Michelin Road 5 tires

beemerphile · Jan 30, 2018

Conti RoadAttack3, Pirelli Angel GT, and Metzeler Roadtec 01 have all bettered the Dunlops and Bridgestones, as well as the PR4, in most tests I have read. But the general consensus seems to be that picking a winner from the lot of them requires splitting hairs.

Maybe the Road 5 will pull ahead by a hair (hare?) or maybe not. But the difference will probably only be theoretical to the average rider. If you can grind the hard parts with any of them, it would seem to boil down to cents per mile. Wet traction is the only place where differences seem to be large enough to spot. On that measure Conti seems to have passed PR4 by a smidgen, but according to Michelin, so has the Road 5. So we get to wait to hear what the experts have to say about whether the Road 5 tops the Conti.

I think Michelin gave good advice. I'm going to stick with the very good PR4 until the dust settles. Might even catch some savings as the masses run for the latest greatest test winner.

BC1100S · Jan 30, 2018

beemerphile said:
If you can grind the hard parts with any of them, it would seem to boil down to cents per mile.

Many years ago I could "grind the hard parts" with Dunlop K81s. I'll take the latest and greatest (from any manufacturer) now, thank you. Incremental improvement is how all tires get better over the years which is why I rarely have the same tires twice in a row.

BC1100S · Jan 31, 2018

Lee said:
Looks like it will be 2019 before a GT version is available.
This is from Michelin.

MICHELIN Road 5 Standard versus the GT version

The above sizes of MICHELIN Road 5 tires are designed for naked bikes and roadsters such as the Triumph Street Triple and the Suzuki SV650.
Heavier grand touring bikes such as the BMW R 1200 RT or the Kawasaki 1400 GTR require the GT version of MICHELIN Road 5, which will become available in 2019. Until then please choose MICHELIN Pilot Road 4 GT tires.

I just checked the load rating for these, the ContiRoadAttack 3, the Dunlop Roadsmarts, the Metzler Roadtec 01, and the ContiMotions currently on my bike. Size is 190/50-17. They're all 73W which means my next set of tires will likely be the PR5. And I'm not riding a puny little SV650.

daboo · Jan 31, 2018

I did some price comparisons on Revzilla today. The Dunlop Roadsmart III tires are significantly less expensive than the Michelin, Metzeler and Continental tires. I'm using them now and the wear is very little and they seem to have great traction in the wet.

Chris

BC1100S · Jan 31, 2018

daboo said:
I did some price comparisons on Revzilla today. The Dunlop Roadsmart III tires are significantly less expensive than the Michelin, Metzeler and Continental tires. I'm using them now and the wear is very little and they seem to have great traction in the wet.

Chris

My experience with them confirms your observations on all counts.

bobw · Feb 5, 2018

I'm getting around 8000 miles on a Michelin Pilot Road 4. I'm not at all happy and I don't consider my self a hard rider on my R12RTW. Looking for something with a lot better mileage. Thinking abut trying a car tire. I run them on my Goldwing and didn't see a problem with them.

BC1100S · Feb 5, 2018

Great idea. Tell us how that works out for you. :banghead

beemerphile · Feb 6, 2018

bobw said:
I'm getting around 8000 miles on a Michelin Pilot Road 4. I'm not at all happy and I don't consider my self a hard rider on my R12RTW. Looking for something with a lot better mileage. Thinking abut trying a car tire. I run them on my Goldwing and didn't see a problem with them.

I am going to avoid the discussion of whether this is a good idea, but Greg's is the only dark-sided RTW that I have seen. He had some minor clearancing issues that he may be willing to talk you through.

http://www.gregrice.com/bike/bmwrt.html

kurmugin · Apr 9, 2018

So, I've had all but the Michelin Road 5 on my 2012 RT.

I have only 250 miles on the Continental Road Attack 3. I'm really liking it so far. It has a much better road feel than either the Michelin 3 or 4, and a more rounded profile than the Metzeler 01. Slightly less tippy than the next-best (to me) Pirelli. Time will tell, but if they wear well, I've got a winner .

I'll not go back to Michelin. Nothing against them, but I don't care for how they feel. Totally subjective, but that's part of the game for me.

The Metzeler were fine until about 5,000 miles. I got such rear end noise that I almost sent my final drive off for a rebuild. Went away when I changed the tires... Otherwise, a great tire. Great feel in corners, stable a slow speeds, and great in the rain.

The Pirelli were also very good, and may stay my second-favorite.

Best to you.

BC1100S · Apr 9, 2018

kurmugin said:
I have only 250 miles on the Continental Road Attack 3. I'm really liking it so far. It has a much better road feel than either the Michelin 3 or 4, and a more rounded profile than the Metzeler 01. Slightly less tippy than the next-best (to me) Pirelli. Time will tell, but if they wear well, I've got a winner .

