My bike was handling like an old barge...

I've spent a few months away from the bike due to my dodgy back and, when i got back in the saddle, i didn't feel comfortable at all. The bike felt unstable at slow speeds and the cornering ability was rubbish! I put it down to me needing to build my confidence in the bike but that wasn't the only problem. Since i got the bike, back in June 2005, it's had a tendancy to follow white lines and overbanding. I did improve this by tweaking the suspension but the problem was still there. The profile of the front tyre has always been shallow but i put it down to the tyres being meant for touring. It was fitted with Bridgestone BT020's.

After wrestling the bike round Wales on a ride out I decided something had to be done so tackled the suspension again. It improved slightly but i was still unhappy with it. I am a member of Northwest Bikers so i took the bike along to the last pub meet where it was decided that my front tyre was to blame. Simon, a member of the group owns a ZRX, fitted with the same tyres and comparing the two, it was obvious there was a problem. My tyre's profile was far too shallow and looked almost square compared with Simon's. I took Simon's up the road and the difference was instant.

I went off to the tyre shop earlier today and had a new tyre fitted to the front. What a difference! It goes round corners now! i was so dis-heartened after the ride to Wales that I even considered getting rid of the bike if a solution couldn't be found! Now I am glad I didn't!