anyone any experience of these radial front tyres please

[michaelphillips]

Hi all, need some advise of anyone using the below radial tyres please, gonna need a new front 120/70 R15 56 H
so instead of going for the battleaxe th01 thought of these

Michelin Power Pure SC
Dunlop ScootSmart
Bridgestone BATTLAX SC
cheers in advance

[poldark]

Not direct knowledge of those specific tyres, which means I guess this is of limited value but I switched from Bridgestone TH01 to Michelin Pilot Sport SC for my now defunct Burger 650 (as did Spannerman) and found the more rounded profile provided smoother transition on sweeping bends.

It's never fair to generalise (so I will) I have a suspicion that Bridgestone have a flatter profile and Michelin (maybe Dunlop too don't know) have more rounded one, so they're more engaging and flickable, if that's an acceptable scientific term.

Having said all that you're after a front tyre and I know the consensus on BUSA is Bridgestone front and Michelin rear, again for the B650, so it really depends whether you're interested in trying something different - for me if pricing is simillar I'd try the Michelin given the sporty nature of the Nexus and the efforts you've made to extract the very most from your bike.

[Ferret]

The Michelin power pure sc are great in the wet and the dry . I have pushed them hard and never had an issue with loss of grip even on icy roads . I have also heard only good things about the metzeler fee free wintec tyre .

[Funkycowie]

Never had any slippage occurring through out the year with a Battlax tho1, I have ridden on a friends TMax that had dunlops that were about 1000 miles in and found them squirrelly, never tried MIchelin and don't really feel the need to.

[michaelphillips]

i do have the Battlax tho1 on the rear done 8000 miles now and i would say half worn, on the front 3 years ago pirelli diablo which is very grippy, good in all weather and warms up quickly, but will need changing soon, radial tyres are more expensive by design, yet the benefits are evident
The advantages of radial over bias tyres
RADIAL TIRE
Sidewall flex is not transmitted to the tread. The footprint only lengthens. There is little transversal slip (What ). The radial tire allows the machine to transfer more power to the ground. Thanks to the flexibility and strength of the tire, the tire absorbs shocks, impact and bumps. The result is a better ride and better operator comfort.
BIAS TIRE
All sidewall flex is transmitted to the tread. The footprint deforms and there is an increase in tire slip.
The tire does not contact as much ground as a radial tire, leading to a loss of engine power transmission and greater ground damage.
Due to the stiffness of the tire, it does not absorb bumps on the ground. All impact and shaking is felt by the driver and machine.

well they are all about same price, thanks for replys guys will have a chat to watlings tyres in catford, see what prices etc, the battlax SC1 seems to be the replacement for the TH01 so will check it out got a month or so to decide so no rush

[frankiej1949]

Just fitted Power Pure SC's to the 500 so far so good. Not done much wet weather riding yet but they are well planted in the dry.

[MrGrumpy]

Bridgestones..what are we talking here? They tend to use the Battlax name for most radials. The mk2 Tmax and Big Burger use the TH01 tyre, whilst Tmax mk3/4 use BT011/12. Check what you are buying them for. Their feel can be very different. The TH01s on the mk3 Tmax felt very heavy and stodgy, whilst the BT11/12s feel more sporty.

Now I really like both B.stones. Lots of grip, good feel, can be great in wet, but maybe don't feel so good in the just damp. What I do like is that they keep gripping in the wet even when totally worn out, unlike some tyres I've had which become useless in the wet even when half worn!
I did try the Dunlop Scoot Smart Radials on the mk3 Tmax, although I sold the bike after they'd covered only a 1000 miles or so, so can't comment on life. The Scoot Smarts were very good in the wet, and in the just damp. They did have a slightly different feel though. Difficult to describe, but not quite as good as the B.stones. The rear seemed fine, though the front seemed to lack a tiny bit of feel - I put the pressure up slightly which improved things a bit. They are slightly more upset by cats-eyes and other ridges in the road (not badly, but more).

So, I'd prefer the B.stone, but they are rather more expensive than the Dunlops (£200 vs £150). The B.stones may be better but £50 better?

[michaelphillips]

thank you all, cheers, think i am going to stick with the b/stones battlax just got to decide th01 or sc version for the front as not too groovey and the newer version http://moto.bridgestone.co.uk/motorcycl ... exus%20500" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;