Hey all, I'm new to this forum and am looking for some advice:

I have a 2000 R6, and its about time for tires.

I come from a performance-automobile background, and I am very anal about sticky tires. I look at good tires as one of the most important qualities of a vehicle, whether bike or car.

Obviously I want a tire that will actually last awhile too. I drive my bike about 150mi interstate about once every two weeks, so I don't wanna get a big flat spot in a hurry.

Currently it has Dunlop D208's on there. I have had the rear end step out a little on hard cornering, and want to correct that. It's hard to keep it down since I only weigh 130lbs... :flex:

Any advice from the pros on what I should be looking at? I was pondering the Pirelli Diablo...

Thanks a lot!
-Mike

i have pilot powers and love them, noticed immediate gain in feed back, stickiness, predictability, and because of all that confidence.....just my .02

have the Metzler m1's... pretty cheap and seem to work well... no idea on their life though....

For sticky street tires I love pirelli. If you are having problems keeping the rear tire from stepping out, I'd check your suspension too, make sure its adjusted to your weight with gear :cheers

I just put Pilot Powers on mine and the difference is night and day from the Dunlops. I hit the twisties up this weekend and they stuck like glue. I also rode about 350 mile on turnpikes and they held up prtty good. I am definately a michellin man for now.

Pilot Powers. Put em on about 2-3 weeks ago and I've already fell in love with them. I've already taken my bike to new levels since switiching over from my stock Dunlop 208's. :YEA

I have used pilot power and they are a good tyre, lots of feel and nice and neutral when turning.

However, for road use with big mileage you could also go with a M1 Metzeler. Lots of tread for when it's wet and they heat up nice and quick. Plenty of grip for road use (hell I instruct on trackdays with them) BUT crucially they last about 1/2 as long again as the pilot power.

Dunlop 208GPa's. Best tire ever!

About how many miles do each of these tires last for? I see a bunch of people saying the pilots last half as long as this tire, or this tire doesn't last as long as another tire.... but how long in actual time do they last? I put 10k miles on the stock 208's that came on my bike, and right now I have like a 3 inch flat spot in my rear, which is why I'm getting new tires this spring. I see the pilot power recommended alot, but if they're only going to last me 3 months there's no way in hell I can afford to drop the money on them. Can anyone tell me how many miles they get out of a set?

Sport tech M1's... they are the dogs balls!

Longlasting mileage Metz's are hard to beat, if your planning on throwing in a track day sometime you'd have to go with Pirelli Diablo Corsas (70/30 track/street). Michelins PP don't hold up as well at the track, but are good for the street and should give you no probelms. Or even check out the new Dunlop qualifier tire that's coming out, any of the above should do well.

wow!!!! 10k on some sportbike tires thats great im lucky to get 5K out of mine :rolleyes:

wow!!!! 10k on some sportbike tires thats great im lucky to get 5K out of mine :rolleyes:
He did say that he has a 3 inch flat spot... Those don't come overnight and most people will replace their tires before it gets that far. Also, if I could keep from playing around on my bike I may have been able to get more than the 5K I got out of my 208s.

Ok, here is the EXPERT opinion on tires, although you're not gonna like it. Not from me, as I'm no expert, but from the an Ex-Dunlop employee who works at Jason Pridmores STAR school now.

We asked him about tires at the school. He said, in short, the best tire is whichever tire you feel comfortable on.

They said that all tire makers run endless tests on tires. But what it boils down to, is which tires the racers like the best. They take tons of tires out and have racers test them and tell em which ones feel best. Some racers like certain tires, others, like other tires.

There is no, THIS TIRE BEATS ALL AND IS THE BEST, brand of tire.

So, stick with the major brands, dunlop, michelin, pirelli, metzler, and try em out.

Personally, i prefer the Michelin Pilot Powers, but hell, look on here at all the different opinions on who likes what. It totally depends on how confident YOU feel in the tires.

I had Pirelli Diablo's on my last bike. Loved em, even did a track day on them.
They also are harder in the center than the edges. The weekend before my
track day I rode 600 miles, no flat spot. Pirelli's have a high profile, I mean
They are tippy into the corners. It was great on my old bike wich was heavier
and had a longer wheelbase. For my new R6 I'm also considering Pilot Powers,
they have a more linear profile. Sportrider mag recently did a tire comparo and
the new Dunlop Qualifier ranked highest, it also wore down the quickest.
It's gonna be hard to beat those Pirelli's.

wow!!!! 10k on some sportbike tires thats great im lucky to get 5K out of mine :rolleyes:


i can't be reading this right 10k miles out of std fit 208 , you need to find some corners and start having fun on your bike , i got 800kms = 500 mil out of the 208 :o you should get your self some pilot powers then seen to be very good for most riders , i use then in winter and i get 2400kms =1500mil :o

He did say that he has a 3 inch flat spot... Those don't come overnight and most people will replace their tires before it gets that far. Also, if I could keep from playing around on my bike I may have been able to get more than the 5K I got out of my 208s.


The 3 inch flat spot came around after 2 nights at the drag strip, followed by a 5 hour drive one way up to Lake George and back the next week. Pretty much did those tires in.

have had mostly the dunlop 208's so im not sure if this is why i seem to like them better or not. But so you know- I do have the p.powers on the bike now and love them. I dont push myself as much as far as gettin low in the twistys with them because they dont give the tire response as the 208's do. The 208 will probably the next tire again. The p.powers arent responsive enough for me. but i guess everyone is different so your just gonna have to try them out for yourself. so i would recommend them since they do perform well and last. try em! pilot powers

Are the PP's good for wet road conditons? I need new tires this spring, but since NJ gets rainy some times I need something that will hold to the road in the unexpected wet condtions.

Are the PP's good for wet road conditons? I need new tires this spring, but since NJ gets rainy some times I need something that will hold to the road in the unexpected wet condtions.


I've been wondering the same thing as I'm considering the PPowers at my upcoming tire change (also considering the Dunlop Qualifiers, but can't seem to find enough feedback on them).