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okey dokey let's talk tires...


Larz

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Cuz I need some new rubber, and that sounds far more appealing then talking WWIII, eh. So don't bother mentioning Battleax, meh... yeah they were bargain bin units from cycle gear, but no, me no like, nor the OEM Dunflops; ran Conti Road Attack 3, decent but rear wore out real fast. What ya all like for good grip and decent mileage?

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I agree with your very first point re WWIII.

So....All right, you asked for it...... Michelin Road 5s.  For me, grip is excellent and confidence inspiring.  Mileage is an unknown as yet but wearing well, for the distance travelled, here in the land downunder.

There, I've kicked off the debate.

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21 minutes ago, dazzler24 said:

I agree with your very first point re WWIII.

So....All right, you asked for it...... Michelin Road 5s.  For me, grip is excellent and confidence inspiring.  Mileage is an unknown as yet but wearing well, for the distance travelled, here in the land downunder.

There, I've kicked off the debate.

Thanks bro, yeah those are certainly on the short list ( hearing "Men at Work"  " Down Under " in me head right now, eh)

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...another two thumbs up for Road 5's

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2015 FJ-09 / FJR touring bags / oil plug mod / Evotech rad guard / SW Motech bash plate / VStream touring windshield / Seat Concepts:  Sport Touring / Vcyclenut ABS rings (speedo correction) / Cosmo RAM mount

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I have not run the Road 5 yet and may try those next.  I had good results with the Dunlop Roadsmart sport touring tires.  Excellent dry grip and good handling characteristics.  Very good in the wet as well. Of all the sport touring tires I have tried so far, they offered the most sporting feel.  They did not last quite as long as I had hoped.

For a tire that provides amazing levels of grip and feedback the Pirelli Rosso Corsa 2 is unmatched for a street tire.  Superb performance but the rear was gone in 2000 miles.

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There is nothing like spending a day riding with friends in the grip of a shared obsession.

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Dunlop Roadsmart III or better yet the Roadsmart IV. My BMW Ride In Group and I swear by them. Cheaper than the Michelins (which are also great tires), have great wear characteristics (don't cup as easily), are great in the dry and wet, and last longer than the Michelins. Warm up pretty quickly as well.

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Regards, Grumpy Goat | 2019 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT & 2016 BMW R1200RS

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I'v tired a bunch of different tires (on different bikes mind you) Pirilli Angle GT II's, Bridgestone T30-31-32 Metzler Roadtech 01SE and Road 5's. 
 Not to mention S21 and S22's ofc (the more "sporty" choices
Frankly the S21/S22 etc are a WASTE if you do street riding only - Unless you go really freaking fast on the street. (Each to his own) I personally loved the handeling on the Angle GT II, also the general feel of the tire, seemed superb even in wet cold weather. They wore off a little fast, around 5k miles for the rear.
The Bridgestone tires are my GoTo, Nüburgring, wet cold road, whatever you want they have never given me reason to doubt them. T32 is the newset tire in the lineup, and it was dope on my VFR.
 S22's  also have decent milage but again i find they'd be a better fit for somehting like an MT10 where you really intend to go nutz, and have an engine that can use that level of grip.

Edited by Sunde
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@Larz - I’m a big fan of the Michelin Road 5 on my FJ.   I’m currently running a set of Dunlop RoadSmart IIIs, and plan to go back to the Michelins for my next set.  

Rather than just making vague ‘this one feels better’ statements, I’ve previously tried to document some very specific comparative characteristics of the two.  This post is what I wrote awhile back, and I still stand by these comments:  

-Scott

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1 hour ago, Sunde said:


 Not to mention S21 and S22's ofc (the more "sporty" choices
Frankly the S21/S22 etc are a WASTE if you do street riding only - Unless you go really freaking fast on the street. 

Ran the S20 and then S21 on my Kawasaki ZX6R, they were good street tires but didn't last that long.  They stuck like glue and were good in the wet - I mean super wet like really heavy thunderstorm wet the kind I should not have been riding in but couldn't avoid.

One of these days I'll try something else but my go to tire is the Michelin Road 5.  For the front went to a Michelin Pilot Power 5 just to have a bit more grip on a light front.  They have both done well although the Power 5 does scallop on the front - just like the Road 5 did.  Usually I wear out the tires in the center from too much distance and not enough curves on the long trips but this set actually has good wear on the sides.  Guess it's something to do with riding Beartooth Pass and Chief Joseph's Highway and other twisty roads on the last trip.  Did I say had some fun even loaded!  Think the roads out there are more abrasive. I have run the Michelin Pilot Road 2, 3 and 4 and now the Road 5.  Ran them on my CBR600RR and they did great for a street tire.  

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Thanks everyone so far, appreciate the input. If it was a Poll, the Michelins would be winning at 5 thumbs up to 3 for Dunlops and some outliers. We all look for certain qualities in a tire and it is pretty subjective: some folks prize mileage, others grip; some live and ride in areas that have a lot of wet weather, others ( like me) in places that experience extreme temps- super hot asphalt really eats up rubber and negates worries regarding warm up,etc. I need some grip, but with a tire that will give at least 4K on the rear as I plan on doing some serious touring this Summer. Really liked the Contis but the rear didn't last long enuff to handle an extended tour. The OEM Dunflops handled Arizona to Idaho Panhandle and back but lacked in the grip department. The Battleaxs look to last but I hate the heavy turn in and they do not inspire confidence in extreme lean angles....

Edited by Larz
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7 hours ago, KellyL said:

Pirelli Angel GT and Michelin Pilot Road 5.

Just got my 2015 Yamaha FJ-09 in July. The rear was worn out already. 1st replacement was Shinko Raven now need to replace it after about 4000mi. I got a Pirelli Angel ST. We'll see how it goes. I wanted a Michelin Road 5 but I saved $100.

Edited by Instinct28
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Little hint…….front tire cupping has more to do with setup and riding style than the tire itself.

Tire pressure is part of suspension setup. 

I got a set of 5’s on my 19 Gt with 6,000 mile on them and not close to needing replacement. They have seen freeway, city, twistys all at different speed levels.

When I worked the counter at a motorcycle shop, three questions I dreaded was about oil, suspension and tires. There is no one answer to any of those questions.

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