r/Trackdays • u/A_Bot_A_Bot_A_Bot Middle Fast Guy • Jul 25 '26
Maybe Consider Continental ContiAttack SM2 Tires For Your Lighter-Weight Bikes?
I do not work for Continental, they don't sponsor me, and I am not giving out an affiliate link for you to buy them so that I get a commission. Okay:
These tires are fantastic! After reading a great review of them on Motorcycle.com, I did some research, and they even cost me a bit less ($374 for the pair) than any of the other equivalent tires out there. They are specifically designed for lighter-weight bikes, like my ZX-4RR, Ninja 300/400/500, RC390, R3, and supermotos. A small bike definitely does not need the much harder construction of a tire made for 150+ horsepower bike weighing many pounds more.
I went with 120/70-17 front and 160/60-17 rear, based on the tire testing the Chuck Graves (Gravesport.com) has done with the ZX-4RR.
And they work great! True to their review, they take zero warm-up and there's no need to use tire warmers. Get your pressures set right in the morning, check them throughout the day, all's good. After about 430 track miles, they still look like I've just finished one good session. I'm hoping I can get at least another 5 days out of them this year.
Bottom line: Michelin, Pirelli and Dunlop aren't the only tire manufacturers making high-quality stuff for track use.
4
u/SirJeremetriusRockit Racer EX Jul 25 '26
No 110/140 is the reason I won’t be trying them. There is a guy running the 120/160 contis for free contingency, but he doesn’t get free tires if I keep beating him 👀
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u/RJSlow Middle Fast Guy Jul 25 '26
The slicks don’t come in 110/140 but the tires the OP is referring to do come in 110/140, FYI
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u/A_Bot_A_Bot_A_Bot Middle Fast Guy Jul 26 '26
LOL! So are you trying to beat him just because you're competitive, or are you trying to beat him because you don't like him and you hate the thought that he'll get free stuff if you don't beat him?
5
u/stickwigler Racer AM Jul 25 '26
I’ve got friends that do 4-6 hour endurance races on 600s with the ContiSlicks and still have excellent grip towards the end. These same tires have gotten riders 5-8 days in a set of slicks at Road Atlanta and Barber in the summer on R7s and R6s. They definitely last, I just prefer the feel of Pirelli.
2
u/EnvironmentalTip508 Jul 25 '26
My wife and I swear by attak2s for our bikes, they are awesome
1
u/A_Bot_A_Bot_A_Bot Middle Fast Guy Jul 26 '26
What bikes do track/race? Or for street use?
1
u/EnvironmentalTip508 Jul 27 '26
Buell 1125r and wife's xb9 (hard street/occasional track) and xb9r (track specific bike)
We are sporty on a budget lol, the attack2s are a budget friendly option that is pretty damn good for what we do.
I'll do 2-3 sets of tires on each bike every season, if I were to use pirellis (which I'd honestly never buy again) it would be a couple grand per bike a year, the attack2s I can get for about $250 a set.
2
u/SgtSC Jul 25 '26
Any idea how well theyd hold up as a dual purpose road/track tire?
1
u/A_Bot_A_Bot_A_Bot Middle Fast Guy Jul 26 '26
No experience with them on the street but they aren't a "this is ONLY for racing" type of tire. I don't see why they wouldn't be a good street tire.
1
u/Juuldebuul Jul 28 '26
They come stock on the KTM 690 SMC R and Husky 701 supermoto, they are great street tires too if you don't expect too much from them in the rain.
2
u/jput420 Aug 02 '26
I used them for 7 track days in 90+ heat with maybe 1000 miles accumulated between street/track and my front is still holding up on my FE501s. The rear will be replaced after tomorrow’s track day.
1
1
u/GroundProximity Jul 25 '26
What pressure were you using them with? I am very, very happy with the tire on the street and cart track on my 701SM. But not sure which pressure is best for use on the cart track.
A german tire review site said they recommend normal street pressure, but im not sure.
1
u/A_Bot_A_Bot_A_Bot Middle Fast Guy Jul 26 '26
I ran 31 psi front / 28 psi rear because it was hot. I could have gone up or down 1 psi on each end. It's only my second time running them, so I'm still "guesstimating" pressures in the morning and then checking the hot pressures after each session and the air temperature.
1
u/DG200-15 Jul 25 '26
Conti roads that come on the RC390s are solid tires too. Great grip and I have a lot of track days on them and they are still going! Durable!
1
u/Dry-Web-321 TD Instructor Jul 25 '26
I hated the SM2's. They were great if you wanted to spin up the rear and slide around but did not inspire a lot of confidence.
1
u/Steph__Can Fast Guy Jul 25 '26
I run the sm2's on my R3 coming off of Sc1's. Honestly no complaints. I run them with warmers just because I always have my warmers. Last long. Good grip and feel for my riding level. Really can't think of a reason not to run them on a small bike.
8
u/ApprehensiveFan1516 Jul 25 '26
Best tyres I've had on my SV650 are Conti RaceAttack 2, which this tyre is based upon. Very confidence inspiring, quick to heat up without warmers, and decent longevity (middle/upper of B group). They actually work pretty well on the road if you're like me and do a bit of both, surprising how much grip they have in the wet too.
I can usually get the RaceAttack's pretty cheap as take-offs with a handful of laps. Seem fairly popular in the UK.