Hello,
I have a cbr600f2 that needs new tires. I do not plan on hitting up the track with this bike. Spirited rides on the twisty maybe but mainly just around town commuting. What tires would be good for this. I have looked at the Michelin Pilot powers and the Bridgestone battlax S-20's. Current there is a Shinko on the rear with ok trend on it but the front is pretty jacked up and unsafe.
This is a current photo of the tires. Im at work now so its the only one I have that has a ok shot of the front tire.
https://flic.kr/p/rAyCFn

 

R U planning to swap both? All tire dealers recommend having the same tire both front and rear. Every single rider probly has their own opinion about this, but I've used Michelin pilot road 1:s (think the current version is 3 maybe?) and Dunlop roadsmart 2:s on my F2 and can't really say anything bad about either. Can't tell much about wet grip as I'm morbidly scared to do a heavy lean on wet tarmac with any tires so haven't gotten either to slip.

 

If I have to I will replace both.

 

Replace both. The Shinko is a cheap tire. It would be like only buying one new sneaker because you already have a decent condition sandal for your right foot.

You do not need to match compounds front and rear. Racers mismatch all the time. What is important is to match profiles or tire shape. Shape can vary from brand to brand and old wear to new wear. If the difference between the two is too great, some funny things can happen. Best bet is to replace both tires with the same brand to ensure the same shape and wear, unless you really do some investigating.

Your tire choice depends on where, how, and when you ride. The S-20 as well as road 3 are sport touring tires. They will wear longer for straight highway commuting, be good in the wet, and be decent in the twisties unless you're riding those canyons hard. The (base) pilot powers are a soft, single softer compound tire. They are really good in the canyons, but wear quickly and will square up fairly quickly on the highway. I love my powers, but most of my miles are spent carving canyons hard and it's always warm and dry. I do buy a set every 4,000 miles or so....

 

Shinko can have a have carcass, not great for track days. If you get a chance at a dealer, hold a Shinko and a different brand in each hand and you'll what I mean. They may however last longer but may not be as grippy. It all goes back to what you want to do the most of. I have Shinko's on now for sport touring and they're great for that application but are heavy for the twisties.

+1 on matching tires. They need to work together as a set.

 

I feel that since this is my first real time riding I will not be doing a lot of twisty so I think the Michelin powers or BATTLAX HYPERSPORT S-20. Both seem good on paper. I can not find anything really about the dunlop SPORTMAX QUALIFIER's?

 

Price is not an issue between Dunlop Sportmax Q3 and Bridgestone Battlax hypersport S-20. price is the same. $224 shipped.