Sprint ST FAQ's - Tyres

MCN Tyre Test - August 2000 - VFR Comments

Avon

1st Avon Azaro II 98% => VFR Test Ranked as Number 2 - 98%
Marc: These suit the bike in every aspect. There's a tiny bit of movement out of corners, but it's fun, not scary. No complaints at all about grip, feedback, stability, turn-in time, or corner speed. Brilliant. Keith: The tyres' profiles are just flat enough for utter stability and predictability going into bends and sharp enough for speedy steering. They're excellent and show Avon's extensive redesigning of this tyre over the past 12 months has paid off. I can't fault them.

1st Avon Azaro II 98% => VFR Test Ranked as Number 2 - 98%

Marc: These suit the bike in every aspect. There's a tiny bit of movement out of corners, but it's fun, not scary. No complaints at all about grip, feedback, stability, turn-in time, or corner speed. Brilliant.
Keith: The tyres' profiles are just flat enough for utter stability and predictability going into bends and sharp enough for speedy steering. They're excellent and show Avon's extensive redesigning of this tyre over the past 12 months has paid off. I can't fault them.

Pirelli

2nd Pirelli Dragon GTS 95% => VFR Test Ranked as Number 3 - 94%
Marc: These are ultra-stable at all times and the grip is fine for firing out of corners. They suit the bike well and offer plenty of grip, too. They are surprisingly compliant and work with the soft suspension but, as we've come to expect from the rounded profile of most Pirellis, slow to turn. Excellent. Keith: They turn easily but slowly and they're exceptionally stable both upright and cranked over. This applies going into and coming out of bends, as well as in mid-corner. The front did slip a touch on one bumpy corner, but there's generally plenty of grip for the power of the bike. It's an Ideal VFR tyre.

2nd Pirelli Dragon GTS 95% => VFR Test Ranked as Number 3 - 94%

Marc: These are ultra-stable at all times and the grip is fine for firing out of corners. They suit the bike well and offer plenty of grip, too. They are surprisingly compliant and work with the soft suspension but, as we've come to expect from the rounded profile of most Pirellis, slow to turn. Excellent.
Keith: They turn easily but slowly and they're exceptionally stable both upright and cranked over. This applies going into and coming out of bends, as well as in mid-corner. The front did slip a touch on one bumpy corner, but there's generally plenty of grip for the power of the bike. It's an Ideal VFR tyre.

Michelin

3rd Michelin Macadam 91% => VFR Test Ranked as Number 4 - 93%
Marc: There's a fair amount of grip but they don't offer enough feedback. Definitely more touring than sports, at least they are likely to last a long time. But I wouldn't ride at the ragged edge on them. They are firmly constructed and comfortable and offer excellent straight-line stability. Keith: The grip and feedback were reasonably good but there's room for improvement. They didn't offer a completely convincing ride, even though they were ultra stable and comfortable. They score well for coping with bumps while cranked right over.

3rd Michelin Macadam 91% => VFR Test Ranked as Number 4 - 93%

Marc: There's a fair amount of grip but they don't offer enough feedback. Definitely more touring than sports, at least they are likely to last a long time. But I wouldn't ride at the ragged edge on them. They are firmly constructed and comfortable and offer excellent straight-line stability.
Keith: The grip and feedback were reasonably good but there's room for improvement. They didn't offer a completely convincing ride, even though they were ultra stable and comfortable. They score well for coping with bumps while cranked right over.

Continental

4th Continental ContiForce 90% => VFR Test Ranked as Number 5 (tie) - 90%
Marc: These performed surprisingly well, lapping very quickly. But they weren't totally stable and squirmed around on overbanding. Bumps never upset them, though, and there was a gratifying amount of grip. Keith: These were the biggest surprise of the test. I hadn't ridden on Continentals for years and expected them to behave in much the same way as they used to - poorly. But they suited the VFR perfectly and managed a fair lap time, too. Grip was good, stability was excellent and feedback reasonable. Not so good on overbanding, though.

4th Continental ContiForce 90% => VFR Test Ranked as Number 5 (tie) - 90%

Marc: These performed surprisingly well, lapping very quickly. But they weren't totally stable and squirmed around on overbanding. Bumps never upset them, though, and there was a gratifying amount of grip.
Keith: These were the biggest surprise of the test. I hadn't ridden on Continentals for years and expected them to behave in much the same way as they used to - poorly. But they suited the VFR perfectly and managed a fair lap time, too. Grip was good, stability was excellent and feedback reasonable. Not so good on overbanding, though.

Dunlop

5th Dunlop D207 89% => VFR Test Ranked as Number 5 (tie) - 90%
Marc: There was slight instability exiting bends but in general things weren't bad. The stability under braking was excellent, however - you can pin the front tyre to the ground. These also brought the suspension to life a bit even though the bike remained a touch wallowy. Keith: These worked reasonably well on the VFR. The levels of grip available were fed back well and the suspension definitely livened up. But they aren't the most stable. If it's an exciting ride you'd like - go ahead and buy.

5th Dunlop D207 89% => VFR Test Ranked as Number 5 (tie) - 90%

Marc: There was slight instability exiting bends but in general things weren't bad. The stability under braking was excellent, however - you can pin the front tyre to the ground. These also brought the suspension to life a bit even though the bike remained a touch wallowy.
Keith: These worked reasonably well on the VFR. The levels of grip available were fed back well and the suspension definitely livened up. But they aren't the most stable. If it's an exciting ride you'd like - go ahead and buy.

Metzler

6th Metzeler MEZ4 88% => VFR Test Ranked as Number 7 - 87%
Marc: These feel OK putting the power down but I don't know how I stand for grip mid-corner. They move around more than the Pirellis, especially under braking. They're slow to turn in but stable during entry and exit, and in a straight line. The front's feedback is particularly vague. Keith: These have the same basic carcass construction as the Pirellis but they feel very different. They're more grippy, but it's not all that usable - feedback lets them down. They slid into and out of corners, which is bearable but not what you'd want on a sports tourer on the road. I didn't feel 100% confident.

6th Metzeler MEZ4 88% => VFR Test Ranked as Number 7 - 87%

Marc: These feel OK putting the power down but I don't know how I stand for grip mid-corner. They move around more than the Pirellis, especially under braking. They're slow to turn in but stable during entry and exit, and in a straight line. The front's feedback is particularly vague.
Keith: These have the same basic carcass construction as the Pirellis but they feel very different. They're more grippy, but it's not all that usable - feedback lets them down. They slid into and out of corners, which is bearable but not what you'd want on a sports tourer on the road. I didn't feel 100% confident.

Bridgestone

7th Bridgestone BT020 86% => VFR Test Ranked as Number 1 - 99%
Marc: The VFR loves these. In fact, these are the best tyres in our test for the Honda. I could attack corners hard and got stacks of grip and feedback at all times. And the bike loved overbanding and slammed home what is clearly the fastest lap of all during our massive test. Keith: These are totally neck-and-neck with the Avon Azaros for top slot. Marvellous.