Thanks for the info. it looks like the front tire is sept.6 2001 (k9601 on tire followed by made in japan) and the rear is 9902 so i guess they were originals. tread still looks good but i will replace them just to play it safe. Any suggestions? should i stick to the battlax bt56 thats on it, i see that suzuki put them on the huyabusa also, though my bike is no sport bike haha. I was also looking at the dunlop roadsmarts , they recieved a great reviews.