Which tires to get off revzilla for my riding profile? Other upgrades?

927 Views 18 Replies 11 Participants Last post by Lone Star, 8 d ago

xxispawn02xx

Discussion Starter · 1 mo ago (Edited)

80% city (north nj, NYC) and 20% highway. Which set of tires could I get from Revzilla

Also any upgrades to consider beyond?

Newer rider and will hae to replace my tires soon (rear has a nail alas with no airleak with it but going withcaution here)
ECB brake pads too

other than that brake fluid oil all changed, going to clean the chain myself, no sag, the mechanic did a broad inspection of my used bike. a little kink in the rim

Tire Wheel Automotive tire Tread Vehicle brake

Which tires good for my riding style? I'm also heavier if it matters
And any other upgrades/changes I can order now to have switched out (ie pegs) at a reasonable pricepoint, that I could add for this type of riding?

sv650 twin led headlights mod exist?

how do i add more torque or mph to my 1st gear, is there something i can buy aftermarket? Would be nice in stop and go city traffic

Edit: Rear Tire 4 new items by M Khan

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1 - 19 of 19 Posts

X49

· #2 · 1 mo ago

I'd recommend sport touring tires for your riding, especially if you put miles on quickly. They tend to be long lasting and good in cold temperatures and rain. You can't go wrong with Michelin or Metzeler. I would go with the Metzeler Roadtec 01. The Metzeler Z8 is an older design, but is a good tire and should be cheaper than the Roadtec. The Michelin Roads are good but quite a bit pricier.

A lot of people go with a larger 120/70-17 tire on the front. It partially corrects the speedometer error, handling is a bit less twitchy, and tire availability is better. The larger sidewall could help prevent another bend in your front wheel as well, which are pretty common with these bikes. Definitely stick with the stock size on the rear.

Reactions: 1

Jon_80

· #3 · 1 mo ago

I just watched all the recent tire reviews for my RS and the SV, and Michelin has come out on top for essentially every category. Only factor that would dethrone Michelin would be your budget.

golden chicken

· #4 · 1 mo ago

I always ask how many miles per year someone intends to ride because that is a factor as well. If you ride 2000 miles per year and the tires you buy last you 20k, then you'll be replacing them as they age out, not when they wear out. The flip side of that is if you ride 20k per year and you buy tires that only last 2000 miles. They you're doing tires every month.

I found that with mostly commuting, I could get 18,000 miles from a set of Michelin Road 2 and averaged 12,000 miles per set (3 sets) of Michelin Power 3. The Road 2 made sense to buy at the time as I was riding 10k per year. The Power 3 made more sense once my mileage dropped to 3-6k per year.

Reactions: 2

VFR4Lee

· #5 · 1 mo ago

Skip the sticky sport tires that are great if you do track days or ride hard, but wear out fast.
Unless you are riding like that you don't need them, plus they cost more.
The stock Dunlop Roadsmart 3's that came on my bike work for me and still have good tread after 3,000 miles.
I am not pushing the bike hard at all, and no plans for track days.

Reactions: 1

t.er

· #6 · 1 mo ago

golden chicken said:
I always ask how many miles per year someone intends to ride because that is a factor as well. If you ride 2000 miles per year and the tires you buy last you 20k, then you'll be replacing them as they age out, not when they wear out. The flip side of that is if you ride 20k per year and you buy tires that only last 2000 miles. They you're doing tires every month.

I found that with mostly commuting, I could get 18,000 miles from a set of Michelin Road 2 and averaged 12,000 miles per set (3 sets) of Michelin Power 3. The Road 2 made sense to buy at the time as I was riding 10k per year. The Power 3 made more sense once my mileage dropped to 3-6k per year.

Totally agreed - its a different (but important!) mindset coming from cars, where they usually just wear out (unless you have a garage queen, then same thing).

My friend threw on some Dunlop Q3+ roughly 2-3k before I got it, and I've put 5k on it since then. Surprisingly there's still plenty of tread on the rear tire, and it has seen a decent amount of hills and backroads in its life (not now, which is just all highway)

tab

· #7 · 1 mo ago

Im happy with my t31 from bridgestone, good milage, very good with snow and rain but still fine enough for twisties

xxispawn02xx

Discussion Starter · #8 · 1 mo ago (Edited)

4 new items by M Khan
these are the tires and the nail in the rear, for those who are curious. no air leak from it. tubeless

Another concern I have is my headlight, can I see it differentiated from a truck's light standing behind me? So should I buy a dual headlight or not

thedrewski86

· #9 · 1 mo ago

xxispawn02xx said:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/AEPy3cAjDmAbQz75A
these are the tires and the nail in the rear, for those who are curious. no air leak from it. tubeless

Shoot... I'd rope-plug that and run that tire down to the bars, it'd probably be fine. But that's just me.

X49

· #10 · 1 mo ago

xxispawn02xx said:
how do i add more torque or mph to my 1st gear, is there something i can buy aftermarket? Would be nice in stop and go city traffic

You can add more torque in 1st gear with shorter gearing or a higher max speed in 1st gear with taller gearing. You can't have both.

