Which tires do you like the best for SPORT-touring on your 1250?

[JCtx]

Hey gang, my stock Z8 tires are almost done (on the sides) after not even 3K miles, thanks to a trip to the TX Hill Country, where I put around 1,200 miles. Extremely abrasive asphalt, and obviously pushing the bike in those wonderful twisties, ate my tires on the sides (almost down to the wear bars). I still have like a trip left in them, but NOT in the HC again. Ha ha. So looking at options now. I've always been happy with Michelin Road tires (my last on the MT10 were 5s), so might go with the 6s if folks here they're still the best. BUT have read several testimonials that there are other options now even better than the Roads, in terms of both grip AND longevity. I absolutely don't want to give up grip, since I only ride for the twisties, and like to lean aggressively. But almost any premium sport-touring tire is going to have enough grip nowadays IMO, so it boils down to longevity and cost. I MUCH rather have tires that last the longest possible, as it's ridiculous having to change them every 3K+ miles. Those 'better' tires mentioned were the Dunlop RoadSmart 4s, Pirelli Angel GTs, Metzeler Roadtec 01s, and a Bridgestone Battlax something. Thank you in advance for your comments.

[TSConver]

What bike?  Rt? Gs?

[JCtx]

Oh, sorry. I own a 2020 R1250R HP, which is probably the sportiest R bike. The RS has sportier bars, but lazier geometry, so the R is more nimble. And a bit lighter too. I bought the 'sport' handlebar (now discontinued) that mimics the stock RS clip-ons, thinking I wouldn't like the stock bars, but they're just about perfect. They're all-day comfortable, and even at full lean feel fine, so decided to leave them alone. And most RS owners immediately buy bar-backs, meaning they're a bit too aggressive, so that was another sign to leave them alone. Ha ha. My bike leans forward just the right amount for me: not too much, and not too little, which is super comfortable for my back. Some folks change the handlebar on Rs too, but that puts you too upright for canyon carving, and I actually get tired quicker more upright. That's why I sold my '14 RT.

[Hati]

I have Road 5s on my camhead R and very happy with them. On my RT apart of Road 5s, I had Road Smart III hoops and hated them, along with the Metzellers the bike came with. Road 6 has the nicest geometry and best feel IMHO. 

[JCtx]

I never liked Dunlops, but was open to new testimonials. I greatly appreciate your input, and it convinced me I should stick to what has always worked for me. The Road6 should be an improvement over the 5s, so hopefully they'll last a little longer. I'm sure they'll last longer than the Z8s; the only question is how long. Will order them very soon (probably from Revzilla, but need to check for best prices), and get ready for sticker shock, since I paid less than $300 for my last set of Road5s delivered. Ha ha. Thanks again for your help. Hope you had a great long weekend. Take care.

 

EDIT: Just checked Revzilla, and they have the Road5s for $401.08, and the Road6s for $474.42. My question is if the Road6s are 73 bucks (or roughly 18%) better than the 5s. The only drawback of the 5s is they might be old, but would have to ask Revzilla how much. My question is if the 6s last longer, and how much. I don't really need any more grip than the 5s provide. I had them on my MT10, and were awesome. Thank you.

[Hati]

On the RT using R6GT ended up getting the extra 20% Michelin promises. On a lighter bike like the R it shouldn't be much different with the non-GT tyres I would think, but to be honest the handling is so good on the 5s, personally I might just stay with them. On the other hand if you don't try, you don't know ;)

[Stiggy]

I choose not to test pilot tires that I personally haven't run anymore so I stick with the 6 GT's in spite of the price. 6,000 rear, 9,000 front on this last set.

[dirtrider]

12 hours ago, JCtx said:

Hey gang, my stock Z8 tires are almost done (on the sides) after not even 3K miles, thanks to a trip to the TX Hill Country, where I put around 1,200 miles. Extremely abrasive asphalt, and obviously pushing the bike in those wonderful twisties, ate my tires on the sides (almost down to the wear bars). I still have like a trip left in them, but NOT in the HC again. Ha ha. So looking at options now. I've always been happy with Michelin Road tires (my last on the MT10 were 5s), so might go with the 6s if folks here they're still the best. BUT have read several testimonials that there are other options now even better than the Roads, in terms of both grip AND longevity. I absolutely don't want to give up grip, since I only ride for the twisties, and like to lean aggressively. But almost any premium sport-touring tire is going to have enough grip nowadays IMO, so it boils down to longevity and cost. I MUCH rather have tires that last the longest possible, as it's ridiculous having to change them every 3K+ miles. Those 'better' tires mentioned were the Dunlop RoadSmart 4s, Pirelli Angel GTs, Metzeler Roadtec 01s, and a Bridgestone Battlax something. Thank you in advance for your comments.

