Thinking back on the purchase of my first replacement tire... I was half my current age and pretty tight with money. A local mc shop sold the Cheng Shin at half the price of the american made rubber, so I saved 50 bucks and let them install a rear tire. They warned me it would be slick for a few miles but being young I pulled out of the parking lot and almost lost it pulling into traffic as the rear slid out from under me.
The release agent on the tire eventually wore off but the handling never improved much, I drove scared for the next 3K until it wore out. In the meantime I had plenty of opportunity to ask around the mc community about a better tire... I will never make the same mistake again, there simply is no more important piece of equipment on a vehicle capable of speed than what is used to connect it to the road.
30 years later I have two minivans and a 1 ton utility van, and run two sets of Michelins and one set of BFGoodrich (a Michelin company). My Xciting will soon be receiving Michelins as well. YMMV.
