Michelin Pilot Roads

At the risk of getting flamed I am going to post what my personal experience is with these tires. Take it for what it is worth.

Suffice it to say, I am not happy with the amount of grip the Michelins provide when pushed hard. I have a road near me that has some smooth tar sections in it where the chip seal has all worn off. Several of these spots are in the middle of tight corners. It is a great road for testing tire traction on, as nearly all tires will slide in these corners some when you transition onto the smoother surface and I use this road to get a good feel for how my tires stick.

In the past, various Dunlops have performed the worst on this road, and I actually put a Concours sideways (two-up) on one turn here and dirt biked it through the corner (had to clean my underwear out afterwards).

Anyway, I have been up and down this road about two dozen or more times now since mounting the Michelins, and have over 1,000 miles on them. I have had both the front and rear tire slide in these turns a LOT more than average, and there is an obvious decrease in grip that they provide over the OEM Bridgestones. On another road, I went to pass a vehicle at about 50 and cranked open the throttle and broke the rear tire loose in 4th gear on dry pavement. I have run the Michelins on several roads at fairly severe lean angles and I have been able to slide the rear on almost every type of pavement surface with very little effort when leaned over at full tilt.

I am sure someone will come on and tell me these tires stick like glue for them, but for me they do not, and I won't buy another set of them. I would advise anyone who is an aggressive rider, to seek out another tire brand. I feel the lack of grip that these tires provide border on being dangerous to anyone who truly pushes this bike near it limits.

I will probably either put on Metzlers or Avons next or else go back to the Bridgestones. No more Michelin's for me.

Your experience may differ. This was mine.

I don't push my bike to the limit anymore. I have run the Pilot Roads, the Bridgestone 020's and the Avon 45/46 combo the most in recent years. The Avon's are what are currently on the FJR and I have been the least satisfied with these. Even without running the bike anywhere close to the limit, I have had the back end break free countless times on wet pavement. This is something I never experienced with the 020's or the PR's.

For wet weather, good all round riding, I prefer the PR's. For the sport side of touring, I preferred the 020's. For pure sport riding, none of these would be in the top 15 of my choice. But, I'm not on the sport side as much as I am the wet weather touring side, so I'll stick with the PR's.

But, as you said, everyone's opinion, and experience is different.

I've only had the original 020's and the Pilot Roads so far and have been happy with both. The front Bridgestone cupped and that was the reason for my trying the PR's. The PR's seemed to give me a softer ride but seemed to pushed a little more than the 020's in curves. I'm not hard on my tires (10 k on the 020's when replaced; front was junk (cupped), rear still had some more but wanted to replace them as a set) I don't push my tires too much, so for those that approach higher cornering limits, my review may not be relevant.

I am on my second set of Michelin Pilots (because I bought two sets) and I will trying the Avons next. I, too, have noticed the slipping on tar snakes that I don't on my GL1800 (same riding style / conditions).

Best Regards,

Shane

If you are riding close to the bike's limits, I'd encourage anyone to get more of a sport tire than a touring tire. The Pilot Roads are more touring than sport. The Pilot Powers would be a more appropriate choice for aggressive riding IMO. Of course, the trade off is quicker tire wear.

Just like I'm sure I'd be happier with the traction of the Avons if I had the Storms vs. the ST 45/46 combo.

ponyfool said:

If you are riding close to the bike's limits, I'd encourage anyone to get more of a sport tire than a touring tire. The Pilot Roads are more touring than sport. The Pilot Powers would be a more appropriate choice for aggressive riding IMO. Of course, the trade off is quicker tire wear.
Just like I'm sure I'd be happier with the traction of the Avons if I had the Storms vs. the ST 45/46 combo.

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Ya think the Storms are grippier and will wear out faster?

I can't wait until the LD guys start wearing them out and we get some real world numbers on wear. Haven't heard anything but good so far....

I originally posted this in the FJR Specific section as I felt it was something of General Interest that I thought others might like to hear. For some reason it has been moved to Parts and Accessories???? I give up on this place.