I have 7% taller gearing than stock on my SV650S (16/44 vs 15/44 stock), and I like it around town since I'm using the lower gears more, which are more widely spaced, which results in less shifting. 1st gear seems more useful now, whereas before I was would just short shift to 2nd off the line in normal riding. It requires a bit more clutch slip to get off the line, but I can still get going easily enough with little to no throttle input.

Lower gearing would help reduce the amount of clutch slip you need to get off the line, and you'll be able to ride a bit slower in 1st gear before you have to pull the clutch in. The downside is excessive shifting around town and lower fuel economy on the highway.

Reactions: 1

VFR4Lee

· #11 · 1 mo ago

thedrewski86 said:
Shoot... I'd rope-plug that and run that tire down to the bars, it'd probably be fine. But that's just me.

Plugged mine several hundred miles ago and doing fine. I did not want to ride around with a nail in there.

Reactions: 2

Flash Yellow

· #12 · 1 mo ago

About to pick up some left over Dunlop Q3 Plus
Front 120/70
Rear 160/60

Anyone have their opinions about the front?
120/70 or is 120/60 better option?

My understanding is the lower the front, 60 instead of 70, will have a faster and more responsive turn in.

Reactions: 2

X49

· #13 · 1 mo ago

Flash Yellow said:
Anyone have their opinions about the front?
120/70 or is 120/60 better option?

My understanding is the lower the front, 60 instead of 70, will have a faster and more responsive turn in.

The 70 profile will make turn-in less responsive, but how responsive you want the steering is a personal preference, and the difference in handling between tire models and with tire wear will be more noticeable than the change in the tire profile. Personally, I like the less responsive turn-in with the 70 profile on my SV650S, as I find it's easier to place the bike where I want it in corners with less sensitive steering, and it's easier to balance the bike at parking lot speeds.

I'm sure you'll be happy with either. New tires always handle much better than old, worn tires.

Flash Yellow

· #14 · 1 mo ago

X49 said:
The 70 profile will make turn-in less responsive, but how responsive you want the steering is a personal preference, and the difference in handling between tire models and with tire wear will be more noticeable than the change in the tire profile. Personally, I like the less responsive turn-in with the 70 profile on my SV650S, as I find it's easier to place the bike where I want it in corners with less sensitive steering, and it's easier to balance the bike at parking lot speeds.

I'm sure you'll be happy with either. New tires always handle much better than old, worn tires.

I have been riding on the Dunlop Q3 120/70 front and 160/60 rear.
Just picked up a "new" old stock with the tire nipples Q3 120/60 front.
$40 on OfferUp. 2016 tire.

Will try the 120/60 front and the 160/60 rear Dunlop Q3 set.

golden chicken

· #15 · 1 mo ago

Pretty sure stock for gen 1 and 2 is 60 and sfv/gen 3 is 70.

Putting a 70 tire on a bike meant for a 60 will slightly increase the height of the front end, making the bike more stable and more resistant to leaning. However, the 70 tire, all else being equal, is going to be more V shaped, so may make it feel like it wants to fall into corners. It will also have slightly larger contact patch at lean.

Remember that the physical size of one tire is not necessarily the same as another tire model even if the "size" is the same, and that is even within the same brand.

For example, the rear Road 2 i had was much larger in diameter than the rear Power 3 I replaced it with. So much so that I thought my mechanic had installed the wrong tire.

Reactions: 1

grizz046

· #16 · 24 d ago

VFR4Lee said:
Plugged mine several hundred miles ago and doing fine. I did not want to ride around with a nail in there.

I did the same on a 690 I had years ago. Bought a brand new set, then found a nail in the rear after about 500 km's. Rode with plug in it for another several thousand kms with no issues. Up to you, but getting a nail in a brand new tire made me rethink the 'safety first, buy a new set of tires' rhetoric I used to spew on the 690 forums lol

Reactions: 1

VFR4Lee

· #17 · 24 d ago

grizz046 said:
I did the same on a 690 I had years ago. Bought a brand new set, then found a nail in the rear after about 500 km's. Rode with plug in it for another several thousand kms with no issues. Up to you, but getting a nail in a brand new tire made me rethink the 'safety first, buy a new set of tires' rhetoric I used to spew on the 690 forums lol

$10 for the shop to plug it, or $150 plus to replace it. I check on it now and again, so far no worries.
It is not in the center of the tread. I'll run it to the wear bars, but not to the cords.

Flash Yellow

· #18 · 17 d ago

grizz046 said:
I did the same on a 690 I had years ago. Bought a brand new set, then found a nail in the rear after about 500 km's. Rode with plug in it for another several thousand kms with no issues. Up to you, but getting a nail in a brand new tire made me rethink the 'safety first, buy a new set of tires' rhetoric I used to spew on the 690 forums lol

I wish cotsco tires sold motorcycle tires with the guarantee just for the reason of nails in the tire.
I used to often get nails in the tires in my cars. Costco will change it out and prorate it for the mileage that you drove on the old tire.

Lone Star

· #19 · 8 d ago

I'd go with stock size Michelin Road 6 tires. I just put a pair on my 2021 Yamaha MT-09, and I'm happy with them.

That said, I just bought my 2023 SV650 a few days ago, and I've been surprised at how good the Dunlop Roadsmart 3 tires are. I had planned to install Road 6s on it this summer, but I think they're going to be just fine.

Reactions: 1

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