Kawasaki zx10 chatter update

First of all I must say thanks to everyone who chimed in with words of advice for a cure to my suspension woes ( love this place). Over the weekend I took a bold step and came out of my comfort zone and took the advice of Metric Mike from mdm and Greg Melka (yes mr Melka I don't know u but I do sometimes listen). Mike has been trying to get me to try Pirelli tires for quite some time now. I have in the past and hated the feel, the cost and the lack of longevity in the rear. Well ladies and gents I must say they have come a loooooong way. Mike slapped some slicks on my bike and all I can say is WOW! No more chatter. The freaking bike is begging to b ridden hard. It was an amazing feeling to be able to smile again. Now don't get me wrong, the other tire manufacturer that I have been using for a zillion years ( I won't call a name) sells grt tires . I have stuck with them through thick and thin. In this particular case though for MY Kawasaki, the Pirelli tires are the sheeeeeeet. Needless to say after $1100 later ( I bought a set for my Kawi 600 also and a spare rear) I am smiling. Thanks again to all involved and sorry for the long note.

 

Kawasaki no likey Dunlop. I can't tell you how many top teams and top riders I've spoken with that all say the same thing. People who have tried literally everything possible to get that combo to work well and they just don't.

Yet another reason control tires suck. 100% without a doubt they favor 1 manufacturer over another. If I were Kawasaki and negotiating with MotoAmerica on a factory team return this would be high on my agenda.

 

Did one one of the mod's change Melkman's screename?

 

Pete's experience is the same as a lot of riders and racers who tried Pirellis several versions ago. He was basing his opinion of Pirellis on an outdated carcass and compound he tried years ago. The new product is leaps and bounds better.

Glad we finally got you sorted, Pete.

 

.. even if you went to a competitors tire

it's possible you could have eventually got it to work, but life is short.

 

Any Brand of tire can be made to work, if the Team Really do Know what they are doing. YES, it is that simple, and the internet will not be able to teach you how to do it, only history and experience and testing testing testing, simple

I am not saying any brand can be made to WIN, but can be made to work, without causing chatter/patter etc

 

I agree iomTT, Pirelli doesn't work on kawasaki? Rubbish - its just your tuner is not knowledgeable enough to get it working.

 

Reading is fundamental.

 

life is short... and constantly trying to make it work is costly. And not sure if ya followed his initial post, but he tried to make em work. for a long time. No go. It was time for another tire brand. Low and behold!! NO CHATTER

 

Name a highly-competitive international series where Kawasakis are doing well.

Got it? Good.

What tires are they on?

 

ooo.. i know this one ! !

 

Shhh. Don't tell everyone.

 

^^
and it just wouldn't be a tire related thread without me stating this: i am quite certain you would have had as good of an experience with the Michelin tire. And who knows, it may work even better for ya. May wanna try 1 set at some point when we get em in the country. I have set personal best times at 2 tracks i have raced for years this season. (on the same bikes i have raced since 2009) .

 

Not to mention BSB where they are also very competitive from SBK to SSTK600. Oops, I just did.

 

You've become too predictable in tire threads Greg. Rebrand yourself.

 

I've raced the ZX10 on Dunlops, Stones and Pirellis. Never had an issue with any of those tires. I raced Suzuka on Dunlops and the bike was awesome. I won a WERA championship on Stones. Currently I'm riding my ZX10 on Pirellis. There is a different set up for each tire brand, but I've never been completely lost on set up with the ZX10 on any tire. Personally I like the bike on Stones the best, but you can typically throw Pirellis on any bike and solve most set up issues.

 

I did see the Op and follow it, but still stand by what I have said 100% and DDK732 is on the same page as me also, and he is and I was, a Known Test/development rider dude, Hence I was hired to race the Britten Motorcycle also. Any tyre can be made to work, you just need enough Knowledge and tools in the tool box to make things work without causing negatives.

 

I had the same problem on my FZR in 2004. I did the same thing that you did and problem solved. Except for the rear. That is something that you just have to live with or put a new rear on every weekend.

 

Dunlops are known to be heavier/stiffer than the other brands. The suspension has to be made a good bit stiffer to get them to work.
Sometimes frame gusseting also.

 

A few years ago, Chris Ulrich was invited to ride Aaron Yates superbike at Daytona.
This is when Ulrich was racing the gsxr 1000 on Pirelli's in SST.
At first, with Yates' setup, he was three seconds a lap slower on Yates' bike than his own. The mechanic lowered tire pressures and softened spring rates substantially to get Ulrich comfortable.
After all was said and done, he got within .5 seconds of his best SST time. I believe this was after 5 sessions of fiddling with the bike.