a sport-touring tire-the center compound is supposed to make the tire wear longer than the PPs.
 
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