dazzler24

What's your first impressions of the Michelin Road 6's?

Yes, good tip. I can probably do that at the solenoid end of that cable - just for ease of access.

Thanks Skip. I was afraid someone might say that it was the starter itself. I'll rule out the other bits as you've suggested first - JIK. Thanks again.

Ha! Well spotted and good point. @OZVFR has one and has mentioned it a couple of times in glowing terms. Here's a link to their official website - https://superstart.com.au/about-us/ This is actually my 2nd battery both of which have been the YUASA OEM type. ** I'm still not 100% sure it's my battery though, after some further checks, and have made another thread to discuss - this thread. It still could be a weak battery though but will do some more digging today to see if some more light can be shed. I hate these intermittent kind of faults.

I know this an old thread but it pertains to the issue I'm currently having here in this thread. To summarise:- Bike not cranking - sometimes?! Battery a Yuasa OEM YTZ10S 4 years 7 months old. Battery has been charged and seems to hold voltage when ignition on and starter button held - (but doesn't mean it's not got a problem) In the other thread I mentioned that I get nothing when I hit the starter - but that was with earplugs in and helmet on. 🙄 Thought I'd investigate more thoroughly and did the following: - Charged the battery with a tender to get it to the 'green' light. Then disconnected. Measured voltage on the battery terminals and get 13.2V. Turn ignition on and get a steady 12.6V Hit starter and get a solid click from starter relay (while starter held) and battery voltage doesn't change or drops marginally. I can toggle that starter switch on and off repeatedly and hear the click of the starter solenoid every time when suddenly the starter motor will crank strongly and the bike starts!? WTF. I can then turn everything off and repeat the cycle or it will start straight away randomly! I have had this experience on occasions when out and about but not to the current degree. What is the consensus? Battery, starter solenoid or starter motor. I've checked and my cables are tight.

EDIT: - Further developments in this thread. Well, this recent thread was an omen as it turns out. I kitted up to go for an outing this morning, turned the key, waited for all the dancing lights to finish on the dash then hit the starter - nothing, nada, not even a buzz! Checked my battery voltage and it was reading 11.8V with only the ignition on. AKA - not enough. This Yuasa OEM YTZ10S replaced my original battery in mid 2019 so just over 4 and a half years and it has been on my 'smart' tender when not being ridden. i.e. looked after. When I look back on some recent rides, I have had a couple of instances of when being stopped at roadworks and I've shut the bike down, it has failed to turn over and has taken a couple of hits of the starter button to crank into life and no, I wasn't looking at the voltage monitor on my USB outlet as I was more interested in not being run over from behind. I'm wondering (now) if the battery has been slowly dying unnoticed as I usually put it back on my tender soon after every ride and doing that has been masking a sick battery? This time it had been sitting without the tender for about 2 weeks which should be nothing in the scheme of things. Anyway, I'm biting the bullet to renew and will now seriously consider one of these flash lithium options as my new fire starter. Cold weather is not an issue where I'm from. @OZVFR - what size/specs SSB do you have? You're obviously happy with its performance. @piotrek - might be early days for you yet but any further comments on your NOCO? EDIT: - Just found this one for AU$150 delivered! Which seems like great value as I paid AU$210 for my last YUASA and it's made here! Unheard of - sadly. Direct replacement for the OEM - dimensions are exactly the same.

Please let us know your impressions when you've had a chance to put them through their paces. Noise reduction, comfort - short and long term, can you still have a conversation or hear audio from your helmet speakers (if you have them?), etc

Agreed. Although some might say what price do put on your head comfort, safety and quality level. But yea, very expen$ive. I for one will certainly be looking harder at equivalents when the time comes around again.

FWIW, this is the list pricing for us here down under which equates to around US$840 for the plain Black or White and US$970 for the decaled ones - at today's exchange rate.

Ha! Am I an old speed demon? 👴🏍️ 😈 Well, I'm old! - don't know about the rest of the description though. 🤣 Nah, there's lots of hills and twisty bits around here and I seek them out on almost every occasion that I go for an outing and chase the edge (of my ability) without being too crazy. I do like the stickiness of the Michys and the confidence they inspire in a lean though - if that 'counts' for anything. 😉 And yes I have, on occasions, been pushing the revs into the upper quadrant but that's only to ...ahem.. keep the innards clear of any carbon buildup. It does, however, have the side effect of putting a silly grin on my face and sometimes causes me to laugh like a giddy teenager as I hang on to the grips while I feel my shoulder sockets trying to release my arms from their embrace, all while being serenaded by that beautiful induction roar! Wooh-hoo! 😁 .....for some reason I suddenly feel like going for a ride to clean out some more carbon! Here's my Road 6s after ~4K kms. Love them.

