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Bridgestone?

Has anyone tried the Bridgestone Battlax-023 tires? My r11rt is in need and i have found a great price. Presently running PR 2's and have been happy with them, but not afraid to try something new as long as there aren't too many horror stories.
I ride about 10,000 miles per year. Mostly local area commute and recreation. At least a couple of trips in the 1000 mile range per year.
 
I think my RT came stock with those tires, or it might have been the 045's. Either way according to my records I got 9500 miles out of them.
 
I'm at about 9500 with my RT (came with new bike) and I'm about ready for new tires. They have been good in the rain. I'm going with PR3's soon.
 
Well, now, I think I need to know why you don't like the PR2s.
I thought they were the best tires I ever had, next re-tire will probably be PR3s, matched set.

That said, my RT came to me with a BT 023 on the back and a Dunlop D205 sport tire on the front.
I did not like the mixed combo, made the harder BT023 feel almost slidey.

Anyway the BT 023 is stock on the Honda ST1300 one of my buddies rides and he never puts on anything else.
I can't keep up with him most of the time so I think they work just fine. It's a good tire.

If your primary consideration is cost...
Currently I'm running a Shinko 006 Podium matched pair as an experiment.
Very inexpensive and good dry grip.
I go all conservative in the rain so I won't speak to wet grip.
Wear is not that great, I have about 4000 miles on and looks like there's 1000 or so left in it.
Note the rear is not available in 160, but the 170 will fit.
They are actually decent tires. The slightly wider rear does change the cornering geometry somewhat. I can't feel it but I notice that the chicken strips on the front tire are narrower than expected; I'm leaning over slightly more than normal. meh.
 
PR2's have been fine. My local shop has a set in the correct size that a customer had shipped in and then sold the bike before installing. I can get them for $175. For that price I think I'll give them a shot.
 
I just did the 1st 400 miles on a new set of PR2's and to be honest they ride no better/different than the Shinko 009 Ravens they replaced and they cost more.
 
A buddy runs Ravens on his R1150S and they seem to work just fine.

The PR2s should handle rain better (not that I would know first hand) and should wear better (8000-9000 miles maybe) and should actually corner harder. Of course I really only have Michelin's say-so on that.

But Rodney uses every bit of the Raven, edge to edge. No known issues. Other than having to deflate the tire to put the rear wheel on and off because of the tighter clearance.

I think you can almost buy two sets of Shinko's for the cost of one set of the big names.
And they are actually good tires.
 
fwiw, after every set of B'stones I've run on a bike (020s, 016s, trail Wings, 45s), I took them off saying "screw B'Stones, I do not like these tires one little bit." And every time I get another set, it's because someone has a really good price ($160 for last pairs of 016s).
I pledge here today, in this public forum, in front of BMW my peers... NEVER AGAIN B'STONES! (and this time I really mean it!)

I went with a set of PR3s for this next round. All reviews had them rated far better than the PR2s that they have superseded as Michy's top S-T tire.
 
I don't think I'll buy another pair of the Bridgestones

When I bought the '01 1100RT in May 2 years ago it had a pair of Avon Storm 2 Ultras on it that were a bit more than half worn out. I got another 4200 miles out of them before I replaced them.

Since then I've Worn out a set of PR 3's (10,675 miles)

Bridgestone BT023 (10,683 miles)

Pirelli Angel ST EMS (9708 miles)

I'm now working on a set of Continental Road Attack 2's with about 6600 miles.

The rear Pirelli was worn down to the cord when I replaced it, the first time I've ever worn a tire that low, but with no grove that crosses the center of the tire it wasn't obvious how worn the tire was. The Pirelli's were the cheapest cost per mile.

The Bridgestones were a decent tire, but didn't feel as secure to me as either the PR 3's, Pirelli's or Continental's. They were also the highest retail cost because I bought them at the independent shop that does the maintenance on the RT and it was due for new tires when I got around to the 60K service.

My next set is another set of Avon's because I got a $50 rebate coupon on a set at the International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach. They still are offering a $40 rebate per set, I know BikeBandit.com has a link to the rebate form. With the rebate the Avon's will be the lowest retail cost, but I'll need another 14,000 miles or so to see if the cost per mile turns out to be the lowest.

Americanmototire.com has been the least expensive place to buy tires the last several times I've looked, although I've seen nearly as good a price at BikeBandit, Revzilla, Competition Accessories and Motorcycle Superstore on occasion.

I'd skip the Bridgestones and shop around for a set of PR 3's, Continental's or Pirelli's.
 
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