finally got good weather and got the avon storms scuffed in. and wow i love these tires so far bike handles the twisties like a litre bike now the storms feel like they are glued to the pavement very nice feel. if they wear as good as they feel then this will be the only tire this bike will ever have on it..lol oh and dyna-beads are working as advertised too. and yes here in the states this was the only tire manufacturer i found that comes with road hazard warranty( it goes flat they will replace it)

* Last updated by: scottjkyl on 10/20/2009 @ 5:33 PM *

I have the 021's on my zrx12 but have been riding the 14 too much to give an opinion

Well I want to thank everyone for adding to the thread! I got Avon Storms about a week after I started the thread an I love them so far. Take few minutes to warm up but when the do I love them. If I can get more 5k miles I will be happy. I ride the thing like I stole it, that's why the stocks didn't last long.

ok here's a stupid question...i'm lookin to get the bt-16's for both front and rear, the only problem is that there are like 7 different types of the same size for the front...they are all 120/70ZR-17 but they all have different letters in the end like 120/70ZR-17 E or M or J...What do those letters mean? Are they the load rating? I never really cared about it before cause i never really noticed it, just looked for the rim size and diameter lol

just get the 120/70zr17 from what ive seen the other letters are for certain bikes like bmw's... why? i cant answer that

lol, sounds good, thnx

My gf just put a new set of Diablo Corsa 3 on the R1 and I really like them.
They will have a short life on the 14 but have the dual compound like the Pilot Powers 2CT and are great for twisties even in the low fall temps. I ordered a set of them for my gsxr 750 and will use them on the street

I mounted some BT 021's and have around 1,500 miles on them. So far I think they are excellent. I recently spend a couple of days on the track at Buttonwillow and was very impressed on how they handled. Didn't feel any slide even at close to full lean. With the dual compound construction you can certainly see the differernce in wear once they heat up. These are the only tires I've tried so far on this bike other than the stocks with which I got less than 5K miles, I expect to get much better milage with these and I highly recommend them.

motosport.com is having a winter tire sale

would anyone recommend mixing a BT014 front with a BT016 rear? I want to actually try out the BT016 but my front is still looking good and feel bad having to chuck out the front also just because of the rear. I know you're not supposed to mix and match tires but I don't see how in this specific case it would matter.

I ran the 014 with the avon storm rear and quite liked the combo
B-A

The Storm is probably a lot closer to the bt-014 in grip than the bt-016. If I was going to push a bt-016 hard in the corners, I would want a tire with equal traction on the front. I changed both to be on the safe side even though like you, i was thinking it may be a waste of money since i was just trying the tire out. The BT-016 made a big difference for me in cornering. It was a good decision to go with a front and a back. If I hadn't, I would have been afraid to corner harder -- and that WOULD have been a waste of the tire and saddle time.

I would go with the 55 height rear BT-016 and standard sized front. The 55 will make the bike turn in a lot easier and gives a larger contact patch for cornering.

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/24/2009 @ 8:17 PM *

i should've thought about that, to get the 55's instead of the 50's, and i just ordered them up, now i guess all i have to do is man up enough to buy the front one also lol...i guess it wouldn't be a waste if my front decides to give in on a corner lol, thnx for the help guys

You'll still like the stick of the bt-016 in the 50 height. If you lie it enough, order a front before you put too many miles on it. BTW, thanks for correcting me -- it is 50 or 55 height. I will go back and edit that so it reads correctly.

didn't even notice it the first time when i read it, seasons done till the snow and salt clean off the roads, ur right though, might as well do it right and get the front also

"I'm kinda torn between the 021's and the 016's."

Me too. Can anybody who has used both give us some thoughts on this choice? -bg

It was a bit nippy out the other day. Tires were cold and hard. Got a little over 10K miles on the O/D. Mounted 021's about 8.7K maybe? Never did write down mileage between tires. Figure this is the 3rd set on the bike that are played out. First, I burned out the originals, then mounted a set of original take-offs and now the 021's finally showed it's fangs.

I checked pressure and she was fine. The balance is still compliant with the wear. When I took off rolling on cold tires, I could feel the notching sort of wear like stepping, but more in chunks of steps like skipping a few steps you climb the stairs.

That right there told me these were junk and I do not like hanging out the rear end when the pair feels this spent. Even though there is plenty left on both front and rear, my thoughts are the 021's wear just as quick as a set of the lighter weight originals.

You can tell in an instant how heavier the 021's are just by rolling the bike. You get used to the weight after awhile. I run 42/42 psi. The rear tire's center is finally coming around to being flat in the middle. It seems like it took a little longer to wear, since I monitor the rear tire more than I do the front. Again, I can't be certain since I never wrote down miles between tire changes... More of a feel for the little doughnuts knowing when they are finally spent. The speedo tells the story how close an average tire set lasts. And that number to date: 10408/3 = 3469 miles per set.

No matter the speed I slow down from, I use the front brake 100% of the time. If I smack that front patch on the binders super hard, that front tire input jumps right out at me on the phenom. That being the fork chatter at that mph wave area or that wheel slowing down no matter the speed of the bike. You know the 50/45 MPH window where the front chatters or wobbles? You can't figure out if the cause is: Balance/wheel bearings/steering bearings/internal fork bleed off settings/phenomenon kind of chatter my handling problem. You know the worn front tire's center with that step in it? You can see it from the side better. I felt that chatter, tried to catch the speed of that chatter. I saw 40mph by the time I had a chance to process the thought to look.

It was a high speed exit where I need to slam on the brake before I hit the more slippery cement. That is when I felt the chatter of the front end. I felt the same harmonic coming from the forks the other day. This time it was more pronounced and/or I was traveling faster than usual down the ramp. Either way, I learned my lesson about worn out tires; you do not want to stick your neck out without having a fresh round under you.

So ya, I've come to some conclusion that the 021 pull the same mileage ~ Give or take ~ Sets that front tire to oscillate one too many times for me. I'm done with this pair of 021's. The hot rodding has stepped down in the canyon, playing racer. I can no longer throw this bike into a corner with confidence any longer. I'll run fast straight up, but moving from left to right on a stepped tire up front and a flat spot in the center on the back, says no way. In a way, rolling on a cold set of tires can point out how worn out those puppies really are. They sure feel like a tractor tire on a flat surface if I roll down a hill.

What I like about the light wight originals is that if you hit a pebble, she slides on you. With the 021's, you stick more, move less with more weight and that compound they use. I also miss how the bike can loft off bumps with ease, mounting a bit lighter carcass. I might switch back to a set of jump and slide lightweight OEM's this time around.

* Last updated by: Hub on 12/28/2009 @ 10:27 PM *