I have Michelin road pilot 3's on my ST4. I don't dislike them, I hate them with a vengeance! Yesterday I swapped bikes with one of my brothers, he bought the bike new. When we swapped back he said the tyres felt skittish and he didn't remember that. His BMW K1300r felt planted, very impressive bike. I can't wait to get rid of the Road Pilots. I've tried Metzler M77r's on my other bike but this is a tourer so I'm debating. Might try Battlax's. Another of my brothers really rates them. Might say sod it n go for the Metzlers as they're really good but low mileage. What do you guys recommend.
...I got on really well with my Pilots that I put on my 1098 to travel to Italy. Even had a couple of goes around the Nury-ring on the way home
Yup, people say they like them but these feel like they're going to go from under me at any roundabout.
How about experimenting with the tyre pressures Sam, you might be surprised. what pressure are you using?
I have experimented over a fair range. It was really interesting how 'planted' that BMW felt by comparison but when my brother got off mine and the first thing he said was 'skittish tyres' I thought 'good, it's not just me. They're going'. They're nearly spent and I'm planning another trip soon.
Tyres are very personal. I have road pilots, love em'. Dry or wet I find they are grippy, planted and they don 't track the tar snakes on road repairs. I have just spent 10 days abroad on the bike with both torrential rain and hot sun. Coped with it all, even the hairpins. I think I had bridgestones before which were not good. I have Pirelli Angels on the 749, like those a well.
High 30's. as recommended for the bike. My other half has just changed to road Pilots and has a pair of battleAx with about 700 miles on each, They came off a Fazer 8 with 700 miles on the clock. They are three years old. If you're interested he is looking to sell them the sizes are Front 120/55ZR17M/C (58W) Rear 180/70ZR17M/C (78W)
Dunlops for me. It is a very personal thing of course, which is in itself interesting because the science of grip levels etc is very objective. Yet, we all have our own opinions. Personally i hate bridgestones with a vengance
I've been fitting quite a few Conti's to customer bikes of late. Different bikes and types of tyre. Nothing but positives. The Road Attack 2's suit the ST quite well and they're a little cheaper than the "big 4" brands.
When I got the 4s first I used Diablo Stradas. Then I went for Road Smarts and I'm currently on my second set of Road Smart IIs. The RS IIs are superb. Well wearing, good grip in all conditions and very neutral handling. I've even had them on track with no issues. But I find the 4s is fairly responsive to tyre pressures. I rarely carry a pillion so solo riding with only a rucksack I run 33 front and 36 rear, or 30 and 33 on track.
That's very good to know about your experience with pressures. I checked the pressures a couple of weeks ago, then again two days ago. Turns out they were low, hence tracking anything in the road. Previous pump must have been out, can't have lost that much pressure in two weeks. Still don't like the Michelins. They just feel like they're moving sideways at little points. Fractionally slidey I mean, both front and back, at different times. Doesn't give confidence.
I ran Pirelli Corsa's for 8 years. Quite happy with them but did seem to wear quite quickly. This year I was recommended to try Avon Storms 3D which seemed better suited to the riding I do. First trip out on them was 2 weeks touring round Germany & Austria in a variety of weather conditions including monsoon type rain and hot sunny days too. The tyres warmed up very quickly and felt very secure. Oh and about £80 per tyre less than the Pirelli. Storm 3D X-M | Avon Tyres
Pr3s were great in all weather at all lean angles. Only dislike was vague feel from front at high speed. I think this was partly down to suspension settings anyway. Felt like they could be pushed hard without letting go tbh. Sport touring, maybe Pirelli Angel 2s if your certain you cant get on with the Pr3s. Sporty, Metzler m7rr or Sportsmart 2s.
Great feedback guys thanks very much. Really interesting to have various recommendations. I'm going to play around with the pressures over the next couple of weeks. I'm surprised by the feeling I get from the Michelins but it was interesting that it was the first thing my brother said when we swapped bikes.
