Which tires....

I know tires are a very subjective area but I need some advice. My blue bagger came into my life with Dunlop Qualifiers and they are getting questionable as far as remaining tread goes. I have had Dunlops on previous bikes and didn't care for the way they showed their age. They always started out great but either developed a head shake or just didn't wear very evenly. I have read here on the site that some people have experienced traction issues with the single compound PR's when they are pushed. I don't think I really corner that hard (never dragged parts) so the question would be do I have to be leaned over really far to reach the end of PR limits or can they slide out during spirited riding? I would prefer not to pay the premium for the dual compound tires unless the traction with the single compunds is really poor.

I know a lot of you will tell me to get Avon Storms but I would prefer a higher mileage tire since I ride mostly highway with the occasional back road trip.

QUOTE (Brian B @ Jul 26 2008, 02:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I know tires are a very subjective area but I need some advice. My blue bagger came into my life with Dunlop Qualifiers and they are getting questionable as far as remaining tread goes. I have had Dunlops on previous bikes and didn't care for the way they showed their age. They always started out great but either developed a head shake or just didn't wear very evenly. I have read here on the site that some people have experienced traction issues with the single compound PR's when they are pushed. I don't think I really corner that hard (never dragged parts) so the question would be do I have to be leaned over really far to reach the end of PR limits or can they slide out during spirited riding? I would prefer not to pay the premium for the dual compound tires unless the traction with the single compunds is really poor.
I know a lot of you will tell me to get Avon Storms but I would prefer a higher mileage tire since I ride mostly highway with the occasional back road trip.
I persoanlly love my Diablo tires and they are made for the FJR. I just bought 3 more this week and am very happy with them.

I have never run the pilot roads...

I do currently have the pilot road 2's and they are sweet!! Have over 6k on them and

they don't even have a flat spot yet!!! They have handled very very well (wet and dry)

and I am more than satisfied thus far.

WW

I went from two sets of the PRs to the PR2 this spring. I was very happy with the PRs and was getting over 9000 miles on a set. I never felt the tire give way in turns and I occasionally scrape a peg. I like the PR2s more and at 8000 miles have many miles (2-4000) left. The tires are now showing a flat spot but I just got back from Gillette, WY and ran 3000 miles at high speeds on the highway.

Drew

I am one of the few here that got 10k on the stock tires then 10k on the Avon Storms from the group buy. Liked them so much, bought another set heading for another 10k. Something about the harder compound on the top is meant for mileage and the softer compound on the sides for grip in the corners. There was a lengthy thread on this tire probably in the "Parts and Accessories" or "Never-Ending Pointless Recurring Threads" sections of the forum. :winksmiley02: Lots of good/bad experiences.

git-r-dan :beach:

I have had 2 pairs of the Perelli strada's, a pair of Dunlop D208 and now the PR2's. the Strada's were a nice tire with few more miles on them then the D208's but the 208's were much more confedent. that said the best tire I have had to date is the PR2's. Currently I have almost 2k on them and they are only just starting to show wear. The strada's I only managed to get about 4000 out of and the D208 I only got 3200 out.

my 2 cents

The Pilot road 2's are great, I got only 3500 mi from the AVON storms, and about the same from metlers, so far I have 6000 mi on my Pilot 2's and they still have 2-4 thousand left. I ride hard and fast both solo and two up and the Pilot 2's are up to the quest. I regularly drag pegs both 1 up or 2 up. The pilot road 2's are the best tires ever for the FJR.

I'll add my concurrence on the quality of the PR2's. I've now got close to 6K on them, and they are wearing better than any tire I've put on the FJR. That's after a trip to Big Bend earlier this year, and 3300 miles to/from/at NAFO. Lots of highway droning, twisty technical stuff, and high speed sweepers in that mix. I can also attest to their "patchability", as I picked up a nail in the front on the way to Golden, patched it with sticky strings and it's held pressure since Tuesday. They also seem to do well in the wet (got some of that over the last week), and grooved/resurfaced roads. Two thumbs up from me...

I was never a fan of the Pilot Road on the FJR. The bike was subject to "walk" all the time, due to road imperfections, wind, anything.

I love my PR2's. Great wet weather traction!

If the PR2's are as good or better than the Storms then I'll try some when my Storms bit the dust this fall. And I liked my PR's that I had on. Just likes the Avon's better.

Tom

I gotta go along on this one. I've also got about 5K on PR2's and they show hardly any wear, very impressive. I still miss the Avons handling though especially in the rain. The Michelins seem to hold together better on the " chip-n-seal " that covers most of the hill country. The best tire overall for sure for me and my style of thrashing the machine about !

Blessings,

Bobby

Running a PR in the rear and a Pilot Power on the front. Works out great. However, I will be putting a PR2 on the rear when the PR wears out. Why? Mostly because of the other happy reviews on this forum. Don't really have any complaints about eh PR despite many spirited rides

FYI: I'm not one that eats fronts as fast as rears so running the Power up front works great. Not sure that would be a good plan for many hear who get equal or worse mileage on the front as on the rear.

Wouldn't the dunlop roadsmart also be a good choice for this bike.

It has the good duel compound for traction and long life.

The reviews have been great.

And the price doesn't seem to be out of the normal realm.

drewvanracer said:

I went from two sets of the PRs to the PR2 this spring. I was very happy with the PRs and was getting over 9000 miles on a set. I never felt the tire give way in turns and I occasionally scrape a peg. I like the PR2s more and at 8000 miles have many miles (2-4000) left. The tires are now showing a flat spot but I just got back from Gillette, WY and ran 3000 miles at high speeds on the highway.
Drew

Click to expand...

What do you like more about the PR2 compared to the PR?

I haven't used the PRs, but mounted a new set of PR2s first of this month. Rode it 7000 miles in July, thru 15 states plus parts of Canada, and on the Bonneville salt at high speed. Both front and rear show very little wear. They may be the best possible tire for FJR.

+1 for the PR2s. I have run the PRs before and thought I would give the 2s a shot (since I needed a rear tire while on the road and that is what the shop had for ST rubber). With about 4000 miles on the rear and 3000 on a PR2 front I am liking them also. The great thing about tires is that if you like them you can buy more and if you dont, they will wear out soon anyway.

vandy said:

Wouldn't the dunlop roadsmart also be a good choice for this bike.It has the good duel compound for traction and long life.

The reviews have been great.

And the price doesn't seem to be out of the normal realm.

Click to expand...

I will let you know. I just (finally!) got rid of the pos Metzlers with 5000 miles on them. Front wore like poo. And the back did, too. Not confidence inspiring tires at all. Looked at the PR2's and the Stradas. Even with a discount, I thought the Michelin's were awfully spendy. The Pirellis seemed to be the softest carcass. Anyway, I'm trying the RoadSmarts.

So far, they are a world better than the Metzlers. Yes, so they are new, but still......

vandy said:

Wouldn't the dunlop roadsmart also be a good choice for this bike.It has the good duel compound for traction and long life.

The reviews have been great.

And the price doesn't seem to be out of the normal realm.

Click to expand...

I had a few dunlops on my previous bike. One of the fronts started shaking badly after 3K and another shook brand new. I had 1 other set that didn't shake the bike but just wore unevenly. I guess I may be a little petty but since the only 3 sets of Dunlops I ever had had issues I won't be buying another set.