Different Tires Than Touring Tires for RT

[BigTup]

We take 3000 to 4000 mile trips every year, but we don't do highways. We camp along the way, so there is some weight. Mountain roads, state highways, that kind of riding. We go on interstate highways only to get from point A to B. Our sweet spot seems to be 50 to 60 mph, (except for the occasional Hundo!). Do I need 'touring' tires for my 2016 RT? I have Metzler Z8's and really like them. They feel grippy. I'm not worried about getting max mileage, I want the best ride.

[szurszewski]

When you say "touring tire" you're thinking of what, for example?

[BigTup]

The Pilot Road 4, Metzler Z8, and 01. That group.

[Paul De]

I've have ridden on both the Metzler Z8 and Michelin Pilot Road 4GTs and both are excellent sport touring tires. These tires were designed to balance grip VS wear on a heavier bike like a loaded sport touring machine. Given your statement about not worried about max mileage, then you can't go wrong with either in wet of dry riding conditions. I typicallyu get 8-10K miles on a set of modern sport touring tires... but watch for cords showing in the last 1,500 miles! Neither have a particularly stiff carcass so the compliance is good and besides the suspension of the 16 RT is very, very good and does most of the work for a smooth ride anyway.

 

Both can have the sipes get a little noisy in the back half of the their life when leaned into a turn but stay pretty quite going straight. Maybe the Pilot Road 4GTs retain their original handling characteristics better throughout out their life, but that observation may not be valid as I rode two different vintages of RT between these tires.

 

They are pricey little suckers, but having recovered from road rash by riding on cheapo tires in my youth, I will shell out the cash for top tier tires every time.

 

You can get more mileage out of a true touring tire but typically you give up some grip (particularly on wet roads) and that has been a valid trade off for the guys that aren't riding very aggressively and tend to put on 10s of thousands miles per year. Another member maybe has a recommendation as I have never tried touring tires on either of my RTs

[lkraus]

We take 3000 to 4000 mile trips every year, but we don't do highways. We camp along the way, so there is some weight. Mountain roads, state highways, that kind of riding. We go on interstate highways only to get from point A to B. Our sweet spot seems to be 50 to 60 mph, (except for the occasional Hundo!). Do I need 'touring' tires for my 2016 RT? I have Metzler Z8's and really like them. They feel grippy. I'm not worried about getting max mileage, I want the best ride.

 

That sure sounds like "touring" to me. If you said you were blitzing the corners and scraping the pegs, something a little sportier and softer (PR3) might be better, but that does not sound like your riding style. The tires you listed seem to be appropriate. If you are two-up, with camping gear, you want the stiffer sidewall versions to handle the weight - like the PR4GT. A regular PR4 might be a little more comfortable if you are riding solo.

[Gene#3]

If you're only looking to get 4-5k out of your tires buying PR's is a waste of money. Get something more grippy... and cheaper for the twisties!

[John in VA]

It's early yet but I'd be interested in any ride/wear reports on the Dunlop Roadsmart III for the RT. They have quite a marketing blitz going lately.

[realshelby]

I would like to hear about the Roadsmart III as well. I had a Roadsmart II on the RT, probably the worst tire I have ever run on a road bike. Squirmy feel, greasy when hot and leaning hard. 4,300 miles. I wanted to try one, and since they were made in the USA ( stamped right on it ) I wanted it to work. That said, I hear about the new RS III and I like the tread pattern and some of the propaganda. On the other hand I have read where they are the same basic construction as the RS II and a similar rubber compound. I don't know who it right! Since they are NOT on the lower end of pricing I'll wait to hear about them from others.

[aggieengineer]

I'm looking into the same issue. I've used many of the popular sport-touring tires on my R1200RT. They seem to go about 7000 miles before handling is noticeably degraded. I'm not a fan of the Metzeler Z8 simply because there is no way to gauge how much rubber is left above the cords. They will look great 100 miles before cord is showing.

 

This week I'll install a set of Bridgestone S21s. Don't know what kind of mileage I'll get, but they were less expensive than the T30s, should have better grip, and have the same weight capacity.

 

Another interesting option may be the new Dunlop Q3+ coming out this month. The Q3 certainly has a good reputation.

 

Since you take longer trips, sticking with a sport-touring tire may be a preferable option. My longest trips are about 1000 miles and I have a tire changer. Longevity is a secondary concern to handling, so I'm willing to experiment.

[AZgman]

I can recommend Pirelli Angel GT (A-spec) for the RT. Great grip and the A-spec is a 2 ply sidewall for extra load capacity.

[Yeeha! Stephen]

"If you're only looking to get 4-5k out of your tires buying PR's is a waste of money. Get something more grippy... and cheaper for the twisties!"

 

We don't get much mileage from any tire on our Texas Chip-Seal roads. So I use Pilot Powers on my RT.

 

[tallman]

"If you're only looking to get 4-5k out of your tires buying PR's is a waste of money. Get something more grippy... and cheaper for the twisties!"

 

We don't get much mileage from any tire on our Texas Chip-Seal roads. So I use Pilot Powers on my RT.

 

That has to be because of the oil you use, or your saddle...

[realshelby]

I can recommend Pirelli Angel GT (A-spec) for the RT. Great grip and the A-spec is a 2 ply sidewall for extra load capacity.

 

I am about to try a set of Pirelli Angel GT tires. Very happy with the Bridgestone T-30 Evos, but want to try one more time to find a tire with more than 7-8,000 miles for the rear life.

 

I will buy the "regular" Angel GT's. If the 2 ply did indeed carry more weight, it should have a higher load rating. They do not. PR4 GT's don't have a higher rating than the regular PR4, same with T-30's. All are "73" rated. So, I am thinking the regular tires will ride smoother. The weight rating of them is over what I need with bike loaded anyway. If I had a K1600 or carried a passenger and luggage a lot I might think differently. But the load rating is the same?

