• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

Metzeler Question

leadfoot

New member
I am looking at replacing my Z6's on my 08 RT. I noticed that there is a new version of the Z6 called Interact. I went to the Metzeler website, and the way I understand it, the main advantage is that the Interact can be used with another Interact or the standard Z6. This tire costs less, but I cannot see any real difference other than the fact that it appears to be a non-model specific tire, where the standard Z6 with the "K" code must be used on my RT. While I naturally want to save a few dollars, I want to be sure that this tire is as good as its previous version. Maybe Metzeler is saving on the manufacturing process by producing a universal tire, and passing the savings on. Can anyone shed some light on this for me??

Thanks
 
Just read a review of that very same tire in the latest issue of Motorcycle Consumer News. They seemed impressed with it. It appears to have a higher silica content for better wear, and the steel belts are tensioned differently across the tire to reduce tread squirm and heating in the center of the tread, yet allow the tread to better conform to the road surface while leaned over.
 
Excellent articles wezul. They cleared up all the questions in my mind. One always wonders if they are getting a better deal with a cheaper tire. Looks like Interact will be my choice for the next set of tires.

Thanks for the info!
 
Excellent articles wezul. They cleared up all the questions in my mind. One always wonders if they are getting a better deal with a cheaper tire. Looks like Interact will be my choice for the next set of tires.

Thanks for the info!


Please report back and give us your personal evaluation.
 
I don't see a 170/60/17 -that fits my R1150R + left wondering after the reading as to how they really do in the wet? Also, do they have the same lack of "real" tread wear indicators as the old Z6?:ear
 
I don't see a 170/60/17 -that fits my R1150R + left wondering after the reading as to how they really do in the wet? Also, do they have the same lack of "real" tread wear indicators as the old Z6?:ear

I have seen so many Z6 tires "surprise" their owners by "going away fast" at the end - that I refuse to even consider them. Either you change by mileage once you figure it out, (and I've seen life plus-minus 50% so be conservative) or you ride until you see cord, call a tow service, and buy whatever you can find on the road.

No good wear indicators means I won't buy that tire no matter how good it seems. I ride mostly a long ways from home and won't tolerate surprises like tire cord.
 
Last edited:
I have seen so many Z6 tires "surprise" their owners by "going away fast" at the end - that I refuse to even consider them. Either you change by mileage once you figure it out, (and I've seen life plus-minus 50% so be conservative) or you ride until you see tread, call a tow service, and buy whatever you can find on the road.

No good wear indicators means I won't buy that tire no matter how good it seems. I ride mostly a long ways from home and won't tolerate surprises like tire cord.

That said Paul, if one did more straight line riding than the other, what would be a good alternate for a dual purpose, yet dependable choice?
 
The Z6 rear has wear indicators-Only about 3, but they are there--and also not really needed. Once the tread recess that gets closest to the center begins to flush out, you have about 500 miles of tire left. It's easy to tell what the tire is doing and when it will wear. The center section also starts to change color and you can tell it's getting very low on center rubber. I change my own tires and have many times pushed it to steel and I always have a set on hand in the shop next to the No Mar.

Z6 is a fantastic tire.
 
I have seen so many Z6 tires "surprise" their owners by "going away fast" at the end - that I refuse to even consider them. Either you change by mileage once you figure it out, (and I've seen life plus-minus 50% so be conservative) or you ride until you see cord, call a tow service, and buy whatever you can find on the road.

No good wear indicators means I won't buy that tire no matter how good it seems. I ride mostly a long ways from home and won't tolerate surprises like tire cord.

My experience with the Z6 is very positive. First off, I think it is a fantastic handling tire - especially in the rain. Secondly, I've gotten what I consider excellent mileage, and the the ones I've gone through have been very consistent in mileage. On my last set of Z6's on my K1200RS I got 9,400 miles before the rear hit the center wear bar. Given how I ride that bike - I'm very pleased. :evil

Speaking of which, it's been my experience that those who suddenly run out of rubber on the rear Z6 do so because they aren't watching the wear indicators. With no center groove on the rear, you can't eyeball that tire like you can with others. You need to find the "TWI" marks on the edges and follow up the adjacent sipe to find the three wear marks: outer edge, side, and center. Watch the center one closely. When it's getting close - replace the tire. Do NOT try to squeeze a few more miles out of it. This does require a wee bit more attention than one might be used to, but for me these tires are worth this little effort.
 
