new front tire or new set?

[Richard-BKK]

The Pirelli Supercorsa SP are great tires and have amazing grip (if they on temperature), but they really suck on a wet road surface...

[William Osborne]

i'm still not convinced you're consistently finding the limits of the Rossos on a CBR 250 on Thai roads... this itself is tricky enough to do on track without crashing at some stage.

There's a difference between aggressive riding and complete ham-fisted riding, probably better off buying a book on "performance riding techniques" than up-grading tires ?? ... by the sounds of it you are lucky that you only have +/- 23 bhp under you

[KRS1]

ok, i bit the curiousity bullet and got front and rear IZ-003's today...4830 baht at Sangchai, 2 years ago Saa Ducati charged 6400 baht....Also checked the Price of Pirellis pretty much city wide and all shops charged 7500 baht. Mounting was at the tire shop in front of Siam TV, 240 baht for both, Kawasaki does not mount tires for free and Piston shop wanted 400 baht for both wheels.

Only able to get 20 kilometers of city riding today, so far this is what i think the difference is between the IZ-003 and the Rosso 2. It should be mentioned though that this is not a tire primarily designed for city riding, it is a track tire.

Straight Line : The IZ-003 feels lots more grippy, more feedback from the road. The Rosso 2 feels lighter and more nimble. You feel confident on both.

Abrupt Lane Changes : The IZ-003 tracks as soon as you pitch the bike a little - you can feel it bite hard. The Rosso 2 is more fluid and more nimble, but less traction.

Weaving Back and Forth Lane to Lane - IZ-003 is much more aggressive, you pitch it goes. Rosso 2 glides, stays neutral

'Tight' (not wide) Slalom Weaving in and out of center lane stripes like cones : IZ-003 hands down, no sidewall roll and no bounce, returns to center and pitches left to right with no remnants. The Rosso 2 , you can feel the sidewalls caving and feel a small bounce.

Zig Zag Between Bumpers - Tie

Ultra Low Speed (10kph) Lane Splitting Stability (think going slow between cars and avoiding their mirrors) - Below 10 kph, IZ-003 is like a ball bearing and twitchy, but the traction is there. Rosso 2 is not twitchy.

Intersection Turns - IZ-003 is sensitive and bites, you have to steer less, you will over steer until you get use to it, the tire will track itself. Rosso 2 is neutral.

Braking - IZ-003 hands down, never liked the Rosso 2 in hard braking conditions.

Plushness of Ride - IZ-003 hands down. Rosso 2 feels more jolts in the road.

The Rosso 2 is like a nice quiet obedient girlfriend, the IZ-003 is a wild woman that has to be tamed, you have to know how she thinks.

For normal riding in the city and for people who just ride normally id suggest the Rosso 2 over the IZ-003, the Rosso 2 is an easier tire to ride, light, nimble and fluid, but less feedback from the road...But if you dont want to spend that much (7500 vs 4830), IZ-003 has more traction, better braking, more feedback, less roll - but is much less neutral.

Im not disappointed with the IZ-003 at all for city riding. But for the majority of people I think the Rosso 2 would be a better choice.

When the weather clears up I'll see how they feel on tight mountain roads.

Edited October 1, 2013 by KRS1

[William Osborne]

... interesting... a bit like testing a speedboat in a swimming pool.... testing a race tire whilst prancing about town is completely irrelevant to anything

Edited October 1, 2013 by William Osborne

[KRS1]

Put 100 kilometers on them today and made it up and down doi suthep, heres how it went:

OMFG absolutely positively farking amazing, difference between the Rosso 2 and the IZ-003 is like night and day, the IZ-003 comes alive in the curves. The IZ-003 bitch slaps the Rosso 2 back, forth, up, down and every which way you can possibly imagine.

Handling , feedback, control, braking and grip trumps the Rosso 2 in sharp curves , it shouldnt even be a comparison. Every single corner including a couple problem corners exceeded my expectations. No slipping or skipping at all whatsoever, full lean angles to the edge and steady as can be, absolutely NO CHICKEN STRIP left on the rear tire. When the Rosso 2 makes a transition from main to side compound , it can slip and skip. The IZ-003 has no such problem and is very easy to lean and scrape peg.

The IZ-003 is extremely sure footed and exudes confidence.

Sharp Curves (Doi Suthep) - AMAZING, IZ-003 has so much more traction it's ridiculous, less braking required when entering a curve, because you know and feel that the tires are going to stick, in a full lean the IZ-003's are exceedingly stable...they scream..."lean me over !".....Rosso 2 is smooth in the corners but make the transition from main to side compound and you can feel it slip, the feel of the tire changes when it transitions to side compound causing you to readapt while in a curve...the IZ-003 retains the same feel throughout the entire curve, and feels just as stable leaned over as straight up, it is an absolute blast to ride these tires on sharp mountain curves.

Long Sweeper Curves (canal road) - I found myself taking the first curve 20 kph faster than usual, really didnt intend to but it just felt right to do it. In the second curve i hung off the side of the bike, and the tires felt right at home - defined. Rosso 2 is also good in sweepers, but does not give the same feeling of confidence. When you hang off the side it feels like you + the bike...the IZ-003, you feel as one.

Downhill Doi Suthep - AMAZING, kills the Rosso 2 ! Pick a line and it sticks, VERY stable downhill tires !...again a couple problem curves are no longer problems, the long curve at the viewpoint that sells drinks in that truck is no longer tricky, the IZ-003 is easier to lean farther and it just sticks like glue. The Rosso 2 (or just me) has to take this curve (reverse sloped going up ) with 2 points, the IZ-003 just requires one lean to pitch...since the IZ-003 loves to turn in, it eats these curves up and sticks like glue.

180 degree curves - AWESOME...lean and hold and get as low as you like, no need to pull back as much as the Rosso 2, the IZ-003 will track in the direction you point it, it takes the lead in a turn unlike the Rosso 2...The Rosso 2 says, "is that enough yet?"...IZ-003 says " Alright were going through this curve, takes your hand and leads you through !"

S - Curves - Point, shoot and it tracks, bob side to side and will go immediately. Rosso 2 doesnt really go the instant you lean. The Rosso 2 is more nimble and quicker to lean, but it does not react as fast, theres the slightest hesitation.

Honestly these tires are fuc_king amazing in the curves, i was so happy i almost busted a nut, i am not shitting you...the grip and the overall feel in curves is truly amazing. Going Downhill fast and entering a curve with the Rosso 2 was a slippery task, no matter what tire presure i used....going from braking to entering a curve downhill is no where near as fluid as the IZ-003. The IZ-003, man it just sticks no matter what you do, even if you change your line mid curve it doesnt complain, unlike the Rosso 2.

I really recommend these tires for fast advanced riders who live to ride on twisty mountain roads, it makes the whole experience virtually surreal and will wring out every single drop of enjoyment in tight mountain roads, if you ride fast and are on Rosso 2's in the mountains you are missing out BIG TIME. You will not be dissapointed.

Id recommend the Rosso 2 for people who do most riding on the street, love riding curves but arent too agressive...if you can do Doi Suthep in 10 minutes from zoo to hairpin before temple, IZ-003 all the way....if you are a 12-14 minute rider, Rosso 2.

Very happy with the IZ-003

Edited October 2, 2013 by KRS1