I sneaked in a 45-mile ride yesterday, down a batch of country roads. Great ride, though lots of mud on them. Today was bath day.

There's not a lot to wash on this bike, but plenty of places for water to hide during the process. I think next time Bath Day (the Hornet's, not mine) I'll fire up the air compressor and try blowing the water off.

http://vthoky.com/photogallery/photo00024887/P1142223.JPG
Big pic here (http://vthoky.com/photogallery/Parkway/P1142223.JPG)

http://vthoky.com/photogallery/photo00024887/P1142224.JPG
Dripping wet (http://vthoky.com/photogallery/Parkway/P1142224.JPG)

http://vthoky.com/photogallery/photo00024887/P1142229.JPG
New marker lenses (http://vthoky.com/photogallery/Parkway/P1142229.JPG)

Not necessarily the most functional addition to my truck, but a cool one anyway:
http://vthoky.com/photogallery/photo00024887/P1142231.JPG
big pic here (http://vthoky.com/photogallery/Parkway/P1142232.JPG)

I see you have the Battlax BT56 tires. How do you like them? Have you ever had any other tires on that bike or any other bike before?

The reason i'm asking is that my 919 came with those tires, and so far i like them, but they seemed to be squared off. I was thinking about getting a new set in the Spring, but i'm thinking i'll want to switch to something a bit stickier. Just wondering if you had any impressions you'd care to share.

Props for a clean bike! :headbang

She's spotless!!! :shock: :clap

I see you have the Battlax BT56 tires. How do you like them? Have you ever had any other tires on that bike or any other bike before?

The reason i'm asking is that my 919 came with those tires, and so far i like them, but they seemed to be squared off. I was thinking about getting a new set in the Spring, but i'm thinking i'll want to switch to something a bit stickier. Just wondering if you had any impressions you'd care to share.

Props for a clean bike! :headbang

Hey, thanks -- to you and to Alex -- for the compliments. I'm glad the water spots didn't show up on these pics. (Gotta get something better to wash with.)

Anyway, as for the BT56s: they're fully stock, and I've got less than a thousand miles on. I was wondering on Saturday's ride if I've lost a bit of my confidence (had a ten-year hiatus from motorcycling) or if things were just a little squirmy on some of my trip. The roads were wet in spots.... I can't really fuss much, as nobody near me has a 599 with other tires on that I could borrow for comparison. And honestly, I can't remember what sort of tires were on the Yamaha YX600 I had before.

So far, I've got no evidence of squaring, but that's perhaps due to the low mileage so far. I'll keep you posted as the miles add up (I don't mind if you remind me from time to time, though).

What might you (or others) recommend for replacements or alternatives?

Well, apparently you can't go wrong with the Michelin Pilot Powers. I've also heard good things about the Dunlop 208s. But i'm looking for performance over longevity, since i don't put more than a couple thousand miles a year on a bike anyway...at least, so far.

:arrow: Pirelli Diablo Corsa (http://www.pirellidiablo.com/en_96/diablo/master.jhtml) :!:





(forget about the Strada)

Yup...forgot about those. They would be the other tire i'd consider. But since they're all probably good tires i'd probably just go with whichever i could get the best price on.

My hornet came with Pilot Roads. I replaced them with Pilot Powers and I absolutely LOVE them. They stick stick stick like glue. You don't even want to know how much I've tested them in leans...I assure you they lean and stick. Matter of fact, they are MUCH happier leaning than going in a straight line...

:arrow: Pirelli Diablo Corsa (http://www.pirellidiablo.com/en_96/diablo/master.jhtml) :!:





(forget about the Strada)

Why would you say forget about the Strada? I hear they are great tires and I'm going to buy them as my next set. The Corsicas are great track tires but like most race rubber they become uselss below 50F.

she looks good as new. what chemicals, if any did you use to clean the engine? what was your method for cleaning the engine? did you just run the hose over the engine? i'm ashamed to say, 10,000 miles and year round riding/commuting i still have yet to wash my bike.

i do my regular checks and balances, weekly and daily. never took the time to give it thorough cleaning, your input would help.

BTW, after the OEM tires worn out i got the stradas. i was looking for a tires with more mileage, even if it meant sacraficing grip. can't really give a review on the tires. unfortunatly i was on the tires no more than 50 miles before i was on the recieving end of a hit and run.

i'll post pics of the bike when repairs are done.

unfortunatly i was on the tires no more than 50 miles before i was on the recieving end of a hit and run.
Damn man, I'm glad you're here to write about it! You want to tell us more about that in the accident section?

Why would you say forget about the Strada?
The extreme temperature change for you Northerners does throw a wrench into the equation but for mild to hot temps...Corsa.

