Pilot Road 2's on R1200ST - LONG TERM REPORT

[jaytee]

LONG TERM REPORT OF PILOT ROAD 2'S ON R1200ST

I originally wrote up my initial impressions on the Pilot Road 2 here: "Pilot Road 2's on an R1200ST - REVIEW"

 

I now have 7000 miles on The Pilot Road 2 and I feel it is time to revisit the tires. I recently finished a 1500+ mile 5 day tour through the southern Sierra Nevada, the hills below Yosemite and the mountains north and south of San Francisco.

 

The tires had ~5500 miles on them when I started and were mildly shouldered (slight flat spot). The roads travelled varied from super-slab to well maintained banked roads with fresh slurry, to extremely bumpy and gravelly one-lane asphalt. I carried 47lb load of baggage in addition to my 190lb body plus riding gear. Most of my riding is with one tail bag (prob about 20 lbs or so) on our freeways and our mountain roads here in Socal.

 

I am an intermediately skilled rider who tends to ride a bit conservatively, although I like to accelerate hard and can lean the bike over pretty well if I have good sight-lines. I have had the bike for one year now, and I have put over 12,000 miles on it since I got it. I have been riding intensively now for the past 5+ years with nearly 70,000 miles on my bikes in everything from lane-splitting socal commuting to tight, aggressive mountain riding.

 

As I reported in the above thread, my initial impressions of the PR2 were very favorable. Despite a bit of road harshness and mediocre braking feedback, they handled well and provided enough traction for my modest needs.

 

0-3000 miles

* My initial impressions largely hold.

* I start noticing occasional rear tire slippage when accelerating authoritatively into a right-hand turn from a stop. I initially chalk this up to crap on the roadway.

A-

 

3000-5500 miles

* Much more pronounced loss of rear wheel traction in a variety of situations, but still mostly where road surface is iffy.

* First true wet weather test during this mileage band; tires handle well and track well on slippery SoCal streets.

* I began to notice more frequent ABS activation under hard breaking on dry surface streets, including a forced front lock-up on a side street while doing a braking test.

 

NOTE: At this point in tire life, my riding buddy (on a Yamaha FZ-6) fully loses traction on PR2's during a spirited Angeles Crest ride, causing a crash at significant speed. He was at 5000 miles on his set. His crash was definately speed related, but this is his first on-road crash in a couple decades (he is an A-group track aficianado). He believes tires were a factor in not being able to correct the traction loss.

 

5500-7000 miles

* This is the road trip tour. The above weight should be considered with the following observations. Tire preasure was initially 36/42 but was trimmed down to 35/40 during the trip to try and address some traction issues. Suspension was tuned for weight prior to trip on Glendora Mountain Road: close to max preload, and 1/8 turn back from max dampening to control load with no pogoing and moderate road stiffness.

* Tires still run well on freeway with typical slight harshness, but relatively low tire noise and good stability on uneven pavement.

* Pronounced rear tire traction loss in any heavy throttle condition, even in a solid turn with smooth transition from trail-braking to throttle

* Front traction loss on dusty roads scares the bejeebers out of this conservative rider.

* Slight shouldering (flat-spot) makes transitions a bit sketchy, but line changing is still without drama.

* All turns now feature nearly no acceleration due to traction concerns, and more effort is put into maintaining chasis stability through turns and side-to-side transitions.

 

CONCLUSION

The Pilot Road 2 on the R1200ST is a compromise tire. Longevity is as billed. I have a heavy throttle hand and tend to go through rear tires fairly quickly, but could still probably commute for another 1000 miles on these tires. But grip is also compromised to achieve this longevity, especially at moderate lean. Exacerbated by mild flat-spotting, this transition zone will sap confidence if you like to accelerate in turns, leading to tentative throttle-neutral transitions and a hyper awareness of the pavement condition. Once the pavement is less than perfect, whether rough, worn or dirty, an older PR2 needs TLC through the corners.

 

These are expensive tires. They are a dual compound tire that tend to show its limitations as they wear. I do not believe they are worth the price of admission. They fail as a sport tire, especially when driven at speed in the latter half of their life, and cost too much for a touring tire given the other great options for long lasting tires out there at a substantially reduced price. I will be moving on from here to a more sporty tire, albeit still looking for that ever elusive 'perfect' balance of road handling, sportyness, and longevity.

