when my original macadam rear started to get worn my bike was handling in a way in which it had never done before,and i remember stopping on several occassions to check that nothing was loose ,on the rear wheel axle etc.the bike when it got to a certain lean angle dropped further but not smoothly.when it rolled off the flat tyre edge..the day i put 2 new tyres on it,it was a different bike and rode perfect for me..with avon azuros it tracks perfect through high speed sweepers,but it was slower to turn in on tighter corners,one of my old mates a month ago in the south island on a 04 g2 dropped it and wrote it off with with a new set of shinkos on it,but is adamant it was a 700km day and not the shinkos to us,but his mate who is the importer of shinkos got another version for a laugh,but the person who dropped the bike spoke highly of them and he is seriously on the pace still.cheers slo