Not sure how applicable this is but here goes:

I have the Azaros on the FJR and PRs on the FZ-1. I like both on the respective mounts. Here is my caveat. I like the Azaros at high pressures such as 40-42, below that they seem to loose a lot of grip. The opposite is true of the PR. Run at 34-36 they are exceptional, while at 38+, they slip like they have been coated with butter. Yes the heavier bike wants more pressure than the lighter bike, but I still think their is a correlation. If you are running higher pressures, try powering them a bit. Its worth a shot.

A former board member in my area HATED the Bridgestones so much he dumped them with a lot of miles left and loved the PRs he put on. So maybe it is the types of road we drive on that factors in as well.

As a side note, Michelin is coming out with a Pilot Road 2. Supposedly available in the US in September, it is a promising looking design. I hope we can get some impressions from the UK or Australia before fall.

Fred H. said:

I originally posted this in the FJR Specific section as I felt it was something of General Interest that I thought others might like to hear. For some reason it has been moved to Parts and Accessories???? I give up on this place.

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Well, if you check your ego at the door for a moment perhaps we can ponder this dilemma. Fred, tires are parts and accessories and so the thread is now located in it's proper home. Quite a simple concept. Having the thread located in parts and accessories will NOT stop in the least others from reading your words of wisdom.

I really don't want to give up on you, but sometimes I really don't get why you take things so personally.

Uhh, yea, I'll be one of those guys with a totally different experience.

I'm no Rossi but I push the bike a bit and the Roads have always been awesome for me. Truth be told, I can't really feel any difference in stickyness between the Avons and the Roads.

Riding style has a lot to do with it though. Your style may rely heavily on tire grip where anothers style relys more on angles, lines, things that stress a tire less.

Who knows why they suck for you. Good thing you've done your homework where it's relatively safe and can now make appropriate choices in the future, for you.

GZ

beeroux said:

Who knows why they suck for you. Good thing you've done your homework where it's relatively safe and can now make appropriate choices in the future, for you.
GZ

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Mine have always broken free under acceleration on wet pavement while in a slight turn, never while cornering. I guess the primary reason is because I just don't ride hard like that anymore. I had a pretty bad get off in 2002 and my riding style has mellowed dramatically since then.

I just know that when these ST 45/46's wear out (they are sufficient enough that I am not going to change them before they wear out), I'll be getting PR's. And I'll be happy damn it!

Blueliner said:

The opposite is true of the PR. Run at 34-36 they are exceptional, while at 38+, they slip like they have been coated with butter.

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Good point. I dropped the pressure in them a couple PSI already, but may try reducing it further to see if that helps the tires heat up and grip better. I think I currently have them at 37 or 38 in the rear and 36 in the front.

I put a set of Avon Storms on for the winter here in the UK . They have been good tyres , I now have near 7000 miles on them and they have kept me safe through all the wet and cold this winter . They dont have a lot of life left in them now . The front is starting to look as if it would not hold much but last week having made a severe rider error the tyre helped me out of a severe braking and steering session.

The front has worn at the same time as the rear so it will be both tyres when I change them in about 500-1000 miles time.

I must confess that I can make any tyre spin up on the FJR and if it didnt I think at times I would finish in a ditch or hedge somewhere . Its a good guage that my right wrist is too damn heavy for the conditions I am in .

The Storms well it will be interesting to see what they are like in a nice long dry period , it might just shorten the lifespan of them as against winter riding.

Fred H. said:

Blueliner said:

The opposite is true of the PR. Run at 34-36 they are exceptional, while at 38+, they slip like they have been coated with butter.

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Good point. I dropped the pressure in them a couple PSI already, but may try reducing it further to see if that helps the tires heat up and grip better. I think I currently have them at 37 or 38 in the rear and 36 in the front.

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Hey Fred, two more questions about 'variables' and performance. What have the ambient temps been when testing and what is your average GVW e.g. your approx weight with gear on, bags on and empty or full, etc?

