Dunlop Elite 3's

Avon SuperVenoms will outperform the GT501s from a handling perspective. Drop pressures to 30/32 front/rear and they stick like glue. The don't last long at all though.

The GT501s are the best combination of performance\longevity I've found. I have dragged the pegs at track days on the 501s and they lasted a year in agressive street riding (figure about 7,000 miles).

The avons look like they are going to last only a few thousand miles. Maybe 5K at most. Avon also makes the same tire in a compound similiar to the 501s I think called the AM33 that I've heard good things about. I know someone that has this tire on their Triumph Daytona Cup racer and has been happy with it, and it looks like it is going to last a long time.

Wish I woulda heard sooner about the Super venoms... I just put on the GT 501's and so far I think they ride AWESOME!!! I just can't imagine anything outperforming them...
I just barely got them run in but they definitely show a superior sense of stability and so far they have shown absolutely no signs of traction loss in corners or in the straight lines. I'd highly recommend the GT501 on any KZ...

I have always felt tire pressure should be set based on the max load rating of the tire in question. I didn't say to actually set it to that max pressure but to take it into consideration. An Avon Venom tire (I use them on my Voyager) has a Max Load rating at 50 PSI while a Dunlop Elite II is 41 PSI. I think you should take the 50 PSI and subtract a few pounds based on the load you are carrying so the tire pressure will be a shade different depending on brand and type of tire given the widely different pressures needed to achieve the load rating. I have extensive experience as far as comparing mileages on the touring tires (the Avon Venom X is a touring tire)... comparing Avon Venom X to Dunlop Elite II and Metzler 880, I can get appx 15K miles on a set of Avons (on either a Nomad or Voyager), 18K on the Elite II and 16K on a Metlzer 880.

The main problem with the Dunlops was squaring of the tread after about 12K miles. As the profile progressively squares, the handling deteriorates. By the end of their life, it can get downright scary so pushing the mileage; even though they have legal tread is a poor idea, imho. I have had tread separation on Metzlers on TWO different rear tires and will NOT use them anymore. Probably my bad luck but it scared me out of using them. The Avons, while not quite as durable will outperform the Dunlop or Metzler touring tires wet or dry; both handling and in the rain but wear just a tad quicker.

If you want a tire that sticks well for about 1500 miles, try putting a Cheng Shen Barracuda on... I got 1500 miles on a KZ900 and never spun the tire. The tire handled well but I NEVER saw a tire wear as fast. I have used Cheng Shen tires on both my KZ carburetor test bikes but use a harder rubber tire and they hold up decently giving decent wear for the dollar. I can't recall the model tire but I can get 10K miles easily from a rear tire. As I already mentioned, I have been pretty happy with Avon Venom X tires on my touring bikes where I tend to roll up the miles but will definitely keep the Dunlop Elite 3 in mind for the Voyager although the sizes on the Voyager are odd ones... 130/70-16 front and 150/90-15 rear.