Morning  JCtx

 

Not an easy solution, most sport touring type tires are multi-compound so the sides are softer & do wear early on the side rubber if aggressively ridden. 

 

Most responses you will get here will be about "normal" upright riding, not very aggressive lean angles. 

 

I also ride aggressively (probably not as aggressive lean for as many curves as you do but pretty aggressive for an RT) your R1250R HP will do better then the RT so you can really dig in on the lean angles. 

 

I have tried a number of tries on my RT & keep going back to the the Z-8. I can get a bit longer wear from some but the Z-8 seem to give me the best EVEN wear. On my RT I usually get in the 5,000 mile life range but have gone as low as 4,000 miles. I lose a lot of tire due to hard braking as I typically ride late apex with a LOT of very hard late braking.

 

With the way you ride then you are going to have a difficult time comparing tire brand & wear to other (less aggressive) riders, at least I can't. 

 

I can't say the Z-8 is the best choice (probably isn't)  for your wear issue  but at least I can get them to wear evenly & more importantly they are predictable throughout their life. 

 

You can find harder rubber tires with a single compound but those typically have less cornering traction & are less predictable. 

 

Bottom line__ If you ride hard then your tire life will be short, get used to it.   

 

 

[Lowndes]

2009 K1300S  (a "sport bike" but only has 175 hp).  Still working on the first Michelin Road 6GT on the rear and a Road 6 on the front, but am VERY pleased with the stiction and wear so far.  Some center wear is just commuting to the good roads in N GA and N Carolina.  So far I have right at 4k on these and the center groove just disappeared this weekend on the rear, about half way to the wear bars:

 

 

 

 

[Darbarian]

TANSTAAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch - Robert Heinlein - The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress

 

Competitive drivers/riders buy for performance and don't mind buying more often and paying premium prices for premium performance. The tires are simply part of a system that makes their hobby or competition more expensive than watching the grass grow.

 

Tire shops love competitive autocrossers because they buy the more expensive tires and eagerly replace them at least once a season.

 

I doubt you will find high performance and high mileage in one tire make/model. Perhaps you can enjoy your ride with less ultimate grip. For me, I want whatever safety margin good tires can give me at higher-than-average lean angles. I certainly don't begrudge $400 on a nice handling motorcycle costing 30 times that. 

[strataj]

Sorry to be a little off topic but I wanted y'all to know Michelin has a rebate for the month of September https://www.michelinman.com/motorcycle/promotions

[Lowndes]

1 hour ago, strataj said:

Sorry to be a little off topic but I wanted y'all to know Michelin has a rebate for the month of September https://www.michelinman.com/motorcycle/promotions

 

Sounds EXACTLY "on topic" to me.  ($/wear/performance is the conversation and this is definitely in the $ department)  

 

Thanks!!

[92Merc]

I like the feel of my Bridgestone T32 GT's.  I have one up front.  Will put one out back when needed.  Can't comment on mileage, as I didn't write this tire change down.

 

But $70 a tire cheaper than the Michelin's for the fronts, yeah, I'll stick with Bridgestone.  Who also has a $50 rebate going on.

 

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/tires-and-wheels/bridgestone-battlax-sport-touring-t32-gt-front-motorcycle-tire-p?v=14973

 

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/tires-and-wheels/michelin-road-6-gt-front-motorcycle-tire-p?v=14973

 

I had bought the Michelin 6 GT's for the wife's RT for her to try.  Riding the Black Hills, she said she had a few times of a squirlly feeling.  But it went away.  I think she just needed a few more miles on the fronts as it was fine coming home.  But then again, North Dakota isn't known for having curves....

[Bernie]

I liked the Bridgestone T31/32GT in the dry, but during START 23 in the rain, they were scary. They simply jumped or slid on wet pavement over every tar snake. It really gets your attention. I prefer the Dunlop Roadsmart 4 over the Michelin, Bridgestone, Conti RoadAttack3 or Metzler. For me on a slow 2018 R1200RT (Not a ShiftCam) they last as long as the Michelin Road 5GT (8000+ miles BC) and handle better. For me, your results may be different. 

[JCtx]

On 9/5/2023 at 5:05 AM, dirtrider said:

Not an easy solution, most sport touring type tires are multi-compound so the sides are softer & do wear early on the side rubber if aggressively ridden. Bottom line__ If you ride hard then your tire life will be short, get used to it.  

I've always been used to that. And yes, dual-compound sport-touring tires is exactly what I need, so I wouldn't buy anything else. And I don't ride aggressively most of the time; just lean aggressively when safe (I explained it better at the bottom). I typically wear my Road 'x' tires evenly, so that tells me these Z8s wear quicker than the Michelins, unfortunately (but no complaints on grip; I learned to trust them). And as I mentioned earlier, the problem is the Texas Hill Country: I've never seen asphalt more abrasive than that (see pic below), but the bright side is you don't worry about grip at all. Ha ha.

