G’day All,
I’m fitting a set or Pirelli Demon Sports tyres to my '84 VF1000 next week. What do most of you riders run and why?[8D]
I have the same! Great tires!
I run BT45’s be interesting to hear from someone about the Demon’s longevity and performance.
I called into my local Honda dealership this morning to pay a deposit and order my new set of Pirelli’s. The workshop manager tells me the Demon’s are a softer, stickier compound than the BT-45’s but he reckons they will suit the VF well. Can’t wait to try 'em out[:D] As i told him, I’m more interested in grip in all conditions rather than mileage as the VF will only be ridden when I time, apart from a couple of weekenders a year[8D]
I’m running the Pirelli’s on mine… great feel and grip, haven’t worn them them out yet and seems to be lots of tread left after about 2k miles. The BT45’s are dual compound tires I believe, haven’t tried them myself but heard great things
Have gone through about 3 sets of BT45’s over the last few years, better than the Avons previously worn, I think they are great for grip, wet or dry, they give me confidence in their performance, maybe a little too much ‘tracking’ on white road line, but I do find I only get 3 1/2 to 4 thousand miles from the back and 5 1/2 to 6 from the front from the front. Would like to get a bit more rear wear without turning the tap off !
When I had the BT45’s on the Yamaha I was happy enough with the rear’s longevity, but the front wore quickly, and developed cupping after only 4,000km or so. I also found the front ‘tracked’ over irregularities in the road surface more as it wore, from what I’ve read the pirelli’s don’t share that same unnerving trait! I did push that bike into corners hard though, probably contributed greatly to the way the front wore. Pressures were kept at those reccommended.
I’ve gone for the Pirelli’s because they are a crossply that the bike was designed for and I’m more concerned with outright grip than lots of mileage.[8D]
I have tried Sport Demons, BT045:s and Michelin Pilot Road 2:s in my F2F. I liked Michelin most, at the moment I use Pilot Road 3 in rear, and PR2 in front. When it wears away, I will put PR 3 in front too. The sizes are not exactly correct, but I can live with 150/70 rear tyre 
In my opinion Pirellis weared away quite fast, and Bridgestones cupped badly in front. I use my bike for longer trips and appreciate mileage more, but I have had nothing to complain about grip with Michelins.
I do not like the feeling of the BT45 neither on my VF1000FG nor on my VF1000F II.I had Sport Demon on the G two years ago, loved the grip and the feeling but the wear rate was terrific!Then,I had a couple of Dunlop Road Smart on it and they were just perfect and long lasting.(I travel 100 miles each day to go to work with my bikes, mainly with my beloved G). On the VF1000RE, I have a Metz Lazertec at the front and a M23 Bridgestone on the rear but she’s not running yet!
Yep, agree with ‘not feel good’ feeling with the BT’s, I had them on a 2007 model Yamaha and they felt OK, but that bike had a very stiff modern chassis. A racer friend told me once that modern tires give the older bikes chassis a hard time, transferring more road feedback than they can handle. Makes sense to me! I hope the weather is OK here in the morning…I’m off to have the Pirelli’s fitted. New rubber, an unfamiliar motorcycle and greasy roads could be a recipe for disaster! The last bike I had new rubber fitted to was a VT250F and low sided that after losing the front…my fault entirely[B)]
I forgot to mention, if my VF was going to be a daily rider or commuter I would have leaned towards longevity…but seeing it’s a ‘toy’ sticky rubber it is!