I've only done 240 miles on the ZX-10R since I picked it up a few weeks ago. Shameful, I know but I've been in Lesotho, with the Get On Africa crowd. Now I'm back in the UK, it's time for business.
I took the 10R to Bedford Autodrome for my ACU licence, it was raining so hard I had to avoid a couple of swans on the racing line..
I'd only really tried the traction control on dry tracks: Losail, Qatar and Cartagena, Spain so I was really interested to know how it would cope on a wet circuit.
In the rain at Bedford, I didn't know what to expect. Fact is - and it might sound really obvious - it works better in the wet. Whereas in the dry the traction's only coming in when you know you're somewhere near the limit, in the wet it was kicking in at loads of points where I didn't expect it. Mainly as I was on my way to being upright driving out of corners, the drive was there and then suddenly, whrrrr, the traction kicks in for a nano-second, enough to let you know that the massive puddle of standing water I've just ridden through would've caught me out.
On the bike's launch, the 10Rs were supplied with Bridgestone BT-003RS tyres which were pretty good, but I didn't get on with the BT-016 that came as standard on my UK model. So I took the 10R down to see Bob at FWR and get a set of Michelin Pilot Road 3s fitted.
There's been a lot of hype about the Pilot Road 3 in the press so I had to try 'em. They are classed as a 'Sports Touring' tyre but to be honest, they're going to be perfect for the type of riding I do in the UK. There might be a couple of points on track where I hanker after a tyre with a sharper profile and more grip but on the road, I won't need any of that. Bob reckons he can barely get enough of them in the shop, they're selling that fast.
The main selling point of the new Pilot Road 3s is the 'Sipes': small wells in the tread which, along with the new tread pattern, clear water out of the way that bit faster. Think of the horizontal lines in the front tyres as windscreen wiper blades whizzing around a thousand times a second, clearing the water and giving the tyre more tarmac to grip on. See the pic of the front tyre below to get an idea.
I'm interested to know how that front tyre deals with hard braking and whether it wears quicker than it should. I'll let you know.
If you want a deal on tyres, give Bob at FWR a call on 0207 820 7818 and mention Visordown. Or visit www.fwr.co.uk