 

PROS:

1. Long tread life

2. Stable on uneven pavement joints and rain grooves

3. Predictable trail braking

4. Good handling in first 2-3k miles

5. Solid wet-weather performance

 

CONS:

1. Price

2. Poor transitional grip (espcially with age)

3. Poor performance on low-traction dry pavement

4. Poor braking grip during hard stops

5. More touring than sport

 

Grade: B-

 

 

 

[Firefight911]

Time for a Dunlop Roadsmart by the sounds.

[jaytee]

Damn editing time ran out on me -- oh well, pretend the last half is prettied up!

[Robert Wood]

I will be moving on from here to a more sporty tire,

 

What are you thinking about next? I was planning on the PR2 when I replace the Bridgestone 020s I currently have - might have to rethink...

 

Cheers

[Firefight911]

I'll add that when I had my R12ST I ran Pilot Powers and flat loved them. I was able to get right at 5000 miles off the rear.

 

Phenomenal tire!

 

Torrey and Sweeper Madness proven.

 

 

[duckbubbles]

I was just thinking of trying the PR2. Now I am having second thoughts, THANKS. I have run the Pilot Powers, too, and loved everything except the mileage. Less that 3000 to the wear bars.

 

I suppose I'll stick with the tried and true Pilot Road rear, Power front. I've got 5000 miles on the present Road rear and it has at least another 1000 in it. Haven't had any traction problems with the Pilot Road/Power combination.

 

Frank

[rglassma]

Try the Dunlop road smarts. Contrary to the dealer and manufacturers, I replaced my worn pilot road in the front with one.. Holy moly... I love it !!! There isn't anything about the tire that I don't like. And this one isn't even the one with the dual compound. I can't wait for my rear pilot road to wear out..

 

Great tire so far!!!

[stubblejumper]

And this one isn't even the one with the dual compound.

 

I can't find a Dunlop Roadsmart without the dual compound online.How do you know that your tire is not dual compound?

[SageRider]

And this one isn't even the one with the dual compound.

 

I can't find a Dunlop Roadsmart without the dual compound online.How do you know that your tire is not dual compound?

Only the rear tires are described as dual compound.

[stubblejumper]

I never realized that.With all of the advertising about the dual compound,I assumed that both tires were dual compound.In any case,I won't need new tires on my ST until at least next year,so by then there will be plenty of reports on the front and rear roadsmart.

[jaytee]

I'm really not sure yet what my next tire will be but I know I want it to feel planted. After sliding around for the last 2000 miles I am looking for a confidence builder. If I don't come up with a performance oriented sport-touring tire, I will likely go Pilot Power as a known quantity...

[stubblejumper]

Has anyone here tried the continental road attacks on an ST?

[John in VA]

When it's time to change, I'll stick with PR1s.

[Firefight911]

Has anyone here tried the continental road attacks on an ST?

 

Yes. I had these for my trip to Hill Country a couple years ago. Awesome mileage tire but really disliked the handling. Slowed the turn in significantly. They just felt heavy on the bike and they really took the ST's strong suit of SPORT touring and washed it away.

 

Not a good pairing, IMO.

[bakerzdosen]

See, and I really liked the Road Attacks, but only got 6k out of them (and I was coming from original Pilot Roads.) Then again, I liked my Storms much better, but mileage was about the same or worse than the Road Attacks.

 

But, I did REALLY like Phil's Pilot Powers.

 

I have Roadsmarts in the garage waiting for the Storms to die.

 

Thanks Jaytee for the update.

[Fugu]

I've got nearly 6k on my PR2s. 3mm tread above the wear bars. The new set waiting to go on shows 7mm.

 

That bodes very well. I might get 8k out of them, which I've never seen from a tire.

 

Loving the PR2s.

 

By the way, ran up to PDX weekend before last (up in a day, back in a day) and really, really cooked some corners, still all orange peely on the shoulders of the tires, but boy did they stick.

 

I could feel them getting hot (it was 100 something out in E OR) and the feedback changing a bit but they stuck, were totally predictable.

 

I'm really liking them.

 

My buddy had similar comments to Phil on the Conti Road Attacks, but I liked them OK, they just melted off the bike too damn fast for my liking.

[Dave Grinsel]

I have tried the Road Attacks on my ST. The first set was good for 7,000 miles and the second set was good for 5,500 miles. I now have the Dunlop Roadsmarts and after 3,000 miles very little wear.

[GregB]

It seems you like the sporty part of the ST. I think you would be thrilled with the Dunlop Roadsmarts.

[stubble!]

Thanks for the great review.

