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Dunlop D404

1980GS1000E

1980GS1000E

Forum Mentor
Past Site Supporter
I put these tires on my bike and, I gotta say, they are amazing. The last tires I had were Bridgestones and they felt like banana skins for their entire life. Really bad in the beginning, I thought they would get better. These Dunlops are like riding in the dry compared to what was like riding on gasoline-soaked roads on the Bridgestones. No fear or slippery feeling around town, onramps or twisties.
No Bridgestones ever again.
 
You should try some real tires.

404s are slick as pig snot compared to Sport Demons or RoadRiders.
 
Compared to the Bridgestones, I meant to put it in that perspective. They are not like the 2CT Michelins on my FZ1 either, but way better than the crap I was running. Fine for the GS, anyway.
 
Which Bridgestones are we hatin' on here -- The Spitfires or the BT45? Or did you have something older on that's not even made any more?
 
Spitfire S11. The S must stand for sh!t. In fairness, I never checked the date code on them, but they were purchased through Competition Accessories so I assumed that was not an issue.
 
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Yep, the d404s are pretty good all around tires but I found them to lack a little bit when the speeds pick up. Just don't get too spirited on them.
 
bwringer said:
Which Bridgestones are we hatin' on here -- The Spitfires or the BT45? Or did you have something older on that's not even made any more?
Click to expand...

Just wanted to say that I am very happy with performance of Bridgestone Battlax BT45's I am running now in place of the Metzelers I always used to run.
 
bwringer said:
Which Bridgestones are we hatin' on here -- The Spitfires or the BT45? Or did you have something older on that's not even made any more?
Click to expand...

1980GS1000E said:
Spitfire S11. The S must stand for sh!t. In fairness, I never checked the date code on them, but they were purchased through Competition Accessories so I assumed that was not an issue.
Click to expand...

2BRacing said:
Just wanted to say that I am very happy with performance of Bridgestone Battlax BT45's I am running now in place of the Metzelers I always used to run.
Click to expand...



Makes sense -- I've always heard the BT45 is a pretty good hunk o' rubber. I haven't tried a set of these myself.

The Spitfire is a much older design, and I wasn't at all happy with the set I tried out a few years back. I thought grip was actually OK at first, but they really turned evil as they wore and didn't last long for me (YMMV -- most people get better mileage than I do).

The D404s actually had better grip but they're quite soft and wore out even more quickly, also developing some nasty bad habits during the last 1,000 miles.

The Shinko 230s mentioned above also wore out pretty quickly for me, but they stuck quite well and didn't change much in feel or grip as they wore. A great budget choice if you don't pile on lots of miles.

My favorite is still the Avon RoadRiders -- great grip, make your bike feel 100 pounds lighter, little to no change in grip or feel as they wear, and at least twice the life of the others mentioned.

If you're doing track days, I think the Pirelli Sport Demons win the ultimate sticky prize by just a hair over the Avons, but they're expensive, soft, and short-lived.

I haven't tried the Conti GO! or Michelin Pilot Activ. They're probably pretty darn good.
 
2BRacing said:
Just wanted to say that I am very happy with performance of Bridgestone Battlax BT45's I am running now in place of the Metzelers I always used to run.
Click to expand...

Do the Battlaxes have anything in common with the radial versions? I've heard really good things about them, but from sportbike guys with new bikes.
 
Hey Matt,

My Bridgestone S-11 tires are starting to get a little squirrely. Of course, the back tire has over 10,000 miles (down to the wear bars) and the front tire is almost double that. I go through a rear tire every year and get a new front every other rear.

Up until these tires have 7000 miles on them I can scrape my pegs all day. Granted, I don't do that a lot. Most of my riding is commuting, errands, every day street stuff.

What I appreciate about these tires is the "bang for your buck" value. Nope, they are not cutting edge design or material but they are cheap and plenty good enough for my purposes.

