tires and hello.

[joeb]

Hi folks.

New to the forum and to BMW.

I bought an Rt1150 earlier this summer and just love it. It had 14k miles on it and is in excellent shape. Had to pull the air cannister off it as the fuel tank was being deformed by suction. Fuel gauge doesn't work properly cause of it ( seems pretty normal from what I've read ). Put about 5k miles on it in 9 days. Drove across country to run the twisties in the Canadian Rockies. Love the bike.

Had some Metzlers on it that worked great ,but wore out during the trip.

Any suggestions for replacement tires. Hope to get a set that will last 8 to 10k. Heard good things about the Michelin Pilot 3. Dual compound, great in the rain. Just afraid they may be to much of a track tire that will wear out to soon. Any thought from you gurus of the grand tour ? Appreciate it. Joe B

 

 

[Boffin]

Pilot Road 3 are amongst the best-wearing tyres you can get for these bikes, without sacrificing wet or dry grip.

 

BTW, welcome to the forum

 

Andy

[kmac]

PR3s PR3s PR3s....three cheers for PR3s.

 

Welcome to the site.

 

I just put PR3s on my RT1100 and man I love them so far....light years better than the Pirelli Angel STs I put on it last round...phew bad. They stuck ok when new, but got all funny shaped and wore out quickly. Lost there stick after 3K when the got kinda octagon shaped.

 

Only have about 1-1.5K on my PR3s and love them so far, still almost no discernable wear.

 

I hope that helps. You have more tire options on your 1150 because you have a 17" rear where my 1100 has an 18" rear and much less choices, so I can speak for all tires, but I do love my PR3s.

 

[Caddis]

Welcome. Where are you located? If you fill out your profile we can learn more about you.

 

Which year is your RT? We always like pictures, too.

 

I put some PR3s on my '04 RT this summer, and I really like them. I haven't put enough miles on them yet to see how they will wear, but my old PR2s lasted about 10K miles, and I hear that the PR3s may do even better. But it seems like the types of roads, and style of riding, has a lot to do with how long tires last. So your mileage may vary.

[joeb]

Thanks for the input.

I'm in northern Illinois. Just filled out profile with a pix. Probably goofed it up but will try again.

[snod]

I am getting about 12k out of PR3's. I believe I am on my 3rd set. I tend to ride fairly agressive, about 10 over, probably 30% canyons and the rest road miles. Highly reccomended.

[MT Wallet]

Hello and welcome to the menagerie. I haven't burned thru a set of tires yet on the RT since I got it. So I can't help. I'm running Metzlers and don't have a complaint yet.

[David R]

Tires are a personal thing.

 

I can't get past 7,000 miles on any set.

 

PR2 good

Metzler Z6 or Z8 good

PR3 best so far.

 

I had a set of metzler Marathon (880) Rear didn't last long, front made 7,000 and it was the only one. I didn't trust them like the others above.

 

David

 

Enjoy your bike

 

[rich t]

I ran two sets of ME880's and got around 13K from the rear running 42psi. Don't really track the fronts, as they get much higher mileage. The other metz tires don't seem to get the mileage.

 

For $ per mile, i've been running bridgestone bt023's from Jake Wilson. Current price for rear is around $125 shipped. I got 12k on the rear. The tire is multi compound, so it does track a bit better than the 880 and is quite a bit cheaper. I change my own tires, so the slightly lower mileage is no big deal, but it's still a great tire that wears well. I think with the dual compound, the tires stays round longer than the 880.

 

[Bologna]

Welcome Joe!

PR3's

 

[1springer]

I got about 12k on a set of ME880's. Replaced them with a set of Z8's. Their performing well in the PNW's wet climate.

[Strider Paul]

Howdy all,

 

Like Joe from Northern IL, I too am new to the forum, new to motorcycling and also live in N. IL (north suburb of Chicago). Thanks to all for sharing their experiences and advise! I bought a '07 R1200 RT last Nov. from the local Barrington dealer. Bike came with the 30,000 mile service that noted "will need tires soon". So Joe's question is my question. The bike is shod w/Metzeler's Roadtec Z8 Interacts and the "crown" clearly shows wear. The dealer is recommending the same and not sure if I want to go with them again based on hearing experience on the PR3. Also heard good things about Continental? And, very pricey with install approx. $600 large! Unfortunately, I don't know how much mileage is on the tires. The little bit of riding I've done so far on them has been "uneventful"...even rode in early Dec. I'm looking to expand the "relationship" with the dealer but want to minimize cost. Any thoughts? I've seen several on-line stores with decent prices. I'm asking the dealer to break out the cost of tires, install, etc. Thanks in advance and see 'ya all on the road!

[CVA-42]

Welcome. This is one of the best forums out there. No pumped-up egos and lots of good info. Do a search on here or elsewhere for any tire you're contemplating and you'll come up with lots of real-world experiences. I put Metz Z8's on my 12RT about 2.5K miles ago based on road tests and my own experiences with Metzelers over the decades. No complaints. Great in the rain and in the twisties. No discernible wear yet. Very little in any case. I may try PR3's next just because. I sold my 1150RT early last year with 5K on the Z6 Interacts. New owner put another 6K on them. Not sure if they're still available.

