Don’t be fooled by the ‘sports touring’ moniker - these tyres are seriously capable. Good in cold wet conditions, great dry weather grip and can even handle the occasional trackday. All the grip and stability you could ask for on the road. They seem to last well and are inexpensive. I’m struggling to think of any negatives to be honest. Highly recommended ommended.
Best Tyres for the Kawasaki ZX10r
Kawasaki ZX10r drivers have left 21 tyre reviews on Tyre Reviews, covering 66,006 miles of real world driving. Every tyre they rated is ranked below, so you can see what actually works on this car.
- 21owner reviews
- 66,006 milescovered on them
- 16different tyres rated
- 81%average tyre score
The quick answer
| Season | Owners' pick | Owner rating | Our category test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Dunlop GP Racer D211 8 Current version: Dunlop GP Racer D212 | 88% from 3 reviews | Best Summer Tyres |
Highest weighted owner score from Kawasaki ZX10r drivers. Full rankings and the evidence behind them below.
The best rated tyres for the Kawasaki ZX10r
Rated only by drivers of this car. Each tyre needs at least 3 reviews from the Kawasaki ZX10r to be ranked; the order weights a tyre's score by how many reviews back it, so one glowing review cannot top a table.
Summer tyres
The highest rated tyre in the Summer category for the Kawasaki ZX10r is the Dunlop GP Racer D211 - 88% from 3 owner reviews across 4,150 miles. The current tyre in that line is now the Dunlop GP Racer D212.
| # | Tyre | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed | TR Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Dunlop GP Racer D211
Replaced by Dunlop GP Racer D212
|
88% | 3 | 4,150 miles | 8 |
| 2 |
Pirelli Diablo Corsa III
|
70% | 3 | 14,956 miles | 6.6 |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Summer Tyres →
TR Score is the tyre's overall Tyre Reviews rating out of 10, built from independent test results and every owner review of that tyre - not just the reviews from this car. The owner rating column is this car only.
The best rated tyres that fit the Kawasaki ZX10r
The rankings above can only speak for tyres a Kawasaki ZX10r driver has already reviewed. These are the highest rated tyres we hold that are actually manufactured in the sizes these drivers run - 190/55 R17 and 190/50 R17 - whether or not anyone here has fitted them yet. They are ranked on the TR Score, which is built from independent test results and every owner review of that tyre.
Summer tyres
Our highest rated tyre in the Summer category, in this car's sizes, is the Bridgestone Battlax BT 023, at 8.7 out of 10.
| # | Tyre | TR Score | Made in | Kawasaki ZX10r reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bridgestone Battlax BT 023
|
8.7 | All your sizes | 1 |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Summer Tyres →
Fitment comes from each tyre's manufactured size list, and the sizes are the ones drivers reported when they reviewed. Check the size, load index and speed rating on your own doorplate before buying - a size a previous owner ran is not always the size your car left the factory on.
Every tyre reviewed on the Kawasaki ZX10r
The complete record, including discontinued tyres and tyres with too few reviews to rank, ordered by the amount of evidence. A further 13 tyres have a single review each; they count toward the totals but are not listed.
| Tyre | Season | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunlop GP Racer D211 Replaced by Dunlop GP Racer D212 | Summer | 88% | 3 | 4,150 miles |
| Pirelli Diablo Corsa III | Summer | 70% | 3 | 14,956 miles |
| Dunlop SportSmart TT | Summer | 76% | 2 | 4,500 miles |
Tyre sizes Kawasaki ZX10r drivers run
The sizes fitted in the reviews on this page. Each one links to the top rated tyres in that size, across every car.
What Kawasaki ZX10r drivers say
The most recent owner reviews from this car, in their own words.
Before this i had the Michelin Power RS and wanted to give these Sportsmart TT's a try.
I ride on the streets and also do trackdays. Both perform perfect on dry surface. On the track i believe the Sportsmarts are a little bit better, the feedback is a bit better when accelerating out of corners.
Wet surface the Power RS is much much better then the Sportsmart, the Sportsmart is crap in wet weather. I must be very careful when its wet. The Power RS has much more grip and gives more confident in the wet. Also under 10 degrees be careful with kneedowns and stuff like that with the Sportsmart TT, with only a little bit too much throttle it could slide. Power RS easily warms up even with those temperatures. I will try the Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa 2 after these or the new Michelin Power GP.