[Bernie]

I think that the people who make the tires know better than the consumer what version of there tire is made for which bike.

I have been using the"A" version of the Pirelli Angel GT for the rear and front and got 8,500 miles. About 500 less then Michelin PR-4GT.

I also like the handling better with the Angel GT.

I now have a set of Metzler's RoadTec 01 mounted and after 2,500 miles I am very impressed with them.

Using sport bike tires on heavy weight bikes, like an R1200RT is just as dangerous as riding with under inflated tires or over inflated. Just my 0.0005$.

[Indy Dave]

Lots of good advice, observations and opinions have been offered. There are also many, many threads on tires if you care to search a bit. However, most of those tend to focus on max tire wear, and let's face it - there are just too many variables for one guys experience to transfer to another. Many reviews focus on initial impressions - the recent Dunlop RS3 review in this month's ON is worthless, IMO. Long term controlled tests are a rarity.

 

Having said all that - I've been a fan of the PR3's softer compound. I did not like the PR4's 'tippyness' as they wore, and the front likes to cup, but less so than the PR3's. My last set of PR3's cupped badly front and rear and I've replaced them earlier than normal. I prefer a good dry and wet weather tire over max mileage.

 

The girl now wears the Angle GT's 'A' version. I only have about 700 miles on them, so my input is preliminary and somewhat suspect as I have also been refining my steering inputs.

 

The GT's did excellent in the rain, which at times was heavy. I had full confidence in them. They also provide more feel/feedback from the road vs the PR 3/4's. I think the front turns in a bit quicker and the tires are what I might term "consistent". BY that I mean with the PR3's as you lean over, you become aware of the softer rubber on the sides and it has a slightly different characteristic and feel and you begin to account for that as you adjust to the tires and it just become part of your 'normal'. With the GT's, I find the transition to lean be uniform and consistent and without the noticeable compound change. Does that mean they're less 'grippy' leaned over - it's possible, I just don't have an opinion on that yet.

 

Although the test bike is a Honda CB1000R, here's an interesting test. Use translate to view.

 

Motorrad mag tire test

Edited May 3, 2017 by workin' them angels

[tallman]

Terry,

 

Different tire, different bike, but...

when I ran 7=8 sets of Metzler Z 6's, in a row, one time I didn't get the "B" rating tire.

That one time the wear was different than all the other times, same bike GT, same type of riding, etc.

YMMV

[Bernie]

I have been using the Motorrad Tire tests in the past to find replacement tires. It is one of the only magazine tire test that have any value.

They are also the only magazine that will do real world comparison tire tests

The little write ups that Rider or some the other mags do are interesting, but really useless.

Also what I use is the paper work that the tire manufacturer has to file with the German TUV, to prove there tires are legal for the various different bikes. That is where you find out if you can mix and match, like using a PR-3 in the front with a PR-4GT in the rear. These papers have to be on file for each model motorcycle, otherwise using these tires on the bike or vehicle is in violation of the vehicle codes in Germany and will get you either a ticket or they could impound the vehicle. You can also find out the recommended inflation pressures for the different tires, which also match the pressures that BMW posts under there seats.

While most of the dealers/techs in the USA recommend the max pressure stamped into the side walls of the tires, regardless of bike or payload.

I guess this is the side effect of all those Firestone tires blowing up on those Ford Explorers.

My experience with the Angel GT is that the front will cup, but it doesn't effect the steering, like the PR-4GT's. And the Pirelli Angel GT is a dual compound tire.

[tallman]

[aggieengineer]

Well, my experiment with the Bridgestone S21 did not work out well. The rear is holding up nicely, but the front, at 3000 miles, has worn into an octagonal cross-section. The center is slightly squared, but to either side, at 20 degrees off horizontal, is a big flat area - as if I were riding at a 20 degree lean nearly all the time. The bike wants to dive into corners with alarming enthusiasm. Back to sport touring tires. I have a set of Dunlop Roadsmart IIIs ready to go on. Still, always fun to try new things.

[Skywagon]

you wont get a consistent reply here as everyone's experience seems to be different. Same bike, same tire, very different mileage.. So here is my experience. I've been running Michelin PR series for about 10 years. On average whether the pr2, 3's, and now the PR4GT's I'm running on my 2014RT I get 12-15000 miles. I don't commute. I'm just a weekend rider and a couple of 3-4000 mile trips per year. I tend to ride fast here in Texas where speed limits in many places are 80+. When in the country, mountains, etc I tend to ride as hard as I think I can. For all around tire these work so well for me I haven't tried anything else in many years.

Edited January 28, 2018 by Skywagon

[Gene#3]

you wont get a consistent reply here as everyone's experience seems to be different. Same bike, same tire, very different mileage.. So here is my experience. I've been running Michelin PR series for about 10 years. On average whether the pr2, 3's, and now the PR4GT's I'm running on my 2014RT I get 12-15000 miles. I don't commute. I'm just a weekend rider and a couple of 3-4000 mile trips per year. I tend to ride fast here in Texas where speed limits in many places are 80+. When in the country, mountains, etc I tend to ride as hard as I think I can. For all around tire these work so well for me I haven't tried anything else in many years.

 

Unlike you David I am a daily rider. But I get similar mileage as you!

[Sonor]

I like what skywagon stated in no consistent replies from this group, cause mine is contrary to his. I had PR2s on my 05 RT and could not wait to get them off the bike. They were so sloppy with handling that I will not even think about trying the PR4s which are probably excellent tires from all I read. Still, my experience as to some one else's is just my $0.02. (I really like Metzler tires) But you may be one of the people that end up loving PRs, good for you.

 

All the best in figuring out what you like and keep us posted.