Motorrad Touring Tire Test and Results 2014

[1LIFE2LIVE]

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2014-Motorrad-Touring-Motorcycle-Tyre-Test.htm

[Alfred02]

Interesting

Really proving that the average bike rider has a very good feel of what works and what doesn't.

Before these tests, most Riders on Sport Touring bikes have been saying that the PR4's are excellent tires and the experts just confirmed it.

 

[Tri750]

It is interesting .

Good posting.

 

I had a set of PR4's taken off my 1100RT after a week and gave them away. I'm so spoiled by the ease of turn in and steering of the Metzeler.

 

They were given to me by the regional Mich rep. When I worked at the BMW dealership. Our shop was a "Metzeler" shop and he was hoping to increase the Michelin sales.

 

End result was, we morphed into about a 50/50 Mich Metz shop so good call.

 

I'm due for a set of tires this month and I'm going to stick with the Metz.

 

I wish they had extended the test to include wear. I think the Pirelli and the first Conti would have fallen away on that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[realshelby]

Tests like this are useless in my opinion. I have yet to have a tire that didn't stick well in wet conditions, yet to have a tire that I couldn't ride with confidence to the point where there are no chicken strips. I say all the name brand new tires will do the job very well.

 

Different bikes wear tires in different ways. RT's are very bad to wear tires on either side of the center on the front, especially on the left of center.

 

I got 4k miles out of a front Roadsmart because of the way the tread pattern caused feathering, it was worn to the base rubber in places at that mileage. The Continental Road Attacks on the new RT are doing something very similar, but I have over 6K on them. These tires may do very well on an FJR or some other bike.

 

I have over 13K on a PR3 on the front of the V Strom. Yet got 8500 miles out of the soft ( trail version ) PR3 rear. Won't do much better with the PR4 rear. I get well over 10K miles on the Bridgestone BT 023 fronts and 7500 on the rears. The new T30 should do better.

 

That brings me to value. I have a set of T30 Bridgestones here ready to put on. $218 to my door. Hope to get 8K plus on the rear and maybe two rears to one front. I could get the PR4's and get at least that many miles, maybe a thousand or so more? But at $325 delivered I don't see any reason beyond saying I drink the Michelin Kool-Aid for buying them.

[Jake]

Agreed. Bridgestones. They're round. They roll.

 

The test would have more value to me if there was a rating for adhesion loss point. "Rider A at 180 lbs riding Pirellis broke free on turn number 2 when wet at 93 mph, while rider B at the same weight was able to hold it together for an additional 63 feet before losing it with the Michelins..."

[AndyS]

Well, an interesting test to some extent. I have found that my Bridgstones and Conti's (I am talking about rear tyre wear rates), wore out at about 5K each and the Mich PR's are getting me about 6-7K with good feel. Similar riding. So even though the others are cheaper to buy, the miles/£ ratio still puts the PR's in the lead. Also, the PR's seem to feel good right up to the end of their life where the 2 other brands are less inspiring.

[Lone_RT_rider]

Agreed. Bridgestones. They're round. They roll.

 

The test would have more value to me if there was a rating for adhesion loss point. "Rider A at 180 lbs riding Pirellis broke free on turn number 2 when wet at 93 mph, while rider B at the same weight was able to hold it together for an additional 63 feet before losing it with the Michelins..."

 

It's easier to get sued for data like that vs. just giving opinions.

[Jake]

 

It's easier to get sued for data like that vs. just giving opinions.

 

I guess I did a poor job of painting a picture of riders wadding up their bikes all in the name of science.

[EffBee]

I"m with realshelby on this one, agreeing with one of his reasons, and having a second one of my own.

 

Modern tires are fantastic. They grip farther than you can lean an RT. When was the last time you heard of an RT lowsiding on clean asphalt? I know of a dealer employee, who is also a racer and track day veteran, who at a regional BMW intro ride, brought back the RT with holes in the side cases.

 

The second reason is my old concern about tire comparisons, be they professional or one member to another. WTH does the asphalt they rode on have to do with the asphalt that we ride on? And not because it's "Motorrad" Magazine. It could be Cycle World. Asphalt specifications change from state to state, even county to county and in some cases within cities. Unless you do all your riding on one spec asphalt, and the tire you're comparing to was ridden on that same spec asphalt, it's apples to oranges. Different spec asphalts have different percentages of gravel of different sizes, of sand, recycled asphalt from heaven knows where, and different sealants.

 

Quick story. On my first 99RT I used Bridgestone BT54's because I was commuting. They lasted 9500 miles and they never slipped. Feel was good. Took a brand new set from SoCal to Torrey one year, and they'd laid fresh chip seal from Escalante all the way over Boulder Mountain (about 65 miles). I did nothing but play on that road all weekend. Must have made six complete passes to and from. On that grippy, abrasive surface I felt like Valentino Rossi. By the time I left for home, the tires looked like they'd been hit with meat tenderizer. Rode home and went back to commuting. Those tires were toast at 6200 miles. Where you ride and how you ride and what you ride on has more to do with tire performance than what brand. Not that there aren't differences. But as with any experiment, if you don't limit your variables as well as test in a relevant environment, the results aren't worth a lick.

[lawnchairboy]

I'd say that about covers it.

[Guest Kakugo]

Tests like this are useless in my opinion. I have yet to have a tire that didn't stick well in wet conditions, yet to have a tire that I couldn't ride with confidence to the point where there are no chicken strips. I say all the name brand new tires will do the job very well.

 

I remember the Dunlop's my Suzuki Gamma came with.

To call them "atrocious in the wet" would be a mild, politically correct statement. Braking when it was raining was downright scary even well under speed limits.

I could have attributed this to my youth and inexperience but the Michelin's I fit afterwards went a very very long way towards fixing the issue.

 

The Metzeler's my VFR came with were almost as bad in the wet. Truly mind-boggling atrocious: I remember a particularly terrifying ride in March... Again Michelin's sorted the problem.

 

For me the true step forward in tyres happened around 2000 when Bridgestone introduced the BT010. I really, really loved that tyre on my Fireblade. From then on tyre development has accelerated and in the past six-seven years bike tyres are advancing considerably faster than car tyres in all sectors.

[realshelby]

 

For me the true step forward in tyres happened around 2000 when Bridgestone introduced the BT010. I really, really loved that tyre on my Fireblade. From then on tyre development has accelerated and in the past six-seven years bike tyres are advancing considerably faster than car tyres in all sectors.

 

I should probably have worded my response better in my earlier post. Yes, I remember some tires back in the 70's and early 80's that would slip around in the wet and squirm and move around a lot in the dry! Not sure the bike wasn't some of the problem too. But I think the tires available for the last 10 years or so are better than most riders and bikes ask of them.

 

I won't buy a tire just because it costs more. Now if it gives great wear and performs well I will look at it. If it gives 1/3 more mileage yet costs 50% more I will still look at it as I don't like to change tires. The PR4 Michelin might get outstanding mileage on a new RT. If I see owners getting 20K miles on the front and well over 10K on a rear I would pay $335 for a set. Till then I know the T30 Bridgstone is well worth $218.

[walton66]

Not really a comment on any the preceding discussion, but I installed my second set of PR4-GTs yesterday. The first were at the end of their life at 13k,but would have been more comfortable being replaced a thousand or two sooner. The rear was pretty square and turning required brute force to get started. Im always amazed how nice everything feels with new tires.