Some people think that they need a dedicated track bike to do a track day. But, this simply isn’t true as long as you have a motorcycle that has a reasonable amount of cornering clearance. This includes most standard, sport, sport touring, adventure, and even touring machines. Cruiser motorcycles are probably the only machines that are not really appropriate for fast cornering and spirited riding.
Sporting tires, on the other hand, provide the best grip and are great for high speeds and have an impressive durability. They’re the most versatile as they’re made from softer rubber, with lesser treads. For a racing/track tire, they’re almost similar, but the latter provides better grip. This makes them good for rugged terrains and when taking corners.
While all tires are (hopefully) circular in shape, there are a lot of differences, most of which being differences in design. A tire has four main parts, tread, bead, carcass, and the sidewall. The tread is the part that meets the road and has a lot of impact on the tire. Tires with smooth treads are best on dry and smooth surfaces. On the other hand, chunky treads, are best on off-road surfaces. There are other carefully designed treads, which make them great on variety of surfaces. The bead joins the tire to the wheel while the carcass is the backbone of the wheel.
Yes, they’re not as cutting edge as some of the other tires on test here but they’re also not as expensive. This particular model is coming up to a few years old now but can still hold its own against many newer offerings with many people swearing by them and fitting them to bikes such as the Honda CBR600RR. If that isn’t a testament of quality we don’t know what is.
The tire is referred to as a 100% silica compound with varying levels of grip featured throughout the profile of the tire. The point here is that the corners or edges of the tire are much softer and grippier than the middle which is exactly what you want. When you’re knee down in those twisties and country roads, these tires are going to come through for you.
Not precious- Many new track day riders suffer undue stress over the anxiety of crashing their beautiful, high-dollar, chrome and carbon laden street bike. Thankfully, it’s easy not to crash at a track day if you ride within your ability. So, if all you have is your pride and joy, go ahead and bring it to the track, but at some point when you start pushing harder, you may want a dedicated track bike that has less sentimental value.
The four different types of motorcycle tire styles perform differently on different surfaces. The best style depends on your riding style and the bike. Cruiser or touring wheels have a high mileage, which is why they’re made from hard rubber compounds. They’re not the best for high speeds, however, and are rather poor when riding on a road or path with numerous corners.
Of course, it doesn’t take a hundred-fifty horses to get into trouble. A well setup 70 hp bike like an SV650 can corner just as fast as a literbike, but the nature of the Gixxer liter bike often begs riders to unleash all the available horses. However, if what you have is a liter bike, don’t shy away from a track day. Just be extra aware of the temptation you can feel when piloting a hyper-superbike and keep the throttle in check.
