Bridgestone BT 57 Review

[michael]

Patrick, my VFR800 buddy that helped me with the mod's, put 15 miles on the new BT 57's in the wet bringing the bike down from his place to mine on Saturday. He said they were really skittish in the wet. Bridgestone is known for having very slick tires because of the material they use to break the tire from the mold at the factory. So breaking in these tires in the dry is one thing, but using them for the first time in the wet!!…well, can lead to wet shorts!! ;-) But Patrick is a very competent rider and was able to get the bike down to my place without a hitch.

I didn't push it too much on Sunday but after 4 miles of highway riding (and weaving), they felt stable going into some pretty tight corners getting up to Sky Londa. They didn't squirm at all.

I put on around 70 miles during the afternoon. Not too much distance as I did more talking than riding ;-). I couldn't push the tires too far because the roads were still damp from the rain on Saturday but there were some dry sections that I believe provided me with an insight into the tires character.

The BT 57's track much better than my BT 54's did (the BT54's were stock tires on my bike). They turn in much quicker as well. They gave me more confidence than I had on the BT 54's. I had the bike leaned over quite a bit in one corner and they stuck very well. The BT 57's also seem to run hotter than the BT 54's - I use stock pressure front and back (36 psi and 42 psi, respectively).

I know the BT 57's aren't as sticky as the D207's and the Pilot Sports, but they are stickier than the BT 54's. Plus I think these should last longer than the aforementioned Dunlop and Michelin tires because of the dual compound - so, a good compromise of grip and durability for my riding style (not aggressive).

Ismat (SFO Bay Area) 97 VFR750 Silver-grey rims, Micron hi-mount aluminum, BT 57's, Tailocker, Throttlemeister, LP Tank Bra AMA #769744