 

I haven't had the same experience with the PR2 (rear). I'm only getting ~5k miles out of them on the K1200S, however during that lifespan grip has been superb. I'm about 50lbs heavier than you, and I run a lower pressure in the rear, about 37f/38.5r when solo, 41r when 2-up. Though squaring off has long been a problem for my rear tires due to my commute, I have not had that issue with the PR2. I'd wager that some of the differences in our experiences with grip and wear is the pressure we run. I'm pretty happy with the rear PR2 / front PP-2CT combo that I've been running.

 

If you do go with the Dunlops, please post another review!

[brianbmw]

I've had PR2 on my ST for about 9K and i think they are about ready for a new set. I thought they were pretty good. I would like the try the contis but i have heard they don't last as long on the heavier bikes. My friend had them on his speed triple and the mileage was god, he put them on his sprint and the mileage was terrible.

[GordonB]

6000 was all I got on my Conti's, but they are a lot lower in cost.

Handling was fine and no squaring off, and they have a 'C' fitment.

[jaytee]

Thanks for the great review.

 

I haven't had the same experience with the PR2 (rear). I'm only getting ~5k miles out of them on the K1200S, however during that lifespan grip has been superb. I'm about 50lbs heavier than you, and I run a lower pressure in the rear, about 37f/38.5r when solo, 41r when 2-up. Though squaring off has long been a problem for my rear tires due to my commute, I have not had that issue with the PR2. I'd wager that some of the differences in our experiences with grip and wear is the pressure we run. I'm pretty happy with the rear PR2 / front PP-2CT combo that I've been running.

 

If you do go with the Dunlops, please post another review!

 

 

Thanks for the thanks!

 

Since I didnt get my full editing done in time (accidentally posted before it was finished) there were a couple of points I failed to make:

 

1. Tire life was good, and specifically squaring off was minimal considering the miles that I do on the freeway. If this is a primary concern then these tires do fit the bill.

 

2. My traction issues were not under ideal conditions. On smooth, recently slurried roads, the PR2's stuck as well as anything I have run. The issues began to crop up when dry pavement became bumpy, gravely and/or dusty.

 

3. It was transitional traction that seemed to be the issue. When fully leaned over the tires stuck well, but when only moderately leaned under heavy throttle I would get noticeable slippage.

 

4. Tire preasure may have been a factor, but several different preasure combinations were tried inthe last 3000 miles on these tires and none seemed to matter much.

 

I dont think the PR2 is a bad tire, I just don't think it is good enough to justify the cost. There are better sport tires out there and there are better touring tires out there. It was an interesting attempt at a compromise that I personally did not care for.

 

JT

[Fugu]

2. My traction issues were not under ideal conditions. On smooth, recently slurried roads, the PR2's stuck as well as anything I have run. The issues began to crop up when dry pavement became bumpy, gravely and/or dusty.

 

3. It was transitional traction that seemed to be the issue.

 

Sounds like shocks more than tires to me. Not that I'm an expert.

[John in VA]

2. My traction issues were not under ideal conditions. On smooth, recently slurried roads, the PR2's stuck as well as anything I have run. The issues began to crop up when dry pavement became bumpy, gravely and/or dusty.

 

3. It was transitional traction that seemed to be the issue.

 

Sounds like shocks more than tires to me. Not that I'm an expert.

 

Ditto. I'm no expert, either, but I've found that on coarse pavement, premium shocks will keep any tire on the ground better. Even the best tire has zero traction if it's off the pavement.

[jaytee]

Its a good point, and one that I can only address by saying that this was the stock suspension which was setup specifically for the 1500mile trip by putting the full load on it and having both my self and my riding partner (who, as I said, is an A group track afficianado) ride and adjust on glendora mountain road. That road is technical and the pavement is not perfect (for those who dont know it) so I feel pretty confident that this was the best setup that this suspension is capable of.

 

That being said, front wheel traction loss could definately have been suspension related; not only is there no adjustability and added wigtho nthe back, both times I noticeably lost front wheel traction the road surface was particularly rough.

 

The rear wheel traction loss did not seem that way. The tires slipped when on relatively smooth surfaces, albeit a bit dirty or dusty. I have been on these road surfaces with other makes of tires on various bikes and not had this type slippage in a 1/4 lean scenario under throttle.

 

Hope that helps!

[Fugu]

Ohlins, Wilbers, WP, Works, et al don't sell the crap out of $2000 sets of shocks for no good reason. I'm just sayin'.

