brucejuice Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 I noticed a peculiar thing, before I left on a 550 mile trip I aired up the Metzeler Z6 to the BMW factory recommendation (front 36+psi, rear 42psi). when I get back home I was looking over the bike and noticed on the rear rim, tire rubber dust. Not a fine dust but course. Before the trip I did an inspection and the rear tire had reached the wear indicator-I thought I had enough tread to go the 550 miles. Back home I did another inspection GULP, belts showing through. I understand that where I live (Houston) its flat and the roads are straight so I don't have much of an opportunity to use the entire tire, pretty much just the center. That said I do enjoy cornering, to get as much out of the tire as possible. I put this Z6 set on in May of 2006 I don't know the exact mileage but I got around 8275 miles out of them. I would like to get better mileage from my tires, so does anyone have a recommendation?
jfixit Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 I am the Metzler ME880 broken record but they work for me.
snod Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 I am very happy with the Michelin Pilot Road 2. I used to get about 7k out of the Z6, and about 9k from of the original Pilot Roads. I am on track for 11k or better from the PR2. They are not squaring off as quickly as the Z6 or PR. They turn in very smoothly, and stick very well in the rain. The dual compound (hard center, soft edges) seems to work well for me. SW Moto link is a good place to buy them online.
keithb Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 I just put a set of ME880's on my 05 RT and am looking forward to getting WAY better mileage than I have had on my other 5 sets of tires which includes, Bridgestone's, Z6's, Pirelli's, and Avon's (averaged 6K miles per set).
BobsST Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 I just got back from an 1900 mi. trip to Glacier National Park. Started out with about 1800 miles on a set of Z6's. Most of the trip was backroads w/ very little travel on the slab. Ran 36/42 the whole trip, two up w/ full baggage. Tires are now really squared off and I'm predicting 5000 maybe 6000 miles out of these tires at the most. You did very good at 8700 miles. I'll be going back to PR's or PR 2's when these wear out. Much better mileage and they don't square off so quickly.
swfraley Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 +1 on the PR2's. At <1000 miles on my first set I can't speak to longevity. But they corner at least as well as the Z6's I used to use.
CraigC Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 Ditto on the PR2's, new tires for the recent UNrally and after 4,200 miles they show little wear...but I'm not aggressive rider either. On the return to Phoenix, we encountered a heavy monsoon storm heading toward Barstow; they handled great in the heavy rain, the bike felt very stable and connected to road. DO NOT buy Avon Storms...rode to Death Valley last January with a set with only 2,500 miles, noticed severe cupping on the front tire and a paper thin patch that you could pull like a rubber band. I was lucky to make the 100 mile ride to LasVegas BMW for a replacement.
AndyT Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 I would mention that the Metzler ME880 comes in RADIAL and Belted you would want the RADIALS for the RT as they are a great mileage tire. Mine are at 10,000+ miles with plenty more to go!
empeg9000 Posted July 23, 2008 Posted July 23, 2008 I would mention that the Metzler ME880 comes in RADIAL and Belted you would want the RADIALS for the RT as they are a great mileage tire. Mine are at 10,000+ miles with plenty more to go! Hey Any, How do those Metzler ME880s handle? I currently have a problem that I am commuting about 100 miles a day, mostly on the highway. However, I the weekend I do like to lean the bike over quite a bit and I don't want to lose traction or something? So how do you think the ME880 performs in relation to the Z6?
Paul Mihalka Posted July 23, 2008 Posted July 23, 2008 I regularly used the ME880 on my R1100RT and later on my R1150R. I had it on the race track with Reg Pridmore's CLASS, worn and fluffy to the edges, with a bit of bluish coloring from heat, but they never slipped one bit.
keithb Posted July 24, 2008 Posted July 24, 2008 I now have 1K miles on my ME880's. The first 200 miles the bike felt heavy, sluggish, and the front end was bouncing. Understand that I have never tried this model of tire in 130K miles of riding. Initially I had too much pressure in the front at 40 lbs. and 42 in the rear. I then lowered the pressure to 38/F and it made a huge difference. No more bouncy front end. I am going to try 40 lbs. in the rear on my next ride and see what that feels like. I am still getting used to these tires. Not being familiar with a stiff sidewall has me apprehensive of utilizing maximum lean angle but I am sure I will get there shortly.
