MEZ Z6 Tires
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I have Z6 on my K12GT, now for the last 2000 miles and I are very happy with them. My bike was born with Z4 - which I didn't like.GT5_33 said:
I do however lack a little in confidence in the rear in wet conditions doing high way riding. The rear can be a little loose when crossing "stripes" on the road.
I think it is the lack of thread in the middle.
Cornering - no problem, even in wet condition. Better than Z4
/Michael
I've had excellent experience in the rain with my Z6's. I'm on my third or fourth set and think they're a great tire for the K bikes. They may not be as sticky as the Pilot Powers or M1's, but they have worked very well for me. All tires lose a little traction in the rain, but I rode almost the entire length of the Blue Ridge Pkwy in the rain last spring and had no problems, they felt very solid. I highly recommend them.
Very nice Performance
I am on my second set of Z-6 and they are my favorite so far. Great traction both wet and dry. I did see the wet traction issue intially but it was due to overinflating. Local BMW dealer advised 40 in the front and 45 in the rear. This is too high. Lowering to 34-36 front and 36-39 rear made a great improvement. They have been my favorite ever since. Inflation advise was given by Metzeler. They are in Atlanta if you need to call them.
I am on my second set of Z-6 and they are my favorite so far. Great traction both wet and dry. I did see the wet traction issue intially but it was due to overinflating. Local BMW dealer advised 40 in the front and 45 in the rear. This is too high. Lowering to 34-36 front and 36-39 rear made a great improvement. They have been my favorite ever since. Inflation advise was given by Metzeler. They are in Atlanta if you need to call them.
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144 Posts
The concern about the lack of trea in the rear center was something I too experienced.
New thaoughts by designers that the front tire clears the water and the rear follows.
Time will tell if others go this direction.
That said...
I'm on 2nd set.
Love 'em.
Put 2nd set on at @7,500 miles. Still had good tread on both tires, but I tend to be conservative in this area.
New thaoughts by designers that the front tire clears the water and the rear follows.
Time will tell if others go this direction.
That said...
I'm on 2nd set.
Love 'em.
Put 2nd set on at @7,500 miles. Still had good tread on both tires, but I tend to be conservative in this area.
4th set and still love them
I'm on my 4th set of Z6's. I've had Dunlop, Bridgestone, and Metz Z4. Z6 is far superior in dry and wet for me. The only issues I've found with the Z6 is cupping as milage increases. If you inflate an extra 1-2 lb/tire (37-38/front; 43-44 rear) is eliminates the cupping and increases the milage. The last 2 sets of Z6's have gone for 8900 and 9500 miles. These are combinations of highway, secondary road, and mountain twisites. I'll definitely buy another set.
I'm on my 4th set of Z6's. I've had Dunlop, Bridgestone, and Metz Z4. Z6 is far superior in dry and wet for me. The only issues I've found with the Z6 is cupping as milage increases. If you inflate an extra 1-2 lb/tire (37-38/front; 43-44 rear) is eliminates the cupping and increases the milage. The last 2 sets of Z6's have gone for 8900 and 9500 miles. These are combinations of highway, secondary road, and mountain twisites. I'll definitely buy another set.
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330 Posts
Z6's.........
I too have the Z6's , after replacing the junk stock Bridgestone's. At about 5400 miles I put them on and love them. You will notice they have a very "extended" sidewall for cornering, if you like to lean to extreme. My buddy has a K12RS, that he has had Avon's on, and he says they are the only ones that come close to the Metzeler's in the rain. I bought my tires on-line, through "Southwest Moto Tires", try www.arizonamoto.com , for $221.90 delivered to my door in one week. Mounted and balanced with the help of my friend, balancing with a "Marc Parnes" balancer that is much more precise than a dealer spin balancer. Enjoy!.
I too have the Z6's , after replacing the junk stock Bridgestone's. At about 5400 miles I put them on and love them. You will notice they have a very "extended" sidewall for cornering, if you like to lean to extreme. My buddy has a K12RS, that he has had Avon's on, and he says they are the only ones that come close to the Metzeler's in the rain. I bought my tires on-line, through "Southwest Moto Tires", try www.arizonamoto.com , for $221.90 delivered to my door in one week. Mounted and balanced with the help of my friend, balancing with a "Marc Parnes" balancer that is much more precise than a dealer spin balancer. Enjoy!.
I have Z6s on my K1200S and K1200RS. I am very satisfied with them and feel very confident in the rain.
One note of caution. It can be difficult to judge the amount of wear in the center of the tire because there are no sipes there. In one day's riding I wore through to the cords in the center: looked fine in the morning.
Keep track of your mileage and check the sipes that are nearest the center. There are a few with wear bars. When they are near wearing out change the tire; there ain't much tread left in the middle.
Ken
One note of caution. It can be difficult to judge the amount of wear in the center of the tire because there are no sipes there. In one day's riding I wore through to the cords in the center: looked fine in the morning.
Keep track of your mileage and check the sipes that are nearest the center. There are a few with wear bars. When they are near wearing out change the tire; there ain't much tread left in the middle.
Ken
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24 Posts
Speaking of tires: has anyone had any experience with the Continental Road Attacks?
I remember having read somewhere not long ago, that BMW chose those to be the OEM tire on many of their newer bikes.
There are also rave reviews on the WEB about these tires describing them as 'having excellent grip both in dry and wet conditions' and 'lasting long'. Sort of a 'best of both worlds' tire.
Steve
I remember having read somewhere not long ago, that BMW chose those to be the OEM tire on many of their newer bikes.
There are also rave reviews on the WEB about these tires describing them as 'having excellent grip both in dry and wet conditions' and 'lasting long'. Sort of a 'best of both worlds' tire.
Steve
What to you think so far, Ken? I'm going to make a decision between the Z6 and Pilot Road in a couple of days --- from everything I've been able to learn so far, it's a toss-up. I need tires for real-world, not track days. They need to be good in the wet and get decent mileage. Leaning towards Michelins right now.
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65 Posts
My GT came with Pilot Roads. I cupped the front at about 6K miles, but the rear lasted just over 14K. It steered a bit heavier than my '03 RS with Z4's.ttb757 said:
When I replaced the front Pilot Road, I put on a Z6 with virtually no change in handling. I got about 9K with the Z6 front.
The next change was to a Z6 front and back, and the handling was quicker like the old Z4's but with about double the mileage I was getting on the Z4's
Both the Roads and the Z6's are great handling tires in all types of weather with reasonable wear. I prefer the Z6's, but either is a good choice. If you go with the Pilot Roads watch the tire pressure in the front to prevent cupping.
YRMV
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