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Road Pilot 5

More than static weight to consider

I suspect there is more to the GT tire than a greater weight rating. It was touched on when stability and longevity came up. In addition to the loading capacity of the vehicle and the tires ability to support that there is also the power the bike can put down on the rear tire. The RT is a heavy motorcycle with lots of power. The former tires may be ok for someone that does not push his bike in the high performance mode. However an emergency may cause the need for high performance braking or turning or both.

Lots of tires for this bike out there. This is my first set of french tires and I may go back to the lops when I wear these out.
 
Nice improvement over the PR4's

In my experience on a R12RS, the PR4's were better than the stock Metzlers and the PR5's are an improvement over the PR4's.

But, that's just sweet little ole me.......
 
My 1250 RT got 7,800 miles on the rear tire (Metzeler) when the cord started showing. It has a Dunlop now, which I had to buy at the Honda dealer at 4 pm on Saturday - yeah, cutting it close; no BMW shops for at least 100 miles. We shall see how long that one lasts.

@fog820 - I would be interested in how long your Michelins last. I remember you getting the new RT just this last month, correct? If so, did it come with RP 5 tires already on it? How is your riding style?

I may try those next. Just depends on the timing and how quickly it can eat through that Dunlop; I still have the original Metzeler up front. I tend to be fairly aggressive on the throttle, if you know what I mean.

That 1250 motor has great power for acceleration, but I also believe the strong engine braking contributes to a fair amount of wear.

Thanks,
William
 
I have yet to find a tire that didn’t show cords after 4,500-5,000 miles on my 2018 R1200RT-LC.
I am now trying the Michelin PR5GT tires and I have also decided to not use the ShiftAssit Pro any longer, as I believe it maybe partly responsible for the excess tire wear.
I have tried Metzler Z8, (3 times), Pirelli Angel GT, Conti RoadAttack 3GT and Bridgestone T31 GT.
All great tires, except I just can’t make them last.
As for the use of GT or none GT tires on a RT bike, if the manufacturer of a particular tire tells it’s customers not to use Non-GT tires on their BMW RT bikes, then there must be a good reason. Michelin has publicly stated that the standard Pivot Road 5 tires should not be used on the R1200RT bikes. Why? Only Michelin knows.
 
Thanks Bernie. Interesting theory about the Shift Assist Pro. I doubt I can stop using that as I am too used to it. In fact, it takes me a minute to get used to NOT doing that while on my R 12 C. Upshifts are okay, but down shifting gets a little wonky. Still need more practice.
 
On my bike ShiftAsist makes for a very rough ride. It is very difficult to smoothly change the lower gears (1-5).
As for the PR5GT’s, if I can makle them last 8K+ Ilse before the cords appear, the they should be worth the high price.
Otherwise I will switch back to Bridgestone T31GT, at a price of around $270.00 a set delivered.
 
On my bike ShiftAsist makes for a very rough ride. It is very difficult to smoothly change the lower gears (1-5).
As for the PR5GT’s, if I can makle them last 8K+ Ilse before the cords appear, the they should be worth the high price.
Otherwise I will switch back to Bridgestone T31GT, at a price of around $270.00 a set delivered.
Hey Bernie, In the past Bridgestone and perhaps Michelin had a published reference that GT tires were designed for bikes in excess of 500 lbs. I cannot find this reference any longer. Of late I have checked both Michelin USA and Bridgestone USA websites and corresponding United Kingdom websites and the tire descriptors/ tire finders for these two brands no longer have any GT recommendation by motorcycle model like they used to. Drilling down into the respective tire sizes for all production years R 1200 RT I found that they have both omitted reference to GT tire recommendation for Touring and Sport Touring tires.

Mind you I am not disagreeing with you concerning use of GT spec tires on the RT but where can you find presently find a reference that Michelin does not recommend non-GT Road 5s for the RTs?
 
Hey Bernie, In the past Bridgestone and perhaps Michelin had a published reference that GT tires were designed for bikes in excess of 500 lbs. I cannot find this reference any longer. Of late I have checked both Michelin USA and Bridgestone USA websites and corresponding United Kingdom websites and the tire descriptors/ tire finders for these two brands no longer have any GT recommendation by motorcycle model like they used to. Drilling down into the respective tire sizes for all production years R 1200 RT I found that they have both omitted reference to GT tire recommendation for Touring and Sport Touring tires.

Mind you I am not disagreeing with you concerning use of GT spec tires on the RT but where can you find presently find a reference that Michelin does not recommend non-GT Road 5s for the RTs?

Good evening Dave.
I don't exactly remember if it was on an English site or a German site. I also don't think it has anything to do with the weight or the potential max weight of the bike. I do know that Metzler makes the Z-8 in two different versions for the front tire and three different versions for the rear in the size, the R1200RT requires.
Bridgestone used to make also different versions of the same model tire for different model motorcycles. I remember searching for a rear tire for my sons VFR800, and Bridgestone made a special version for that bike.
If I search on Michelin's German site for tires for either of the 3 versions of R1200RT bikes, it recommends either the PR4GT or the PR5GT tires for the front and rear of those bikes. Why? Who knows. I am not a tire engineer or a scientist. I just personally prefer using recommended tires for my bike, by the company that makes the tires. Yes I know that many BMW dealers will install regular PR5's and PR4 tires. :wave
 
I have yet to find a tire that didn’t show cords after 4,500-5,000 miles on my 2018 R1200RT-LC.

Bernie! Is it 100% chip seal you find yourself on all the time? Jackrabbit starts and full on acceleration every time out of the gate? Hard braking into every turn? Your statement above is so foreign to my experience I have to ask!! I think you bought Conti RA3GT on my recommendation, and I still love them they do everything 'just right' for my '16 RT and my riding habits. The only time I've seen cords ever was on Metz Z8.
 
Bernie! Is it 100% chip seal you find yourself on all the time? Jackrabbit starts and full on acceleration every time out of the gate? Hard braking into every turn? Your statement above is so foreign to my experience I have to ask!! I think you bought Conti RA3GT on my recommendation, and I still love them they do everything 'just right' for my '16 RT and my riding habits. The only time I've seen cords ever was on Metz Z8.
I don't know what the roads are made from. I also don't do Jackrabbit starts. I try to be smooth, but I am not a slow rider. I think a lot of my excess tire wear is because I keep on trying to use ShiftAssit for my upshifts. I just can't get a smooth shift, unless I am full throttle, balls to the wall, as they say.
The used 2 pairs of Conti RA3GT, and I really liked them. The rear tire would be at the wear marks around 3.500 miles. I also experimented around with increased air pressure (39-40psi) on the front tire and was able to get 7,000+ miles from it, before it was bald on both sides. LOL
But I do have to admit that the Michelin PR5GT tires during the first 600 miles have been amazing.
I had very good handling from the Bridgestone T31GT tires, but a nail decided to prematurely end it's life.
 
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