I don't know which I like best : tire threads or oil threads! Yes, the Z6 rides great. No, there is not a predictable end as has been documented by many others who find wire before the TWI is worn into. I fail to see how a set of tires laying in waiting does me any good if I am thousands of miles from home-maybe fine for commuting riders but not for L D tourers. As to change of color in tread rubber-that's a sure fire indication that you are riding on compound that is there for another purpose than pavement contact. I switched to an 880 on the rear and will stay there until I see an answer to my questions on the new Z6. :blah :blah
 
I suppose it depends on the definition of LD tourer. I get about 6000 miles out of my Z6 rear tire, 6500 to steel. I can very accurately predict how many miles they have left. I take many 3 day trips each year in the 1500 mile range. If I have 1500 miles (pre steel) left, I go. If I don't, I put on a new set. If I were going on a trip of 7000 miles, I too would pick a different tire or make sure I had arrangements for a change.

If I feel I have 1000 miles left, and am departing on a 1500 mile trip, I pop on new rubber. When I get home, I put the old ones back on and run them out around town.

I think that applies to any tire. If you get 10,000 miles out of an 880, and you have 9000 miles on them, you are in the same situation as I am in with my above Z6s. I face the same decisions with my Pilot Powers where I get about 2800 miles on them. It's not the tire, it's being in tune with the bike, the rubber, and knowing what to expect and making good decisions.

Every tire wears out, every tire eventually has less than a 1000 miles on it. And I can read a Z6 mileage just fine. They handle so much better than other tires, they are worth a little effort. If you don't hit high lean angles and ride aggressively though, then I'd not run them. They are performance sport touring tires and many riders don't ride to the aggressive levels to justify this tire.

My guess for people who wear the center out before any indication would be due to many highway miles: straight up, few corners, and little aggressive corners. This I guess would eat up the center and not the edges causing the problem. But, if you ride like this, I agree, don't use a Z6. I used to ride 400 miles round trip to the mountain twisties. It just eats up tires for a boring ride. Now I trailer up and back, using the bike only for a full day twisty riding. So I don't have this center wear issue.

I'm no tire snob. The right tire for me is not necessarily the right tire for you. All mentioned here are good rubbers. But I do get a bit tweaked when MY TIRE is impugned needlessly, even by a very honorable and respected man. Posters mention all the negative postings about Z6s, but seem to ignore the positive postings I read here from myself and others who love the tire.

Know your ride; know your tire; know your needs and you will be fine on any proper tire.
 
The Z6 rear has wear indicators-Only about 3, but they are there--and also not really needed. Once the tread recess that gets closest to the center begins to flush out, you have about 500 miles of tire left. It's easy to tell what the tire is doing and when it will wear. The center section also starts to change color and you can tell it's getting very low on center rubber. I change my own tires and have many times pushed it to steel and I always have a set on hand in the shop next to the No Mar.

Z6 is a fantastic tire.

I took a good look at the tires today, and located the indicators (3 per tire). They were a bit difficult to see, so I took a green paint marker and painted each indicator. Not only will they be easy to see, I can tell if the wear is thru the indicator. I know the paint may wear in time, but during routine tire inspections I will re-paint the indicators. May sound like overkill, but I like the idea of a quick glance for the inspection instead of having to search for them.

I do like the tires, and will likely give the Interacts a try unless my research comes up with a better choice. We'll see in about 2-3K.
 
I agree, tire threads are similar to oil threads. That said, let me put in my $.02. Michelin Pilot Road II is the best I have had. No road whine (which the original PR had), high mileage, good all around performance (except for squids).
 
I too gave up on the Z6s because of the rear tire tread wear indicator "issue". I switched to Pilot Roads and now Pilot Road 2s. I have no plans to switch back.
 
Yeah, I tried Pilot Roads and Conti Road Attacks but I didn't like the way the Pilots handled. Other than that, they were a great tire and had a fine lifetime. The Contis were great, but I wore them out in 4800 miles and that was just too much tire changing for me.
 
I used to use the Z6, but was only able to get about 6k off them, and do agree with the consensuses that the last tread wears off fast. I went to the ME880 and have been very impressed with the 12k+ wear.
 
Know your ride; know your tire; know your needs and you will be fine on any proper tire.

I'm no expert here, but I've heard many a guru comment that if you're talking about proper tires, one must consider

the bike
The rider-how they ride (aggressive, moderate, or cautiously)
weight (a day ride through the twisties, or loaded up for a long trip)

I'm sure there's more, but I can't think of any off the top of my head.

As RoboRider indicated, tires have pluses and minuses. And, it's best to find the tire that fits your riding style not the rider next to you.

As such, I think that when a person posts about a tires pluses and minuses, they should also be commenting on they ride/used the tire.

Just my $0.02
 
I'm a lightweight in mileage compared to some of you guys, but I've had good luck with the Z6 last year and got about 8000 miles on the current set without hitting the wear bars on the rear yet. Just ordered a set of Z6 Interact to try. We'll see how it goes!

I've read on another forum it's a good idea to keep the tire pressures a little higher for better life out of the tire on the RT. I tend to ride solo with the two-up pressures on mine. Then bump that a little more when two-up with luggage.
 
Back
Top