Author Topic: Battlax A40  (Read 2874 times)

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Offline Adamsale

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Battlax A40
« on: August 16, 2020, 17:17:38 »
Hello,

Just had a front and rear Battlax A40 fitted on my 2014 DL650 by my local MB shop. He recommended the tyres and had to order them in. Being somewhat of newbie I accepted his suggestion of choice and he charged me a total of £280 fitted. Having done 250 miles on them they are massive impoverishment on the original tyres that had seen 11000 miles. I have since noted that the updated tyre equivalent is the A41 so am a tad disappointed that he did not fit these and also it appears he may have charged me a premium price. He set the tyre pressures at F 36 R 42. Any helpful comments please... I appreciate you live and learn but was this an expensive lesson?







Offline Adamsale

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2020, 17:21:50 »
Oops meant to read improvement not impoverishment😳

Offline Tusker

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2020, 17:28:35 »
I've got Battlax on my Kwack (as fitted OE)  3,800 miles they are shot ???  I'm thinking of having Avons fitted. allegedly a harder compound and a 7,500 life span   ISH

to be precise   Battlax Hypersport S20F N,    so maybe very different tyres  :shrug: :shrug:

Offline kwackboy

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #3 on: August 16, 2020, 17:33:47 »
£280 for the older A40's is a bit steep but I'm sure you will you will get your money's worth out of them. Chalk it up and shop around next time.  :thumb:

Tyre pressures can be a personal choice despite manufacturers recommendations but I'd say your pressures are on the high side if you are riding one up with no luggage.

Have a play with the pressures to see if you notice any changes to your liking but I wouldn't go below F32 & R36.   
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Offline Tusker

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #4 on: August 16, 2020, 17:35:58 »
Kwackboy ,, see above (my post)  what are the Avon equivalents ?? Storm ??   I have been offered them at £265 fitted   (if they are equivalent)

Offline kwackboy

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2020, 17:37:30 »
@ Tusker ...

There's quite a few different Battlax tyres , yours being sport tyres so 3800 miles isn't bad at all.

Try the new Michelin road 5GT ...  :thumb:
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Offline Tusker

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #6 on: August 16, 2020, 17:40:34 »
I ride "Touring" style not "Sports"    I'm  :old: and expect to get a lot older  :thumb: :grin: 

Offline kwackboy

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #7 on: August 16, 2020, 17:44:55 »
Michelin Road 5GTs are touring tyres and I believe the Avon's are the 3D-XM
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Offline Tusker

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #8 on: August 16, 2020, 17:46:55 »
Ta  :thumb:

Offline hotbulb

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #9 on: August 16, 2020, 19:13:25 »
I had A40s on the Glee when I got it. Quite impressed with them in dry, or wet, conditions, but found the ride a bit harsh. When they wore out (sorry, don't have a record of mileage)I went for the A41s.... a bit better all round, and a rather smoother ride. Changed after about 8500 miles - now on my second set of A41s... I like them.

Offline Brockett

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #10 on: August 16, 2020, 19:29:53 »
The OE front tyre on my 2015 SX fell off a cliff at 3100 miles. I thought I had a punture or the head berings were breaking up. I think they were Bridgestones. The dealer told me Kawasaki 1000s are very sensitive to front tyre wear. I believe the bike was heavily front end loaded even though it got all floaty when pushed into a long bend at (shall we say) spirited speeds.
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Offline Adamsale

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #11 on: August 16, 2020, 20:42:20 »
Thank you for your kind replies...I thought the cost was a bit steep following price checking after the event..definitely will shop around next time. The ride is firm on the new tyres having previously run the original pair of Bridgestones at the Suzuki recommended setting of F33 R36. Shall experiment over the next few rides reducing them gradually from F36 R42 down to that mark. Cheers

Offline hotbulb

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #12 on: August 17, 2020, 10:08:58 »
Regarding pressures (A40 and A41), I stuck to the Suzuki recommended 33/36 until recently, but I've now changed the A41s to 36/42 as recommended by some here and elsewhere - no "chalk'n'cheese" change, but I feel a slight improvement in feel/confidence ... maybe just in the mind!
(I suspect that the A40s would have felt too harsh at these pressures  :shrug:)

Offline Tusker

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #13 on: August 17, 2020, 16:44:25 »
I'm having Michelin 5GT's fitted next Monday.. Did my homework after Kwackboy recommended them and the thing a lot of Z1000SX riders say is that they stop the bike falling in and that is something I feel a lot !! In other words the bike is too keen to lean over with the Bridgestone hypersports on..  I find myself in a corner lifting the bike out of the turn.. if you see what I mean ??

Offline Adamsale

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #14 on: August 21, 2020, 22:48:08 »
Done 350 miles on my new set of Battlax A40's. The ride is certainly much harsher than I'm used to on the old Bridgestones. The front wheel at circa 20mph feels like it has a bump in the centre of the tyre at a certain rotation point making the front rattle everso slightly. At speeds above this mark no issue though and cornering is much improved on the new tyres. Spun the wheel while on centre stand and the profile of the tyre appears OK. Have reduced tyre pressures from f36 r42 to f34 r38 giving a marginal improvement in ride but still same experience with front tyre. Has anyone noticed a low speed issue with this tyre?

Offline Brockett

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #15 on: August 22, 2020, 11:14:05 »
I used A40's on a Wee a couple of years ago and they were just fine.
When you say a bump in the middle of the tyre do you mean a single bump every rotation or a ridge running all the way round the tyre.
A friend has just ditched his tyres  when they developed a noticeable ridge in the centre section you could feel it with fingers and see it. I believe this is due to the compound in the middle being harder that the compound at the sides. The sides wore more than the middle leaving a raised centre section.
I don't know if it's a Bridgestone thing or common on that type of dual compound tyre.
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Offline Adamsale

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #16 on: August 22, 2020, 14:44:41 »
Thanks Brockett for the information regarding the harder compound around the centre of front tyre. I think this might explain the feeling of rotational bumping at low speed on slightly poorer road surfaces as it much less noticeable on smooth tarmac surfaces. If it continues to bother me I’ll go back to the MB shop where they were fitted and get the front checked. 👍

Offline Brockett

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #17 on: August 22, 2020, 17:35:15 »
Just to be clear I do not know if the A40 has dual or similar componds
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Offline Tusker

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #18 on: August 22, 2020, 18:03:28 »
only recently done a tiny bit of research due to having my Battlax Hypersports wear out at 3,700 miles..  Therefore it is a "Sports" tyre relatively soft compound all over.. Dual compound tyres are termed "Touring" tyres and the are generally a harder compound in the middle so you get better wear on the flat, but softer round the edges so you still get grip in the corner >>>>  that is the totality of my understanding  :shrug:

Offline porter

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Re: Battlax A40
« Reply #19 on: August 22, 2020, 20:26:42 »
Bridgestone A40-41's are a very stiff carcass tyre, I used the a40's once but never liked them, the front was very harsh on small sharp bumps.