Tires. They’re not pretty. They aren’t sexy. They don’t add much in the way of visual ‘WOW” to your bike, and they sure aren’t cheap.

They are however a necessity. Now we can either buy whatever is the cheapest tire that will fit on our bike, or we can buy the BEST tire that will fit on our bike.

What tire is best? Well that depends on what kind of bike and what kind of riding you do with that bike. It also depends upon what you are looking for in a tire. Every tire does different things better than other tires, even if they are from the same manufacturer.

The (not so) funny thing about tires is the more you spend the less you get. Go sticky and the mileage goes down, go for mileage and the grip goes South, sometimes East or West, depending on the dynamics of that particular corner.

Tires are difficult to review. You can post up all the neat graphics and pictures of the tires in question, and then give your impression of how the tire “feels”, but therein lies the problem. What one person “feels” can be, and usually is, completely different from what another person feels. Still we have tried our best to give you some decent options out there-

1. Pirelli Diablo Tires

This tire is a direct replacement for the Dragon EVO MTR21/22, itself a great performing tire. However, this latest tire design promised to raise the benchmark reference for tire performance. Pirelli have been enjoying a level of world race supremacy that is quite phenomenal – from World Supersport and Isle of Man TT’s, and closer to your house and mine, four out of five Formula USA championship. It’s quite obvious that these peeps know what they are doing when it comes to things all black and round.

A number of important factors were addressed in the design and manufacturing process, dry grip being first on the list followed by sharper more precise handling characteristics, wet weather performance with the aim of a total performance package. So, how’d they do?

Our initial introduction to the tires was on a street ride over a tough and twisty canyon route with the final destination being the race track.

The tires had a very neutral feeling at a fast street pace and although I didn’t know the roads, I had no pucker factor to report on. The Diablo’s have a slightly raised mid crown area of the tire to aid turn-in. This reduced radius improved changes of direction. The remarkable thing is that some race tires too have this triangular shape to them and are typically unstable at speed.

The Diablo’s were immediately stable. Part of the stability is the fact that the front and rear set are matched. This means the front carcass is slightly different to the rear but with one built to compliment the other, this optimized carcass construction ensures a uniform contact area at every lean angle. All good stuff and it worked very well on the street.

At race speeds, again the tire performed perfectly. The increased speeds did see the front tire a little flighty coming out of some faster corners, a reduction in the front tire pressure made a significant difference and felt considerably more planted.

However, the same effect might have been achieved if I’d eased up on the compression from my forks. Having no tools and because I wanted to feel special, I opted for the reduction in tire pressure.

The computer designed tread pattern on the tire is quite unique looking. The top tread area has more rubber than tread which leads me to believe that they should wear well (I couldn’t make much of any impression on the tire after a whole day of thrashing). The next part of the tread has the maximum tread pattern for good wet weather water evacuation and grip.

The extreme sides were more “slick-like” (looks not grip). The tire also features an exclusive Silica-Silan-based compound that ensures the aforementioned wet grip and minimum slippage or aquaplaning. The Pirelli techs gave us a whole host of acronyms to explain construction and design. The fact was, they worked and I liked them.

One final note on construction. The tires were manufactured using multiple sides or radii that all conspired (like the Pirelli guys do) to do their individual job to the best of their ability and in doing so keep you and I connected to the asphalt.

So, a street and track day tire all rolled up in one neat black and round package.

2. Pirelli Night Dragon Tires

Pirelli looked around and realized that there are a lot of cruisers sold in the USA so they decided to get into the cruiser tire market. Not just get into it, but to fill a performance void within the market. Pirelli took notice of the fact that cruisers were growing in horsepower and capabilities and cruiser spec tires, for all intents and purposes, weren’t keeping up. Oh sure, other manufacturers make tires for the high-performance cruiser crowd, but they are basically just standard model cruiser tires adjusted for a bigger size rim.