Would i recommend these tires? Yes, because they are close to track tires and for 12+ degrees and trackdays these tires are perfect.
Super Corsa SP's, I have had them on for just over 6,000 miles, my only issue with the tyres are Week 3 I got a nail in there, week 5 they got a tear in and I can see another tear developing.
Other than this amazing tyres to run both track and road. The wear pattern for a litre bike is great, they are not rounded and I had a nice ride on the motorway from London to Belgium and back in a day.
Other than this amazing tyres to run both track and road. The wear pattern for a litre bike is great, they are not rounded and I had a nice ride on the motorway from London to Belgium and back in a day.
One of the best 'real world' sports bike tyres you can get in my opinion. I have used them for everything from touring to trackdays and they have been great. Grip front and rear is predictable, with plenty of feedback if you are pushing your luck. Unusually for a sporty tyre they are also pretty decent in the wet with a secure, planted feel. Longevity is also very good for this sort of tyre. Recommended.
I have used these tyres for about 1000 road miles and 4 trackdays (fast group). I would say they look about half worn now. Dry grip is excellent, they feel very similar on track to the D212s I was using previously and I felt comfortable doing similar lap times. Dunlop reckon warmers aren't necessary and that seems to be the case; they get up to temperature very quickly. On warm dry roads they are just as good, you'd never run out of grip. They feel very stable and steer well. Wet conditions are a different story. They feel very vague and don't inspire confidence at all. I didn't have any slides as such, just don't feel they can be trusted at all. Overall I would say they are an excellent compromise for 50/50 road and track. You'll save money too - they last much longer than more focused trackday tyres.
I think these are great.
Have used them on My ZX10 and probbaly have had close to 7000 miles on the rear. I dont use them on track.
The rear started to get a flat spot on it however when I was in Germany.
In the wet they arent great. You cant give it any power or it will kick out. These arent for the wet though.
They heat up quick and dont shred. I really like them.
Have used them on My ZX10 and probbaly have had close to 7000 miles on the rear. I dont use them on track.
The rear started to get a flat spot on it however when I was in Germany.
In the wet they arent great. You cant give it any power or it will kick out. These arent for the wet though.
They heat up quick and dont shred. I really like them.
I've a 2014 ZX10R, it came shod with the BT016's and I was keen to compare these to the Conti Sport Attacks and the Michy PR2's and PR3's I'd had on previous bikes. I've had no real problems with grip in the dry, front washed out in bad rain but I was hitting a Roundabout fairly spritely and to be fair there could have been a bit of oil or diesel etc, etc. My only gripe is after 2.8K miles the rear is now in need of replacing. Pushing the tyre to get 3K miles isn't what I call economical. Back to Michelin I think.
I used these tyres on my 04 ZX10R in all conditions & they performed ok in terms of grip & they have a great profile & carcass. Both the front & rear work well in the dry & although the front works well in the wet the rear let go a number of times in the wet but in a progressive manner so more of a giggle than a sphincter clencher. Michelin Power 2CTs I used last perform better in all conditions but have a softer carcass. I will probably try Michelin Power 3 next but if you ride a 600 or can get a pair cheap SportSmart² are worth a try.
I've been riding for many years and raced for 10 and these tyres are the pits, take ages to warm up, spin and slide to much, had me out of the seat a few times and after 2000 miles I dumped them for my own safety, would I buy again never.
Fantastic grip and very quick at warming up within a mile I was getting my knee down even in the wet, the progressive nature of these tyres is spot on no worries about nailing the throtle out of corners, I have had race tyres not as good as these will defo buy again.
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Every rating on this page was submitted by a driver through the review form on this site, naming the car, the tyre, the size and the distance covered. Reviews are checked by hand before publication, and the page rebuilds automatically as new ones arrive.
About the TR Score
The Tyre Reviews Score rates each tyre out of 10 using independent test results and the full body of owner reviews, so you can check a car-specific ranking against the wider evidence.
Who does the testing
Every test published as a Tyre Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tyres independently since 2007.