Not really what I wanted, bit like riding a jellied eel

[gramey]

So we trusted the forecast that rain wouldn't be around until late afternoon only for it to chuck it down at lunch time and leave us with a very wet ride home. Now I'm a fairly experienced rider so I don't go silly in the rain so progressively opening the throttle at 50 - 60 mph in 5th gear seemed a perfectly acceptable practice. On three occasions it produced sphincter twitching wheel spin resulting in the back wheel trying to overtake the front, as witnessed by my friend on his perfectly well behaved Yamaha R1.

Just to clarify this is with the bike fully upright on different parts of a 55 mile ride, I know ditch the BT-021's, but really should any tyre lose grip under such circumstances?

It scared me to the extent that I sat and watched in awe as another friend two up on his Fireblade fitted with Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP's, which appear to have next to bugger all tread on them, disappeared into the distance.

[Philip]

When I owned a TL1000 Suzi some years ago, I had a Bridgstone fitted to the rear.

I don't remember what type it was but was surposed to be a sporty tyre.

When it let go coming off a local roundabout in the dry ( luckily managed to recover the situation without tasting tarmac ) I vowed never to use Bridgestone again.

I've got Michelin Road Pilot 3's fitted to the K1300S & have to say it's the best road tyre I've ever used.

Inspiring on both dry & wet roads.

[alpinebiker]

Two up riding in the rain allows more downforce on the rear tyre to cut through the surface water. I've been surprised how quickly and safely I have been able to ride in the wet with the wife riding pillion.

Sorry to say BT021s have long since been superceded by far superior options. I use T30GT's these days after switching from BT023GT's and many years on 021's , but experience on Michelin Pilot Road 2's (long ago) revealed they are superior to all the Bridgestones (in my opinion) I only switched back to Bridgestone because I found the handling a bit too rapid with the Michelins fitted. If the 2's were great I can't imagine how much better the 3 and 4's must be?   

[drumwrecker]

I have PR4's on my k13s and BT023's on my VTEC VFR and can't tell the difference, in the dry or wet.
Maybe I need to ride faster to find out.

[mab1067]

Had BT021 fitted on Sprint and in the dry they were great. However found them that bad in the wet i would not go out if raining even slightly.
Have Metzler M3 sport tec on K1300S and no issue what so ever. Dont even mind going out in rain now. Which is handy where i live.

[Elite Evil]

Is 50 in 5th normal?

I would be in 1st-3rd lol. 

[Phmode]

Well, that depends on how much you are pressing on; in the wet I would want the softer response of a taller gear.

Brian (who would still be in first in the dry, assuming he wasn't in town  )

[Phmode]

If the 2's were great I can't imagine how much better the 3 and 4's must be?   

Well, never having ridden on 2's, I can't say, but David (black k-1) says there is no advantage in the dry of either 3 or 4 over 2 and he is a very rapid rider.

Brian (who has to pass on that David is a self-confessed wuss in the wet, so no comparison there  )

[gramey]

Elite Evil just let me know when you're going to open the throttle up at 50 mph in first gear on very wet roads and I'll come along so you can show me how it's done.

[Matt]

Hmph I'm on PR4s about half way through their life I think.  In the wet I do seem to break traction quite easily, but I think that's more because I know how far I can go without... and then I go a bit more.

I've only ever ridden PR3 and PR4 though so not much to compare to.

[Costas]

With the torque this bike has even 30 with 5and even 6 gear causes no issues, but turning the throttle fast could create  such an issue no matter what the tyre brand. Tarmac wet or humid contributes. No traction control and Issues are even more serious. BT are hard vining bigger mileage but are notorious for slippage when cold.

[Niall]

I know ditch the BT-021's, but really should any tyre lose grip under such circumstances?

Sounds normal for BT020 or BT021 to me, which is why I went to Michelin

And am I right in thinking no traction control fitted?

I've found Bridgetones funny in the wet. When fitted to my K12LT, if it was raining when fitted as new, they would wear out faster and "wouldn't turn right" as they wore funny. I'd only use a Bridgestone on the LT if I couldn't get anything else

The GT came with 020, then went to 021 and although a slight improvement, still poor grip and poor wear. Switched to PR2s, fiddled with the ESA and tyre pressures and never have I looked back

[richtea]

>  On three occasions it produced sphincter twitching wheel spin resulting in the back wheel trying to overtake the front

Definitely not normal.

In 12k I've had one small loss of traction in the wet (too optimistic during an overtake on a white line), courtesy of a worn rear.
I only go medium speeds, but you do have to try to get them to slide.

Time for fresh tyres, methinks - see the tyre thread that's active right now!

[gramey]

No traction control fitted but I certainly didn't think I was overly enthusiastic in applying the throttle but yes one thing I've definitely learnt from this forum is that not many people run their K's on Bridgestones so there could be a useful hint there.