Pirelli decided to take an entirely new direction and build a performance tire specifically designed for V-twins, cruisers and customs. When this tire was released it was targeted directly at the cruiser customer that wants high performance when the bike is moving and good looks when it’s sitting still.

Initially, the tire was released in limited sizes to fit some Harley Davidson models with a wider range of sizes/applications to follow. The reasoning behind releasing the tire to the Harley market first is simple; there are a lot more of them than any other brand and the people that ride them want the best “stuff” for their bikes.

The secret to the Night Dragon’s performance is in the exclusive design of its contact patch. It’s a new shape and has a larger footprint (10%) allowing for new compounds of increased durability and traction. It’s new structure also provides optimum pressure distribution and unmatched riding comfort.

Pirelli’s goals of better grip and style didn’t come with a huge mileage decrease over their competition. This is always important as heavyweight cruisers and V-twin touring bikes do take their toll on rear tires.

Pirelli says that this is due to the design of the tire and the choice of compounds used. The tire was designed to flex over those kinds of irregularities and not transmit them to the bars. Not only did this work like a charm over the bridge gratings, but it also completely eliminated the wiggle in the bars when going faster than 50mph.

It was immediately obvious though that the tires performed admirably in the wet.  I have ridden on three different models of Pirelli tires recently and haven’t found one yet that didn’t perform at or above the level of it’s design goals. If you are looking for a street tire that might spend more than 50% of it’s life on the track Pirelli makes the Corsa III for you.

3. Pirelli Diablo Rosso Tires

Tire construction today is so high-tech that in most cases tires are designed specifically for a certain weight bike (or weight range), certain riding styles, etc.. Gone are the days of picking your next tire based upon looks or what’s cool. Every manufacturer produces a certain tire for a certain purpose and/or bike type. In Pirelli’s case they actually break it down even further by what percentage of time the bike will be used on the track vs. street.

Pirelli lists the Rosso as a tire for a sportbike that sees mostly road use and occasional track days (around 25% or less of track usage). What I wanted to know was how much of the “this tire fits this and that tire fits that” talk was based upon actual design limitations and how much was just marketing mumbo-jumbo.

Well I got my answer pretty quickly and can say that, at least in this instance, tire fitment talk is based on design and not marketing. That being said I was still pretty impressed by how the sportbike tires reacted on a sport-touring bike.

First (and really only) negative thing I noticed was the squirm. Any time the bike was leaned over at any speed the tires would wiggle. Slow u-turns; wiggle. Medium speed sharp corners; wiggle, wiggle. Medium speed sweepers; wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. High speed sweepers; wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle….well ……you get the idea. The tires never broke traction or did anything untoward, I could just feel the sidewalls flexing under the load.

OK so obviously when a tire manufacturer says that the tire is made for a certain weight range they aren’t kidding. What impressed me the most was that even though the sidewalls were flexing the actual contact patch stayed planted. Feedback was almost non-existent due to being overwhelmed by the flex but that is to be expected.

One of the most impressive aspects of the tire is its ability to inspire confidence when the road is less than dry. I’m the first to admit that I am a wuss on wet roads. The Rossos are as good (if not a little bit better) than the best of the tires previously mounted to the bike. It’s actually a little freaky how these tires, even when ridden at a moderately fast pace (about 1/2 of a dry road pace) stick to the wet road and return decent feedback and unquestionable control.

So if you are riding a bike that doesn’t see a lot of track time or doesn’t need the top-of-the-line Corsa III’s, you owe it to yourself to check out the Pirelli Diablo Rossos.

4. Metzeler Sportec M1 Tires

Most motorcycle tires offer a compromise. High-speed stability is usually at the expense of tire damping or the ability to absorb irregular road surfaces. Corner hugging grip makes way for good mileage wear and dry grip compromises wet grip. Not any more though… introducing the new Metzeler Sportec M-1.

It’s still black and round, available in all of your favorite sizes, but that is where most similarities end.

