Hi,.... it's difficult to say really as I have no direct comparison other than the tyres that were on when I bought the bike . The tyres that were on the bike were Metzeler Lasertec front and Metzeler ML2 rear.......... but they were 2008 codes !!! Knowing this , I still rode the bike home in the wet, and the bike felt very nervous .... maybe it was just me being nervous knowing the age of the tyres. I don't know for sure. However, I'm much more comfortable on the new tyres. I'm used to sports bikes (my other bike is an old Fireblade) .... so in general, the handling is taking a little getting used to.