sticky tires also good in rain?

Looked at the tire thread already but there is a lot of info going in all directions.
I'm looking for a sticky street tire that won't scare me completely if it starts to rain. Haven't low sided in the rain in a long time but don't want to go there again.

Pirelli Rosso 2's?

Thanks.

I ran Rosso's on my SV650 one time, and they were really good tires pretty much everywhere, even on the track. They did get a little slippery in sub-freezing temps, but other than that they stuck really well. I don't know how they would work on the lighter WR, but I liked them overall. They lasted about average on the SV, I think I got 4 to 5k miles out of them.

When I ride in the rain I am always nervous of slipping and take it extra easy. I still have the bald stockers on my bike now, but I have a set of Bridgestone BT-016 to slap on there whenever I get around to it.

Not crashing in the rain is much more a function of how you throttle and/or brake, and much less a function of what tire you're running.

motokid wrote:

Not crashing in the rain is much more a function of how you throttle and/or brake, and much less a function of what tire you're running.

Very true, but some tires are still going to be better than others.

Riding through the streets littered with smooth manhole covers and smooth steel plate covering construction zones , I always try to be careful with the throttle and brakes.

Any DOT sportbike tire will be fine. You'll get great grip in the dry and plenty of wet weather traction.

No matter what tire you have manhole covers,railraod tracks, and even painted lines for crosswalks and such can and will be a hazard to watch out for.


Bridgestone, Michelin. Dunlop, Pirelli, Avon, Continental..... really can't go wrong.

On some level it's like asking which flavor ice cream is best.

I agree, though to some extent I don't think the WR250 needs quite as much stiction as some of the heavier bikes, and at times we might not be able to generate enough heat in the tire to really take advantage of the full grip! And just to clarify, I would not suggest running any DOT race tire in the rain in the street -- I wouldn't put the BT003. Remember, grip is useful if you can make contact! The tread does the job of evacuating the water from the tread.

Of course, take it all with a grain of salt, this is also merely suggestions. I've ridden some heavy rain at above necessary speeds on my SV on Q2's on public backroads roads, smart? No, but that didn't make it any less fun The rain has not scared me on any tire so far, just adjust your riding accordingly for most DOT tires.

And to speak on the Rosso's, a good friend of mine runs them on his SV, and he speaks highly of them, but he says that they take a bit to warm up without warmers. I don't know about how they run in the rain though!

On the flipside of these super sticky tires found on bigger bikes.. I ran Dunlop GT405's on my Ninja 250 for 15000 miles (one set of tires, seriously! It's very bald now). I took them to the track at 3K once. I had no problems with it, and I had ridden probably 15% rain with no problems then either, but the lean angles are nowhere near what the WRX can do. I found it to have plenty of traction, but the bike was little -- what I'm saying is you may look into a "sport touring" tire for your needs. Typically they do very well in twisties and canyons, and OK (maybe 1 - 2 trackdays a year) at the track at Beginner pace, but are excellent in two categories: all season riding [temperature, weather, etc] and wear [mileage, duh!] I have been thinking of going this route myself, but am not sure either

I've found that unless there's standing water or mud, compound trumps tread pattern. I loved my bt003rs rear, it had great traction even in the rain and even on gravel. On the oher hand, the heidenaus k76 I have now has way more tread, but is much harder and has maybe 1/3 of the dry and maybe 1/2 the wet grip.

I've had exceptional luck with Michelins here in Seattle. Its not a matter of will it rain, but when and for how long. If you ride, you're going to ride in the rain. Its just how it is. Slow down, dont ride like a spode and a good set of tires cant hurt.