Bridgestone BT021 initial tire evaluation

[rvbiker]

Today I went to the coast of Oregon and put on 162 miles on my bridgestone bt021’s. So between yesterday and today they have a total of 222 miles. Before I left I reduced the air in the front tire to 31 psi. and the rear to 34 psi. I knew I’d gain a pound or two back in the tires when they got warm. I reduced the air pressure to aid in the breaking in process but more importantly to put more rubber in contact with the road as a measure of safety while they were breaking in. It’s about a 60 mile trip to the coast and I had to stop for gas when I got there. I checked the tires and noticed an indication of a 1” chicken strips on the rear tire. Since this is normal for me I decided to air up the tires to 33 psi front and 36 psi rear. I’ll ride them at this pressure for a while and then add a couple of psi to the front and back for highway travel.

The 021’s have the same rubber composition in the center of the tire as the 020’s and extends about 1” on either side of the centerline of the tire. From the where the harder compound leaves off is a softer rubber compound found on the bt014’s to the tire edge. I don’t know the type or rubber composition of the front tire.

Honestly, I liked the 020’s and the only reason for the change was they were worn out. They were good on the highways and gave me no concern in the twisties. The biggest difference I noticed was not between the type of tires but between the old and new tires. I had about a one inch or better flat spot on the old rear tire that created quite a lip toward the side of the tire so when I went into a curve I “fell off the lip” onto the curve of the tire. With the new tire the bike just rolls into the curves so smooth.

The one behavior of mine that I think put undo wear on my old front tire was the constant use of the front brake. I notice it today and on my way back front the coast I started to use my rear break a lot more. There was only one time I had to apply the front and back brake together and I didn’t notice the front end taking a dive.(Please, no lecture on how to feather the front brake)

In conclusion, I think I’ll get the same mileage or more from the 021’s as I got from the 020’s(14,000 mi.) now that I changed my breaking habit.