review: maxxis supermax rear

[greenthumb]

first off i should say my basis for comparison is only to the stock tire, which it replaced.
its on an '07 and the stock tire lasted 10,000 KM. from what can tell, american and candian bikes come with different stock tires. mine was a dunlop D252.
i purchased this tire last fall and have about 2000km on it now. i only changed the rear at the time as winter was only a few weeks away and while the front was still pretty decent the rear was too far gone to be comfortable with. i took the wheel in and had the shop install it. they did it at no extra charge, and it balanced using the same amount of weight as the stock tire.
they came recomended by the parts guy at a local shop who is running them on his cbr600. they are also one of the least expensive performance tires available in our size, not that it was the primary basis that i chose it.
i cant really give a quantitative analysis of them given my experience, other than its better than the stock tire in all aspects. there is noticeably more grip and cornering is much smoother.
ive ridden it extensively in heavy rain and even at quite cold temperatures (once barely above freezing in the rain) and am very impressed. after 2000 or so km the wear is minimal and there is virtually no center flat spot. there is no cupping or funny wear patters.
one thing ive noticed, is that the stock front tire has worn much more quickly (mainly on the sides) since ive installed it. id say im riding more agressively, but the mismatching may also be causing this. im now replacing the front to match.

overall im very happy and recomend this tire.
Maxxis.com