Best Tires in 2020

[ozn3]

So I've done my research and have narrowed down my selection to Metzeler Roadtec 01s, Michelin Road 5s, and Pirelli Angel GT IIs. The Roadtec being an older tire to the other 2, how does it compare? What would you guys recommend? How about a Pirelli Scorpion Trail II?

I am currently just waiting to finish the stock Dunlops on my 2019 Tracer 900. Obviously not so impressed with its performance and I agree with most sentiments shared here in the forum.

To give context for the tire recommendation I'm looking for, I live in a tropical country (Philippines) where it's usually hot and humid and is raining at least half the year and where roads are not always great (from good asphalt paved roads to uneven, pothole-ridden, debris-filled, cracked, concrete).

I love the occasional mountain carving rides but mostly enjoy long distance riding (multi-day trips and whatnot). I barely use my bike to commute so that won't be a big factor for me and am mostly a weekend rider.

Anyone care to chime in which tire would be among the 4 models I've mentioned with perfomance in mind for both wet and dry conditions with a decent amount of longevity? 

[trevinator]

all i can chime in about is a set of pilot road 4's i had ordered for my versys. both of them were completely out of round to the point that my bike was bouncing at 45mph. the grip they had was amazing, but i doubt i will touch a Michelin tire again thanks to that experience. i had to return them because they were so bad. and when the email you get from Michelin is them simply stating that their tires are round, you know there is an issue with them NOT being round! i put a set of dunlops back on the versys and all was good again. granted, they didnt have the best grip, but they were smooth.

[2and3cylinders]

Dunlop roadsmart 3 and Bridgestone T31, the latter being especially cost effective with their rebate

[2and3cylinders]

Not just my opinion...

[roadrash83]

37 minutes ago, trevinator said:

all i can chime in about is a set of pilot road 4's i had ordered for my versys. both of them were completely out of round to the point that my bike was bouncing at 45mph. the grip they had was amazing, but i doubt i will touch a Michelin tire again thanks to that experience. i had to return them because they were so bad. and when the email you get from Michelin is them simply stating that their tires are round, you know there is an issue with them NOT being round! i put a set of dunlops back on the versys and all was good again. granted, they didnt have the best grip, but they were smooth.

 I purchased  a bad set of tires that were either Dunlops or Metzlers  from my local bike shop a few years ago.They mounted and balanced the tires for me and I put them on the bike. I didn't get around the block before you could tell their was a problem.I took the bike up to the shop and I let them ride the bike. No questions asked the next day they put on a new set of tires, which happened to be a set of Michelin's that they recommended for my Goldwing and were also more expensive at no extra cost. From then on I stopped mail ordering tires, no way in hell would it have been a good outcome if I had to deal with the tire distributor or manufacture. I'm also a big believer in purchasing stuff from my local dealer and bike shop in the end it has always paid off.

[DavidS]

I have used Michelin PR4/5's on my old Fj09 and my new Tracer 900, I love the grip, and the traction and the feel is great. I'm going in tomorrow for a new set of tires, and yes, they will be Michelin PR5's.

[limpy88]

If you have bad surfaces on a regular. The Pirelli scorpion trail 2 have been outstanding tires.

Drove through 4.5inch water crossings ( flooded roads) when I got caught in a thunderstorm. No issues at 35mph.

Handles gravel well. 45mph b mode 3rd gear all day. 

They are dual compound. Only had them on in the summer so far. Haven't had an issue with loss of traction.

Better than the michelen road 4. Never been on the road 5s.

 

[betoney]

4 hours ago, ozn3 said:

Anyone care to chime in which tire would be among the 4 models I've mentioned with perfomance in mind for both wet and dry conditions with a decent amount of longevity? 

All of them.  Seriously, almost all modern Sport and Sport-Touring tires have amazing performance and decent longevity.

For every report you read of someone getting 10-12k out of a set of tires, you will also read of someone having them worn out within 4-5k. 

I would be willing to bet if the average rider tried 4 identical bikes, all with different brand tires in a blind test, they wouldn't be able to differentiate one tire from another.

Buy a quality, name brand sport touring tire that you can get for a fair price, they are all good.

 

[Wintersdark]

I can definitely tell the difference between brands, at least with the ones I've tried, but I won't say any is better or worse.  Well, I'll plug Road 5's, because they're my favourite specifically for poor weather performance, but I agree that any *quality, name brand set* of sport touring tires is going to be within spitting distance of the rest.  

Dunlops and Michelin's in particular have very different road feel.  I can tell Road 5's from Bridgestones in *really* hard corners where TBH I feel the Bridgestones feel better, but not better enough to warrant the loss of cold weather performance.  Being a Calgary guy, it's pretty normal for me to ride in 0 degree weather in the morning, and 20 degree weather in the afternoon of the same day. 

But ultimately, that's hair splitting.  Any major high end ST tire is going to last a very long time and get excellent grip.  From there, it's just a matter of finding what feels best to you, but there are no wrong answers.

