Sticky Rubber for Triples

Laverda Bomber

Laverda Bomber

Hero member
Am waiting patiently for my Moto Martin Laverda triple to arrive and was looking for guidance on good sticky rubber for track days etc.
What are people using who race them?
It has 18" wheels and i want a good set of sticky tyres here for when it arrives.
What have people been using?
Regards
 
I recently watched a friend win two races from pole on Heidenau 18 inch tyres . When I've finished my project , I'm fitting the same.
 
The rims are moto martins own wheels.
I'm told the current tyres are 3.5 front 3.75 rear.
If i get serious about racing it i may look at 17" wheels but thats a long way off yet.
There will be a few track days while i consider her/my future.
Regards
Bomber
 
Front is bit wide , are you shure.
Bridgestone BT012SS or Continental is good in last few jears i herd.
I have BT012SS on 2,75 front and 4,15rear x 18" rear tire is 150 , you san go up to 160 with (on original frame) off set sprockets and 520 chain, tries are very good .
 
Undoubtedly the best and most sticky tyres for track days are the Avon AM22/23 in race compound. 

On 2.5"x18" rims you run the 110/80 front and 130/650 cantilever rear, if you've a larger rear rim you can run the 130/70.  At Eastern Creek they're good enough to get a 40 year old SFC Laverda to within 14sec of the 500cc GP lap record set by Alex Crivillie.  How fast do you want to go?

The downside is they are quite expensive and really only last a day or so, losing a bit of pace even if not visibly all that worn.  This is only noticeable if you're a top end rider - something I'm not but Drmsby is.

The Dunlop KR124/164 is the other race tyre we've tried on the SFC.  These are a bit  slower when new but achieve it with comparatively hard compound rubber and thus last much better and have less performance dropoff when worn.  If you're not an 'alien' rider they're possibly the best choice.  17" slicks do not necessarily offer any improvement on our old bangers, in fact the opposite.

Fairly sure everything else is basically road tyres, might be fine depending on how fast you are.  Everything is a compromise - price, lifespan, laptime, take your pick.

Cheers
SteveB
 
Thanks Romeo, Steve.
That's what I was looking for.
Those Dunlops sound like the shot. I'm 52 and wont break any world records but the track day bike I have has some sticky 17" Bridgestones that inspire confidence and that's what I'm looking for I suppose.
I'm new to the track having had a few track days last summer the last time being 25 years ago. I've a lot to learn.
Cheers
Bomber
 
Hi Bomber,
For track day/road use I'd stick to say something like Pirelli Sports Demons ,far better in damp and wet conditions.
The racing tyres mentioned will I expect require tyre warmers to work well.Even with the road tyres fiited give yourself a lap to warm them up,before pushing hard.

Andy
 
breganzane said:
Undoubtedly the best and most sticky tyres for track days are the Avon AM22/23 in race compound. 
Click to expand...

Steve,

In your opinion, how do these tyres cope with the weight of the bike?  They do not carry any sort of load index, at least those I intend fitting don't, and I have seen them fitted mainly to rather "lightweight" bikes, sort of 140-160kg range for 500-1000cc.  Lots show a great deal of shredding, but that is often due to poor suspension set-up, especially on "under-powered" bikes.  How good is the grip in the wet?

Have been extremely satisfied with the BT012SS up to now, their unavailability really sucks.

piet
 
If you have a set of 18 ins wheels just for track use go for the race tyres. You shouldn't use race compound tyres on the road as they are designed to heat up and cool down quickly, they will not work as intended at lower temperatures and this apparently messes up the rubber compound. Road tyres designed for lower temps for longer periods, same result if used for track days, messes up the rubber compound.  

I have used both Avons and Dunlops on the Rickman on track days and with the CRMC and found both fine, just give em a couple of laps to warm up before nailing it. I haven't found the limits of either except in the cold, the Avons needed at least 3 1/2 laps of Mallory to warm up.  I had a couple of scary slides coming out of the chicanes but they where slow and controllable. The Avons are great in the wet, the Dunlops less so apparently, but I have never gone quick enough to tell them apart. Oh, and never put warmers on them, the compound is not made for the heat cycling warmers produce.    

As for wear, after Snetterton the Avons on the Laverda look as though they will last about four meetings. Both are staple diet at CRMC meetings.

Hope this is of help,

Maitland.
 
Grant said:
Romeo buys them all!
Click to expand...