 

On 9/5/2023 at 8:00 AM, Lowndes said:

2009 K1300S  (a "sport bike" but only has 175 hp).  Still working on the first Michelin Road 6GT on the rear and a Road 6 on the front, but am VERY pleased with the stiction and wear so far.  Some center wear is just commuting to the good roads in N GA and N Carolina. So far I have right at 4k on these and the center groove just disappeared this weekend on the rear, about half way to the wear bars:

Hey, I also had a 2009 K1300S (white). It was a great bike, but the engine vibes started bothering my hands (and feet) more and more after I turned 50 (61 now), and got to the point I couldn't last an hour riding (even with foam inserts), so had to sell it. By contrast, I can ride all day on my R1250R (and multiple days in a row), even though I'm a decade older now. And it's actually more fun in the twisties than the tele-lever K13S, so it might be your next bike too. Anyway, sounds like the 6s are the way to go, even when they're more expensive. And I won't have to worry about freshness, like with the older 5s.

 

On 9/5/2023 at 8:28 AM, Darbarian said:

For me, I want whatever safety margin good tires can give me at higher-than-average lean angles. I certainly don't begrudge $400 on a nice handling motorcycle costing 30 times that. 

Me neither man (and it's a lot more than $400 nowadays, at least for current premium rubber). Not sure where you got that impression, but it's the opposite: Always the best rubber for me, and I always replace both tires, even if the front still looks great (which is typically the case, except with the Z8s). I'm just trying to find the best sport-touring tire that is going to last the longest; that's it. I'd NEVER buy touring tires, or cheaper, 'no-brand' tires. I've used Road 'x' tires for the last decade, and don't want any less than those. I NEVER skimp on tires; always the best, car or bike. And typically replace them much earlier than needed.

 

On 9/5/2023 at 8:46 AM, strataj said:

Sorry to be a little off topic but I wanted y'all to know Michelin has a rebate for the month of September https://www.michelinman.com/motorcycle/promotions

Hey, that's absolutely on topic. But seems like the savings is only $40, if at all. It doesn't say which models are included. Hopefully Road6s, since that's what I'm going to get (rebate or not).

 

 

Finally, just wanted to point out I don't ride aggressively most of the time; just LEAN aggressively. Many times I don't even touch the brakes during a canyon run, since I also like to enjoy the scenery. Just engine-braking, which is a great way to learn how to read curves accurately. But if I misjudge a corner, of course I do a bit of trail braking to scrub that extra speed. Sometimes I pick up the pace and ride more aggressively for a stretch, trail-braking deeply, etc., but not even close to race track levels. And only on mostly empty roads, and on the way back, once I know the road is good both ways. Oh, and I always ride on weekdays only, to have the road mostly to myself, and minimize traffic risks. And as far as wear, I live in the middle of nowhere, so I don't ride the twisties that much percentage-wise, but my aggressive leaning eats the sides of the tires at about the same rate as the endless miles of straight roads eat the centers. So hopefully the new Road 6s will bring that back. Apparently the only tires that could in theory be better than the Road6s is the Dunlop Roadsmart4s, but I'm not ready to try them with just 1 testimonial; maybe next time. Hopefully the Road6s will last me 5K miles, which is all I expect. But if it's less, like usual, I'm used to it. Not going to stop riding the Hill Country just because it eats tires. And the other areas around here (Big Bend, Gila, Cloudcroft), are not that much better, but definitely less abrasive than the THC. I can't imagine what a fall on that asphalt would do to our skin, regardless of gear worn. Hope none of us ever find out. Thank you for all the help; greatly appreciated.

[strataj]

JCtx,  The rebate is $60, see the following I copied from the terms and conditions:

 

$60 Visa® Reward Card per purchase of a set of two (2) (one front and one rear tire) of the following new select Michelin On-Road or Road Racing
Motorcycle tires: Michelin Scorcher Adventure, Michelin Scorcher Sport, Michelin Anakee Adventure, Michelin Anakee III, Michelin Anakee Wild,
Michelin Road Classic, Michelin Power Cup 2, Michelin Power Cup Evo, Michelin Power Performance Cup Edition D, Michelin Power Performance
Cup Medium, Michelin Power Performance Cup Soft, Michelin Power Performance Slick 24, Michelin Power Performance Slick Hard, Michelin
Power Performance Slick Hard 24, Michelin Power Performance Slick Medium, Michelin Power Performance Slick Medium Hard, Michelin Power
Performance Slick Medium Soft, Michelin Power Performance Slick Soft, Michelin Power Performance Slick Soft 24, Michelin Power Rain, Michelin
Power Rain+, Michelin Power Slick 2, Michelin Power Super Moto, Michelin Power Super Moto Rain, Michelin Pilot Power, Michelin Pilot Road 3,
Michelin Pilot Road 4, Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT, Michelin Road 5, Michelin Road 6, Michelin Road 6 GT, Michelin Pilot Power 2CT, Michelin Pilot
Street Radial, Michelin Power 5, or Michelin Power GP tires.

