Selecting a sportbike or sport-touring motorcycle tire

I read with great interest an editorial in a recent issue of Sport Rider Magazine in which Kent Kunitsugu laments extreme tire bargain-hunting among sport bike riders (We're a Legion of Cheapskates, Sport Rider, March 2008) - including buying 'cheap' off-brand motorcycle tires and used race tires ("take-offs") for street use.

Expensive skins

While I understand the need to put quality rubber between me and the road, I can sympathize with the bargain-hunters. The last time I bought a set of quality skins (Metzeler ROADTEC MEZ6 front and rear) for my '98 CBR1100XX, I paid close to $400 for the pair, including mounting, balancing, California and local sales tax, and the obligatory California tire disposal fee penalty. If I ride as often as I can, I can expect the pair of tires to last about a season.

Weary of uneven wear

And, as is often the case for those who commute to work, or live a long way from the twisties, I ride long stretches of straight-up highway or secondary roads - that being the case, I can expect to throw away over 2/3 of the useful rubber on the tire - the center strip wears out much faster than the edges, and I end up feeling like I'm throwing good money away. I live where there are lots of mountain roads, so I do try to get out as often as possible and 'balance' my riding style, and put some wear out at the edges - sadly, I'm not always able to ride the desired 'back road' miles...

The Metzeler Z6 tires are touted as sport-touring tires with excellent wear characteristics, and I like their handling characteristics, but I can't help wondering if there is a better choice for those who are stuck riding 80% on straight-up roads.

How do you choose a tire for your riding style?

So how do you know if a tire is right for your riding style? Do you choose a tire for the kind of riding you like to do, or the kind of riding you actually do?

Where can you find a tire that will give you the kind of grip you want when you are ripping through the back roads, yet give you the kind of straight-up lifetime you need in order to ride your bike to work or to the distant mountain roads you love? Does such a tire really exist?

Or do you just throw in the towel, buy the stickiest tires you can afford - and live with the fact that you may waste most of the tire if you can't get to the back roads as often as you'd planned?