Currently I am using a Modenas(Kawasaki) Z250 ABS 2022 and they come with stock 140/70-R17 tyres Dunlop

1. Thinking of changing the stock tyres to better ones since they suck when it rains. Any recommendations for tyres?

Been looking at Michelin Road or Pilot Road 5/6 and I know these are "overkill" for a 250cc but I dont want to cheap out on what's helping me stick to the road or cause me to hydroplane during rainy usage. but the only stock available are 150/70 or 150/60 instead of 140/70 for the rears.

2. Should I upsize and use 150/70 or 60 instead but then do I need to change my stock rims?

3. If I am upsizing my rears, are the fronts fine with stock 110/70-R17 or should I upsize that as well to 120/70?'''

Those are my questions. Do tell if I miss any important points.

Do note, I am a new rider with no experience prior to two weeks ago. Educate me as you see fit as you might help me from regretting doing something dumb.

thank you and have a nice day

what dunlop do you get?

I'd take 150/70, 150/60 is for wider rims, also, the Ninja old 250SE came with 150/70 iirc

[quote=alexei,Oct 4 2022, 06:54 PM]
what dunlop do you get?

factory stock dunlop arrowmax gt601

so should be fine to go 150/70 with stock rims right?

Get the 150/70 rear...150/60 is fine too n will be lighter (less weight)

Front get stock size

Corsa s123 were awesome on my old kawa z250..
Can get cheap at around rm400/set....loved these tires on my old z250

Im using road 5 on my z900 now n i really dont like them....theyre ok in the rain, lasts long but suck everywhere else.

Cant wait to get back to metzeler roadtec01..performs well in wet n lasts about the same as road 5 but better than the road 5 everywhere else

This post has been edited by mADmAN: Oct 4 2022, 08:06 PM

yeah, should be.

but, the road5 have dual compound, and on the sides of the rear tyre are super grippy compound like hypersports.
if you lean over, there is a sharp change of feeling that need getting used to. IINM, the new road6 took away this compound.

also, different brand tyre gives different feeling, especially when turning a bike, for a learning rider.
if affects turning at different speeds, slow, medium, and fast. some ppl can adapt, some ppl just pick a brand and use it forever.

check your rim width, is usually stamped on one of the spokes or somewhere on the rim, looks something like MT17x4.00. this is the rim diameter and width, and the width determines what tyre size it can take. my personal opinion, is to use the middle size, or go down one size for less aggressive riders. down size usually gives more surface area at low lean angles, and opposite for up size. but, at the cost of high speed stability.

arrowmax is bias, and road5 is radial. make sure the front you get a matching radial tyre otherwise learning to ride the bike will become strange. stick to original size for the front wheel.

other options are:
Metzeler Roadtec series (Z8, Roadtec01 etc)- usually the cheapest around here, but if you compare overseas price, they are up there
Pirelli Angel series
Bridgestone T series (T30 evo, T31, T32)

Budget conscious and recommended, msotly bias ply:
Corsa Platinum series
Maxxis Volans (dual compound)

and many other sport touring tyres...

hypersport tyres will give the best riding experience, maybe someday when you're ready

"Over kill"
What do you mean by overkill for a 250cc?

If a tyre gives you good grip and performance, what it gotta do with over kill?

You mean 250cc will not slip or hydroplane and you do not need such good tyres ?

Anyway I'm a user of Michelin road 5.
No regrets. Good grip on wet and slice through water puddles on the road.

And I'm on my way to change to a second set, will change to road6.

hey bro... I'm looking to replace my Benelli Leoncino 250 factory Metzeler tyres as feel the it's hard already now.. My rear tyre size is 150/60/17 and fron tyre size is 110/70/17. . Any tyre brand recommendations with good grip for wet & dry conditions + mileage ? Currently looking at Pirelli Rosso 3/4 and Michelin PS2. Budget below rm600.