[JCtx]

Oh, that's good to know; thanks. The link you posted first said $60 for 'cruiser' tires, and $40 for 'on-road, and road-racing' tires. Need to check prices, to see if anybody has them cheaper than Revzilla. There's a local Cycle Gear, which is owned by Revzilla that has them locally (although it's quite a ways from my house). Need to check the rebate to make sure any retailer is included, since Revzilla might be the official distributor, but not Cycle Gear. Not many choices to buy motorcycle tires nowadays. Then I'd probably have to drive 25 miles each way for the only BMW dealer in town to install them. Hopefully no damage to my pristine black wheels, or my TPMS sensors. I'll balance them myself. Last tire change with Road5s cost me $350 total; this time it'll be $600+ for the Road 6s ($500+ tires +tax + installation). Pretty hefty increase, but it is what it is. Safety first.

[Bernie]

Cycle gear will install the tires and balance them. 

[JCtx]

11 hours ago, Bernie said:

Cycle gear will install the tires and balance them. 

Well, at least here (El Paso, TX), they don't; only non-TPMS wheels (just called them). Oh well. They charge $35 per wheel, by the way. Dealer? A whopping $60 per wheel. But I assume they're less likely to damage anything, so will take them there. Prices seem the same everywhere, around $472 delivered for the set (plus tax, of course), but dealer wants $586, so needless to say, will probably order from Revzilla, and get them delivered to my house. Cycle Gear has 2 pairs in stock, but the fronts are 1.5 years old ( rears 1/2-yr old), so will send a message to Revzilla to check theirs. Not a deal-breaker, but prefer fresher ones, especially the front ones. The change will cost $643 with taxes; it's getting ridiculously expensive. Oh, and that's me taking the wheels (which I always do); if you take the bike, $130 more. Geez. And no, even if I rode like a grandpa, I'd wear the middle at the same mileage, since I don't ride fast, nor brake hard at all, so might as well continue wearing the sides too. At least car tires are almost the same, still.

[MikeB60]

14 minutes ago, JCtx said:

Cycle Gear has 2 pairs in stock, but the fronts are 1.5 years old ( rears 1/2-yr old), so will send a message to Revzilla to check theirs. Not a deal-breaker, but prefer fresher ones, especially the front ones.

Nothing wrong with a tire that's a year and a half old tire that's been in a climate controlled store.  Here is a interesting video on the subject Link

[Bernie]

39 minutes ago, JCtx said:

Well, at least here (El Paso, TX), they don't; only non-TPMS wheels (just called them). Oh well. They charge $35 per wheel, by the way. Dealer? A whopping $60 per wheel. But I assume they're less likely to damage anything, so will take them there. Prices seem the same everywhere, around $472 delivered for the set (plus tax, of course), but dealer wants $586, so needless to say, will probably order from Revzilla, and get them delivered to my house. Cycle Gear has 2 pairs in stock, but the fronts are 1.5 years old ( rears 1/2-yr old), so will send a message to Revzilla to check theirs. Not a deal-breaker, but prefer fresher ones, especially the front ones. The change will cost $643 with taxes; it's getting ridiculously expensive. Oh, and that's me taking the wheels (which I always do); if you take the bike, $130 more. Geez. And no, even if I rode like a grandpa, I'd wear the middle at the same mileage, since I don't ride fast, nor brake hard at all, so might as well continue wearing the sides too. At least car tires are almost the same, still.

I didn’t know that they will not change tires on rims with TPS units. I been changing my own tires for the last 10-15 years and it is a lot cheaper then any dealers. And if I damage any of the rims, I have only myself to blame. LOL.

I can’t do nothing about the prices, and since I switched from a HexHead RT to a WetHead RT, my mileage dropped by 2,000 miles per set of tires, regardless which brand I use. 

But as I tell my friends, if I would be riding a motorcycle for economic reasons, I would get a 150cc scooter and get a 100mpg and replace the tires when I replace the scooter.

[JCtx]

3 hours ago, MikeB60 said:

Nothing wrong with a tire that's a year and a half old tire that's been in a climate controlled store.

Indeed, BUT since we cannot know if they were stored properly (including away from lights, etc., which I bet they were NOT), I always assume they weren't. But like I mentioned, 1.5 years is not a deal-breaker to me, but definitely prefer fresher ones, like the rear ones (only 1/2-yr old). I prefer a year-old tires or fresher (since sometimes I can't ride much), but my limit is 2. I typically eat them in 3 years, so a total of 5. Finally, if I didn't lean aggressively, I would put less emphasis on age for sure.

