Been out of the game for a minute, but I just picked up a 1299 to go racing again. Trying to get re-educated on tires, specifically the new 125/200 slicks. Would anyone care to share the cliffs notes on your experience with available compounds, what conditions they work in, durability, etc.?
There's a full range of compounds available and choosing the best one depends on the track and ambient temperatures and whether you are racing or doing track days
I have no idea of what your pace or setup is like or what tracks you ride, but, in my experience, most faster guys will prefer SC2 fronts. Very similar results can be had with SC1 fronts, by adjusting air pressure and suspension. With the right setup and pressures, you can get an SC1 or an SC2 front to work very well at most tracks. Some tracks or riding styles may suit one more than the other. In the end, rider preference and feel is the determining factor. In the rear, the SC1 will be your most commonly used compound. It has a very wide operating range as far as race tires go. It heat cycles the best out of the options I'll discuss here and is a very good balance between longevity and outright performance. When track temps are high or you have a track surface that warrants it in lower temp conditions, the SC0 will be a better choice. In general, the Sc0 wants to run hotter than the SC1. The SCX is also available and is a viable sprint tire that will offer amazing levels of grip in circumstances where the SC0 would be an option as well, but may be overkill for some racers. I didn't mention the SC2 rears because they are a tire we rarely use on race weekends, but if you have no idea where to start, the SC2 will suffer a lot more inaccuracies in your setup and practices than the other tires will while you're figuring things out. You give up some mechanical grip in favor of durability. In regards to your other questions, the conditions the tires work in and durability have a lot to do with you. Having the right springs on the motorcycle for your pace and weight is very important to take full advantage of the grip the tires offer as well as their longevity. Good warmers with a good power supply and an accurate tire gauge are also very important to insuring you're getting the most out of the tires. People think of tires as an independent part of the motorcycle, but, really, they are connection between all your control inputs (steering, braking and throttle) and chassis setup and suspension and the track. The better everything above of the tires is working (you included), the better they can work on what's below them. When people come up to the trailer and have a problem with a tire, it's almost universally because something connected to the tire isn't right. If it was a problem with the tire, it would be a problem we'd see on every tire that weekend. So, long story long, choose the right tire for the conditions and your pace and, if everything else is sorted, you won't have any problems. Your local trackside vendor will have a wealth of data regarding compounds and pressures if you give him some information like your pace and what tracks you intend to ride and what ambient temps are going to be like. If you have specific questions, I can probably help out. If you let me know where you are in the world, I can also connect you with your local vendor, which will be exponentially more useful to you than my reply.
And in regards to that bike in particular, having someone familiar with Ducati electronics will be useful in regards to the larger 125/70 fronts and the 200/65 rears and the rider aids on that motorcycle.
I was a little short on context. Fair enough. Expert racer, typically closer to the front than the back. Riding/racing on the west coast (Chuck, Willow, Thunderhill, Sonoma, Laguna, etc.) I really just want to twist the throttle again, but I'm a competitive guy so I'm sure it will get more serious as it always does.
Thanks Mike. Exactly what I was looking for. I located Chris at CT racing already and it seems like he'll be my guy. Just studying up anywhere I can. I appreciate the input.
There's a former racer and dealer mechanic in San Diego with a euro bike service shop. I reached out to him about spending some time learning about the electronics, but I'm not sure yet whether or not he's the guy. I'm a complete troglodyte so it's all a bit intimidating. If anyone has any leads on that expertise I'm all ears.
CT has a ton of track data out west. You're in good hands. I'd defer to their recommendations, but I'd say given the information you offered up, SC2 fronts and SC1 rears will be a very good place to start. They'll be able to provide all the pressure data.
Call Chris as that guy is a wealth of knowledge and has a gizzilon connections so I would expect he knows some duc peeps
DTC on the 1299 has a tire diameter calibration mode to make corrections to the algorithms, it should be able to adapt to whatever you throw at it. I'm not sure how much else is accessible to the end user, or even the dealer.