Thanks in advance

do not trust any tyres in the wet, that's all I can say

full silica is best in the wet, but they die faster in the heat, or parked under the sun UV will kill the tyres

the best bet would be Michelin Road series, or Metzeler Roadtec series, or Pirelli Angel GT series
if you want sports bias tyres, Battlax S22 and Metzeler M9RR are the best in wet, Rosso also ok

I have used Metzeler Roadtec01, Michelin Power GP, Metzeler Racetec RR (rear) all in wet and dry - rear tyre will almost always lose grip no matter what

Kapcai I trust Corsa platinum series and Bridgestone battlax BT39 both wet and dry

if you want lower cost options, you can consider non-radial tyres like Corsa Cross but they don't have your size
probably just fit 110/80 and 140/80

when you change new tyres, get used to the new tyre profile first, the tyre will handle differently
also need to change the pressure, and find out which one gives you the best confidence, especially the front tyre

1. Me also riding the Modenas Z250. Changed the stock tyre to Pirelli Diablo Rosso III ( standard size ). More confident on the curve road & wet condition. Grippy!
2. No need to upsize. 140/70 is enough.

OP here. Got myself Michelin Road 6 at the 8000km mark. Now my bike clocks in at 23000km mark. 110/70 front and 150/60 rear. I'd confidently say these tyres are so good in rain conditions, but will always slip or slide on paint so be wary.

Honestly went with 150/60 instead of 140/70(standard size) was because it was out of stock. while I do love these tyres, that difference of 70 & 60 is too much for my liking. Affected the bike's top speed. 180kmh on the dash is 160 on gps for 150/60. beforehand it would be 180kmh on dash and 170 gps.

15,000KM later, still not squared out, I can see it lasting me another 10,000km more at this rate.

This post has been edited by david22022022: Jan 12 2024, 08:54 AM

it should go up to 30k kms if pressure and suspension are ok

Just to put in here FWIW.

No tyre can fully prevent a slip, or hydroplane completely. Just ride safety and within the limits of the road and weather conditions.

More importantly, learn what to do when you encounter slip. We ride bikes. It happens. Deal with it. Sooner you learn the better it will be for it.


If anything, tyres that are low grip and tend to slip earlier are more forgiving on recovery. Higher performance higher grip tyres will grip more but may also let go more abruptly and harder to recover. Bear this in mind when doing tyre selection. This is something many people don't consider.

I've only heard of people using wider tyres at the back but have never heard of someone planning to re-size the front...do share your feedback once you've done it. How does it feel? But it's not like a car ya where it is common to upsize just by ensuring the overall diameter doesn't change. BTW, standard original supplied Dunlop tyres generally aren't too good.

tyre size... make sure suitable for the rim width
I test different size on rear, +1 width but +/-1 height

example: stock rear 150/70
- 150/60 or 160/60

For 140/70 can try 130/70

My stock size is 150/60.

I've had 160/60s on. As far as I'm concerned, I don't feel any difference between the 2 sizes, same brand and model. Just stick to stock size and save a bit of money. The only reason I went with my 160/60 is the 160s had 10% deeper thread than the same tyre in 150/60. Zeneos ZN33.

after 15000km, decided to change out my 150/60 back to a 140/70. top speed back to where it was, 10kmh difference between gps and dash instead of 20kmh. the "old" tyres had a lot of life in it left(around 10000km minimum), gave to a friend who's using zx25r.

you wouldn't feel a difference since you're using a tyre with 60 thickness. mine standard was 70 and going to 60 did quite a lot in terms of gps and dash top speed. albeit minimal to some.

This post has been edited by david22022022: Jan 22 2024, 09:26 PM

in my experience, dropping the sidewall profile on the same width, will actually require a wider rim, example, 140/60 (sidewall 84) vs 140/70 (sidewall 98), the 140/60 actually not suitable for the rim that the 140/70 comes with

going up 1 size, from 140/70 (sidewall 98) to 150/70 (sidewall 105) is actually ok, but really is for people who wants more safety margin when the bike is leaned over, aka more chicken strips

going 140/70 (sidewall 98) to 150/60 (90) means may need a wider rim to use the 150/60, 150/70 (sidewall 105) is more suitable

for rear tyre, tall sidewall is actually better, especially if you want to run lower pressure to keep the tyre heat in