Hi all,
Thought you might find the following info helpful.
Prior to a recent trip 3,000-mile round-trip from New England to the Dragon in TN, I installed a set of 023 GTs on my STeed. There was not much info available about the GT version of these tires, so I took a chance and tried them out. Here is what I found...
HANDLING
The 023 GTs were great on the highway. They are quiet, responsive and provided a well-planted feel. I tried to ride both blue highways and interstates, and particularly enjoyed the well-planted feeling the tires provided on high-speed sweepers encountered on the blue highways.
IN THE WET
I had three days of rain on the way down to TN and the tires got a good workout in the wet. Coming off Avon Storms I was used to great wet weather performance. The 023s did not disappoint. Even in the wettest conditions they felt predictable and secure. I was able to cruise at 75 (indicated) with confidence in the rain and never felt the tires were squirrelly or close to losing adhesion.
IN THE DRY
Once I got to the Dragon the wx cleared and I had three blue-bird days. These great and dry condx gave me a chance to work the tires hard on dry pavement at steep lean angles. With pegs and center-stand dragging, the 023 GTs stuck like glue and never exhibited side-slip. In fact, my chicken strips on the 023s are narrower than those I had on the Avons, which surprised me. The 023 GTs were more than capable of handling the side loads of the ST at max lean angles. Repeated passes on the 11-mile Dragon route did not seems to adversely effect the tires. If anything, they got better as they warmed up. So good in fact I got a BIG speeding ticket at mile-marker 11 as I chased (and pushed) some Super-Moto guys. What fun!!
WEAR
Overall, I put about 3k miles on the tires and they show no appreciable wear. The rear might be exhibiting a bit of squaring off, but it is so minor it's really hard to discern. I was carrying about 70 lbs of gear with me on the trip, and I weigh 200, so the tires were not near their load max. I got 10k miles on the Avon Storm rear and expect the same from the 023GT.
CONCLUSIONS
I bought the 023 GTs with some reluctance. I was concerned the stiffer sidewall in the GT might adversely effect handling when riding solo. However, since wifey frequently rides pillion, I wanted a safe and secure platform under us both. And reading about the shredding of Avon Storm Ultras reported on this board, I knew another set of Avons was out of the question.
The 023 is one of the FEW tires load-rated for the ST and listed as a valid OEM replacement. For some reason, I find that comforting.
All in all, I recommend the 023GTs as replacement rubber. The jury is still out on overall mileage, but based on what I've seen so far, these tires are a fine choice for our high-performance bikes.
Chris
Thought you might find the following info helpful.
Prior to a recent trip 3,000-mile round-trip from New England to the Dragon in TN, I installed a set of 023 GTs on my STeed. There was not much info available about the GT version of these tires, so I took a chance and tried them out. Here is what I found...
HANDLING
The 023 GTs were great on the highway. They are quiet, responsive and provided a well-planted feel. I tried to ride both blue highways and interstates, and particularly enjoyed the well-planted feeling the tires provided on high-speed sweepers encountered on the blue highways.
IN THE WET
I had three days of rain on the way down to TN and the tires got a good workout in the wet. Coming off Avon Storms I was used to great wet weather performance. The 023s did not disappoint. Even in the wettest conditions they felt predictable and secure. I was able to cruise at 75 (indicated) with confidence in the rain and never felt the tires were squirrelly or close to losing adhesion.
IN THE DRY
Once I got to the Dragon the wx cleared and I had three blue-bird days. These great and dry condx gave me a chance to work the tires hard on dry pavement at steep lean angles. With pegs and center-stand dragging, the 023 GTs stuck like glue and never exhibited side-slip. In fact, my chicken strips on the 023s are narrower than those I had on the Avons, which surprised me. The 023 GTs were more than capable of handling the side loads of the ST at max lean angles. Repeated passes on the 11-mile Dragon route did not seems to adversely effect the tires. If anything, they got better as they warmed up. So good in fact I got a BIG speeding ticket at mile-marker 11 as I chased (and pushed) some Super-Moto guys. What fun!!
WEAR
Overall, I put about 3k miles on the tires and they show no appreciable wear. The rear might be exhibiting a bit of squaring off, but it is so minor it's really hard to discern. I was carrying about 70 lbs of gear with me on the trip, and I weigh 200, so the tires were not near their load max. I got 10k miles on the Avon Storm rear and expect the same from the 023GT.
CONCLUSIONS
I bought the 023 GTs with some reluctance. I was concerned the stiffer sidewall in the GT might adversely effect handling when riding solo. However, since wifey frequently rides pillion, I wanted a safe and secure platform under us both. And reading about the shredding of Avon Storm Ultras reported on this board, I knew another set of Avons was out of the question.
The 023 is one of the FEW tires load-rated for the ST and listed as a valid OEM replacement. For some reason, I find that comforting.
All in all, I recommend the 023GTs as replacement rubber. The jury is still out on overall mileage, but based on what I've seen so far, these tires are a fine choice for our high-performance bikes.
Chris