[Shelley]

 

This is Iron Horse BMW in Tucson, Az. They now have a tire website. http://swmotorubber.com/

I just got a SET of RoadSmarts for $233.00 sent to my door!!! Just three weeks ago I got a set for Angie's K1200RS and I thought I got a great deal at $248.00 to my door. However,IRON HORSE HAS BEAT THEM ALL! So give them a try. Oh yeah, Angie loves the new Roadsmarts on her big RS. First day out the chicken-strips were gone, she never did that on the old Dunlop D205's... Later, Shelley

[jaytee]

*** MY REAR SHOCK WAS GOING BAD FOR THE LAST 2000 MILES OF THIS REVIEW ***

 

2. My traction issues were not under ideal conditions. On smooth, recently slurried roads, the PR2's stuck as well as anything I have run. The issues began to crop up when dry pavement became bumpy, gravely and/or dusty.

 

3. It was transitional traction that seemed to be the issue.

 

Sounds like shocks more than tires to me. Not that I'm an expert.

 

Ditto. I'm no expert, either, but I've found that on coarse pavement, premium shocks will keep any tire on the ground better. Even the best tire has zero traction if it's off the pavement.

 

************************************************

Over the last 5 years of my intensive motorcycle/internet experience, I have reviewd many parts for my motorcycles. I take my reviews seriously, and write them as I wish others would write when I am doing research.

 

While I try my best to take into account all pertinent factors when evaluating parts, occasionally I overlook something. As the performance of my ST began to fade, I assumed it was mostly tire related as my tires were getting old. It turns out that at the same time my tires were wearing my rear shock was failing.

 

Here are the threads where I discussed this:

Is my shock wearing out??? R1200ST

Yes, I need new shocks - R1200ST questions

 

So this is my official caveat about my review of the PR2's.

 

CAVEAT ON

Since determining that my rear shock was failing from the 5000 mile mark on the PR2's, I cannot say with any confidence what part of my experience with the latter half of the tire's life was due to the tire wearing as opposed to the shock failing. Since most of my unhappyness with the tire dealt with its inability to retain traction at moderate lean angles on less-than-perfect pavement I think it is clear that the failing rear shock played a significant role.

/CAVEAT OFF

 

In light of this, I hereby modify my long term report with that in mind as follows:

 

PROS:

Long tread life

Stable on uneven pavement joints and rain grooves

Predictable trail braking

Solid wet-weather performance

Good side grip at agressive lean angles during first half of tread life

 

CONS:

Price

Poor braking grip during hard stops

More touring than sport

 

UNKNOWN:

Traction characteristics in less-than-ideal road conditions durign the latter half of tread life

 

I appologize for not realizing that I had a rear shock problem when initially writing this review and would upgrade my overall grade of this tire to a B+

 

JT

 

 

[rglassma]

I now have both road smarts on my '05 RT. After 3K on the front and about 1K on the rear, I love them !!! The are wearing well and are very confidence inspiring. Thet stick well in corners, and brake well.. They handle dirt roads well as well.. So far so good. We will see how long they last.

[Yuro]

I have to say that I loved my PRIIs I got 10K out of the rear and put on one of those Chinese sport tires on the back to get me home from Nashville. I think the tire would have made it, but I didn't want to baby it. I was also curious about these Chinese tires. They were cheap and the word is they are good tires but just don't last long. After 600 miles, they're fine. They handle well with the old PRII still on the front. I'll probably leave this combo on for the winter and put a new set of something on in the spring.

 

 

My PRIIs are the best "do everything" tire I've ever had. They make a lot of tread noise when you lean them over because of those treads, but the rear tire really resists squaring well. For me, when a tire gets squared, it makes the bike no fun to ride. Some of the "slipping on transition" complaints I heard are probably related to that. These tires have a band of harder rubber in the middle. They square a little but the hard rubber resists it pretty well.

 

Traction is good enough for me and I'm far from a conservative rider. Normal tire mileage for my 1200RT is about 7K. I'm delighted to get 10K on these tires without sacrificing anything except a couple bucks on the purchase price.

 

After reading this thread, I'm going to try the new Dunlops. I hated the Dunlop 550, which I found heavy and went down to the cords in 5K miles. My favorite handling tire is Metzler's Z6, but there is no tread wear indicator, just ride until you see the cords. That's usually about 6K for me. What I really don't like about the Z6 is that they get very square and are no fun if you do too many highway miles on them. I think their great if you live in the mountains, but I'm in Chicago and it takes a long time to get to good roads.

