First of Al:agree:, a big thank you to Al on a previous post "Bridgestone vs. Metzler. After 20K miles, it was finally time to retread from the original OEM tires. I saw where Motorcycle Superstore had a great sale on the OEM's so on a whim I called my local Suzuki dealer for a tire quote. Turns out, they offered me Metzler 880 Marathons out the door for just 12 bucks more than what it would cost to get OEM Bridgestones shipped in from M/C Superstore & mounted up at their shop. I was skeptical since the back tire is a lower profile & the speedo would be off some more but after reading reviews on Metzler I said "go for it".
Wow, what a difference! Night & day, like going from a truck to a sports car!:clap2:
Previously, I had always felt that the back tire was "in charge" of the bikes handling & when I first got the bike had to "re-learn" how to ride as you have to throw yourself into a turn with the OEM tires. Not so with the Metz. Now the front & back tires seem perfectly matched. Just a gentle lean into a turn & you can feel the front wheel pull you thru like it should. The front end also feels lighter, a very welcome side effect as the 109 is very heavy in the front end. I think this is due to A) a more rounded tread contour & B) the lowering of the rear end due to the lower profile rear tire (I feel as if my feet reach the ground easier). It's as if I now have power steering. Don't know how the tread life will hold up but the ride is much softer now so time will tell.
Regarding the speedo being off, originally I figure I was off by about 5mph, now maybe 7-8mph. but I have a "trick up my sleeve" to correct this problem & will do a new post on it soon.
Any one else who went Metz, join in & comment. The rest of you guys, don't think twice about it!
Wow, what a difference! Night & day, like going from a truck to a sports car!:clap2:
Previously, I had always felt that the back tire was "in charge" of the bikes handling & when I first got the bike had to "re-learn" how to ride as you have to throw yourself into a turn with the OEM tires. Not so with the Metz. Now the front & back tires seem perfectly matched. Just a gentle lean into a turn & you can feel the front wheel pull you thru like it should. The front end also feels lighter, a very welcome side effect as the 109 is very heavy in the front end. I think this is due to A) a more rounded tread contour & B) the lowering of the rear end due to the lower profile rear tire (I feel as if my feet reach the ground easier). It's as if I now have power steering. Don't know how the tread life will hold up but the ride is much softer now so time will tell.
Regarding the speedo being off, originally I figure I was off by about 5mph, now maybe 7-8mph. but I have a "trick up my sleeve" to correct this problem & will do a new post on it soon.
Any one else who went Metz, join in & comment. The rest of you guys, don't think twice about it!