Buying used track day tyres for road use
Discussion
One of my neighbours sons has a few bikes. He is always out the front cleaning it, taking selfies or setting up his 360 camera on the back (that he lost last weekend). I sometimes go and have a look at his various bikes (he trades them) if I see something that takes my fancy. He lives in London so I always arrive on my trusty CG125, as it is much quicker than anything else for zipping through the gridlock.
He and his mates turned up one day, him on his fav R1, that I usually miss. I noticed he had some seriously blistered tires. "You do track days?" I asked "No", pointing at the tires "How did that happen then?" "On the road of course!"
Hmm. Pretty sure that would be pretty much impossible!
Anyway. His dad has no clue about bikes and insisted he has never been near a track in his life. I can only assume he buys them like that to pose.
Is that a thing?
He and his mates turned up one day, him on his fav R1, that I usually miss. I noticed he had some seriously blistered tires. "You do track days?" I asked "No", pointing at the tires "How did that happen then?" "On the road of course!"
Hmm. Pretty sure that would be pretty much impossible!
Anyway. His dad has no clue about bikes and insisted he has never been near a track in his life. I can only assume he buys them like that to pose.
Is that a thing?
There's still people put there who think having 'chicken strips' or lack of, is conclusive proof of the speed at which you ride. I also met someone who thought that grinding footpegs on a corner while he sat bolt upright was "like racing" so who knows, maybe he's actually dead (dangerously) fast on the road?
A few sets of scrubs I sold went to a lad who had a battered ZR7 complete with top box. He implied he'd be using them on his commute, so it does happen. He didn't really get where I was coming from with getting heat in them and stuff, but money is money so off he went happy.
Don't know why you would though. Sure you can ride with race compound tyres on the road, but they're pretty rubbish.
A few sets of scrubs I sold went to a lad who had a battered ZR7 complete with top box. He implied he'd be using them on his commute, so it does happen. He didn't really get where I was coming from with getting heat in them and stuff, but money is money so off he went happy.
Don't know why you would though. Sure you can ride with race compound tyres on the road, but they're pretty rubbish.
Pit Pony said:
You can bet 100% that he rides on the road at race speeds. Treats the roads like a private racetrack. He's not buying used tyres.
If that's the case he must be riding at 100%!I thought I was a quick rider (on my big bike) but never got close to blistering my tyres like that!
That's impressive.
Much more plausible that he bought scrubs and put them on rather than blistered tyres on the road, I just dont buy that he's getting track day levels of heat into tyres for the time required on the road. You see plenty of people selling scrubs at tracks when theres club meets on etc, you'll even get them fitted there too.
Either that or there is some serious issues with his suspension/alignment etc.
Either that or there is some serious issues with his suspension/alignment etc.
I chatted to a superbike owner in a petrol station recently, fully togged up. Was on my Enduro. I'm an ex fast road rider with enough track experience and tuition.
Saw his rear tyre then his front, "some good track days then? ", " No mate, road riding only". Bloody hell!!! I thought. No reason not to believe him. He seemed very nice and genuine. Not a boaster.
His front was most shocking. You need to get very low to blister the fronts right out to the edges.
I'll leave that to TT riders.
P. S. I'd get through heavy traffic way faster on my old R6 than a GS125 :-) but, not as fast as my supermoto, or, my runner 185sp.
Saw his rear tyre then his front, "some good track days then? ", " No mate, road riding only". Bloody hell!!! I thought. No reason not to believe him. He seemed very nice and genuine. Not a boaster.
His front was most shocking. You need to get very low to blister the fronts right out to the edges.
I'll leave that to TT riders.
P. S. I'd get through heavy traffic way faster on my old R6 than a GS125 :-) but, not as fast as my supermoto, or, my runner 185sp.
There are loads of road suitable scrubs on eBay and marketplace.
I’m running a sportsmart tt with nearly full tread with slight blistering on the shoulders. Cost £60 vs £180+. Makes a lot of sense if you want sporty tyres and go through them quickly.
I have a theory that press release bikes get the tyres changed before they go into the dealer network and these end up for sale.
I don’t know anyone who does it to pose. Unless you are lapping a roundabout you’d need some serious commitment on the road to make them look tracked.
I’m running a sportsmart tt with nearly full tread with slight blistering on the shoulders. Cost £60 vs £180+. Makes a lot of sense if you want sporty tyres and go through them quickly.
I have a theory that press release bikes get the tyres changed before they go into the dealer network and these end up for sale.
