Do I recommend race tires for the street? This discussion often debated but my short answer is no. Race tires have great ultimate grip, that's for sure. But they are designed to work in a higher temperature range. They are not designed to have good grip when cold. Most race crashes that are tire related happen on cold tires. On the street, you may be operating in "cold" conditions most of the time. There are some guys out there I'm sure that push their street bikes to the point where street tires overheat and slip on them and maybe they are candidates for race compound. Not me.

If you are a really conservative rider on the street, you may never put enough force on any tire (street or race) to break it loose. You can probably run used race tires to save money. But keep in mind that one day you may have to brake really hard and you'll have a better chance of staying upright on street tires.

Do I recommend used race tires for the street? Again, no. Because they usually have tons of tread left (especially in the center), its tempting. But the difference between new and used race tires is that as they heat cycle, you'll notice they become even worse when cold. And of course, the ultimate grip goes away. I run tire warmers on the track, so the cold grip is not a big issue for me but I do notice the loss of ultimate grip and that's when I swap out tires.

Do I recommend used race tires for track days? Depending on their condition, I'd say yes. It doesn't take an overly aggressive rider to grease a set of street tires during a track day. Provided you are extremely careful in warming them up, race tires will provide more grip. Overly used race tires may be no better than street compound though. Its really a gamble when you buy used.

I'll throw this out too: some bikes are marginally stable and should have a steering damper when used on the track. A race compound will sometimes exacerbate headshake because the compound is less willing to let go of the road. You pay the price for better grip.

Do I recommend used race tires for drag racing? Absolutely! Heat them up in the bleach box and let it rip. You guys are insane anyways ;)

I club race an Aprilia RS250, and consequently generate quite a few sets of used tires in a year. Here's my batch from the 2001 season.

Now that I've scared away 99% of you with my disclaimer, here's what I have for sale:

• Dunlop D364 RACE 120/70 and 160/60 DOT pattern, but tire is marked "For Race Use Only" for some reason
   
  But they don't make D364's anymore? Yes they do... for Aprilia. Aprilia puts them on their brand new RS250 Challenge bikes because they are an intermediate tire, one of the few DOT type tires you can get in race compound anymore that have rain grooves all the way to the edges. A lot of guys take them off immediately and put slick-edged DOTs on there and I bought them up.
   
  
  I have one NEW pair left, off a '99 RS250.    $50. /pr plus shipping
  I have one used pair, off my '00 RS250.    $25. /pr plus shipping

• Michelin Pilot Soft RACE 120/70 (?60?) and 160/60 DOT legal
   
  I think I used these at pro school too, so they are well used.
   
  
  I have one used pair left, from the 2001 season.    $15. /pr plus shipping

• Michelin Pilot STREET rear 190/?? DOT legal
   
  Off my wife's 929, she picked up a nail so I plugged and patched it until a new tire came. She's pretty paranoid and I didn't want her worrying about the patch.
   
  
  One tire off a 2001 bike, nail hole patched.    $15. plus shipping

See below for my email address.

Go to my Aprilia Falco page

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Contact me at [email protected]