Yes :D last time we did this indeed, but it is OCT fault also we wanted only few pairs but then they (OCT) told me there are only 12 pairs availble for this year in Germany .
So we bought all 12.
At the moment i have on Jota and Nico Bakker Kawasaki tires with about 2000km on , and 2 pairs as spare .
There is anothere German forum where members was shoked with 2 funy croatians .

But sirous advice is try Continental , last september i was at Grab the Flag racing and 50% big bikes was on BT012SS and another 50% on Continental , they claim Conti is even bether than Bridgestone , availble and cheeper.
 
No mention of Bridgestone?
All good food for thought here.
Firstly, i am not intending in the short term to put the bike on the road.
Track days in the short term then a race meet or two.
Not too fussed about tyre warmers unless the rubber warrants their use.
My current track bike has Bridgestones Battlax BT-003 (Type 4) on an SS800 Ducati.
Havent had it long and two steady laps seems to warm them up nicely without the need for tyre warmers.
I wont have two sets of wheels in the short term, so i'm thinking road tyres in case i get a wet or damp track day.
Obviously the 18" wheels is the key.
I have a mate with a tyre shop who sells bridgestone and heidenau so will pick his brains as well.
Cheers
Bomber
 
Hi Bomber

You got lots of differeing opinions because its such an emotive subject. reading through and seeing actually what you're trying to achieve.

You want to currently stick with 18"
You want track  use only
You want to cope with wet and dry conditions
You dont want to use tyre warmers.

Im currently running in the BEARS series over here and the fastest competition is running AM22/23. Tyre warmers are not allowed and I can tell you, that there's next to nothing in the dry between a bike (mine running on Pirelli Diablo Corsa pro 17") and guys on AM22/23 in 18".

Ive seen them come off on the 1st lap with cold tyre (Ron Maul BMW) and Ive also seen them run rings around me in the wet (not surprising with the tyre I was on)


The tyres I run with are designed to be pre warmed but cope well without, as you probably know these are in 17" and I wouldn't recommend going that route as you introduce a whole lot of new problems.
In the wet I change to a set of road legal sport tyres 17", where as the other lads stick with the same Avon race AM22/23's

Dont make the mistake of buying the cheap road use Am22/23's they are not the same tyre even though they look it and sometimes the marketing is confusing, they are shit and about half the price :)  IF I have to go the 18" route, I would be using AM's and measuring the wear rate on a heavy and more powerful triple.

Cheers Rob
 
Thanks Rob,
The Avon certainly sound like the go although the wear rate and cost may be an issue for me.
I'm hearing you about the cheap versions though.
Decisions decisions.
Regards
Bomber
 
sfcpiet said:
Steve,
In your opinion, how do these tyres cope with the weight of the bike?  They do not carry any sort of load index, at least those I intend fitting don't, and I have seen them fitted mainly to rather "lightweight" bikes, sort of 140-160kg range for 500-1000cc.  Lots show a great deal of shredding, but that is often due to poor suspension set-up, especially on "under-powered" bikes.  How good is the grip in the wet?
Have been extremely satisfied with the BT012SS up to now, their unavailability really sucks.
piet
Click to expand...

Getting back to this thread...
Piet,
My heavy SFC is 167kg and the new one is under 150, so I don't have much direct experience of how the Avons would go on a lardy triple.  :D  As you rightly point out they are built more for middleweight bikes, but so are most of the decreasing range of 18" tyres - road or race - we have at our disposal these days.  I have no experience of the BT12SS.

Crispin used the Avons for a brief period on the Spaceframe, which was I think 191kg sans tank at that time and they went ok except for having not quite suitable rim sizes for them.

Laverda Bomber,

I hope you're going to pull the engine down on this thing when it arrives and fit some Carillo rods before going out on the track.  As for tyres, if your rim widths are suitable (as per the link posted by Maitland) try the (race) Avons, they are actually cheaper than the Dunlop KR's I mentioned earlier and if you're a moderate rider they'll last long enough to have a lot of fun and will provide the best grip - especially in the cool and/or damp conditions you might expect in Tassie! :-)  You can't repair much crash damage - the bike's or your own - for the price of a set of tyres!

Cheers
SteveB
 
Steve
Good advice. I was thinking of starting a new thread on this very subject. In fact I will. The tyre advice (Avons) does ring true.
Cheers
 
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