liking the Roadsmarts

[stubblejumper]

I just had a pair of Roadsmarts installed on my r1200st,and so far they appear to offer a noticeable handling improvement over the original Battlax 20.They seem especially good in the rain.Only time will tell how they last.

[mbelectric]

I've got 5k on my set on a K12RS.

 

The rear is pristine.

 

The front is turning sour.

 

I'll likely not purchase them in the future without a front compound change.

 

MB>

[bakerzdosen]

I definitely like mine on my r12st.

[Albert]

I'm on my second set. I got nearly 10k out of the first set and they still had tread, I just squared them off on a long slab trip. For me, it's the longest lasting tire I've tried.

[Nate9k9]

4000 miles so far and like them. I am running 39psi front and 40psi rear, riding solo. This is my second dual compond tire set, avon storms were the first. With the avons I ran mfg suggested tire pressure and they wore out at 7000 miles. I think the problem was not enough tire pressure. So far the tires are wearing very well and handling is great.

[realshelby]

I have just over 8K on my rear Roadsmart. Running 40-42 psi. I think I'll get 9K on it. Front not so good...7K and I put a Diablo Strada on to replace it.

[Twisties]

My RS's came off at 4500 miles with ridging and cupping in the front and extreme, hard edged, squaring in the rear. They came off early mostly because I had a long road trip coming and didn't think I had enough tire life to make it. However, I was most pleased to see them go. I thought they had good grip for the first 3000 miles, then progressively looser performance. The poor wear characteristics made them uncomfortable to ride and unstable in turns.

 

Sharon's RS's came off at 6500 miles and were well into wear bars at that point. Also ridging and cupping up front, and wide, hard edged, squaring in the rear. Although on hers, grip seemed fine to me and to Larry (Whip), she never felt comfortable with them, always saying they were "squishy". Squishy is the last thing I would have called them as I think they have relatively hard beads and sidewalls, but there is no doubt there was something she didn't like about them.

 

I never had more trouble mounting or demounting tires than with the RS's. The bead flares into the relief well and prevents insertion of the demount tool, I had to struggle to get a tire iron in even (with up to 3 clamps mounted opposite). In contrast, the PR2's allowed almost half an inch clearance in the same conditions, and did not require clamps.

 

Mounting, the lack of tire clearance and the stiff bead made for some serious challenges. To be fair, Mike (fugu) had no trouble with mounting RS's on his 1150. I suspect the clearances are different on the 1150 wheel and tire size.

 

Consequently, I do not recommend the RS for self-mounting on a 1200 RT. The tire performance may prove to be acceptable, but IMHO there are several better choices out there: Conti Road Attack, Avon Storm and Michelin PR2 at least. YMMV

[Troy]

I've gone through two sets of Road Smarts. Liked them better than the Metz Z6s as far as tread life is concerned but the front would always show premature cupping. I had planned on replacing them with another set until I found the local Yamaha dealer selling PR2s for less than I had been paying for the Road Smarts. I couldn't be happier. After 7k Miles no cupping and nice even wear. They transition into turns nicely and are very confidence inspiring.

[CoarsegoldKid]

I never had more trouble mounting or demounting tires than with the RS's. ...I do not recommend the RS for self-mounting on a 1200 RT. ...

 

I'll second that after three sets. I still have a hard time with the rears.

All sets of RSs gave me good wear profile and I think the highly of them. The most recent set logged 6130 miles, the set previous 4320. Mileage all depends on how much 2-up riding I do in my opinion.

[swilson]

I was happy with RoadSmarts except for excessive road noise from the front tire. I'm trying Pilot Road 2 on both my bikes now. So far I've found them very similar to the RoadSmarts. I would say the RoadSmarts definately had better wet traction though. Both the RS and PR2 last much longer than Z6s ever did!

[stubblejumper]

Out of curiosity,how much weight is considered acceptable to balance a motorcycle tire?There are now four 7 gram weights on my rear tire.

[Twisties]

That's an ounce. Quite normal.

[CoarsegoldKid]

That's an ounce. Quite normal.

I agree

[TedG]

I run Roadsmarts on my R1200ST and love them. I have done 2 track days on this set and was very happy with the grip. Obviously a more powerful machine might overwhelm the available side grip under hard acceleration, but I was entering turns just as fast as the other riders in my group and could roll on as much throttle as I wanted past the apex with complete confidence...and yes, I did have the ASC turned off .

 

I have about 4500 miles on the tires and the center is showing relatively little wear.

[Magilla]

I need to replace the tires on my RT in the next few days. I have the Battlaxx on it now but looking at the Road Smarts. My biggest concern is wet roads, overall traction and of course being a FNG to riding (this is only my second year and I have 9,500 miles on the tires).

 

Any advice would be welcomed....

[stubblejumper]

I wouldn't worry about the traction on wet roads,the Roadsmarts were a big improvement over the Battlaxes in that respect.

[lvnvbiker]

I have the Roadsmarts and really like them also, the grip is pertty darn good, way better than the Z6s in both wet and dry.

Magilla I would say that either the roadsmarts or pilot road 2s would be a good move, just be gentle for the first few heat cycles especialy when leaned over. I had the rear step out on me a few times at first, but they felt really good after a couple of days riding. There is also a combo with a softer front compound that some of the folks are using, but as a nOOb I don't think you'll need to go that route. The guys running the combo are usualy draggin hard parts in the twisties. What ever you put on just be gentle on them for a bit, and don't try to get your knee to the ground for a while.