My previous set were 5s and I was very happy with them as well (except for front tyre wear) and in fact was going to get another set when they were due to be refreshed. The 6s were brought to my attention at the time with a 'promise' that the front wear pattern was addressed and that was the only reason I changed 'up'. The difference is that the 6s now have the 2CT+ construction on the front as well as the rear where the 5 fronts didn't. My 5 front didn't wear all that well on the sides and so far the 6 front is looking a lot better so I'm hoping/assuming that the different construction is making the difference. Here's a quote from motorcycle.com that summarises the difference: - "Riders who are familiar with the Road 5s, will remember that the front tire used Michelin's 2CT carcass structure on the front and the 2CT+ on the rear. With the Road 6s, the front now receives the 2CT+ treatment, meaning that the firmer center tire compound now extends under the softer compound used on the sides."

If you've changed your radiator cap then it does sound like it might be a good idea to check/replace your thermostat as it may not be opening when it should and you're getting those high temps and consequently losing coolant - as OZVFR has suggested.

Plus 1 on that score for me too. Really feel comfortable with the Road 6s.

That does sound too warm for highway cruising. My experience is that under those circumstances I can expect somewhere between 75 - 85C in a ~30C ambient temperature environment as you've described. So, I'm assuming you've refilled the water/coolant in the radiator and reservoir bottle back to normal levels? Is the temperature still high then or are you losing water/coolant back to what you described earlier? i.e. some missing from the radiator and a low level in the reservoir? The thread that @betoney pointed to above has some really helpful diagnostics in there for you to try. Have you had a chance to check it out yet?

Interesting. I paid AU$210 for a YUASA YTZ10S back in 2019 and I see that this one can be had here in 2024 from the NOCO store via Amazon for AU$238! The pricing has become more competitive these days so I think I know what I'll be buying next time especially when you consider that this NOCO Lithium battery is really comparable to the YTZ14S - two orders of battery above the 10S and with over twice the CCA of the 14S! CCA 10S - 190A 14S - 230A NOCO NLP14 - 500A I do note that the lugs on the one I've linked to appear to be different from the one you have @piotrek? Is that the case or the way I'm looking at them in your photos? I'm loving those advertised recharge times: -

Don't know if this thread will be of any help but there's a few links and discussion on the same subject that might assist? Good luck.

Alright then...

Thanks for the heads up. A poor fitting air filter would be a deal breaker for obvious reasons. I will note that the manufacturer recommends that a lubricant be applied to the contact points to aid in the installation and sealing process. I wonder if those that have had problems with sealing read/heed that advice? 🤔 What, read the instructions! - Reminds me of a decade old advertisement over here. 🤣 I'll report back with my experience after I do the next major service.

I get that by the look of what needs to be done from your photos. Not to mention the mess created in shaping the foam. Having said that, I take my hat off to you for having a crack. And you can only get more proficient with time and practice. 👍👍👍 In 6 to 12 months time we'll all be buying seats from the 'draco custom seat build company'. 😉.

I too have felt the heat (as an observer) of several flame threads on this subject before taking the plunge. There are sooo many claims and counterclaims both praising and debunking both sides of the arguments that you get to the stage of who DO you believe! A bit like some politicians - who shall remain nameless. But there are countless numbers of people who still 'buy their product'! 😏 And yes, I've even read where 'empirical evidence' is challenged because the writer believes that the tests were done in a way that doesn't represent real world use and give their own empirical data so..... 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️. In the end, I look at all of the arguments as opinions and we all know about opinions - they're like bum holes - everybody has one. For me, not being in a dusty environment (because that's one of the negative claims) helped with the decision to buy along with a decent price - which is always tempting. Either way, I'm reasonably confident that it's a decent filter and, if maintained, will give me years of good service. Thanks for your inputs. 🙂

Thanks for the real world experience feedback. I guess it's a matter of - if it ain't broke, don't fix/change it. On reflection and as per your experience, I'll stick with the recommended products I'm now thinking. Their claim of up to 75,000 miles between cleaning seems a bit of a stretch - given your experience! Cheers Brian and thanks again. 👍

Just bought a KN air filter in prep for the next upcoming service. Out of curiosity, what do those who have them use to clean and re-oil? I know that there is the KN oil in a can for the job and am happy to use but I'm sure there are other options?

As @knyte says or, have you considered some cruiser style pegs up front to give you an occasional seat position change and therefor some rest time for the .. ahem ..nether regions? There's a few suggestions/options within the forum for ideas - if that's an option for you of course.

I think you've found a new sideline for yourself.👍

Good to see that you got it sorted Jeff. I have to ask... did you just get it sorted out recently or just following up late as your original post was from May last year!? Either way, always nice to get some feedback 👍😃