Continental Road Attack tires

[02Tac]

 Well, my rear tire just picked up another hole and due to having to ride it almost flat for a mile or so the plug from a previous hole started to leak.  Seeing as I was planning on replacing the tires this fall I just went ahead an ordered a set of Continental Road Attack tires as all the reviews I have read about them seem pretty good.  Anyone out there running them and if so what are your thoughts.  Keep in mind that these tires will not be seeing 9/10ths riding, just commutting and the occasional day/weekend trip with friends.

[Sarchi]

I ran them when I had the FZ6, I thought they were excellent SPORT-touring tires.  Very good grip, decent in the rain, lasted a long time, and even coped with picking up a 1/2" screw.  Great all-around tires.

But I'm not sure I'd buy them now, it seems like for a few bucks more you can get a nice dual compound Michelin or Pirelli.

[TheRedOnesAreFaster]

I liked them.  I ran through two sets on my Sprint before I switched to Pirelli Diablo Stradas.  

The RAs grip well, wear a little longer than the Strada, look cool (I dig the tread pattern), and overall inspire general confidence.  Plus, if you ride in the rain, I'm told they really throw the water in the face of the guy behind you.

I'd have bought another set, but I really like the Stradas (except for the looks of the truck tire tread pattern on the rear) a bit more.  You had to give the RAs some time to break-in, whereas the Stradas are very sticky from the get-go.  I think the Contis are a bit cheaper, too.

[02Tac]

Sounds good.  I am not real concerned about them being "sticky" from the get go as I have no plans for any Johhny Street Racer action.

[Galo]

I've had two sets on my '01 Sprint ST and like them bunches....good wear -abt 6000 from the rear- and never a slip or slide.....very confidence-inspiring.  Smooth riding, too -much smoother than Battleaxes.

The only thing I dont like about them is that the front tends to cup a bit.

Both front and rear will be due for replacement this summer and I'm still undecided what I replace them with. Maybe it's time to try one of the newer dual-compound tires....

[HipGnosis]

I'm on my 4th rear and 3rd front C.R.A.
I REALLY liked em on my Triumph Sprint.
So much that I just put them on my K12RS (which I got late last season).  
I never had any cupping problems, but I pay attention to tire pressures - as in find the right pressure for that tire on my bike.

[02Tac]

I found, on the Continental site, that their fittment guide includes recommended air pressures for their tires on given bike.  For my 02 Bandit they recomment 36.2 for the front and 42 for the rear.

[Galo]

I'm on my 4th rear and 3rd front C.R.A.

I never had any cupping problems, but I pay attention to tire pressures - as in find the right pressure for that tire on my bike.

Me too....36 front, 42 rear, pretty anal about measuring them with a digital tire guage...

[02Tac]

I use this gauge - http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=ICP%2D360060&N=700+4294862885+400366+4294907783+115&autoview=sku

[Zerosum]

I have a set on my '97 VFR.  The price was right ($270, on the bike) and they handle great.  Plenty of traction in various conditions.  They're so good that I never really think about them.  They seem to be wearing well, too, although I've only put 4000 miles on them.  The rear tire still looks brand new.  I check the pressures at every ride and keep them at 38 front/42 rear.

I'd buy another set in a heartbeat.  

[MK96xj]

I will be buying my third set in a week or two

[Lawn Dart]

I'm not fond of them in the rain at all - but in the dry they are a very decent tire.

[JoelCool]

Nice tires.  I had no issues with them, wet or dry, untill they got to about 25% of their life left.  They seemed to loose the feel for the road at that point.

I've been running Pilot Power since.  They are considerably better (if a bit more money too   ).

[maddjack]

I had two sets on my speed triple,I liked them a lot,may try a set on the Versys

[swimmer]

I am trying to decided if the RA's would are worth the slight extra money over another set of  BT021's .  I need tires soon. Its tough to make valid comparisons with different motorcycles but has any one used both?  Thoughts?

[bikerdude55]

I've run through three sets of them and liked them. Got good mileage although the back squares off pretty easily. I was showing cords on the last one when I changed it out (NOT RECOMMENDED! it looked ok when I left for Death Valley famous last words). This time around I'm back on the Bridgestone BT021 and liking them so far. Turn in seems a tad easier with the Bridgestone.

[TheRedOnesAreFaster]

The only thing I dont like about them is that the front tends to cup a bit.

I did not experience this at all, but I run a fairly high pressure (38) on the front.  My OEM Battleaxes, on the other hand, would cup no matter what I did.

[Galo]

I did not experience this at all, but I run a fairly high pressure (38) on the front.  My OEM Battleaxes, on the other hand, would cup no matter what I did.

Wierd.....in my case it was the opposite....I did'nt see much on the Battlaxes, and see more on the RA's, even with pressures religiously at 35-36 lbs....
 

I'm leaning towards trying the new Dunlop Qualifiers because I think the problem with the RA's is their tread is 'chunky', meaning, the water dissipation grooves run across the very center of the tire at about a 20-25 degree angle, so....hard braking (okay, I'm a squid sometimes) cause the cupping -at least what I call cupping, which I see as tread blocks worn more on the trailing edge of the tread block versus the leading edge of the tread block.

The Dunlops' water dissipation grooves run across the tread at much lower angles, hence the tread blocks are much bigger and should better resist the 'lifting' that creates that scalloped, front-of-tread-block-worn-more-than-rear-of-tread-block that I'm calling cupping

[evilted]

Got my Road Attacks 1,000 miles ago, right before my BRP ride.  So far, so good.  They seemed to grip pretty well under fairly aggressive riding, though I had a lot of stuff packed on the Sprint and didn't want any of it coming off so I didn't try to scrape the pegs or my centerstand.  They seemed good in the wet too, for the 40 minutes or so I got rained on while riding a fairly twisty bit of two-lane.

Like TheRedOnesAreFaster, I liked the tread pattern and the cost.  I too think I will try the Strada next, and eventually the PR2 and the Roadsmarts when they're a bit cheaper.

Oh, the uneven front tire wear issue that I noticed with the stock Bridgestones does not seem to be happening with the Contis.

I liked them.  I ran through two sets on my Sprint before I switched to Pirelli Diablo Stradas.  

The RAs grip well, wear a little longer than the Strada, look cool (I dig the tread pattern), and overall inspire general confidence.  Plus, if you ride in the rain, I'm told they really throw the water in the face of the guy behind you.

I'd have bought another set, but I really like the Stradas (except for the looks of the truck tire tread pattern on the rear) a bit more.  You had to give the RAs some time to break-in, whereas the Stradas are very sticky from the get-go.  I think the Contis are a bit cheaper, too.

[02Tac]

Well, the tires are on and after a little scrubbing in they fell nice. I am running them at 38psi front and 42psi rear.  The have a smoother ride then the previous combo (Michelin Pilot Power front and Macadam rear).  Turn in is also nicer, more linear as opposed to the "fall in" the others had.  I'll chime in again when I have put some miles on them.  I do not consider myself an agressive rider so I seriously doubt I will find the performance limits of this tire, but we will see how they work for every day use.

[whoaru99]

I like the RAs. They seem to grip really well for me.

About tire life though, unfortunately I lost my note with the mileage when I had them installed. I'd say about 5K on the rear and it needs to be changed soon.

Not sure if I'll put another RA on the rear, or something else to try to get better life. Maybe the Avon Storm ST??