Dumb question I know, but I've never owned a bike more than two seasons...

I just picked up a SH and the tread looks pretty work. I put close to 1000 miles on her since I got the bike two months ago. Lately, the bikes front feels like it is unstable, is hard to turn left wants to fall in quickly and is jittery when turning in right. And when I back off the throttle in a turn, the bike feels like it wants to sit up and/or get around the front end. Steering head feels fine, tire pressure is 36/40. I have the suspension sorted as best as I can even though I'm 230 lbs with gear. My coerce fork brace and sonic springs just came in the mail, so I will pop those on when I get the tires spooned on.

Anyhow I wanted to ask what does the handling feel like when the tires are cupped and/or squared off? Thanks!

 

See how she rides with the new tires, but in the meantime - be careful!

 

You don't say what tires they are, but if they are the stock D204 or even D207 then get rid of 'em. Those tires are scary. A squared off tire will have a definitive flat spot on them and will feel at one point like it's hard to turn in and then "falls in", or vice versa depending on the wear.

 

The tires are D208s. Im debating putting on sport touring tires or qualifiers. My previous two bikes ran D208's and Pilot Powers. I seem to prefer the Dunlop products even though the majority of people on other boards like the Michelin products better. My girlfriend has the Pilots on her GSXR750, I don't mind them, the profiles feel a little more rounded than the Dunlops.

I'm checking tread when I get home I don't know if the treads on my tires will pass the penny test (checking tread depth with the head of Lincoln). It will fail or be real close. I'm guessing it must be the tires. Let's hope this time around I don't get rid of the SH, its a pretty neat bike all in all.

I've had in the past few years in this order: 93 GS500, 03YZFR6, 99YZF600R, 99CBRF4, Kawasaki ZR7. All great bikes and I am pretty happy to be riding the SH right now. It's somewhat similar to my brother's old RC51 (he rides a Big Dog now) from my experiences on that bike, in that both bikes just cook the heck out of your legs when you are sitting in traffic, lol.

I'll see what happens after the tire swap.

 

Squared off rears feel like the bike is rising up in the turn as you lean in, it then gets easier once youve got up "on" the tire. Cupping, goddam cupping, feels like the steering wants to hacksaw in the corner. It will work back and forth. If you are riding them like this, do not fight it, it will just make it more uncomfortable, let it waddle but maintain control. Get them replaced as soon as possible. Cupping is almost always the cause of low inflation for application (meaning the circumstances- regular riding vs. pulling wheelies). Flat or squared off is just too many roads with too few turns.

As for tires. I had d208's as well as my buddy. In the cold, they suck. Both of us, Superhawk and R6, could lite it up from a stoplight in the cold. We both went with the Continental Road Attack's, and like them. No more cold burners leaving the lights, great wet traction, and great wear. They really warm up well and provide better riding than the 208's with longer wear.
Bill

 

+1 on the Road attack's. They are the poop!

 

Qualifiers or PPs are good. Can't speak for the RAs, though two guys already have.

 

Anyone know how the Pirelli Diablo Corsa and Diablo Strada tires for street riding?

 

Nice and sticky, heat up real fast. The down side is they wear out to quick for street riding, IMHO.

 

that sucks

stick with dunlops or pilots for street riding then?

 

There are lots of good choices for street riding. Everybody has a little different taste. I fell in love with the Continental Road Attacks, the price is right and they heat up quick and last for a while. I ride slab from time to time, but it's usually just to find the next twisties, so I neeed a tire that could do both.

 

Yup, its a little rough finding fun places to ride in Brooklyn. End up resorting to somewhat curvy highways on Long Island with lots of traffic, or up the Henry Hudson with lots of traffic. Basically lots of traffic everywhere. Lol.

 

There are lots and lots of really good tires out there. I have Bridgestone BT-014's on my Hawk right now. They have a nice rounded profile which I like, and that front tire just feels SOOO good mid-corner. Very planted and stable. They are also pretty affordable. In the end, it's hard to go wrong with any of the tires that are out there these days!!

 

I just put Pirelli Corsa III's on my 98SH and like them so far. We'll see how they wear over time i guess.

Chuey, you'll probably find that the bike steers much quicker on new tires then it did on old worn out tires. At least that's what I've noticed.

 

I'm looking forward to a fresh set of tires. I never heard of the Conti Road Attacks until you mentioned them. Curiosity was piqued so I did a quick google search. It was enough that I ordered them from my mechanic. $300 mounted and balanced. A little cheaper than the qualifiers. When I told my mechanic he was surprised, he said he was expecting to hear me ask for Pilot Powers or Qualifiers of the Pirellis (all good tires). Can't speak about the Pirellis from personal experience actually. Anyway he was very excited and noted that he heard excellent things about the Conti RAs. Looking forward to a fresh set. My girlfriend was bored one day and we went to Flloyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, and we were dragging racing a 1/2 mile empty strip in a former airfield, and I think I burned up my tires pretty bad chasing after her 2003 GSXR 750.

BTW now that I've ridden both bikes for a few months..the Gixxer is just about hands down better than the SuperHawk in all ways except for comfort. Her Gixxer is a dime a dozen bike though and I'm still pretty pleased about how fun the SH is.

And I don't know what people are saying about the I4s being down on power these days. They used to say that about my R6. Which would outdrag the Superhawk anyday. Their motors wind up so quick that it doesn't really matter what their midrange oomph is like. On the the nasty turns I just keep it a gear lower on those bikes and try to be as smooth as possible around it.

That said, I love the feel and sound of the Hawk, now how do I get an extra 25 HP out of the engine?

 

I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of the road attacks. I think you'll be pleased with the results.

As far as 25 more hp, there are a whole bunch of threads on engine mods you can search for and read. It actually takes a good amount of work and money to get that kind of increase though. I'd stick to the comfort factor and try to enjoy the bike for what it is.

 

I'm excited about the RAs for sure.

I was only half kidding about the making power bit which mostly comes from still getting used to the engine/gearing mix of the SH.

I.E. on the inline 4s that I am used to riding you positively know for certain where the bike is gonna give you a big booming rush of power. On most of the I4s I've owned its been a wait til around 7K then there will be a little hit of power and around 10K or so wham. The engine is screaming and I know what to expect.

With the SH, being a twin and all, it pretty much makes power all along the powerband except under 3k where it is snatchy. So I have been getting a little confused when going into turns hot, as my gut is telling me to downshift as on a 600 I4, but what ends up happening is I spend a second thinking about it, then rather than downshift I just let off the throttle a tad and let engine breaking do its bit before getting back on the throttle. Its that little split second that bothers me though, in thinking about the powerband and waiting for the suspension to sort itself. Once I get the new springs in, im guessing I'll be a happy camper.