961 commando tyre recommendation?

Spike Davies

Spike Davies

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Apr 10, 2020
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Anyone got suggestions for rear tyre for my 961- the current Dunlop sports max qualifier 180/55 zr17 doesn’t seem to be in stock anywhere Mike
 
I've been using Pilot Road 5's.
I don't do track days, on the road the tyres have more ability than i do - in wet and dry.
 
ntst8 said:
I've been using Pilot Road 5's.
I don't do track days, on the road the tyres have more ability than i do - in wet and dry.
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Hello , Are those Pilot 5's good for high mileage ? I tend to ride the rears flat on mine .
 
Hi Tony,
current state with about 7000 miles on it, a bit squared off in the middle but not bad. Not much life left though.
Our roads are largely chip seal, quite rough compared to Asphalt, so i never get any where near the mileage i see some people reporting.

961 commando tyre recommendation?
 
If you are looking for max confidence in the twisties, my tip is Michelin Power RS. Not concerned about mileage although it seems pretty good, much more concerned about grip on the CR:D ! I’d be very interested if anyone has found a tyre with more grip?
 
I like the Qualifier, there appears to be a couple available on EBay UK reasonably priced
 
I went with dunlop sportsmart 3 in the end - next tyre towards track use from qualifier 2 in Dunlop‘s range so quite sticky
 
These look interesting for my usage - quick blast (200 km ave) Sunday rides, only good weather, where grip is way more important than longevity! May give these a go next. I don’t do track days but chasing mates around the hinterland can get ‘interesting‘! Sticky tyres are just a different type of insurance right!:D

961 commando tyre recommendation?
 
My first set were Dunlop Qualifers that the bike came with. Handling was dead on. Nice sticky tire. Semi aggressive riding, got 7500 miles and could have gotten much more on the front. Second set was the Bridgestone Battlemax Hypersport...either S20 or S21 that a Kaw dealer said will save me 100 bucks and for street riding, I will not notice the difference. Well I did. They would skip out of tight curves, rode harder, didn't handle as well and were completely shot at 4500 miles. The center had complete flat spots and the belts warped badly. Back to the Q3 and am a happy camper. 1500 miles and wearing beautifully.
 
I wish
Stephen_Spencer said:
They call it the Sunshine Coast for a reason! Done my time freezing my ass off in the UK and a short stint of 14 years in Northern Germany - never been without a bike. Always ridden through winter. I chose the sun :cool:!
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I wish I was you neighbor !
 
Britfan60 said:
My first set were Dunlop Qualifers that the bike came with. Handling was dead on. Nice sticky tire. Semi aggressive riding, got 7500 miles and could have gotten much more on the front. Second set was the Bridgestone Battlemax Hypersport...either S20 or S21 that a Kaw dealer said will save me 100 bucks and for street riding, I will not notice the difference. Well I did. They would skip out of tight curves, rode harder, didn't handle as well and were completely shot at 4500 miles. The center had complete flat spots and the belts warped badly. Back to the Q3 and am a happy camper. 1500 miles and wearing beautifully.
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Just had a look at the Dunlop site, where you can select your model/year of Norton and see which tyres Dunlop recommend. They recommend the Q3 for sports riding on all 961 models with the Sportsmart Roadsmart 3 for sports touring. 36/40 PSI recommended. Q3 tread pattern looks pretty aggressive.

961 commando tyre recommendation?
 
TonyA said:
I wish

I wish I was you neighbor !
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I wish you were too Tony! I’d have another riding buddy and my very own 961 mechanic, who I would pay directly from my beer fridge of course! I’ll send you a link to the migration application :D !
 
Have been using Dunlop Sportsmart 3 and found them to be a lot better than the original qualifiers. They are supposed to be 90% road 10% track biased but I have used them twice for quite fast track sessions including rain and a blizzard and so far they are great. The only issue is that they are designed to self-warm and on the track the the pressure varies a lot so you have to start with quite a low pressure. I would highly recommend a tire pressure monitor. The Michelin one is good but also used an ebay cheap thing which seems ok. Have heard great things about the Metzeler m9rr but no experience.
 
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