[Mr. Frank]

A friend and I have both gotten 14K miles on a rear PR3. Front is kinda loud.

[Jimozach]

OK, so let me put myself out on the line here by bucking the Michelin/Metzler trend and say that last month I bought, after extensive research and reading countless reviews, a set of Avon Ultra Storm IIs for my 2004 R1150RT-P. I got the (brand new) pair for $250 on EBay. I feel like I am riding a different bike. Now granted, my last set(which were Metzler 880s) were shot, so anything would have been an improvement. A number of people said to me that I made a good choice. I just couldn't justify the extra money for the others. As a casual rider who does mostly local cruising, day trips and long weekends, they were a good choice. Jim

[GMC]

Howdy all,

 

Like Joe from Northern IL, I too am new to the forum, new to motorcycling and also live in N. IL (north suburb of Chicago). Thanks to all for sharing their experiences and advise! I bought a '07 R1200 RT last Nov. from the local Barrington dealer. Bike came with the 30,000 mile service that noted "will need tires soon". So Joe's question is my question. The bike is shod w/Metzeler's Roadtec Z8 Interacts and the "crown" clearly shows wear. The dealer is recommending the same and not sure if I want to go with them again based on hearing experience on the PR3. Also heard good things about Continental? And, very pricey with install approx. $600 large! Unfortunately, I don't know how much mileage is on the tires. The little bit of riding I've done so far on them has been "uneventful"...even rode in early Dec. I'm looking to expand the "relationship" with the dealer but want to minimize cost. Any thoughts? I've seen several on-line stores with decent prices. I'm asking the dealer to break out the cost of tires, install, etc. Thanks in advance and see 'ya all on the road!

 

 

Plenty of good advice on this thread, and as you likely know, an oil or tire type question can lead to a dizzying swarm of responses. At least the tire threads can yield some better quantifiable data.

 

I'll just give a +1 on the PR3's, but then add that for new RT owners, the tire question is a little different than for many other bike models, at least for some: For instance, I tend to ride the RT all winter here in Oregon like a full dresser harley, meaning I just sit on it. It does a good job in that role. When riding like that its harder to tell if the tire is good, bad, worn, grippy, low on pressure, etc.

But then the sun comes out, the roads dry up, and without knowing it you all of a sudden are riding faster, cornering tighter, and just generally way more in tune with the bike. Or at least I am. Thats when the tire differences stand out.

 

The RT is not alone in this category of bikes that can function so well as a "dresser" but then also handle so excellently when you're wanting to dig your heels in, but its not a common class of bike that can do it as nicely.

 

So you can justify a fairly sporty tire, or you can make the case that a longer-lived cruiser tire will work fine, based on how you ride. (though i'll admit that some cruiser tires don't last either)

One thing you probably don't need is a tire with a high speed rating... (some may argue, but if you want to go real fast down the autostrada, get a GT, etc)

 

The PR3's seem to satisfy all criteria quite well for me.

[drtnsnw]

I also did a ton of research when it came to get some tires. I am not so interested in getting double digit miles out of mine as I am having tons of grip. I am a big guy and love scraping pegs!!! I ended up going with the Pirelli Angel GT's. reviews were fantastic and price was wonderful (right at 250 per set).

 

I have only put about 20 miles on them but OH MY GOSH!! So much better than the old worn out Metzler m6's. As soon as the roads dry out and I scuff em up better we will see how theey grip. my experiance with Pirelli's is they all grip like they are glued to the road

 

Chris

[EffBee]

There is no such thing as tire mileage. There is only how many miles a given set of tires will last on the type of asphalt you ride on.

 

Asphalt specifications vary from state to state and county to county. Some is more abrasive and grippy. Some is sealed, wears less, but may have less grip. Therefore, the guy who gets 8000 miles on a given set of tires living and riding in Kissmygrits, Texas, might get 14000 if he lived in Rainsalot, WA. Even if comparing two riders who ride the same area on different tires, mileages don't hold much validity. Because the way each of those tires wear on the asphalt they shared, might be reversed if they rode different asphalt.

 

All tires are a compromise. They try to deliver the best grip and the best mileage over the broadest composition of surfaces. But none succeeds exclusively. Only circumstantially.

 

All that said, you can figure that the response you get will generally (but not guaranteed) deliver you a brand of tire that meets your needs. But to get the truest answer, ask the BMW riders in your area. They ride where you will ride. They will know what's worked best on that asphalt.

[ozmojo]

Amen and Me880s for me

[azccj]

My last set of PR2s lasted 15,841 miles. The set of PR2s before that lasted 14,373 miles. I'm impressed with the mileage of the PR2s but decided to try a set of PR3s. If they get slightly better mileage I'll be happy since they cost slightly more than the PR2s. If they get the same or lower mileage I'll be buying PR2s again, assuming they are still being made.

[Mr. Frank]

Michelin now has a PR 4. All indications are it is very good.