The performance of a tire depends on several things. First, there are different types of motorcycle tires made for different riders and bikes. This means that a tire will deliver what it’s meant for. For example, sport tires deliver an unmatched grip on diverse surfaces, but at the expense of the tread. If you’re looking for tires with the highest mileage, the best choice would be touring tires. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a compromise, the best option will be sport touring. First, identify where you will be riding; if it’s a commuting bike, go for tires with improved mileage and that performs well on diverse surfaces.
Ken is author of "Motorcycling the Right Way” and "Riding in the Zone" (book and blog). He is also the "Street Savvy" columnist for Motorcyclist Magazine, and former longtime author of the Proficient Motorcycling and Street Strategies columns for Motorcycle Consumer News. Ken is Lead Instructor for Tony's Track Days, a 20 year Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor, and owner of Riding in the Zone Motorcyclist Training.
Whatever is most important to you in a set of tires, trust that we’ve ridden and reviewed the best to report back to you in our 2019 Motorcycle Tires Gear Guide! Find our top selections in every category, and then keep those insights in mind as you Shop All Motorcycle Tires on RevZilla.com. And if you need a refresher on the difference between bias ply & radial or metric sizing vs. alpha sizing, click on over to Common Tread’s Motorcycle Tires 101.
R is a designation of the tires construction, in this case meaning radial ply. Apart from radial, the other carcass design is the bias, which is represented by ‘B.’ The ‘16’ value refers to the wheel size, which is the diameter. This tire is made for a wheel with 16 inches diameter. If there’s a specification that you must get right, it’s the wheel size rating. In the same example, ‘67’ denotes the load index. If you pick this tire, you can carry a load of up to 661 pounds. Another vital feature is the last letter, ‘H,’ which denotes the maximum speed that the wheel can support; in our example above the maximum speed is 130 MPH. Apart from the H rating, there are 14 other speed ratings.
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.
_{Which motorcycle racing tires do you want to outfit your track bike with? We carry motorcycle race tires from all the industry leaders, including Pirelli, Bridgestone, Shinko, Dunlop and many more. Racing tires are a critical component in giving you that extra edge on the track, and if you have any questions picking out the right motorcycle tires for your bike, please don't hesitate to call us or shoot us an email.}

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.

^{Thankfully, you’re free to upgrade your tires at will which is what we suggest that you do as soon as you wear them out. The tire you choose to fit will be entirely up to you but clearly some perform better than others. As with most things in life, it’s a compromise between affordability and performance as well as taking into account exactly what you use your bike for.}
So what you will uncover listed here are a collection of tyres that are intended for all those riders that are additional inclined to just have the odd spirited ride on dry roads (fair climate riders, as we’re recognized), but tyres which will also source you with extra than ample grip to hoon close to on keep track of too. And although they will get the job done in the damp to a degree, that is not what their principal goal.
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.
Take it from the experts, who’ve had the chance to try out all the latest rubber on a variety of bikes—there is no single best set of tires for any one motorcycle, only the best riding tires for YOUR motorcycle and how YOU use it. Have a sportbike that you use more for sport touring rather than the track? You’re going to want to look into the top-rated dual compound tires for the longest lasting reliability and best cornering performance. Ride a cruiser you use for commuting AND for long trips? You’ll need an all weather tire that performs in any conditions, and touts high mileage durability for consistent handling, mile after mile.