Bridgestone tires

[motoracer8]

Has anyone tried a pair of Bridgestone BT 023 tires yet??

Ken G.

[Acpantera]

Not yet but my next set will be the GT versions, maybe the extra belt will combat the funny wear I get on the front.

[Oaktown]

Original tires were Michelin Pilot Road which squared-off rather severely by 12K miles. Next two sets were Pilot Road2 that didn't square off as much, but were also toast @ 12K miles. The new Bridgestone BT-023 sounded appealing due to the GT model availability, since I'm 240 lbs. and my bike weighs 550 lbs. with a full tank and unloaded side cases mounted. With only 1,500 miles so far, I must say I am very favorably impressed. The ride reminds me of what a "plus 1" feels like on a car: firmer with quicker reactions. Passing over the Doppler buttons while lane splitting no longer rattles my fillings. I've found 33psi in front and 38psi in the rear is working well, compared to the 36/40 I was using on the PR2s. While I'm no peg dragger on public roads, I immediately found I was going faster with these new tires; I took over a minute off my 13 mile run on Skyline Drive/Hwy 35 from Hwy 92 to Alice's Restaurant on the first day of use. I've been working in the area since May, so I get to ride this terrific road twice each day. Somewhat perplexing: my chicken strips are almost twice as big on these Bridgestones as compared to the Michelins (3/8-1/2 vs. 3/16-1/4).

The British magazine Bike (best one I've found) tested Sports-Touring tires in their August issue and proclaimed the BT-023s "the pick of a good bunch"/4 stars and "The new leader in the Sports-Touring sector. Good handling, ride quality and grip levels". They tested three new models against what they considered "the current Benchmark", the Dunlop Roadsmart ("still brilliant"/4 stars). These were the Continental RoadAttack2 ("We await news of longevity"/3 stars), the Avon Storm 2 Ultra ("Our bet for long life"/4 stars) and the BT-023s. Their comments regarding the PR2s were, "Damned good in the wet and very good for high mileage. Not recommended for tracks."

Ultimate mileage is yet to be determined, but if I get 8-10K out of these, I'm sticking with 'em.

John

[ShinySideUp]

I'm getting 16K miles out of the PR2's, mostly commuting miles. Have another set on order. I find their wet traction superb and they've never slipped in the twisties, but my chicken stripe is about 1/2".

I ran a set of BT-021's which were OK, but I only got 6500 miles out of them, slightly more than the OEM Road Attacks.

I read where Bridgestone claims 30% more mileage out of the BT-023's.