Firstly the Sportec’s front and rear tire constructions are different. Metzeler realize that the strain differences from front to rear are indeed, different. They developed a system to fine-tune the tire construction to suit the job in hand. Both front and rear are “tuned” using different carcass materials and further optimized with the use of 0 degree steel belts.

Using steel belting is not exactly groundbreaking but Metzeler have taken the technology a step further by distributing that said belting in a way that aids grip and turn-in. Less belting on the top of the tire helps with flexibility, for maximum grip and to keep the tire “pointy”. This helps you initiate the turn, and with more of that said belting on the shoulder area, helps promote a larger contact area and good damping, offering you maximum stability whilst on your ear.

This thoughtful placement of the belting gives excellent damping characteristics and stops all sorts of wobbles or potential tank slappers from ever starting in the first place. Simple really, but nobody thought of it.

5. Metzeler Z6 Tires

These tires are a far cry from the Bridgestone 020’s that originally came on the bike. The stock OEM 020’s were nice and they got really good mileage, around 9000. They also had a slightly stiffer ride they were more on the touring end of a sport/touring tire. They did little to inspire confidence at steeper lean angles, and in wet conditions my nerves were totally shot.

After my 020’s I put on a set of Metzler Z4’s. I thought I found it all when I put these tires on. The Z4’s had much better all round grip than the 020’s and no matter how far I leaned my bike over, they gave great feedback. I got around 6500 miles out of them, but my bike at that time did a lot of commuting duty so 6500 miles is more than I expected. The wet grip on the Z4’s was much better than the 020’s and the overall ride quality was a major improvement. Still something was missing and I felt that they are still leaning towards the touring end of the sport/touring tire range.

Then along came these Z6’s. I have finally found the set of tires that my bike will wear from now on. During the first 20-30 miles on them I was a bit cautious, not knowing exactly what to expect. As with any new change you do to your bike you want to gradually ease into it. Mile by mile I got more and more confidence in them and thus leaned the bike further and further over. Not once in all my Sunday miles since I put them on have I had the front or rear break loose. This is a big change from the original 020’s.

These tires have wonderful dry grip. On my FZ-1 they feel stickier than my Pilot Sports do on my F4i. I use my FZ-1 on the Sunday rides as well as for commuting duty, I also ride it to work, rain or shine. I have ridden on the Z6’s in the rain twice so far and they are incredible. They give you so much more confidence than the 020’s did in the rain and they even out performed the Z4’s by a good margin.

It’s funny, the middle of the front tire doesn’t have any tread on it and just looking at that would make you think that riding in the rain would be a big problem. Quite the opposite, these tires were the best rain tires I have ever ridden on. Period.

While cruising down the interstate with these tires, they are wonderful when it comes to soaking up those annoying little imperfections in the road. With the 020’s on you knew every time you hit a pebble in the road, with the Z4’s things got much better and with the Z6’s they have improved yet again.

For me having fun while I ride is all about being confident on my bike. The Z6’s are one tire that can do it all. You get excellent dry grip, great wet grip and if they do as well mileage wise as Metzler claims then it’s going to be hard for Metzler, or anyone else for that matter, to out do this all around Sport/touring tire that is firmly planted at both ends of the spectrum.

6. Dunlop Qualifier Tires

Traditionally street rubber and racetracks don’t mix very well. The problem is, a track dwelling tire has to put up with a lot more activity at any given time due to tremendous and consistent braking forces and track friction. Consequently they tend to come apart at the seams, like a cheap leather suit.

The invite from Dunlop to come ride this new street tire showed some pretty good faith in their product and some balls too… not only were we offered that track day sample but we were offered two whole days of it too. Surely they’ve lost it, a two-day journalist GP on weekday rubber? My tail bone was hurting just thinking about it.

Technology-wise, the new rubs have a smaller molecule/particles in a compound very similar to the Sportmax GP race series. A sticky three polymer blend is reinforced with lots of carbon black, and a secret sticky resin sauce thrown in to maximize the wet and dry grip. This also offered these tires a quick warm up time and better overall traction dynamics than the previous 208.

