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Old Bridgestone 016 question

2K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  Twist-IT 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey guys,

My friend gave me a new old set of of 016 tires and I have a question for all that used them.
I'm coming off Q3's and I find the rear 016's to be unsettling under cornering, it's like it falls, rolls over or gets super soft, strange feeling. It's a 190/50

Lmk what your thoughts are.
Thanks.



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#5 ·
I do like the tire but not use to the profile.


190/50 is a terrible size for a sportbike tire. It is such a poor choice that they do not even make race tires in that size.... More importantly though the BT-016 and many other Bridgestone fronts for that matter are just not very good tires to begin with. They have a wandering effect from the front carcass belting design that makes the bike feel like it is hunting the front end around even though it's not which really messes up the feel/feedback of the front. It's nothing more than disconcerting on a street ride where you can trust it is going to stick at sane speeds, but it can cause a lot more grief at track pace. Those fronts also have a tendency to cup excessively which further exacerbates the wandering feeling from the front end and results in a little handlebar shimmy long before the tire is actually ready to be replaced.



They are ok street tires, but there are a lot of choices out there that are better at everything.

Most people I know with litre bikes use 50 or 55

I got them for free so I'll have to live with it for now, lol. Thanks for the input.





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#3 ·
190/50 is a terrible size for a sportbike tire. It is such a poor choice that they do not even make race tires in that size.... More importantly though the BT-016 and many other Bridgestone fronts for that matter are just not very good tires to begin with. They have a wandering effect from the front carcass belting design that makes the bike feel like it is hunting the front end around even though it's not which really messes up the feel/feedback of the front. It's nothing more than disconcerting on a street ride where you can trust it is going to stick at sane speeds, but it can cause a lot more grief at track pace. Those fronts also have a tendency to cup excessively which further exacerbates the wandering feeling from the front end and results in a little handlebar shimmy long before the tire is actually ready to be replaced.

They are ok street tires, but there are a lot of choices out there that are better at everything.
 
#10 ·
If the tires were exposed to the elements I agree but they are in perfect condition and that's why I mounted them. I have about 600k on them now and I like them quite a bit. I've had them up to 270 and zero problems, 180 in sweepers and they stick just as good as the Q3's but feel more stable. Also are not a problem in the wet.

Thanks for all the feedback guys.


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#11 ·
My good friend is the suspension tech for Phaff and runs in the GT3 cup. His guy says there is no hard data to say when a unused tire is no good so it's up to the user. Used tire suggestion is 5 years but that's the minimum.


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#13 ·
190/50 gives you a wider contact patch when the bike is straight up, which is good for drag racing, but the 55 gives a wider contact patch when the bike is leaned over. Consider the fact that the 14R gets a 50 while the10R gets a 55 - 14R drag races, 10R road races. I have a 14R and swapped the 50 for a 55 soon after I bought it and the bike corners much better with the 55.
 
#15 ·
It depends on which BT016's you have. I absolutely loved the OEM BT016's that came new on my 2008 ZX10-R, but I am not as impressed with the current BT016's.

The OEM BT016 were a 55 series whereas the current ones are a 50. The are like chalk and cheese to ride on. The OEM were super sticky right down to the canvas (not quite so sticky at that point) while still getting good millage, and the current one started getting slippery on the rear about 60% tread gone.

We went out for a long (about 450klms) "spirited" ride last weekend and a couple of times out of nowhere it felt like the rear moved on me when it had no place doing so (as in wasn't pushing hard at the time) but when I thought back each time was shifting down at relatively slow speeds (maybe 60kph coming down mountains), not a slide loss but more like a compression lock up.

The rest of the day they felt great through numerous fast twisties, and even faster sweepers. In fact by the end of the day I was starting to feel some confidence in the bike again I hadn't had since new.

Agree about the comment with regards to cupping these tyres are showing signs where the OEMs had none that I can recall.
 

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#16 ·
It depends on which BT016's you have. I absolutely loved the OEM BT016's that came new on my 2008 ZX10-R, but I am not as impressed with the current BT016's.



The OEM BT016 were a 55 series whereas the current ones are a 50. The are like chalk and cheese to ride on. The OEM were super sticky right down to the canvas (not quite so sticky at that point) while still getting good millage, and the current one started getting slippery on the rear about 60% tread gone.



We went out for a long (about 450klms) "spirited" ride last weekend and a couple of times out of nowhere it felt like the rear moved on me when it had no place doing so (as in wasn't pushing hard at the time) but when I thought back each time was shifting down at relatively slow speeds (maybe 60kph coming down mountains), not a slide loss but more like a compression lock up.



The rest of the day they felt great through numerous fast twisties, and even faster sweepers. In fact by the end of the day I was starting to feel some confidence in the bike again I hadn't had since new.



Agree about the comment with regards to cupping these tyres are showing signs where the OEMs had none that I can recall.


They are non oem and from a retailer. I only get the feeling at lower speeds when just cruising, pretty much the feeling you described. I'll burn through them and try something else like the roadtech 01


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