Please keep us apprised of the mileage you get out of them.

RobG · Aug 24, 2018

Michelin Road 5 Observations

I recently swapped out my old Michelin Road 4 tires for the new Road 5s on my 2005 R1200RT.

I thought I would share my observations for anyone interested in doing a similar change.

At first it felt like my front wheel have developed a narrow crown. It was a bit tricky
holding the bike on the straight and narrow because it tended to fall off the
crown. This only lasted about 20 miles, until the skin on the tires wore down a bit.

Over the course of the first 300 miles I have noticed that the ride has improved a lot.
I suspect that my old tires had become stiffer over time and affected the ride quality.
The most noticeable change has been in the steering responsiveness. The front end seems
much lighter and lane changes and curves are pretty much effortless. I must be a
bit careful because the effort needed to change direction is so minimal.

In the curves, it’s clear that these tires grip really well. No drama and even
coming into a curve a bit hot isn't a problem because the tires hold without any
indication of being pushed toward their limit.

On the downside, I have seen a drop in my mileage from 48 mpg to a bit over 45, as indicated
on the display. I'm not sure if it's because there is a bit more drag from the tires or
if I'm riding a bit harder without really noticing it.

It does take a bit of time to adapt, as it does with any change and it does takes me a bit
more time than some, but over all I'm happy with the tires up to now.

I haven't had them out in the rain yet, but I'm sure that is going to happen at some point.
From what I have read it should be a pleasant experience as well. I will make another post

ncpbmw1953 · Aug 24, 2018

kurmugin said:
So, I've had all but the Michelin Road 5 on my 2012 RT.

I have only 250 miles on the Continental Road Attack 3. I'm really liking it so far. It has a much better road feel than either the Michelin 3 or 4, and a more rounded profile than the Metzeler 01. Slightly less tippy than the next-best (to me) Pirelli. Time will tell, but if they wear well, I've got a winner .

I'll not go back to Michelin. Nothing against them, but I don't care for how they feel. Totally subjective, but that's part of the game for me.

The Metzeler were fine until about 5,000 miles. I got such rear end noise that I almost sent my final drive off for a rebuild. Went away when I changed the tires... Otherwise, a great tire. Great feel in corners, stable a slow speeds, and great in the rain.

The Pirelli were also very good, and may stay my second-favorite.

Best to you.

I've got 5,385m now on RA3 and this is far and away the best tire I've used now for my '16 RTW: zero scalloping at recommended 36psi, quiet, excellent retention of shape at this mileage despite considerable straighter roads on them now, grip/feel absolutely superior to PR4GT, Angel GT, and Metz Z8 though the Z8 was on a prior bike and like everyone else discovers the cords are now you don't see them now you do, and they didn't wear all that well anyway. Best of all w/ RA3 it's automatic point and shoot line holding, and they do best on longitudinal grooves in the pavement as well. Angel GT was way too easy for turn in making them the worst of the bunch for line holding, for me. They look to me like they will very likely wear the best of my bunch of 4 different tires as well. I believe as soon as a few more testimonies start coming in they will quickly become the clear winner for this bike. One caveat which may or may not have been related to the tires: my TPC stopped lighting up quickly as per usual and for 3300 miles I had what amounted to radio frequency interference which may have also been a function of the age of the sensor batteries as well as some wiring that I had looped around the RDC unit, unawares of what I was doing.

easy · Aug 24, 2018

RobG said:
I recently swapped out my old Michelin Road 4 tires for the new Road 5s on my 2005 R1200RT.

I thought I would share my observations for anyone interested in doing a similar change.

At first it felt like my front wheel have developed a narrow crown. It was a bit tricky
holding the bike on the straight and narrow because it tended to fall off the
crown. This only lasted about 20 miles, until the skin on the tires wore down a bit.

Over the course of the first 300 miles I have noticed that the ride has improved a lot.
I suspect that my old tires had become stiffer over time and affected the ride quality.
The most noticeable change has been in the steering responsiveness. The front end seems
much lighter and lane changes and curves are pretty much effortless. I must be a
bit careful because the effort needed to change direction is so minimal.

In the curves, it’s clear that these tires grip really well. No drama and even
coming into a curve a bit hot isn't a problem because the tires hold without any
indication of being pushed toward their limit.

On the downside, I have seen a drop in my mileage from 48 mpg to a bit over 45, as indicated
on the display. I'm not sure if it's because there is a bit more drag from the tires or
if I'm riding a bit harder without really noticing it.

It does take a bit of time to adapt, as it does with any change and it does takes me a bit
more time than some, but over all I'm happy with the tires up to now.