It's a relatively new tire, nobody I ride with has the Strada - granted the few things I've heard are like "friend of a friend" thing but it didn't sound like anybody was overly enthusiastic for them. I'll let more enthusiastic people test them out while I stick to the standards. Also, I'm coming from the mentality that I take my bike to the occasional track day. I'm sure they are a Great tire but such a hard compound...think there would be better price optimized options for similar performance... I mean, you'd be buying a sport "touring" tire but paying a premium for Pirelli/Diablo branding...IMHO. Now if you get the Strada for sure post up about it. If you really like them (a credible source by me), can offer a comparison to something I know and they get the reported 6-8k miles then maybe I'll try 'em too (then there is those damn Pilots everyone talks about :x ). Even if double the price I'd save in the long run - but then I'd need to change or have extra rims for track day so maybe not. :?

The only aftermarket tire I've used was the standard Diablo. I think it's the perfect street tire. I got 10K miles on my 54hp EX500 riding that bike balls out everywhere I went.

I was never able to make those tires skid, but with my stock Brigestones it would leave a greasy black mark if I got on the rear brake a little too hard.

Maybe if you want more miles you could try out the standard diablo.

Whatever is on my 9'er now skips a little when i'm full throttle in 2nd gear. I'm not sure if it's the tires fault or just the massive power i'm putting down. Anyway, I can't wait to change tires. We should keep a tire log on another thread.

We should keep a tire log on another thread.
:thumbsup

SSS wrote:
The Corsicas are great track tires but like most race rubber they become uselss below 50F.

I don't know, which is why i'm asking, but why would the softer rubber compound of race tires be worse than a harder touring compound at lower temperatures???

I know race rubber, or generally very soft compounds, lose a lot of grip at low temps, but wouldn't they still be grippier than harder touring tires in similar temperatures? In other words the decrease in grip is relatively dramatic, but wouldn't they still be absolutely (objectively) superior under most any situation?

The formulation isn't the same. Street tires have other things in it like silica for wet grip. The race tires are made to have maximum performace at race temperatures, which is pretty extreme. Street tires are made to perform under more variable conditions but to do so means slightly less performance.

The same situation can be found with car tires. For my car I buy "all weather" tires which stay softer in the cold. The specifics I don't know much about and tire companies don't really like to disclose what their formulas are but tire technology has come a very long way over the last decade.

Think of it kinda like oil. A good street tire is like a multi weight oil that has different poylmers that are activated at different temperatures. A race tire is like a single weight oil.

Maybe Alex can cleave all this off and START the tire thread!

I know race rubber, or generally very soft compounds, lose a lot of grip at low temps,
The Corsa is a 50/50 tire... 50% race orientated and 50% road. "Useless below 50 degrees"?... I'd say no. Speaking from my experience (and know that this is basically the only tire I've ever had on a performance bike...) 50deg F is well within the temp range of Florida and after a few minutes I can reach down and easily leave marks in it with my finger nail. They warm up fine. I'm sure they are not optimal for freezing temps or snow/ice but that isn't part of the equation I ride under.

As for wet performance, can say we get lots of rain down here, and although I don't ride in the rain in general, I've been caught a couple of times and agree with those that do ride the Corsa in the wet. They don't loose any noticeable grip. Now keep in mind there is no way in hell you'll get 5k miles out of a set but they do stick like glue.

http://www.pirellidiablo.com/en_96/diabloCorsa/mainDiabloCorsa.jhtml

Here's some great info strait from the horses mouth. Hit the Diablo vs Corsica in the lower right and then hit the arrow in the upper right to cycle through all the graphics.

Cool link. Thanks, Steve!

she looks good as new. what chemicals, if any did you use to clean the engine? what was your method for cleaning the engine? did you just run the hose over the engine?

Just plain water and a little bit of car wash goo. No dirty tricks here. I do have a can of the genuine Honda polish, but didn't get time to work with it this past weekend.

The hardest part was cleaning the area behind the pipes -- stuff flung off the front wheel naturally gathers in the hard-to-reach areas. :?

The hardest part was cleaning the area behind the pipes -- stuff flung off the front wheel naturally gathers in the hard-to-reach areas. :?
How are the pipes looking? I think in one of the posts somewhere on this forum someone mentioned a way to keep your pipes from changing colors. Mine already have and I don't expect them to get back to the way they were, but does anyone know how to keep them somewhat shiny?

The only way to keep them from oxidizing is to have them ceramic coated. Jet Hot is one company that does this.

Get them sand/media blasted and then coated and you'll never have to worry about it again.

How are the pipes looking? I think in one of the posts somewhere on this forum someone mentioned a way to keep your pipes from changing colors. Mine already have and I don't expect them to get back to the way they were, but does anyone know how to keep them somewhat shiny?

So far, so good. The discoloration is beginning... hadn't really thought about it much. The coating idea might be a neat thing, though. Anybody got estimates on cost?

...The discoloration is beginning... hadn't really thought about it much. The coating idea might be a neat thing, though. Anybody got estimates on cost?

http://www.honda599.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=105

Check it out and let us know! ($250 is my guess)