Kwacky's ongoing M7rr Metzeler review
Posted: 10 May 2014, 13:31
I've just paid £238 to have these boots fitted to the bike. My current mileage is 17,230 so lets see how long they last.
The first thing I've noticed is the front tread. It's very different from the M5s. In fact I thought Mike was about to put them on the wrong way round.
A nice mix of A and B roads on the way home. It had been raining in the morning with a couple of showers on the way back so the roads were cold and there were damp patches about.
First off - these things don't need scrubbing in. Or that's the impression I got. Normally on new tyres they can be a bit twitchy when you're running them in but these didn't do that. I had a very very minor squirm from the rear on a right hander but I put that down to something on the road rather than the tyres.
I asked Mike to put 32 psi in the front and 36 in the rear. Personal choice.
As with all modern tyres these heat up quickly, regardless of road temps. The carcass seems to be softer than the M5s, so bumps on the road were less of a problem, which is useful seeing as the Kwak's suspension is quite firm. Lean comes swiftly but progressively which gives you confidence to lean the bike over further. I have about 3mm of a chicken strip on the left hand side. That's after 40 miles when I should be taking things easy.
I don't know what the weights are like compared to the M5 but the bike seemed lighter and the front steering more responsive. Tracking a line or changing a line mid corner is effortless. These seem to be a bit more stable than the M5 mid corner, not that the M5 had any problems but I did notice last year when I was giving the bike some stick that the rear did slide a little bit. not much but enough to notice.
Hard braking is very controlled. I really jammed on the brakes after hitting a good speed and the bike seemed very settled. There wasn't a hint of a lock up. Granted all tyres will lock but I was surprised not to hear a squeal of complaint.
A lot of what I've posted can be put down to a number of things: the bike, the suspension, the roads the rider etc. I appreciate that. These are my thoughts after having used M5s for a few years. It's very early to tell what these tyres are like. I haven't ridden them in the wet, I've not put them on a track and I've yet to see how they are after a few thousand miles. In addition it's always nice to have new tyres on a bike. That said the M5s I took off where in decent nick, the front didn't have to be replaced and the rear had a couple of months left on it.
I'll update this thread as I go along. There's a track day on Friday and a ride out the following week.
Thanks for reading.
The first thing I've noticed is the front tread. It's very different from the M5s. In fact I thought Mike was about to put them on the wrong way round.
A nice mix of A and B roads on the way home. It had been raining in the morning with a couple of showers on the way back so the roads were cold and there were damp patches about.
First off - these things don't need scrubbing in. Or that's the impression I got. Normally on new tyres they can be a bit twitchy when you're running them in but these didn't do that. I had a very very minor squirm from the rear on a right hander but I put that down to something on the road rather than the tyres.
I asked Mike to put 32 psi in the front and 36 in the rear. Personal choice.
As with all modern tyres these heat up quickly, regardless of road temps. The carcass seems to be softer than the M5s, so bumps on the road were less of a problem, which is useful seeing as the Kwak's suspension is quite firm. Lean comes swiftly but progressively which gives you confidence to lean the bike over further. I have about 3mm of a chicken strip on the left hand side. That's after 40 miles when I should be taking things easy.
I don't know what the weights are like compared to the M5 but the bike seemed lighter and the front steering more responsive. Tracking a line or changing a line mid corner is effortless. These seem to be a bit more stable than the M5 mid corner, not that the M5 had any problems but I did notice last year when I was giving the bike some stick that the rear did slide a little bit. not much but enough to notice.
Hard braking is very controlled. I really jammed on the brakes after hitting a good speed and the bike seemed very settled. There wasn't a hint of a lock up. Granted all tyres will lock but I was surprised not to hear a squeal of complaint.
A lot of what I've posted can be put down to a number of things: the bike, the suspension, the roads the rider etc. I appreciate that. These are my thoughts after having used M5s for a few years. It's very early to tell what these tyres are like. I haven't ridden them in the wet, I've not put them on a track and I've yet to see how they are after a few thousand miles. In addition it's always nice to have new tyres on a bike. That said the M5s I took off where in decent nick, the front didn't have to be replaced and the rear had a couple of months left on it.
I'll update this thread as I go along. There's a track day on Friday and a ride out the following week.
Thanks for reading.