 

3 hours ago, Bernie said:

I been changing my own tires for the last 10-15 years and it is a lot cheaper then any dealers. But as I tell my friends, if I would be riding a motorcycle for economic reasons, I would get a 150cc scooter

I typically change tires once every 3 years, so can't justify adding all the crap needed, but I'm tempted to revisit the most popular tire changers (NoMar, etc), and maybe reconsider. But the cost to change them would be about $150, including fuel to get to the far away dealer. And yes, I'll continue buying only the best tires, and always changing BOTH, but man, it sucks almost having to pay the same for 4 car tires that last at least 10 times more, and just for 2. Oh well; it is what it is. Wish I knew somebody local with a tire changer, and pay to 'rent' his equipment, and change my tires. Or buy a tire changer among several folks. Might check if there's a regional forum here, and somebody local has a nice changer. I have a balancer, so I can do the balancing. Plus I want to mark the heavy side of my wheels, and I doubt dealer would do that. To minimize weights used.

[Bernie]

Well in 5 years and 97k miles on this WetHead RT, I have changed 14 or 15 sets of tires. It’s not a cheap hobby. But the tires on my truck are around $400.00, plus mounting and all the other fees. 

[Cap]

I have been prepping a friend's bike for our fall ride later this week in Colorado.  We had to scramble to find tires, and we ended up with Michelin Road 6 GT's.  Net cost $465 for the set after a $40 rebate.  Ouch.

 

The good news: The rear GT tire installed without drama.  I was prepared for a lengthy battle, but it just slipped right on.  Nice.  So, I now have experience with both the Dunlop RoadSmart 4 GT, and the Michelin GT, and both are much easier to install than previous tires like the RoadSmart 3 or Bridgestone T31s and T32s.

[wbw6cos]

I let my Road 6GT tires sit out in the sun on a Weber Charcoal Grill lid, whilst I removed the old ones.   

 

Not sure if the sun trick worked or the tires are easier now.  

[strataj]

4 hours ago, wbw6cos said:

I let my Road 6GT tires sit out in the sun on a Weber Charcoal Grill lid, whilst I removed the old ones.   

 

Not sure if the sun trick worked or the tires are easier now.  

William, the sun trick worked/works.  I find the Michelin GT 6 is harder/stiffer than the GT5, but still way easy like Cap said.  I won't buy the Dunlop RoadSmart 3 ever again, way to hard to mount/dismount.  I'm still scared to try the RoadSmart 4. 

[slavetotheroad]

Avon Spirit ST has long life, great grip and excellent wet weather performance.

[9Mary7]

7 hours ago, slavetotheroad said:

Avon Spirit ST has long life, great grip and excellent wet weather performance.

I have a set of Avon Storm 3D-XM's on my 1200 Multistrada and so far they have been excellent. In the dry and wet of START '23 as well as backroad blasting around my neck of the woods.

These are my first set of the British tires and I am impressed. Very stable and sticky leaned way over.

[Etienne Lau]

On 9/18/2023 at 2:45 PM, strataj said:

William, the sun trick worked/works.  I find the Michelin GT 6 is harder/stiffer than the GT5, but still way easy like Cap said.  I won't buy the Dunlop RoadSmart 3 ever again, way to hard to mount/dismount.  I'm still scared to try the RoadSmart 4. 

I just installed the RS4 with my Cycle Hill changer on my 2010 R1200RT. Piece of cake. I spent more time removing wheels from bike that actually uninstalling and reinstalling the tires on the rims.

[Bernie]

I don’t have a ShiftCam RT, so I probably don’t know what I am talking about, but I prefer the Dunlop Roadsmart 4 tires on my 2018 R1200RT. They mount and dismount as easy as any of the other 6 or 7 brand/model tires I have mounted with the No-Mar tire changer on this bike. They also last about as long as Michelin Road 5GT tires. 

[Cap]

10 hours ago, Etienne Lau said:

...I spent more time removing wheels from bike that actually uninstalling and reinstalling the tires on the rims.

 

I was removing a down-to-the-cords set of T32 GTs.  Usually when a tire is well used like that, it dismounts easily.  But that T32 GT rear tire is a bugger.  I had to place small wood blocks on the back-side as I broke the bead, just to give me some clearance so that I could set the rim in the clamps.  I wrestled with the dismount of the well-used T32 GT rear longer than any other part of the process.

 

And as an aside, the tread wear longevity of the T32 GT was disappointing.  I got a lot fewer miles on them compared to my own use of their predecessor the T31, and also the Road Smart 4 GT that I tried next.  I had been using Bridgestone tires for several years because they would typically offer a big discount in the spring, and I would stock up.  But last summer, I tried Dunlop RS4 GTs because they offered a BOGO sale.  And at this point, all the brands including Bridgestone are very expensive.  So, given the similar costs, I am going to stick with Dunlop RS4 GTs until I see a reason to change.