I don’t know anyone who does it to pose. Unless you are lapping a roundabout you’d need some serious commitment on the road to make them look tracked.
You have to get some decent heat in to tyres from continuous long bends to get tyres to do that, cant see that happening on the roads in this country - use of all the tyre yeah ie: no chicken strips yeah but blisters & where all the rubber bunches up on the edges no - no doubt someone will tell me Im wrong but happy to see a youtube video etc to be proved wrong 
Loads of ex race tyres on eaby though
Loads of ex race tyres on eaby though
You need to be going some to have the tyres looking snotty to the edge. I'm not saying you cant but you need to be riding the road at an unreal pace
I ride a 1000+cc bike and at a fair rate of pace in summer
Below is a fast road ride on Supercorsa riding a Tuono 1100. I wouldnt have that tear/wave look on the edge on a road ride
Same bike & same brand tyre but at Nurburgring. A noticeable amount more wear and tyre moved about loads riding like this
And then an old pic of my MV Agusta Dragster which ran a 200 rear. You couldnt use all the tread as it decked out the pegs, brake/gear, exhaust etc but again on this old Rosso tyre you can see a bit of bobbling from fast road. I think this was doing a run of the TT mountain section
People buy 'scrubs' on ebay/tyre leader etc often and use for road. My lot do it and save loads as they are still 90% good on main part of the tread
As said if it look like there is loads of snot on the edges its track in my opinion which mine look like. All above are essentially fast road riding not track
I ride a 1000+cc bike and at a fair rate of pace in summer
Below is a fast road ride on Supercorsa riding a Tuono 1100. I wouldnt have that tear/wave look on the edge on a road ride
Same bike & same brand tyre but at Nurburgring. A noticeable amount more wear and tyre moved about loads riding like this
And then an old pic of my MV Agusta Dragster which ran a 200 rear. You couldnt use all the tread as it decked out the pegs, brake/gear, exhaust etc but again on this old Rosso tyre you can see a bit of bobbling from fast road. I think this was doing a run of the TT mountain section
People buy 'scrubs' on ebay/tyre leader etc often and use for road. My lot do it and save loads as they are still 90% good on main part of the tread
As said if it look like there is loads of snot on the edges its track in my opinion which mine look like. All above are essentially fast road riding not track
Maybe the answer is that track/race use wears the edges of the tyres and regular road use wears the middle. If you buy used track tyres and use them for normal road riding, you use the middle of the tyre, but all the people in the pub car park think that you must be a really fast rider and all the girls will want to have your babies!!
Griffith4ever said:
I chatted to a superbike owner in a petrol station recently, fully togged up. Was on my Enduro. I'm an ex fast road rider with enough track experience and tuition.
Saw his rear tyre then his front, "some good track days then? ", " No mate, road riding only". Bloody hell!!! I thought. No reason not to believe him. He seemed very nice and genuine. Not a boaster.
His front was most shocking. You need to get very low to blister the fronts right out to the edges.
I'll leave that to TT riders.
P. S. I'd get through heavy traffic way faster on my old R6 than a GS125 :-) but, not as fast as my supermoto, or, my runner 185sp.
I'll call BS on that, there's very very few people who can do that to a front tyre on the road, he'll have been playing Billy Big bSaw his rear tyre then his front, "some good track days then? ", " No mate, road riding only". Bloody hell!!! I thought. No reason not to believe him. He seemed very nice and genuine. Not a boaster.
His front was most shocking. You need to get very low to blister the fronts right out to the edges.
I'll leave that to TT riders.
P. S. I'd get through heavy traffic way faster on my old R6 than a GS125 :-) but, not as fast as my supermoto, or, my runner 185sp.
ks and using scrubs
Tyres bobble up very easily on the track, about 15 years ago I did a track day on my R6, was only in the slow group (although far from the slowest within it) and my tyres were absolutely ripped up after only the first session. Since it was also my only bike, I rode it home afterwards and a few weeks later I went to Box Hill. After getting a drink, I noticed a small group huddled around it, commenting on how I must be seriously fast rider to have worn the tyres like that. Nope, I'm not really...
I guess if it's on familiar and well sighted quiet roads, you could get the same effect without too much trouble. Repeatedly lapping a big and quiet roundabout will get one side bobbled up for sure.
I guess if it's on familiar and well sighted quiet roads, you could get the same effect without too much trouble. Repeatedly lapping a big and quiet roundabout will get one side bobbled up for sure.
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