I haven't had them out in the rain yet, but I'm sure that is going to happen at some point.
From what I have read it should be a pleasant experience as well. I will make another post

I'm wandering if this is the reason.

https://motorcycle.michelinman.com/US/en/tires/products/road-5.html
"MICHELIN Road 5 Standard versus the GT version
The above sizes of MICHELIN Road 5 tires are designed for naked bikes and roadsters such as the Triumph Street Triple and the Suzuki SV650. Heavier grand touring bikes such as the BMW R 1200 RT or the Kawasaki 1400 GTR require the GT version of MICHELIN Road 5, which will become available in 2019. Until then please choose MICHELIN Pilot Road 4 GT tires."

What PSIs are you running?

E.

easy · Aug 26, 2018

beemerphile said:
Conti RoadAttack3, Pirelli Angel GT, and Metzeler Roadtec 01 have all bettered the Dunlops and Bridgestones, as well as the PR4, in most tests I have read. But the general consensus seems to be that picking a winner from the lot of them requires splitting hairs.

View attachment 66259

Maybe the Road 5 will pull ahead by a hair (hare?) or maybe not. But the difference will probably only be theoretical to the average rider. If you can grind the hard parts with any of them, it would seem to boil down to cents per mile. Wet traction is the only place where differences seem to be large enough to spot. On that measure Conti seems to have passed PR4 by a smidgen, but according to Michelin, so has the Road 5. So we get to wait to hear what the experts have to say about whether the Road 5 tops the Conti.

I think Michelin gave good advice. I'm going to stick with the very good PR4 until the dust settles. Might even catch some savings as the masses run for the latest greatest test winner.

Do any of the above have tread wear indicators? For those who have replaced tires on current RTs, what did you go to and why?

E.

yeehastephen · Aug 26, 2018

Can't wait till the GT version of the 5's come out. I know the 5's aren't designed for the heavier RT but I ran some anyway. Best mileage I've ever done. I usually only run Michelins so I can't compare to others but I got 9+k out of the last set. I usually only got about 7k-ish on the 3's and 4's.
Just changed a friends 5's out and he got 12k out of his (almost all slab... including a run from DFW to Boston and another run to the Iowa MOA rally and one to Vegas)
I like the mileage and hope the heavier allowance version will do the same. Only complaint is that the new tread design is really noisy!

SS

beemerphile · Aug 26, 2018

easy said:
Do any of the above have tread wear indicators?

They all have tread wear indicators, the problem is that they are not located at the center of the tread. Most top line motorcycle tire companies have gone to rear tires with no sipes or tread across the centerline because they wear and grip better and it has been shown that the front tires do the work of getting the water out of the way. That is no reason that they could not put a treadwear dimple on the centerline. Heck, racing slicks have them...

easy · Aug 26, 2018

beemerphile said:
They all have tread wear indicators, the problem is that they are not located at the center of the tread. Most top line motorcycle tire companies have gone to rear tires with no sipes or tread across the centerline because they wear and grip better and it has been shown that the front tires do the work of getting the water out of the way. That is no reason that they could not put a treadwear dimple on the centerline. Heck, racing slicks have them...

View attachment 69906

Sorry for not being more specific, but that is exactly what I meant to say. If it is not in the middle, it's meaningless to me. At my age I'm not leaning at the angles I use to.

E.

yeehastephen · Aug 26, 2018

"but that is exactly what I meant to say. If it is not in the middle, it's not much good for me..."

OK, I have 2 complaints on the Road 5, not just the noise. It does not have a tread across the middle of the tire like the PR 4's. It does have 2 wear indicators very close to the center but not on or across the center.

Interestingly, the new Dunlop Roadsmart III that we mounted on my buddy's bike this week does have a tread right up to the middle of the tire. It doesn't cross the center but it is right to it, so effectively it should indicate the final wear of the center of the tire. Those tires are headed out to Chicago and across the States to Glacier and on to Seattle before coming home to DFW, so maybe I can give a better report when I see him again.

lee · Aug 26, 2018

YeehaStephen said:
Interestingly, the new Dunlop Roadsmart III that we mounted on my buddy's bike this week does have a tread right up to the middle of the tire. It doesn't cross the center but it is right to it,

When I first saw pictures of this tire I was not sure the tread came to the center, but after seeing the new tires at Des Moines with the paint line, I can see it does.

In April we had Pilot Road 5s mounted on the front but Pilot Road 4s in the back because I did not like the fact the 5s do not have tread grooves in the middle or crossing the middle.
When we can no longer buy Pilot Road 4s maybe we'll try Dunlap.

BTW I like your signature. I've had my share of pie at the Lost Maples Cafe

BC1100S · Aug 26, 2018

Lee said:
....maybe we'll try Dunlop.

You won't be disappointed. Many riders in my club have switched from Michelins to the Roadsmart III with no regrets whatsoever. I had them on my 1100S and loved them.

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