Yesterday I rode some twisties with the Speed Twin 1200. The bike is not liking the lean angle too much and does not feel very planted when pushed... Any of you have chicken strip photos to see what lean angle is permissible? (I also ride a Gen.3 KTM Super Duke R - a lean angle monster!!)
Hi, your tyres look to be Metzeler Racetec RR K3s, you will never find the limit for these tyres on public roads, even on track it is hard to find the limit, remember these are a race road legal tyre, they do take an amount of warming up before pushing on in our current weather conditions, however they are a superb tyre in dry and wet conditions, although some restraint is needed when wet conditions prevail, if you bike doesn't feel planted when pushing on then you need to check tyre pressures and suspension settings, also you would find the footrests scraping the tarmac before you got to the very edges of these tyres, such is the performance.
How much heat do you really expect to get in your tyres @Old Biker at this time of year on normal roads? As @Iceman says, they are good tyres but I feel you will not be getting them anywhere near optimum operating conditions.
Thanks. It is summer here and was about 38C - I was already past the 100 km mark, so the tires were hot. Front suspension is non-adjustable and rear (only preload) set to medium. Rear tire was 2.5 bar and front 2.3. The limit is not that of the tires but that of the bike. It is after all a modern retro... Well this time of the year it is nothing out of the ordinary to see 45C... it is summer here.....
Those tyres also look to have a very rounded profile which makes getting right to the edge virtually impossible before something on the bike grounds out. Some tyres have a profile which flattens out at the edge so more of the tyre width gets used.
Have a look at a previous set of tyres, this was reasonably hard riding, your tyres look to be fairly new and slightly worn in the middle, your Speed Twin 1200 is capable of a very low lean angle, to the extent the foot pegs would touch ground before reaching the very edge of those tyres, they are that good, also there is no comparison to your Superduke R, they are completely different machines in both power and handling and their intended use. I hope you get it sorted.
These pics show perfectly the difference in tyre profiles. They are very flat sided, more like a race tyre, almost pyramidial (is that a word?) with a rounded apex which means you can not only use more of the tyre but they offer more grip when cranked over as there's more rubber on the road. The tyres in the OP are almost semi circular in comparison. My first GSXR1100 way back came with Michelin M59x's which were a very rounded profile. After replacing them with Michelin Hi Sports it felt much more planted through the twisties.