[Etienne Lau]

31 minutes ago, Cap said:

 

I was removing a down-to-the-cords set of T32 GTs.  Usually when a tire is well used like that, it dismounts easily.  But that T32 GT rear tire is a bugger.  I had to place small wood blocks on the back-side as I broke the bead, just to give me some clearance so that I could set the rim in the clamps.  I wrestled with the dismount of the well-used T32 GT rear longer than any other part of the process.

 

And as an aside, the tread wear longevity of the T32 GT was disappointing.  I got a lot fewer miles on them compared to my own use of their predecessor the T31, and also the Road Smart 4 GT that I tried next.  I had been using Bridgestone tires for several years because they would typically offer a big discount in the spring, and I would stock up.  But last summer, I tried Dunlop RS4 GTs because they offered a BOGO sale.  And at this point, all the brands including Bridgestone are very expensive.  So, given the similar costs, I am going to stick with Dunlop RS4 GTs until I see a reason to change.

Yup the previous tires were PR GT4 barely made it past 9000 miles. Not worth the extra cost.

[JCtx]

On 9/18/2023 at 7:41 AM, Cap said:

I have been prepping a friend's bike for our fall ride later this week in Colorado.  So, I now have experience with both the Dunlop RoadSmart 4 GT, and the Michelin GT,

Hey, hope you have a great time in CO. And please let me know how you compare the RS4s with the R6s after your awesome trip. I know you won't be able to comment on longevity, but at least all other performance metrics. Thanks.

 

 

On 9/20/2023 at 5:57 AM, Cap said:

So, given the similar costs, I am going to stick with Dunlop RS4 GTs until I see a reason to change.

Wish you had tried at least the Road5s, to compare them against the RS4s. But the comparison I'm looking for is vs Road6s. I haven't bought tires yet, so still have time to decide between those 2. But if the RS4s are more expensive than the Road6s, I'd automatically go with the Michelins, I'm afraid. Thank you again to all of you for the great info. Greatly appreciated. And hope others find it useful too.

[Cap]

20 hours ago, JCtx said:

…please let me know how you compare the RS4s with the R6s …

Unfortunately my experience with Michelin Road 6 GT tires is limited to mounting them on my friend’s Yamaha FJR1300.  We did have a nice trip, and the weather was dry so we didn’t have a chance to try the wet performance.  We did a few brisk runs on remote mountain roads, and my friend reported that the bike was handling well.    But we weren’t pushing hard.  Frankly, all these top-brand tires have more grip than most of us will ever use.  So in my opinion, the differentiating factors are cost, tread life, and ease of at-home mounting.  I have already mentioned that the cost and ease of mounting are about the same between the Dunlop RS4 GT and the Michelin R6 GT.  
 

Comparing tread life between different riders on different bikes in different conditions is problematic.  So, all I can say is that after the first 1500 miles on the FJR, the newly installed Michelin R6 GT’s look almost new, with no flat spotting.  So far, so good.  

[JCtx]

Yeah, very hard to compare life; depends on a million variables. Where I live, the crappy asphalt is very hard on tires, so the short life I get is not typical. I'd feel lucky if I can get 5K miles out of the new set. The stock Z8s should give me more than 3K, but not much more. It'll depend how long is my last trip on them. But I never wait until they're bald, so in theory I discard them with some life left in them. The fronts typically have more life left than the rears (I always replace them in pairs), but the Z8 is almost down to the wear bar on the sides, so it'll be fully spent this time. For the first time, the sides are more worn than the center, but I trailered my bike to the Hill Country; that's probably why. At any rate, I don't need the GT version for my R, especially since I only ride solo, so they're easier to install, and less chance of dealer damaging my pristine wheels. We'll see. I should do my final ride soon, and will wait for the winter to order the tires, hopefully at a better price. Maybe at the end of the year. Or cyber Monday.

[Cap]

Here is some data about tire wear.  I have 2500 miles on a set of Dunlop Road Smart 4 tires... these are not labeled GT.  And I just mounted another new set of the same tires on a friend's bike, so I had the notion to compare the tread depth between new and partly used tires of the same make and model.

 

With 2500 miles, my remaining depth to the wear bars near the center of the front Dunlop RS4 tire is 2.3mm.  The new front tire has 3.4mm.  On the rear tires, the tread depth varies somewhat on both the new and used tires.  I measured 4.0mm to 4.5mm on the used rear tire.  The new rear tire has 6.0mm to 6.4mm.  So, based on remaining rubber to the wear bars, it looks like I have about two-thirds of the life remaining.  But, I generally find that the wear accelerates towards the end, and so maybe I have half the wear remaining.  That would be 5000 miles, which is consistent with my usual wear out here in the mountain west.

