Bridgestone BT016?

[pyrocpu]

Kinda surprised no one's running the Bridgestone BT016 tires... anybody?
My dealer's selling for $210/set (+ tax) then either another $60 (+tax) for mounting/balancing if I bring the wheels in myself, or $110 (+tax) if I just ride the bike down there and hang out for a bit while they mount/balance them.

I was tempted by saving the $50 and dismounting the wheels myself, but then I'd be out a garage spot to do it with the way my garage is configured, plus the general PITA of having to do everything myself. Getting more and more lazy these days. Besides, I kinda wanted to take the VFR1200Fs they have on clearance at the dealer...

I figured for $350 OTD, ride in, ride out, it wouldn't be so bad...

Thoughts on the BT016? They wouldn't be the new BT016 Pros since they're not offered in our 160mm RR tire size

 

[Marthy]

Kinda surprised no one's running the Bridgestone BT016 tires... anybody?
My dealer's selling for $210/set (+ tax) then either another $60 (+tax) for mounting/balancing if I bring the wheels in myself, or $110 (+tax) if I just ride the bike down there and hang out for a bit while they mount/balance them.

I was tempted by saving the $50 and dismounting the wheels myself, but then I'd be out a garage spot to do it with the way my garage is configured, plus the general PITA of having to do everything myself. Getting more and more lazy these days. Besides, I kinda wanted to take the VFR1200Fs they have on clearance at the dealer...

I figured for $350 OTD, ride in, ride out, it wouldn't be so bad...

Thoughts on the BT016? They wouldn't be the new BT016 Pros since they're not offered in our 160mm RR tire size

Never tough that maybe nobody want them? LOL How they compare to the 021? I wasn't impress with the 021 at all. I'm nowhere to be V. Rossi but still... I wouldn't have bought another set.

 

[JonKerr]

I ran the 016's for a while. I liked them a lot. EXCEPT, the center flattens very fast. I had them when I wasn't commuting and really only riding canyons and they still commuter stripped in about 4000 miles. I know they're supposed to have the harder center compound, but it's not very hard. They're very soft tires. But their feel was great. Lots of edge grip when riding hard. I'm actually running the 023's right now because I am commuting on the bike now. The side compound is the same as the 016's but the center is far harder. I'm at 5000 miles in and the tires still look great and feel pretty good. Right now, the rear I can feel is getting a little on the harder side, probably from so many heat cycles. It can get a little on the squirmy side when pushing compared to the grip they had a few thousand miles ago. But even with a lot of my miles being freeway now, the commuter stripping is still at a minimum.

One thing to check on the tires that a dealer is trying to clear out like that is the manufacture date. I can't remember the time cut off, (I'll try and find it) but if those tires have been sitting around, they could be done before they've been mounted.

***Edit: Found the info. Look on the serial number on the side wall of the tire. Look at the last four digits. The last two will give you the year it was made, the two prior will give you the week. So a tire code that ends with 5108 was made on the 51st week of 2008. Do not buy tires that were made more than 4-5 years ago. The rubber will be dried out and won't last at all. The fresher tire the better. This is the main reason why you should not buy tires over the internet. They'll send you the oldest tires they have. If you go to the shop and pick out your tires, you can pick and choose what you want. As long as the tires were made before 2007, you will be fine.

 

[b_who]

i Just bought them and had them installed friday but i haven't had a chance to scrub them in so ill let you u know
I'm going out for a ride tomorrow so hopefully i'll have some input soon

i have a friend i work with and he loved them on 07 GSXR

heres a review on them that lead to me buying them.
Bridgestone Battlax BT-016 Tire Comparison Review - Motorcycle USA

Heres video of there 2010 tire comparison
2010 Street Motorcycle Tire Comparison Video - Motorcycle Video - Motorcycle USA


And heres a paragraph of there article on what they thought of them

"Flat out, the BT-016s are one of the best street tires on the market today. Besides their slightly high price it’s hard to find any faults with this tire. It reaches operating temperature quickly, offers fantastic grip, feel and stability at all points through a turn."