 

-TB

[BeamieToo]

Interesting reading here. I am approaching the point to R&R my BT 021's both front and rear on my 1150RT after 6000 miles they both have 2-3mm in the middle. 36psi front 42 rear. The front wore evenly and the rear is squared off. Most of my riding is leisure touring with a mix of hiway and medium speed curving roads. They seemed to be pretty good but I was not happy about the wet condition performance in the curves, I'm a cautious rider and had the rear slipped on me more than once in the twisties. Dry roads were fine though.

 

After thinking it over I'm going to try the Dunlop R/S's because it sounds like a good performing tire with good value for the money.

[HexST]

I don't know how many miles you have on your ST but my rear shock lasted 19,000 miles then went completely away on a twisty bumpy road in Utah needless to say the ride home to Fl. was interesting.

[jaytee]

I had 11,000 miles when I noticed that I was increasing damping. By 14,500 all damping was adjusted in and it was clear the shock was failing.

 

Disappointing that these shocks are such a known weak area of the bike.

 

JT

[db4124]

I have 32K on my stock shocks and the rear damping is out about 4 clicks. Sounds like I am about due for new shocks. What shocks did you find work best on the ST?

 

Dave

[LaMataRider]

I have RoadSmart's on my R1200RT and the front tire is worn down to the wear bars on the edges at 4500 miles -- the center of the tire still has lots of tread. I do a lot of riding on mountain twisties. The rear tire still has a lot of tread remaining. I'm thinking of moving to PR2 on the front to see if I can get more miles from it.

I have loved the RoadSmart's from the handling point of view, but have an issue with the wear.

Is this typical?

Cheers...

[jaytee]

db4124: I am receiving (tomorrow) a Wilburs rear shock with damping adjustment and remote preload setting. I realyl only considered Ohlin's and Wilburs, and decided that I liked the Wilburs build quality and reputaiton slightly better than the Ohlins. So far that I have heard these are both very capable shocks on this platform and I don't think you can make a wrong choice between the two. My rear damping went from 2 1/4 turns out to 1/8 turn out over 3-4 thousand miles as the shock failed. Now the rear end bounces over freeway joints and remaions unsettled in the mountains.

 

Look at this thread for more info:

Yes, I need new shocks - R1200ST questions

 

LaMata: I can't think you would be disappointed with the wear characteristics of the PR2. I was not and I'm not the hugest fan of the tires for other reasons. I ride fairly spirited in the mountains, and although I do tend to wear out the middle of my rear tires before the edges, the opposite is true of the front. I did find that the front needs to be well warmed or it tends to loose traction under heavy breaking, and a couple of times I had dodgy grip in less than ideal pavement conditions. Overall the PR2 front did what it weas supposed to do: deliver long life with moderately sporty handling characteristics, albeit at a premium price.

 

JT

 

 

[LaMataRider]

Hi JT,

Many thanks for the advice. I think I'll go ahead and check out the PR2.

Dave (LaMata)

[db4124]

jaytee: Interesting article on Hyperpro vs Ohlins vs stock in the latest Motorcycle Consumer News. Can't wait to hear your on-bike impression of the Wilbers.

 

Dave

[jaytee]

Initial impressions are favorable... I am using the factory settings as of now, but I will check sag after 100 miles or so.

 

I also have brand new bt016's on the bike and I am planning on writing up impressions on both in the near-ish future.

[dstutz]

I got 10K miles out of a pair of PR2s on my ST and ended up wearing both the front and rear out significantly on a 2200 mile trip. I feel I must defend the tires a bit as I never experienced any of the traction issues you did. I know you added the caveat about the shocks and I assume that did have something to do with it. When I did the trip I was riding on freshly installed Wilburs front and rear. Link to pictures:

http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=382737#Post382737

 

[BanjoBoy]

Thanks for the great review.

 

+1

 

It's great that you take the time to give us all your impressions of which tires you're roll'in on.

And it's great you go through so many tires so fast, that gives us all lots of data to work with!

I suspect that your new suspension will help tire life, maybe your FD life as well?

 

Yesterday I was chasing a friend (on a Honda XL 600) on some nasty, bumpy back roads, and dirt roads on my ST. As I was bouncing over the bumps and road imperfections (hard on the gas) I'm thinking; "this has got to be hard on the final drive!"

