Michelin Pilot Road 2 tires

[Luke]

Baby got new shoes last night:




Initial observations are that the CBR doesn't "hunt" across rain grooves or stripe tape like it did with the IRC tires, and it's more comfortable in turns and on turn-in - Don't know how much of that is the differences between the two tires and how much is just old versus new, so that's entirely subjective.

I definitely like the look of the tires. The 150 rear is a bit wider than the 140 it replaced, but not much - Rossi or Stoner could probably detect a difference in handling, but I can't (negative difference, that is - I easily noticed the positive difference).

Time will tell how they hold up - The PRs have a harder compound in the middle that's supposed to make them wear more evenly.

One interesting side conversation - The mechanic commented that the tire/wheel weight on my bike was excessive -the technical term he used was "heavy as s**t!". He said that most liter bikes have lighter wheels/tires (even though they are running much wider rubber), and allowed that I could save in the neighborhood of 15 lbs by going to magnesium wheels. A 15-lb weight loss would have a serious effect on everything from acceleration to handling, especially since it's all unsprung. Since he doesn't sell an aftermarket wheel for the CBR and does sell the exhaust systems and other tidbits, I'm not seeing a profit motive.

If Marchesini comes out with wheels for this bike, I would be interested - At $1500 (estimated) I bet you would see a bigger performance gain that that much money spent on exhaust and Power Commanders... And yes, I know "that's 40% of the cost of the bike!". However, I like this bike so much that I scrapped plans to upgrade to a F800R or Street Triple after a year, so I could argue that I'm saving $9500.

As an aside, if you're in the triangle area of NC, check out MotoMax on Old Wake Forest rd in Raleigh. Neat store, sells mostly used sportbikes, and their prices on tires (at least for me) beat all of the local store and came very close to 'Net prices.

[Steve_47]

Good looking tire. Please keep us updated.

[FastAndy]

Looks good, i'm interested to hear if there will be any actual advantages or disadvantages to going with a 150 in the rear.

[sendler]

What sizes are they now?

[Metalstorm]

Originally Posted by sendler

What sizes are they now?

I want to know too.
I'm guessing 150/70 rear and 110/70 front. I seem to be suffering from the same affliction with motorcycle tires that women have with shoes *grin*

Sent from my not so smart phone using any means necessary

[Luke]

140/70/17 rear, 110/70/17 front is stock. According to the specs, the 150 is ~5mm wider, same height. That's 2.5mm per side, or ~1/8". I seriously doubt I'll ever be skilled enough to detect a difference if you swapped the two. Fact is, I'd have put a 140 on it if Michelin made one, but 150 is the smallest. I really wanted the Pilot Roads - several friends have them on larger, more powerful bikes and they really like them.

My ride home today confirmed my initial impressions of the tire. I took a detour down a local road that I run several times a week - it's a curvy little bugger, and the bike just seemed more stable. My arcs were cleaner and I never felt any uneasiness.

Having said all that, I'll repeat that my old tires were... old, and the rear was down to the wear strips in the middle. Perhaps a new set of Road Winners would feel the same, or close.

I got ~7k out of the rear IRC. It will be interesting to see how the PR2s hold up.

[Metalstorm]

I doubt new IRCs would feel the same. Mine hunted all over rain grooves from day one. My Sport Demons like your Pilots don't do that.
I look forward to hearing how your tires are holding up after a few K miles. They sound like another great alternative to the stockers.

Sent from my not so smart phone using any means necessary

[ny.nick]

What kind of bag is that your using? Does it lock?

[Ironman2909]

Is it me or your front tread should be the other way? You may wanna check and make sure that the front tire is properly installed (look for an arrow on the side).

Nice tyre by the way!

[sendler]

So they are what? 150/ 60/ 17? 150/ 70/ 17? 120/ 60 in the front?
.

Originally Posted by Luke

140/70/17 rear, 110/70/17 front is stock. According to the specs, the 150 is ~5mm wider, same height. That's 2.5mm per side, or ~1/8". I seriously doubt I'll ever be skilled enough to detect a difference if you swapped the two. Fact is, I'd have put a 140 on it if Michelin made one, but 150 is the smallest. I really wanted the Pilot Roads - several friends have them on larger, more powerful bikes and they really like them.

My ride home today confirmed my initial impressions of the tire. I took a detour down a local road that I run several times a week - it's a curvy little bugger, and the bike just seemed more stable. My arcs were cleaner and I never felt any uneasiness.

Having said all that, I'll repeat that my old tires were... old, and the rear was down to the wear strips in the middle. Perhaps a new set of Road Winners would feel the same, or close.

I got ~7k out of the rear IRC. It will be interesting to see how the PR2s hold up.