 

By comparison, I measured the remaining tread depth on the Michelin Road 6 GT's that I recently installed on another bike.  Unfortunately I didn't think to measure the tread depth before our trip, but maybe somebody can post those numbers here.  On the Michelins with 1000+ miles, the front has 3.3mm remaining and the rear has 4.4mm to 4.7mm.  This was from a heavily loaded FJR1300 riding on mountain roads in Colorado.

 

What I found interesting is that the tread depth on the new Dunlop rear tire is much more than the slightly used Michelin.  I am not sure what to make of that.  The remaining tread depth on my used Dunlop rear tire is the same as the used Michelin rear tire having many fewer miles.

 

Cap

 

 

[JCtx]

2 hours ago, Cap said:

What I found interesting is that the tread depth on the new Dunlop rear tire is much more than the slightly used Michelin.

That is interesting indeed. But the more important metric is which would last longer (to the wear bars) under the same riding conditions. So far, I haven't read any single comment that the RS4s would last less than the Road6s, but it's not clear if they last longer, and how much. Just checked Revzilla, and the RS4s are now cheaper at $447.84 per set, vs $474.42 for the Road6s (plus tax and installation, which is $130 locally). I'll be watching for more info, since now I'm on the fence. My main goal is to have at least the same grip (especially on the sides) as the Road6s, and I think they do. Thank you very much for posting that great info. Take care.

[Etienne Lau]

Note the RS4 are not labeled GT because the don't sell a separate GT version. The "standard" the claim is capable of handling the weight.

[Limecreek]

Metzler Roadtec 01 is my favorite for their turn in, grip and decent traction in the wet, plus they are affordable.  Their downside for me is the mileage - 4,500 and they are done.   PR6GTs is what I use for long, high mileage trips.  They don't grip and turn in as well as the Metzlers, but they are better in the wet and I am expecting at least 7K+ miles out of a set.  The downside is the price.  They are $130 more than the Metzlers for a set.  

[JCtx]

35 minutes ago, Limecreek said:

Metzeler Roadtec 01 is my favorite for their turn in, grip and decent traction in the wet, plus they are affordable. 

Thank you for that great info too. Let's do the math: 4,500 vs 7K means Road6s last 55.5% more. On the cost front, the equivalent cost of the Roadtec 01s would be $474 - $130 = $344 x 1.555 = $535. Therefore, the Road6s are cheaper, at $474 vs $535... and that's without taking into account the prorated installation costs (and the PITA of having to remove wheels, etc). I have no doubt in my mind that the top 2 tires in value, performance, longevity, grip, etc., are the Road6s and RoadSmart4s. I'd like to see an analysis like the above between those 2, to settle which one is top dog. Ha ha. I haven't tried the Roadtec 01s, but hope they last longer than the Z8s I have now, which will be a little over 3K miles. I'm almost sure the Road6s should last me 5K the way I ride, and on the crappy roads I do. The Road6s have awesome turn-in, but never tried the RSs.

[Limecreek]

On 9/28/2023 at 7:32 PM, JCtx said:

Thank you for that great info too. Let's do the math: 4,500 vs 7K means Road6s last 55.5% more. On the cost front, the equivalent cost of the Roadtec 01s would be $474 - $130 = $344 x 1.555 = $535. Therefore, the Road6s are cheaper, at $474 vs $535... and that's without taking into account the prorated installation costs (and the PITA of having to remove wheels, etc). I have no doubt in my mind that the top 2 tires in value, performance, longevity, grip, etc., are the Road6s and RoadSmart4s. I'd like to see an analysis like the above between those 2, to settle which one is top dog. Ha ha. I haven't tried the Roadtec 01s, but hope they last longer than the Z8s I have now, which will be a little over 3K miles. I'm almost sure the Road6s should last me 5K the way I ride, and on the crappy roads I do. The Road6s have awesome turn-in, but never tried the RSs.

I haven't ever tired the RoadSmarts. I'll have to give them a try over the winter.  I have shop grade tire changing and balancing equipment in my garage so that improves the PR6GT math exercise.   For a long tour the the PR6GT is the best choice for me right now.  For local fun, I'd reach for the Metzlers.   

[Etienne Lau]

RS4 and PR6 real world test: https://roaddirt.tv/dunlop-roadsmart-iv-vs-michelin-road-6-wet-handling-test/

[JCtx]

Hey, that was an awesome reading; thank you very much. And hardly any 'chicken strips' on their tires, so they ride like I do (and probably many more here). They didn't comment on longevity, but left them a reply, since they said at the beginning of September that their tires were almost done. Will wait to read their final report before making my decision. But based on their high praise for sporty handling, I'm leaning on the RS4s now, especially since they cost slightly less. As long as they last at least as much as the Road6s, I'd go with them. Thanks again for posting that. By the way, took me a while to find their dry test, so here it is, so others don't have to waste time like I did: https://roaddirt.tv/dunlop-roadsmart-iv-vs-michelin-road-6-dry-handling-comparison/ . They said there should be a final report, but if they reply to my message, I'd post it here.