mbelectric Posted July 24, 2008 Posted July 24, 2008 I used to be a Z6 fan, but the last two sets the compound seemed different. I have three BMW's. Z6 on the K12RS, love the feel, but uneven wear and not much tread left, will be going to Dunlop Roadsmarts, gotta try 'em, EffBee"s looked good at Torrey. Pilot Roads on the 1150RT, I was leary about leavin' them on for the trip to Oregon UnRally, but kept tabs on them until my return. I was pissed that they were worn, but after checking my records I have 9800 miles on them. I take it all back, I will be putting on Pilot Road 2's soon. Probably have 1500 miles left on the orig Pilot Roads, front AND rear even wear, no cupping. Some noise, but the Road 2's are quieter they tell me. I have Metz ME880 on the 90S, just put them on. Big mistake...Turn in slow, harsh ride, and these tires don't feel good in the rain grooves. I'll probably pull 'em well before they wear out. I like to throw this bike around, so I'll probably go back to a softer compound. MB>
Dave_in_TX Posted July 24, 2008 Posted July 24, 2008 I now have 1K miles on my ME880's. The first 200 miles the bike felt heavy, sluggish, and the front end was bouncing. Understand that I have never tried this model of tire in 130K miles of riding. Initially I had too much pressure in the front at 40 lbs. and 42 in the rear. I then lowered the pressure to 38/F and it made a huge difference. No more bouncy front end. I am going to try 40 lbs. in the rear on my next ride and see what that feels like. I am still getting used to these tires. Not being familiar with a stiff sidewall has me apprehensive of utilizing maximum lean angle but I am sure I will get there shortly. I'm on my second ME880 rear tire on my 07 RT. Paired with a Z6 front, I don't notice much handling difference between that setup and Pilot Roads.
j4bberw0ck Posted July 24, 2008 Posted July 24, 2008 DO NOT buy Avon Storms...rode to Death Valley last January with a set with only 2,500 miles, noticed severe cupping on the front tire and a paper thin patch that you could pull like a rubber band. I was lucky to make the 100 mile ride to LasVegas BMW for a replacement. On the other hand, they do have their fans.......
SageRider Posted July 24, 2008 Posted July 24, 2008 DO NOT buy Avon Storms...rode to Death Valley last January with a set with only 2,500 miles, noticed severe cupping on the front tire and a paper thin patch that you could pull like a rubber band. I was lucky to make the 100 mile ride to LasVegas BMW for a replacement. On the other hand, they do have their fans....... Seems to me that CraigC is describing a defective Avon Storm tire. There have been a few noted on this board. A valid reason for some not to buy. On the other hand, I have yet to encounter any problems with my Storms and still think they are an excellent tire with slightly better than average wear (about 7K miles for me).
johnt650 Posted July 25, 2008 Posted July 25, 2008 I thought I had a good set of the Storms as well but with about 5500 miles I ended up with the tread center worn out in two opposing sides of the front tire. The rest of the tire was good for another 500-1000 miles. Avon would only say that they "as far as the uneven wear this is a bit unusual" I had sent them pictures. They also asked what tire pressures I ran(38-39) and offered to recommend a dealer to inspect them. I told them I felt the Azaro had been a better tire and would probably not be purchasing from Avon again.
CraigC Posted July 25, 2008 Posted July 25, 2008 DO NOT buy Avon Storms...rode to Death Valley last January with a set with only 2,500 miles, noticed severe cupping on the front tire and a paper thin patch that you could pull like a rubber band. I was lucky to make the 100 mile ride to LasVegas BMW for a replacement. On the other hand, they do have their fans....... I would agree with the performance attributes described by others, but the built quality for my tire was substandard and posed a significant risk to my safety. Hopefully, the problem was limited to a production batch that is now old news and unlikely to repeat. Certainly, no one should base their purchase decision on one person's story. Just wanted to share my experience and add my voice to those folks that have shared a similar outcome.
brucejuice Posted July 28, 2008 Author Posted July 28, 2008 I have chosen to go with the PR'S 2 thanks everyone who chimed in. So far they don't fell as sticky as Z6's but have good adhesion.
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