The build style of these tires incorporate a jointless belt rear carcass that inhibits growth and distortion at speed. Improvements in that belt design and construction have a great additional side effect too – It’s almost a pound lighter than the 208 – Unsprung weight reduction is like free horsepower and your bike will change direction quicker, win, win.

The icing on that big rubber donut is a triangulated front tire that is a similar aspect ratio to the GP spec tire, offering a bigger footprint than the old’n, and an aspect ratio that promotes quicker turn-in and lighter steering. The bigger footprint, an 18% improvement at a 45-degree angle of attack, and the rear, an 11% increase, tells us (on paper) that the bike’s going to be able to run deeper into a corner, offering better stability and more grip.

Tests on two continents prove that on some tracks (VIR as an example) there’s a 3.5 second advantage to the new tire. Data acquisition shown to us also confirmed that improved side grip translated into higher corner speeds and a consequent superior drive out from that point on.

On the track, the tire after five or six laps start to grease up a little and ham-fisted throttle inputs will see it slide on exit, it’s reasonably controllable though, but a slide is a slide and will bite you in the arse eventually.

On the absolute first corner I immediately felt the presence of the more triangular profile afforded by the new Qualifiers. Steering inputs were far quicker, yet still felt precise. At speed the tires felt stable on every bike I rode, but with its razor sharp steering this was due to harsh (read attempted corner exit wheelies) throttle inputs.

Nothing to get excited about though and I’d gladly trade a little stability on any bike for the rock solid sidewall grip that these tires afforded. Maybe I’ve been riding too many zero-degree radius tires, but I really got off on the way these Q’s could be slammed on their ear, especially during fast left-right-left track changes and more so if you needed to take an alternative line to pass slower traffic.

So, what we have here is probably the best street tire currently available. With two days of thrashing, I can honestly say, I never put a foot wrong or a tire off the edge of that track.

Sure I was concentrating and going as fast as my little grey matter would allow, but I never had a “tire” moment. This Qualifier took everything I could do and still gave me a warm and cuddly cushion of grip and safety. On the street it’s going to be without fault…

You couldn’t ask for more.

7. Avon Storm ST

My first impression of these tires? I think it went something like: HOLY CRAP!

You are probably wondering why my first response was holy crap, right? Well pulling out of the shop that put the tires on, you have to make a sharp right turn. Normally not an issue, except these tires transition VERY fast! I almost dropped the bike it fell into the turn so quickly. Hmmm… Obviously I was going to have to adjust the riding style a wee bit.

I’ve put about a thousand miles on the Storms so far and they are by far the best tire I’ve had on the bike yet. FJR’s aren’t exactly nimble creatures but these tires actually make you forget that fact. The side to side transition is very quick and can be accomplished with very little pressure on the bars. This is important to me as some of my Sundays are spent chasing a couple of sportbikes around corners with a bunch more behind me. Hehehe.

Wet weather handling has been superb with no slipping or sliding at all. Those of you who have run Azaros on your own bike know about the 5mph “squirm”. Well Avon fixed that by changing the tread pattern which eliminated the “knobby on asphalt” feel at slow speeds.

One of the most impressive improvements made by the Storms over the Azaros, is front end feedback. Azaro = almost none, Storm = quite a bit. You know what the front end is doing at all times. It isn’t as good as what you would get on an R1 or the like, but it is enough to give you great confidence when dragging those peg feelers around corners.

According to Avon Tyres the Storm-ST uses ‘Reactive Footprint’ (RF) technology which produces a footprint that changes size and shape depending on the bike’s lean angle, growing in size the further over the bike goes. I can’t tell you what that means in engineering terms but in laymen’s terms it means that whatever lean angle you put the bike at, that’s where it wants to stay. These tires track a line through a corner so well, you have to experience it to believe it.

