morning all. My tyres are due a change shortly and I plan on changing from the Battleax T32 I am currently running. I have read about some people getting tyre rub on the road pilot 5's. is anyone running the 6's or know of any problems. Open to suggestions for others. My riding often comprises 2 up and touring. Current set currently have done about 4K miles thanks
I bought my 1260 a couple of years ago, came with Pirelli Scorpion, hated them with a passion! Given I do all road riding I toyed with Metzeler Roadtec versus Road 5's.. Road 5's have been brilliant in both wet and dry conditions (UK tours/day rides) . I am just about to have to change and will be going with Road 6's.. If you did on and off road I dont think the Road 5 or 6's would be a good tyre for you but greater minds on here would know
Got about 6000 miles out of the front and now it is well worn and skippy in the wet. The rear has about 5K on it (had a puncture write off after 1K) , lots of tread left but dont fancy running a part worn 5 with a brand new 6. On day riding I tend to go our very early and ride quite spirited ahead of the camera crews finishing their breakfast; touring much steadier.
Thanks Pat, I always favoured Michelin tyres until I but my R1200GS, that came with Trail 5's, they were very noisy and made the steering and cornering feel very laboured. I changed to Metz Roadtec 01's and loved them, they completely transformed the handling but I was changing the rear every 5000 miles and with the milage I was doing that was twice a year. I bought my current MS V4S in June last year with the OEM Scorpion Trail 2's and I have to say, for me they are the best tyre I've had. I've ridden in all conditions and they just feel planted and perform brilliantly. I'm just over 7000 miles on them and I'll be looking to change the rear probably sometime next month or early March, which will see it reach about 8000. I'll be interested in what milage you get from the Road 6's though, as maybe a future option.
I keep going back to the Road 5's, tried some of the other top brands but these just feel the best. Usually get between 3 and 4k miles. Not tried the road 6's yet but my riding pal has and they will last longer but that's because they have a much stiffer carcass, you can tell this when you fit them, R5's you can almost throw them on, no levers needed with a bit of tyre soap, R6's are like any other tyre to fit, much harder work. R6's don't have the same feel/confidence as the 5's according to him, he's probably been through 12 sets of R5's, when pushed hard. They're also a fair chunk more expensive so, you have to factor that in too.
I dont fit them myself so that does not bother me , Good insight about the confidence level compared to the 5's... maybe I just put a new 5 on the front!!
The comment about fitting was more referring to the comparative stiffness in the tyres. The R6's are a lot stiffer than the R5's, this, along with what must be a slightly harder compound, is what will make them last longer than the R5's and they do last longer, that's been proven. I'd rather have the feel and extra bit of grip than another 500 miles of tyre life but, most of my riding is hooning about in Wales on a Sunday morning, if you're doing big miles at a more sedate pace then the R6 could be a more suitable tyre.
Conti Road Attack 3 also excellent, ran them on KTM 1290gt, 1200gs and now 1250gs. Know a few using them on Multis who rate them highly too. They last well, keep their shape, grip to end of life and grippy to the edge of the tyre without a dramatic drop off in performance.
Tyres, are always a personal preference, the bike, individual riding styles etc make you decide. I always used Michelin tyres on my sports bikes for years and when I bought my Monster 821 Stipe in 2016 it came with Pirelli Rosso 2's which were fantastic in hot dry conditions but useless in cold and/or wet so I changed to Michelin Power RS, which where fantastic tyres in all conditions. As were the Metzler Roadtec 01's on the GS but as mentioned the maximum mileage from a rear was only 5K, so a combination of performance, grip levels and long milage I think the Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2's are working for me.
i've been running Dunlop Roadsmart IIIs and now IVs on my previous and now current Multistrada ... averaging 7,000 miles out of the rears. love the Roadsmarts ... over the years, have put a little over 80,000 miles on them between my 2010 1200s and now the 2018 1260s. i have sets of Dunlop Roadsmarts and Mutants in the garage. i am hoping the Mutants will provide the same quick warm up, stickiness, and mileage that the Roadsmarts have always provided.
@999nutta Based on your OP's description, definitely stick with a Sport Touring class/type tire. The brand is a personal preference. All top brands are great but the riding characteristics differ. Unless pushed to the extreme, most are more or less the same grip on dry tarmac but some are better in the wet, some turn-in faster which could be good or bad depending on your taste, some warm-up faster, some are more comfortable etc. Here's an interesting take on some of this by Dave Moss. The full video is much, much, much more descriptive. The fundamental question you should ask yourself is: What characteristics am I looking for? Start with what you have and see what you like or what you don't like about your bike's handling? What did you like most and least about the Battleax T32? These are key! For example, another Battleax T32 just may be the right tire but your bike's geometry is not set-up to do the things you want it to do. Or it may not be the geometry. It may be a change of tire stiffness or profile. Don't ask others until you know as others are bound to have different needs than yourself. Don't let anyone tell you one brand is better than another among, Michelin, Pirelli, Dunlop, Bridgstone, Metzler. They're all great. Moreover others don't know about: Your bike's compression and rebound damping and sag. If your ride mostly single or two-up, If you carry heavy, Your riding style, Your choice of roads, Your typical riding speed, If you prefer lots of road feedback or not, If you prefer easy turn-in and up initially or fast drop, solid tracking but with more input getting back upright, It's up to you and nobody else.
Has anyone tried Pirelli Angel GT2's on a V4 MTS? I'm having a set fitted before I embark on a 15 day bike trip across Europe, as they are supposed to over both excellent grip and long mileage.
Strictly speaking the front Angel GT2 is not a recommended fitment as it’s not Z rated. I think a few on here have fitted them though.
I have a 2015 multi Dvt, similar to you I ride quite often with a pillion & I’ll be due for tyres very soon It’s tricky finding tyres that offer longevity & the extra grip for hooning about while riding solo Did you make a decision on what to go for ?
I run Metzeler M9RR's on my multi 1260 GT as I deem gravel off road and I like the surface sticky for my bike. I've done 2 10 day trips to spain over winter. One in November and one in April, a bunch of day ride outs and they have not once let me down when I needed them. Even in the wet. Like any tyre, a bit slippy if your twisty on the throttle in the morning. My current pair is well over 10k km and only during the last trip to Essen in Germany did I notice the wear indicators were finally at surface level. When I tour, I do tour heavy. Both panniers full and top box half. I stay in hotels so no camping equiptment. And with a pillion, they have been brilliant, with the wife and I having done a 3 day trip around the black forest with everything packed to the max of course... Oh, I got totally caught out in a torrential downpour in Northern France on a 16 hour ride home in the middle of the night. Proper 3 hour long ride in a storm. I was dry and could see clearly enough and felt plenty planted on the road. Obviously not recommended... As for my riding style, smart fast I'd say. When it's clear enough I'll have a bit of fun and let that full termi sing, but otherwise I'm happy to take in the scenery.
I haven’t changed mine yet, but on my last two GSAs I was very happy with Roadtecs. Anecdotally I’ve read on various forums that the Michelins puncture easily, not my experience but I felt PR5s squared off too quickly.
