Sticky Tire Question

[Ride Red]

I just recently acquired a second set of wheels for the Super Duke - I placed a stupid low bid on Ebay an no one out bid me....whoops

I run Q3's on street and do 3-4 track days a year so hopefully in the long run ill be able to get a bit of an ROI by not having to pull barley half worn Q3's off every 1500 miles so i can go to a track day and i will be able to actually wear the street tires out fully and run 2 rears to a front.

I run at the fast end of Intermediate. Last NCM day i put down consistent 2:08s and my fastest was a high 2:07 on Q3s if anyone's familiar with that pace at that track. i dont think im out-ridding the Q3s yet but it would make me feel better to know i had more room to grow on some better rubber.

Im in between 2 options but i dont know Jack about slicks and race tires. I think id like to stay Dunlop just for constancy and thats what im used to.

The 190/60 GPA-PRO. a set. My only worry is im not sure how much of a performance jump these are from the Q3. I like the fact that they are DOTs so i could burn them up on the street if i needed to and they dont absolutely require warmers. I dont have a generator yet so thats a plus

Or

The US N-Tech Slick in 200/55 in the Med+ compound rear a set. Full on slicks. i have warmers but no generator. very unlikely id ever consider going out a a wet track after my T4 Putnam highside. Not sure on the performance gap between these and the GPAs

[AK4037]

I've never ran Dunlop DOT's or slicks but have seen @Miguel812 get like 8 or more track days out of the N-TEC's. He was running consistent 2:02's on a tire that had 6+ track days on it.

The warmer thing would be an issue but you can always plan to split a garage with someone. Do you run your bike with traction control on or off? If you run it on
I'd stick with a DOT that doesn't require a warmer or stick with the Q3's.

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[Ride Red]

I've never ran Dunlop DOT's or slicks but have seen @Miguel812 get like 8 or more track days out of the N-TEC's. He was running consistent 2:02's on a tire that had 6+ track days on it.

The warmer thing would be an issue but you can always plan to split a garage with someone. Do you run your bike with traction control on or off? If you run it on
I'd stick with a DOT that doesn't require a warmer or stick with the Q3's.

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Im curious about the traction control question.

I still run it on at the track but have been getting annoyed by how much wheelie control was cuting power. So ill probably try turning it off this season. I just like all the saftey nets i can get.

I finnaly had to ditch ABS as it was i cutting in way to much.

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[AK4037]

If its anything like my GT which I'm sure its close I have a hard time riding it real hard with the TC on. They're torque monsters and want to wheelie so everytime it lifts its intervening more than we think.

I'll be honest and say with the torque they produce I would be hesitate on shutting it off too, but the track is the best traction you're going to get so why not 🤣

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[Ride Red]

If its anything like my GT which I'm sure its close I have a hard time riding it real hard with the TC on. They're torque monsters and want to wheelie so everytime it lifts its intervening more than we think.

I'll be honest and say with the torque they produce I would be hesitate on shutting it off too, but the track is the best traction you're going to get so why not 🤣

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The more customizable TC and independent wheelie control is the only reason id want a 17+.

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[AK4037]

True. KTM was behind in that category. My 2012 S1000RR's TC felt seamless in Slick mode. I can only imagine what they're like 6 years later.


Have you ever seen your TC coming on at the track? I know its hard to concentrate on something that that when there's everything else to think about. I wonder if its coming on much and if it were turned off if you would have smoother and faster laps.

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[Ride Red]

True. KTM was behind in that category. My 2012 S1000RR's TC felt seamless in Slick mode. I can only imagine what they're like 6 years later.


Have you ever seen your TC coming on at the track? I know its hard to concentrate on something that that when there's everything else to think about. I wonder if its coming on much and if it were turned off if you would have smoother and faster laps.

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Might tey mounting a gopro wherr i could see. I honestly dont see it blink much due to were it is.

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[AK4037]

Great idea.

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[miguel_812]

If you are not going to run on a damp track just get the n-tech. If the 190 is cheaper get it, I don’t think you need he 200. Just mho


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[Railing]

My recommendation.

It's not so much the compound or brand of the tire, it's the profile of the tire. If you're looking to get a DOT or slick, then find a similar profile to what you are used to using, round/pointy. 190 or 200, really makes no difference, I've run the 190 on the 1299 since swapping tires because I like the Q3+ on the street and . 55/60, stick to either of these heights. I really enjoyed a 200/60 slick, but I had some clearance issues on the R1, it would rub on the swingarm at 120+ MPH. Just enough that it caused a bit of smoke to come off the bike down the front stretch at Putnam. I couldn't lengthen my chain or change sprockets, so I "smoothed" out the inside ripples on the swingarm and it fixed the issues. It was just a slight rub.

I have ran Michelin, Pirelli, Bridgestone, and Dunlops in both DOT and slicks. I did NOT like the Michelin, that was when they had the Power V front. It was either full lean or straight up/down, everywhere else felt unstable to me. I know they changed their profile a little after it. The Pirelli/Bridgestone/Dunlops are all similar on profile, smooth transition in a corner with a round profile. With all that I have used, any of those three would feel similar at that pace, and probably give you more confidence than the Q3.

You need warmers if you're running DOT/Slicks. Tires last longer, you can rip it up on the track within the first lap, and you won't hit your heat cycles. If you aren't going to get warmers, stay on the street/race tires like the Q3, Q3+, or Bridgestone RS10S.

I really liked the Bridgestone RS10 DOT tires. (Not the RS10S). They felt great, handled well, wore well, and gave great feedback. If I was running a DOT tire, it would probably be that series. If I was running slicks, Dunlop NTECs are the best wearing tire I have ran. I, even with my aggressive throttle, and spinning the rear at NCM, I could get 2 1/2 days out of a rear. With the Pirelli... 6 sessions and they were toast. NCM just ate up my tires, and I've heard it has improved. Putnam, I had no issues with any of the three tires, but the NTEC gave me two weekends of use there (before they resurfaced the track).

The other thing about track vs street tires, is changing them. If you have access to a changer and can swap them after the day, go with slicks/DOT, if not, stick with the standard street/race tires for the ease of going between the two easier. Honestly if I didn't have a tire changer, I would probably ride what I had instead of changing. Sure it can reduce your times going to a DOT/Slick, but you can still have fun on the street tires. @Danhor7 ; can run in the teens at Putnam on heavily used street tires on a 15 year old bike... DOT/Slicks help, but it's all on the skill of the rider too.