Sounds like a glowing review with no negatives doesn’t it? That’s because as of yet I haven’t found any negatives at all. I am waiting to see how long they last. If the rear tire doesn’t give at least 8k miles worth of use, then that will be the negative for these tires. Until I get to that point though, I’m gonna keep thrashing their little hides off. I’ll update as time goes on in case a negative (cupping, excessive tread wear, etc..) happens to pop-up.

8. Avon Viper Extremes

These are touring tires, aren’t they? WRONG! Not these babies. Avon Viper Extremes are about as far away from the Avon’s your buddy has on his iron butt touring bike as you can get.

These Avon Viper Extremes grip “extremely” well. No slipping, pushing, sliding when leaned over and tons of feedback at all times. I never felt like I didn’t know what the front tire was doing at any given moment. After all, these tires look like a set of slicks that someone cut grooves in with a pen knife.

The tires do heat up quickly and after a few laps were a lot warmer than I was riding around in perforated leathers. After a few laps I decided to see if I could find where the limits of these tires were. I never found that point as the tires stuck like glue all the way out to the edge. By the end of the first session I had the tires totally scrubbed in.

The second and third sessions were just confidence builders. By that point the temps had started to climb into the 50’s and low 60’s. At no point in my riding time did these Viper Extremes check out on me or give me any reason to at all to lose confidence in them.

I would have doubts about taking a bike wearing these tires out on a wet track though. I would however have no issues with mounting up another set for our next track day. Well, actually, I don’t have to worry about getting another set because not only do you get excellent traction with these  tires but you also get good wearability.

9. Bridgestone Battlax BT-016

I’m extremely careful when I get a new set of tires since coming from the factory they’re always slippery. This is a good practice for all riders to do since more times than none I’ve heard of stories about riders becoming too aggressive before adequately breaking in their new “shoes”.

During this 100 mile period I kept to open and newly paved roads before arriving at some of the local twisties. The temperature during the day was around 70 degrees for a high and in the low 50’s at night. Since it wasn’t freezing out there was little fear that I’d break the tire loose from a red light or coming off an exit ramp stop sign. On the highway there was little vibration and they felt great.

Riding over the wet spots, the 16’s kept their traction just fine and only when I blipped the throttle with my overzealous right hand did I notice the tires slipping ever so slightly but not to a degree of losing overall traction.

Bridgestone has combined its MotoGP construction technology with its latest multi-compound technology to manufacture a sport tire that produces a high-level of grip for performance in braking, cornering and acceleration.

Bridgestone’s 3D C.T.D.M. (Comprehensive Tire Design Methodology) should also be mentioned. This sophisticated tire design methodology enables dynamic, three-dimensional simulations of tire performance to find optimum design at all lean angles.

Using this methodology, the front tire features a new 3-Layer Compound (3LC) to provide grip in all riding conditions. The center compound offers linear handling while the shoulder compound secures high grip and solid contact feeling.

The rear tire features a new 5-Layer Compound (5LC) where the center compound offers good stability, the shoulder compound transfers power to the road with strong traction while the edge compound offers strong side grip and solid contact feeling at extreme lean angles.

The 16’s also utilize steel MS-BELT (mono-spiral belt) construction applied to both the front and rear tires which absorb sudden impact from bumps and offers high stability and tremendous line-holding in corners. MS-BELT and CTDM in their simplest terms allow the tires to maintain contact pressure at all lean angles to improve handling and cornering performance. Comparing the old 14’s to the new 16’s it does appear that the tread design has been altered.

You can also see the differences between the Pilots and the 16’s. I would definitely say that this new tread design improves traction, shock absorption, wet performance and noise reduction as I’ve yet to experience any of these traits in their negative form.

I can imagine that in the dog days of summer when the temperatures reach 100+ degrees that these tires will stick to the road like a fly on flypaper.

At the end of the day Bridgestone has made a tire that can easily be used for aggressive street riding and/or track days, which is not an easy task with the horsepower that liter bikes pump out now a days or even 600cc class motorcycles.

So as always I ask the question: “Would I buy a set of these tires?” My response (because I constantly talk to myself): “Absolutely!”