Our Cars: Kawasaki Z250SL

17 October 2016: Time to get some better tyres

After getting used to the Z250SL I only had two minor criticisms. First, the extremely quiet exhaust, which wasn’t ideal for being noticed by distracted motorists on a morning commute. Second, the standard tyres. They are Dunlop TT900s from the factory and, frankly they’re a bit rubbish.

They’re not bad in dry conditions, but they don’t inspire huge amounts of confidence when leaning over into bends because they are hard and don't grip very well. They're even worse in the wet, providing very little feedback at all which, on a bike aimed at new riders or all-weather commuters, isn’t ideal, even considering the budget price.

When driving a car, the level of tyre feedback is neither as obvious nor as important as when riding a bike, since even when skidding a car isn’t going to fall over. On a bike, if one of the tyres lets go it’s definitely bad news – so I decided it would be worth changing to some better rubber.

Unfortunately, getting hold of tyres to fit the Z250SL is quite tricky because it has an unusual front wheel dimensions. Pleasingly, the front and rear fitment is identical to one of the most popular learner 125s on sale – the Yamaha R125. So even if there isn’t a huge amount of tyre choice, there is at least some.

The new tyres provide much better feel and inspire confidence in bends

Michelin produces Pilot Streets in the right size and they get very positive reviews, so I opted for a set of those to replace the Dunlops, despite the original tyres still having loads of tread. In the correct size they cost roughly £100 for both, plus fitting, which was carried out by Mark from mobile-bike-tyres.co.uk.

It took 60 miles to wear the tyres in, which is less than the 100 miles that most manufacturers' recommend. But even before they were worn in properly there were obvious improvements, with a crisper, more precise, confidence-inspiring feel when leaning over into bends.

This improved further once the tyres were scrubbed in properly, plus they provide better feel in rain than the old Dunlops, giving a more secure feel when cornering or braking on wet roads. That’s not a huge concern for me, since I don’t ride all that often in rain but, for many commuters, wet weather performance is very important.

They’re quite obviously better, but for most buyers they’re probably only worth buying if you need to replace your tyres through wear, rather than as an upgrade straight from the showroom – especially on a bike where budget is a key consideration. But if you do want to upgrade I can certainly recommend the Pilot Streets.  

« Earlier: Bring the noise     Later: Two-up on the Z250SL »

Updates

17 December 2016: Winter riding

John's decided, with a very significant amount of reluctance, to ride around in the winter weather, just to see how the Z250SL copes.

17 November 2016: Two-up on the Z250SL

Can you carry passengers on the Z250SL or is it strictly a one-up machine?

17 October 2016: Time to get some better tyres

The original equipment tyres supplied with the Z250SL aren't great, so John's changed them for some Michelin Pilot Streets.

12 September 2016: Bring the noise

John has changed the standard exhaust silencer on the Z250SL to make it a bit more noticeable in traffic.

12 August 2016: First service and first problem

The Kawasaki's engine has been liberated by the run-in service - but it hasn't all been plain sailing.

27 July 2016: Say hello to our little green Kawasaki

For the next few years John will be enjoying the company of a bright green, 250cc Z250SL. This is why he chose it...