Track day (Putnam )

The bike I bought late last year had a set of new Pirellis on it. I had never used them before, although I have ridden on the street for many years with Metzelers. I liked the feedback from the Pirellis, even in the rain at Roebling. I think I'm going to start this year on Michelin Pilots since I plan on doing a couple 4-hour endurance races and will need something that lasts. Just another new experience to learn from and write in the old race notebook.

 

I ran dunlop slicks last year, (pertaining to the factory racer theory) and it was a waste of money in the sense that I'm wasting money buying the slicks because guys are getting faster times out of the DOT's.

Chuck from Arclight helped me quite a bit with the setup for them, and I'm hoping that I can get my hands on a set before the track day to see if the new tires aree any different in handling.

I've heard great things about the pilots in terms of wear. I guess tires are just religion as far as it goes.

 

Yeah, you sure get a different answer depending on who you ask. I'm looking for the longest tire life for my buck, so I'll let you know how the pilots hold up. A couple guys I talked to said they aren't that great in the rain but I've never used them before so I don't know. New bike, new city, new job, new tracks.....it's just a whole new year for me!

 

Any of the new DOT's - Pilots, Pirelli (& Metzeler), and the Dunlop will absolutely suck in the rain. They are slicks with barely any tread, if you run them you'll need to have a set of rains nearby for any wet racing. I don't know if Bridgestone has come out with a slick DOT yet but they probably will soon... Upside is that one set of rains can/will last you all season.

 

So is anybody gonna go ?

 

I was waiting for the trend to hit after the pilots came out. When I saw the basicly treadless sides I knew that the AMA was soon to follow with a new rule allowing supersport classes to run rains.

Luckily when I purchased my bike the guy gave me a set of rains. However, I have yet to use them. Thus, I don't know there capabilities. Maybe I can start a new thread