The reason I ask is that I found my PR's to slippery when commutting in early AM this winter (17-40F) but the afternoon ride home was pure joy (65-80F). I weigh 245 and run with bags on and full with heavy bike cover and warm weather gear required by the chilly AM ride.

Good post, I've enjoyed reading it.

I really enjoyed the Pilot Roads on the ZX-11, and the two guys I ride with the most love them (my dad on his RT, and another guy on his RS).

Dad doesn't ride all that aggressively but the RS rider pushes them pretty hard.

Because I liked them so well on the ZX I was going to put them on next, but opted for for the Storms since I'd heard such good things about them.

If I recall right, I don't think Smitty likes the PR's but I'll let him chime in. I've heard they can be a bit slippery on tar snakes and painted lines, but I haven't experienced that on the 11.

Depending on how the storms work out, I may mount PR's next, we'll see.

-MD

I have had experience with Mets 4's and two sets of PR's on my 04. My 06AE has B'stones. At 6500 kms, the Stones are starting to produce headshake on decel, something I did not experience with either the Metz 4's or the PR's. Tire pressures were maintained religiously, 40F, 42R. When the Stones require replacement sometime in the 2007 riding season, it will be PR's. In all my riding on my FJR's, I only had one thrill with the PR's on a tar patch. I had the same thrill, on the same patch, while riding Crystal's 03 XX, and it too runs PR's.

Riding conditions have been one-up, 180lb rider, Givi top box mounted, but empty and saddlebags on but also empty. Temps have varied from 50's to 80's. Yesterday it was about 75 when I was out, and I had them slide (both ends of the bike) several times in tight turns when transitioning to smooth patches.

I lowered the tire pressure another 2 psi in both tires and went back out on the same road this afternoon. I warmed the tires up first and then tried out some of the same corners. I did notice an improvement in grip, though I am still getting some sliding. Though to be fair, I can make any tire slide on some of these turns, it just seems that the PR's are sliding much more than most tires do. Anyway, it does seem like running the pressure low helps, however, I dunno what that is going to do for tire life or tire temp over the long haul. 34 front 36 rear seems awful low to me, and I never had to run a tire this low before just to get decent stick out of it.

I have always like Michelins in the past, but I don't think I will put another set on when these wear out. I need something with a bit more stick when it is on a smooth or challenging road surface.

Fred, Glad to see you back!

I am currently running the Pirelli Diablo Strada's (E spec rear). I have to say that I have really liked these tires. They are very solid when riding aggressively. I ran them in Reg Pridmore's CLASS at Barber motorsports Park when new and am still on them. When I go to Deal's and intend to push the bike, I lower my pressure to 34 front and 36 rear. That's the pressure that was reccomended to me by the instructor during tech inspection. I have zero complaints w/ the Diablos. When I ride w/ the lower pressure, there is noticeable heating of the tires but no blistering or oil release. They get good an gummy and inspire my trust. I've got about 3000 miles on them and they are just beginning to get a little noisy. I figure about another 1000 and they will be through. The Metzeler Z-6's that came on the bike were toast after 2700 miles. I liked them but they did not last.

toecutter said:

Ya think the Storms are grippier and will wear out faster?
I can't wait until the LD guys start wearing them out and we get some real world numbers on wear. Haven't heard anything but good so far....

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No need to wait for the LD guys. My rear Storm will be toast in about 1,500 miles. That will put it at 6,500 miles. Skooter will, of course, achieve 65,000 miles on his first Storm rear, and the front will never wear out and be retired to the Smithsonian for all posterity. I will say that to date, the Storms are the best gripping, best handling, best ride and best wearing (evenness) tire that I have experienced to date for a standard spec ST tire. Sad then, the mediocre mileage in my case.

One of you said that air adjustment is a key to grip between the various brands. I agree and will add that your suspension set-up will affect things, as well. I will argue that the profile of the Storm is 'taller' than that of the PR, cuz I did have to tune the suspenders to the Storms after swapping. This is something that I never gave thought to with previous brands and perhaps I've been unfair to the Z6's with my previous, um, comments. (Go for it Randy!) All-in-all, The PR's rate a close second to the Storms in my book.