 

 

[Etienne Lau]

Yah I went with RS4, because IMHO the possibility of slightly better longevity is just not worth the extra $$ for Michelin. I like to ride hard, lots of lean, etc....I even ride with pirelli tire app that measures lean angle on my 2010 R1200RT 

[JCtx]

Thank you very much for your input. Unless I read something to make me revisit my decision while I order tires, will buy the RS4s too, precisely for the reasons you stated.

And yes, having a lean angle meter is cool; my R bike has it (see below). Now that I have my Home Depot shortened version of peg feelers (Acorn nuts with M6x1.0mm grub screws), I probably have like 50-deg of lean before scraping now, which is more than enough for the streets. And yes, they still scrape before anything else... but barely, since I scraped my right MAM X-Head cover a little, when I had to lean deeper to dodge an RV that encroached my space. I changed the Acorn nut right away, to preserve that small safety margin. On the left side, the center stand scrapes right before the head cover, but still have enough safety  margin with those feelers. And that's with the shortest rubber stop you can use without metal to metal contact, which is about 1/4" shorter than the stock one. I don't scrape anymore, except those 2 'emergencies'.

 

[JCtx]

Hey gang, has anybody here bought from this guy on eBay? https://www.ebay.com/itm/115724373260?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=21562-222008-2056-1&mkcid=2&itemid=115724373260&targetid=296227501805&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9030616&poi=9142636&campaignid=19868683663&mkgroupid=145907810526&rlsatarget=pla-296227501805&abcId=&merchantid=6296724&shqty=1&isGTR=1#shId These RoadSmart4 tires are $365 shipped. Already asked the seller for the DOT codes, to make sure they're relatively fresh. They're 80 bucks cheaper than Revzilla, which is a lot. Thank you.

 

EDIT: The eBay guy replied with only 'I sometimes drop ship'. I replied back saying he didn't answer the question at all. To either tell me who he drop-ships from, to call and check for DOT codes. Or just give me the codes if he has physical possession of the tires. Otherwise, will order them from Revzilla. I'm done taking chances to buy something cheaper. If I know the tires are just as fresh, then yes. Otherwise, no thanks.

[JCtx]

Went for a possible last ride of the season Friday, to Gila (why 152), and once there, it was great. It's super boring to get there, so most of the 312 miles are not worth it, but the 68 miles of twisties definitely are. And only passed 2 cars in those 68 miles, so it was great. Initially I was a little 'rusty', since the last time I rode (in the TX Hill Country) was 5 months ago. But curiously, I thought I was reading the curves well, leaning my typical 47 degrees max (to have a nice safety margin), but when I checked the lean meter, I did 50 and 44. Oops. But surprisingly, didn't drag anything at 50, so I have a little more cornering clearance than I thought (with center stand shortened stop, shorter peg feelers, and preload on 'max' and 'dynamic pro'). By the 2nd half, I had my 47/47 'mojo' back. Ha ha. The worn Z8 tires still felt fine for the most part, even at full lean, but on the way back, more 'squirrely' than normal. But oddly enough, that went away the 2nd half of the return leg, so maybe it was just dustier than I thought. I have exactly 3K miles on the Z8s, and they're almost done, but they've been better than I expected. Took me a while to trust them, adding lean angle little by little, but that means the upgraded Roadtec 01s (and the SEs even more so) should be even better. Just hope they last longer than these. Will try to find a comparison with the Roadtec 01 (or SEs) vs the 2 top dogs: Road6s and RS4s, just out of curiosity, since those are significantly cheaper, I think. But if not, looking forward to either the RS4s or R6s. Not sure if I'll be able to do another final day ride (to Cloudcroft/Sun Spot/Timberon), to kill off the tires, but will replace them during the winter either way.

 

[Cap]

On 10/2/2023 at 9:19 PM, JCtx said:

Hey gang, has anybody here bought from this guy on eBay?

 

Thanks for the link.  I bought a set, and will let you know if they are OK.  The RS4 has only been released for just over a year, so they should be fine.

[JCtx]

Thank you Cap; looking forward to the DOT dates of both tires. But you're probably incorrect on the release date, at least according to Google: It's been in the market for FOUR years, hence my concern. The Road6 for 2, so I'd be less risky to order those, but prefer to try the RS4 first. Thanks again.

[Rougarou]

Heck,....I've bought a couple of tires off of shopgoodwill.com......and they were just fine.  'twas lucky as the build dates were within twoish years if I recall correctly.