Whats the tires of choice these days?

61996 said:

My 99 K12RS is going to need tires very soon.
When I bought the bike it had Michelins on it and I wasn't impressed.

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Which Michelins?

Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT here on my K1300S. Great setup for me. Only 1K miles on them so far.

Tires of Choice

I have a 2009 K1300S that came equipped with Continental RoadAttacks that were exceptional both in terms of durability and grip. I then gave Metzler Z8s a spin and, while very good, they wore faster and were terribly expensive. I am now on Michelin Pilot Power 3 and these tires are like glue... but I don't have a sense for the tire life just yet as I have about 1,200 miles on them.

Kent

I just changed tires on my '07 K12GT. Had Pilot Road 3's on and they had 14,000 on them, still had tread left but kinda flat in the center. New tires are PR4's, supposed to get longer wear, but we'll see.

Tires of Choice

This is a great perpetual topic. Have worn out metzeler m3's (came stock) and a set of the z8's on my 2012 K1300s. Currently have Bridgestone T30 GT specs on and like them the best by far. Shop buddy recommended them over the PR4s saying the Michelins cupped on him quickly due to all the siping. I ride one and two up in a responsibly spirited manner, love the long leaned over sweepers. The m3's stuck like glue but wore very quickly especially down the middle as they are simple single compound. The Z8s seemed to have less traction in every circumstance and didn't wear any better despite the claims. Wont buy those again. Liking the BT30s. Have almost 2k miles on them, lots of traction, great road feel, very stable at all angles (with maybe 1/4 inch left to the sidewall edges). Have pushed them hard solo and two up and really like these. Can see a bit of wear on the softer sidewall zones due to some hard riding and the harder middle compound is lasting very well. This is keeping the profile smooth (no flat spot) and seems promising for some better longevity. For me this seems to be the right compound combination and is keeping the wear proportional. Similar to your comment, the price differences were not a factor, don't let the slightly lower price of the BT30's throw you.

The good part about this discussion is that no one is really wrong, lots of good choices.

Dave
(Chattanooga area)

Tire Choice

When I purchased my 2012 K1300S it had 1,600 miles on the stock set of Metzeler M3's, the rear was finished at about 2,200 miles. This was most likely due to the previous owner riding the highways of Western PA. I liked the feel of the M3's and decided to try a set of the Metzeler Sportec M7 RR.

They warm up quick, and stick like glue in both warm and cold conditions. Their wet road feedback has been excellent. After 1,600 miles, they are wearing better than the M3's, but I only expect they will go 4,000 miles.......An updated post later this summer.

Follow-up on the M7 RR's?

kmartinich said:

When I purchased my 2012 K1300S it had 1,600 miles on the stock set of Metzeler M3's, the rear was finished at about 2,200 miles. This was most likely due to the previous owner riding the highways of Western PA. I liked the feel of the M3's and decided to try a set of the Metzeler Sportec M7 RR.

They warm up quick, and stick like glue in both warm and cold conditions. Their wet road feedback has been excellent. After 1,600 miles, they are wearing better than the M3's, but I only expect they will go 4,000 miles.......An updated post later this summer.

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Greetings, I'm the guy who advocated the Bridgestone BT30's previously. In a couple short months I've managed to scrub the tread off the sides (middle still fine though). These won't last me as long as I thought. My main concern is they don't have the same kind of traction at decent lean angles as when they were newer. I can feel them start to slide here and there which is very different than their initial performance. No loss of control, just seems like other tires have just simply stuck better in the high lean angle twisties. Your "stick like glue" comment was interesting, how have they held up with a bit of wear on them? Anyone else with tire selections that can handle in one and two up situations?

Thanks,
Dave
(2012 K1300S)

Follow-up on the M7 RR's?

Dave,
I now have 2,500 miles on the M7 RR's and the wear has been excellent, no change in traction and would expect this set to go for another 2,500 miles. I plan to try the M7's on my S1000RR when my Bridgestone S20's wear out. For a data point, the S20's will net just over 3,000 miles.

M7 RR Info

KeithMD,

Thanks sincerely for the information. Tires are being mounted today. I rode a S1000RR back in May at the Keith Code Superbike school; incredible machine. For what it's worth, they run those with Dunlop Q3's; although that is 100% track riding.

dmshare said:

KeithMD,

Thanks sincerely for the information. Tires are being mounted today. I rode a S1000RR back in May at the Keith Code Superbike school; incredible machine. For what it's worth, they run those with Dunlop Q3's; although that is 100% track riding.

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Dave,
How are the M7's working out for you? I also attended CSS in May, completing Level 1+II at VIR. It was a terrific experience, and my first time at the track. Planning to try Level III next year.

Update

Just as an update, I decided to go with the Metzeler RoadTec Z6's.
Very smooth and predictable under all conditions. I'm running them at 36F/42R.
I have about 1,500 miles on them so far.

Thanks for all the input.

Joe

M7's working well - only about 500 miles into them

KeithMD said:

Dave,
How are the M7's working out for you? I also attended CSS in May, completing Level 1+II at VIR. It was a terrific experience, and my first time at the track. Planning to try Level III next year.

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So far I like them, thanks! I've ridden one and two up including a recent, "inappropriately" fast solo session on the Cherohala Skyway (read hanging off keeping pace with guys on Paningale's). I hope my wife doesn't read this... They seem very stable and yet very nimble in the turns, even at (almost) full lean. They seem very stable under all that I can throw at them. They do like to fall right into the turns; quicker turn-in than some other tires I've used-up. No experience in the wet but I expect they'll be just fine; I don't push it in the rain. If they last more than 4,000, I'll be buying them again. I'm signing up for Superbike School again next year when they come back to Barber (level II).