OMG, what new tires will do for the ride quality of a bike. For the last 2000 miles since I brought this Wing back from New Mexico, I've been riding on the old Dunlop Elite's that have been on the bike for ages. The front tire was super noisy as it sounded like I was always riding on that asphalt chip seal even on smooth surfaces. So when I left the shop yesterday after having the Bridgestone installed I immediately noticed how quiet the bike was as if I had just jumped on a brand new bike with 0 miles on it. It was so quiet that it is doubtful that I will ever need ear plugs around town and most likely will not wear when Deb and I riding together so we can hear each other through our Scala radio system.
I probably am comparing a Bridgestone to an old Dunlop Elite so the comparison may be a bit skewed as any new tire would probably be better than what I had. Around town the tire was very sticky (since it was new) at low speed riding like coming up on a red light that just turned green and you're balancing the bike at nearly no speed and moving the front tire around a bit for balance. I'm sure that will improve with break-in. I rode some twisties around a local lake and it was so smooth running them with my new Dunlop c/t and Bridgestone. Unlike what others may say, the bike does not want to stand-up any more than a m/t coming out of a turn applying some throttle. The bike held a line through the turns with no anomalies.
As I got closer to home I opened it up and rode up to 105mph indicated and there was no vibration at all in the bike and it ran straight and smooth. As time goes on I'll come back to this thread and update with a ride report on this tire with wear and handling. For 116.00 I feel it is good value. Now we'll see how long it lasts.