That's not to say I wouldn't enjoy a nice set of Road Riders or Sport Demons. I just don't want to spend that much to get fewer miles. To each his own. I'm sorry you did not thoroughly enjoy them. ;)

For all of you riders who don't scrape your pegs every day, don't be afraid to give them a try, especially if you don't have a large tire budget. Check the date code. If they're really fresh (less than a year old when you buy them) then you'll get good use out of them. I would not buy any motorcycle tire that is over two years old. But I'm lucky in that I can see my tires before I buy them from the local bike shop. :)


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
I had the 404s on my 550 and swapped to the Shinko tour masters last year. In my uneducated opinion the dunlops are worse and sticking to the road in the curves.
 
Not to spoil the conversation but any new tire will feel better than skinned ones you have been tolerating for who knows how long. Honestly I think we think we can tell the difference from one tire to the next but I beg to differ. Old freaking rubber is old freaking rubber and new freaking rubber is new freaking rubber. Tires threads are all over the internet and everyone thinks there particular brand of choice is better. The reality of it is only professional riders can really push a tire to the limit and know the difference. On the street we are amateurs and really dont have a clue from one tire to the next.
 
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I swore off Bridgestones in '83 when the brand new tire on my brand new 750 developed a quarter sized seperation in the tread. And neither they or Suzuki would cover it under warranty.
 
jwhelan65 said:
Not to spoil the conversation but any new tire will feel better than skinned ones you have been tolerating for who knows how long. Honestly I think we think we can tell the difference from one tire to the next but I beg to differ. Old freaking rubber is old freaking rubber and new freaking rubber is new freaking rubber. Tires threads are all over the internet and everyone thinks there particular brand of choice is better. The reality of it is only professional riders can really push a tire to the limit and know the difference. On the street we are amateurs and really dont have a clue from one tire to the next.
Click to expand...

Not true, if you get on the bike and it's losing grip, squirming and stepping out all over the place in moderate riding, it's a poor tire. If it sticks like glue through everything on the road it's a great tire. The difference is obvious.
You don't have to be cornering like a madman to know whats happening down there.

Some tires ride so poorly that they are truely unsafe, even when they are new.

But yeah, new mediocre tires are going to be much better than old hardened tires.

Just not as good as new good tires.
 
Tkent is right. The Bridgestone tires I had were squirmy right the time I put them on. I even tried to scuff them in with a sander. No improvement. I felt the difference immediately when I put the Dunlops on.
 
Hi,

I swore I would never post a response in another tire thread. For some reason I posted in two tire threads yesterday. I gotta getta life. ;)


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
BassCliff said:
Hi,

I swore I would never post a response in another tire thread. For some reason I posted in two tire threads yesterday. I gotta getta life. ;)
Click to expand...



Join the club -- it's been a long, cruel winter. Even you folks out in sunny SoCal are picking up the crazed vibes emanating from the heartland. :p


What's interesting is how individual tire choices are -- you normally get 10,000 miles on the Spitfires, and I struggled to crack 3,000 on the same bike.

Then again, I'm a lot heavier than you and my set of Spitfires was the hapless victim of a trip to the mountains in North Carolina/Tennessee -- that was 700 miles of interstate on either end of 1,200 miles of crazed corner carving. They were 99% roached by the time I got back, and I had to get a new set of tires a couple of weeks later.

Normal people will experience tire life and results much closer to your experience than mine.

I think familiarity counts for a lot, too -- there's a lot to be said for knowing exactly how your bike is going to handle. The Avon Roadriders have a slightly "pointier" profile than most, and the quicker steering is spooky until you get used to it.
 
Hi Brian,

bwringer said:
What's interesting is how individual tire choices are -- you normally get 10,000 miles on the Spitfires, and I struggled to crack 3,000 on the same bike.

Then again, I'm a lot heavier than you ...
Click to expand...

Well, I wasn't going to say anything. :p

I guess the tire threads caught my eye because I have to put new tires on this weekend. I'm a little surprised at how much the price has gone up on these Spitfires. My local bike shop wants $140 for the rear. But then I checked swmototires.com and they want $208! Americanmototire.com has a good price on their website but by the time I pay for mounting it's pretty much a wash. Mounting is free at the bike shop I buy tires from.

I may have to re-think my favorite tire, or start spooning them on myself. But it's so convenient to bring in your wheels, just hand them to the guy, and 20 minutes later you have new mounted and balanced tires. I'm getting lazy in my old age. :o


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
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