And heres what the test rider said about them
RIDER NOTES:

“These tires are without question the best in B Group. Heat-up time is outstanding as is rear traction at all lean angles. You have to try to get the rear tire to spin on these things—unbelievable. Plus, traction is consistent and never changes as the tires get hot. It is almost absurd that a mid-range street tire can serve up this level of performance. Turn-in is very neutral feeling and predicable much like the Rosso and Power. Stability was also at a high level. These are one of the best tires I’ve ever ridden on.”

hope this helps:thumbup:

 

[pyrocpu]

Thanks for the useful input. I'm a bit concerned about tire wear. Other riders here seem to average around 8000mi per set of tires. I'm at 4900mi right now and it's already starting looking like I need new rubber within 500-1000 mi at most! I'm a lot lighter than most riders, nor do I drag knee/pegs or anything like that. Tires always inflated properly. Front/rear wear is somewhat even.

Only concern I have with the BT023 is potential squirm: aren't they very similar to the OE BT021?

Riding style here is quite conservative. No canyons here, but I want to have the CONFIDENCE to get lean the bike over--which I don't feel confident about the stock tires anymore.

 

[JonKerr]

The thing you need to remember about OEM tires is even though they're both 021's, OEM tires usually are a bit different than the 021's you'd get from a shop. Most of the time there's a little bit different compound to make them last a little longer but they use the same profile and tread pattern. But no, the 023's are different than the 021's. Much softer side compound than the 021's. Like I said, to me, the 023's feel a lot like the 016's when cornering, they're just not wearing out the center as fast. I don't know how the 016's felt in the corners after 4000 miles because they were replaced by then as the center was flattened. But I'm over 5000 miles on the 023's (which is about the average for me) and the sides still feel good. Just not quite as grippy as when they had 100 miles on them. If you're not riding hard, you probably won't notice the degradation.

 

[pyrocpu]

Thanks Jon. Hmm. Sounds like then the BT023 is the best of both worlds then, yea?
I'll see if my dealer can get me the 023s for $210/set as well!

Of course, the next question would be then... Michelin Pilot Powers, 2CTs, or Pilot Road 2/3s?

 

[CrazyCawi]

PIlot road 3's. All day long. 1k miles on mine...doesnt even have any sign of wear. They honest to god look brand new. Traction is IMPECABLE! Read my review on them!

 

[b_who]

So I put 387 miles on them today, about 55 on the freeway and the rest in the canyons.

Gotta say these tires stick like glue :thumbup:. There defiantly for more super sports and track riding because they are designed to have a big contact patch at extreme lean angles as today i scraped my pegs a few time and still have lil more then half an inch chicken strip
But like u said how you use them to commute and don't go for rides in canyons or anything id say go with a sport tour style tire were the center tread will last a lot longer because these tires are incredibly soft even though the center tread is harder it still is quite soft IMO

so I'd go with jonkerr's advice and get the 023's or another good Sport-touring tire

 

[Hellgate]

016s are great tires, probably not for the commuter or touring rider.

My current favorite sport tire is the Dunlop Q2. An amazing tire. Warms up very fast, sticks like glue. I've got three track days out of my current set, about 450 miles and I think I've got maybe two more track days left in them. Of course on the street you'd get many more miles.

My current street tires are PR2, with the new PR3 I think I'd go that route.

 

[pyrocpu]

Thanks for all the great feedback, guys. With my type of riding, it really does seem like I ought to look at either the Pilot Road 2s or 3s, the BT023s, or the Q2.

I'll see what the price the dealer can get me, and then we'll go from there. Right now, with price not being an object, I'm leaning towards the BT023s. I still have 2/32" ABOVE the wear bars (in the area with the most wear: the dead middle of the tire), so I may have a bit of time...

Thanks again!

 

[Uno979]

My opinion on stock tires to date

Stock tires 3k miles, I know ride little? I got the awesome opportunity to ride some amazing mountain roads with long swooping turns down to 2mph pin head turns wet and through clouds. Honestly I know it is that our bikes are so awesome and amzing but the tires in those conditions surprised me! I mean70-80 mph tight curves while raining and I felt no give. The guy in front of me made comments how his PR2's had slipped a little here and there. I stayed steady behind him and I felt it not. So IMHO, having put these tires to the test, I'm comfortable with them.

Something others don't realize while wearing tires. Your traction diminishes.. so the most recent imprint of the tires was the last 2k miles and that is where you compare them to the new set you install..

:thumbup:

 

[JonKerr]

Something others don't realize while wearing tires. Your traction diminishes.. so the most recent imprint of the tires was the last 2k miles and that is where you compare them to the new set you install..

:thumbup:

This is a very true statement and something that I always try to keep in mind when I get new tires.