V4R pulling double duty, needs new shoes

I was hoping to keep the V4R track only but work's new RTO policy will require me to spend 5 days a week in Chicago traffic. Will be lane spitting to keep my sanity, so I'm looking for a tire to replace my oldish OEM SC's. I'm still a track day noob so I don't need SC levels of grip.

Was looking at Michelin Road 6's but the rears only go up to 190/55/17. Would that be OK? 200 width rears leave me with Pirelli options, and I'm leaning towards the Rosso IV's but I'd feel more comfortable on the Michelin's the few times I get caught out in the wet. Thoughts?

Also where are people getting their tires these days? Wanted to support the vendors that support my local track day org but they don't have a tire vendor.

Heres my 2 cents; Rosso 4's , they will be fine. There are much better commuters out there than Panigales.

Rosso 4 for traffic

But how exactly are you going to commute in the winter?

What track days do you go to? I live in Chicago area also and tech for Motovid. Their tire vendor is Get Fast Performance formerly known as Farrell Performance. They provide Pirelli tires and mount for free at the track. Get set up early in the spring. DOT SC3's would work great at the track and street. That's what I use on my bikes and they are track only.

Be careful in that Chicago rush hour traffic. It sucks.

Might want to invest in something more nimble. That full tuck position is going to get old very quickly. How bout a Super Moto instead? An old one, with a 2-stroke. I just checked the Chicago Craigslist. 1970 Suzuki Ts 250 for 3750. A bit pricey for the year, but decent ride. Had the 125 when I was a kid. Saw about 8 bikes for under 4K that would fill the bill easily, and NOT be worth stealing in that crime-infested cesspool of a city.

Sheikh said:

Might want to invest in something more nimble. That full tuck position is going to get old very quickly. How bout a Super Moto instead? An old one, with a 2-stroke. I just checked the Chicago Craigslist. 1970 Suzuki Ts 250 for 3750. A bit pricey for the year, but decent ride. Had the 125 when I was a kid. Saw about 8 bikes for under 4K that would fill the bill easily, and NOT be worth stealing in that crime-infested cesspool of a city.

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That's a good idea. Keep the V4 for track days and sunday drives. Get something cheap and fun to commute in. Something you won't miss too much when it's pinched or your lane split goes sideways.

That's what I do. The 1199 isn't ridden exclusively. I also have a 2003 DL1000 V-Strom for other fun, and a BMW C650GT maxi-scooter for errands and getting groceries. No 4-wheeled vehicles in my stable. The knobbies on a Super Moto or old street-legal dirt bike would really come in handy when the roads are slushy or covered with snow.

Re SC3's for the street, this is a bad idea at the best of times but I could not think of a worse tire for commuting in mixed conditions. If you must use your 45k WSBK homologation bike as a commuter 5 days a week then just about any 200/55 or 200/60 street tire is preferable to supercorsas! Don't worry about the diameter, as long as it's round and black with wet weather performance. M9's, Road 6's, Rosso 4's etc are very similar, calibrate and go.

Sheikh said:

An old one, with a 2-stroke. I just checked the Chicago Craigslist. 1970 Suzuki Ts 250 for 3750.

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what kinda of advise is that ? 54 years old bike for commute ??!!

I could not think of a worse bike to commute on than a 54 year old 2 stroke 250 with knobbies. I think it must beer o'clock somewhere

Paul G said:

I could not think of a worse bike to commute on than a 54 year old 2 stroke 250 with knobbies. I think it must beer o'clock somewhere

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It's a 2-stroke, no valves and incredibly low maintenance. It's LIGHT, and nimble, will do 70 mph, and the knobbies cost literally nothing. Perfect commuter bike for less that 15 miles each way and cutting through traffic. And if a Cop ever comes after you, you can make a YouTube video about how you outsmarted them on a 50 y-o Bike. Win win win in my book. AND in BAD traffic jams you can go cross country across lawns, sidewalks, parks and fields. What could be better?

And fwiw, my brother, who lives in Colorado, still has the 125 we rode as kids, just refurbished it and it runs great. I took a couple of rides on it when I visited him in early September. Balls of fun. Will do almost 60 mph. Only has 5 gears, but who needs 6 on a bike like that? He 'commutes' to the store on it, and around town when the weather is nice. Balls of fun, utterly dependable, two kicks and it's running, and it has an oil tank so no premix necessary, just gas and go.

Now Im sure its the bottle talking

Paul G said:

Now Im sure its the bottle talking

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I don't drink or use drugs.