 

The fuel injection on these bike is great, you can smoothly ease the gas on as you're tipping in, but as you accelerate through the corner, while hitting nasty bumps in the road, the slamming from the harsh suspension gets transferred through the FD.

 

I wonder how many people out there with aftermarket suspension have FD issues?

 

Thanks again Jaytee, great stuff!

[vfrman]

Keep in mind that the PR2's and Roadsmarts will act differently on different bikes.

 

I'm an aggressive rider on an RT, and the Roadsmarts, while being a great tire, only lasted about 3k miles. The fronts were starting to cup pretty bad, and the rear had it's usual flat spot from commuting so much.

 

The PR2's on the other hand work out great for the RT. They handle very well. I've only had tiny slides if I'm careless, and they wear incredibly well compared to what I've had on the bike. So far I have 6k miles.

 

 

 

[GordonB]

My PR2's on the RT are at 8000 miles and will get at least another 1000+. That said my OEM Dunlops got 4M, Avon Storms 5M, and Conti RA 5500.

So given MY riding style and MY type of road surfaces, I can say the PR2's will get almost double mileage of the others listed. No cupping and negligible flat spotting.

[Fran]

Was reading this post and feel compelled to add my 2 cents worth. I have an 05 RT, delivered with Pilot Roads, got about 11k out of them but here in the east the roads tend not to be as abrasive. Somewhere along the line installed a set of Ohilns, WOW, worth every cent! Transformed the bike, my tech claims also aids considerably in tire longevity.

 

2nd set of tires were Conti Road Attacks, they served me well, got about 7k+ out of them, towards the end noticed the front end slipping when pushed, but could lean these babys over to the side wall, and scraping the feeler on the foot peg.

 

Third set PR2s, I have no complaints, have about 5k on, wearing extremely well, and these don't balk at being pushed.

 

My understanding is that stock shocks tend to over heat when ridden hard, which results in degraded performance. A switch to premiuims shock seems to be a universally praised upgrade. The RT is amazing with Ohlins and the PR2's.

 

Next set, maybe Roadsmarts, have heard nothing but praise, and read great reviews in which these tires always seem to come out on top.

Fran

[pdes]

I ride fast and brake hard, mainly on motorways and "A" roads but I do not ride aggressively. I got 13K out of my last set of PR2s and my second set is at around 9k with loads left to go. Can't see any reason to change my loyalty as I am doing 35k miles per annum in ALL weathers and need longevity with surefootedness! As an aside, if I am not an aggressive rider, wuld I gain any benefit from an Ohilns upgrade from a comfort and handling perspective?

 

Cheers

[jaytee]

Wow! My old PR2 thread revisited....

 

pdes:

The short answer is yes. The main reason is that the stock shocks on the R1200's are really not very good. They work ok for a while but after a relatively short time (10k-20k in many cases) they begin to fade quickly. A more premium shock, tuned to your weight and riding style (like Wilbers does) will keep you more firmly planted, esp over more uneven pavement. It will also pogo less, and help prevent wallowing in the turns.

 

As to tires, it sounds like the PR2 is an excellent fit for you.

 

JT

[DoctorC]

Looked at PR2 and decided to go with Metzler Z6 Interact. I was very happy with wear on my old Z6's, and just re-shod with Interact. So far, love them. Regarding shocks....Totally agree with above.... replacing shocks totally changed character of the bike. If BMW had "got it right" the first time, might have sold a few more ST's.

[rglassma]

I have recent replaced my first set of road smarts with another set. I was able to get 7K out of the first set (here in CO that is alot!!).

 

I can honestly say, I have been very pleased with them. A local dealer sells them for 50% off retail if you have the rims mounted and balanced by them at 28.00 each.

 

For the money, I don't think you can beat them. For 285.00 complete with tax, disposal fees, etc. for both tires, I haven't been able to find a better deal on any tire other then Shinkos that I have no interest in.

 

The Roadsmarts handle extremely well, grip like fly paper and wear well. AT 38f/42, and a mildly aggressive riding style, I believe they are the best tire for me at this point.

 

I highly recommend them for the RT at the right price.

[Mister Tee]

I replaced my first rear Continental Road Attack at a little over 10,000 miles with a PR2, and followed up with the front about 5K later. Bike now has 27,000 miles (17,000 on the rear tire) and it looks like it will make at least 20,000. The flat spot is barely just starting to form. The sides are pretty well worn in though.

 

Given that I simply can't outride these tires on the RT (I run out of cornering clearance first), I see no reason not to continue with the PR2's.