 

Except the stock Dunlops.  Jesus, they're awful.  But that's not a Dunlop problem, it's a cheap stock tires problem.

[Stew]

4 hours ago, roadrash83 said:

 I purchased  a bad set of tires that were either Dunlops or Metzlers  from my local bike shop a few years ago.They mounted and balanced the tires for me and I put them on the bike. I didn't get around the block before you could tell their was a problem.I took the bike up to the shop and I let them ride the bike. No questions asked the next day they put on a new set of tires, which happened to be a set of Michelin's that they recommended for my Goldwing and were also more expensive at no extra cost. From then on I stopped mail ordering tires, no way in hell would it have been a good outcome if I had to deal with the tire distributor or manufacture. I'm also a big believer in purchasing stuff from my local dealer and bike shop in the end it has always paid off.

I had the same, I was on Metzeler Tourances on my vstrom, and they were ideal for my riding. Got a new set on, exact same Metzeler Tourance, and the bike handled like a dog from then on. I guess all manufacturers will have the occasional bad batch or whatever though.
The Dunlop Sportsmax tyres that came on my 15 Tracer were brand new, so I had to scrub them in. They are not giving me a lot of feedback, but are working fine. I am putting it down more to the suspension than the tyres.

[johnmark101]

1 hour ago, betoney said:

 I would be willing to bet if the average rider tried 4 identical bikes, all with different brand tires in a blind test, they wouldn't be able to differentiate one tire from another.

Buy a quality, name brand sport touring tire that you can get for a fair price, they are all good.

 

I agree.  Modern motorcycle tires are so good that any of them from a major brand will work very well and provide all the grip anyone will ever need for the street.  For most of us a good sport touring tire is ideal.

I shop for price among the trusted brands.  Right now Metzeler has introduced the M9RR which replaces the M7RR.  So now you can get the M7RR at close out prices while supplies last.  They perform like a sport tire but last a bit longer and are very good in the wet.  Plenty of grip for cornering at deep lean angles.  After I tried them on my bike I ordered a second set to have when the first one wears out.  

[texscottyd]

42 minutes ago, Wintersdark said:

Dunlops and Michelin's in particular have very different road feel.

100% in agreement with this statement.   I recently went from the Road 5s to the Dunlop RoadSmart 3, and the tactile difference really surprised me.  I can’t say that one is necessarily better or worse; they’re just very different.  

The rears are both very similar:  Plenty of edge grip, great feedback, and predicable forward bite as you start feeding the throttle back in to pick the bike up off the edge of the tire.   

The fronts, however, are vastly different.   I suspect the Dunlop has a rounder profile, as the steering is very light (bordering on too light) and neutral from straight up to fairly deep lean angles.   The Michelin takes a bit more initial effort to get the bike to turn in, but then gives great feedback as you keep pushing...  It’s not linear, and takes incrementally a bit more pressure on the bar the farther you want to push the front.   Personally, I believe the Michelin front is more in line with my riding style and preferences.   That said, I’ve adapted to the Dunlops just fine over 500 miles or so, and I don’t regret having tried them on the FJ. 

A couple of very specific points: 
- The Dunlop lets you roll in/out of the throttle mid-corner, and even feather in the front brakes, without any drama or readjusting of your line.   The Michelin is much more sensitive to such inputs. 
- I’ve had an odd front end oscillation with the Dunlops during rapid transitions from side to side.    Around 70 mph, as you snap the bike over quickly from one side to the other, it gives a single wobble from the front as it unloads & transitions across the top...   not really a problem, and it doesn’t ever threaten to headshake or do anything unnerving, but it’s a behavior I never saw with the Michelins. 
- Here's the big one:  My slight high-speed weave is back with the Dunlops.   I haven’t had that since I removed the hand guards a few years ago, and always assumed it was an aero issue.   But I’ve run it up to around 120 mph indicated on three separate occasions since fitting the Dunlops, and each time it’s started that low frequency oscillation/weave.   Damn it!       

Ohlins 535 shock, RaceTech fork work, and I have the forks about 5mm up in the clamps.   This setup was spot on for the Michelins.   I’m going to try going a little farther up on the forks with these RS3s, and hopefully address the last two points above.   The front just ‘feels’ taller with the Dunlops, and it seems to be enough that it’s induced some geometry related setup gremlins.  

So, a VERY long-winded way to say that “Yes, they’re both great tires, but they each have distinctly different characteristics and riding feel.”  

-Scott

[Wintersdark]

I'd agree completely with that assessment - particularly with regards to the front.  In fact, I'd say it's basically the same issue I have with Bridgestone vs Michelin in the front, that throttle changes are... Sketchier.  They don't lose grip at all (I trail in with the front quite frequently, and they're solid) but I find the road 5's tend to move around more with geometry changes mid corner.  I thought it was just my MT07's sketchy suspension, but the Tracer does it too with the road 5's (but not the Dunlops or the Anlas) and exactly the same, and there's miles of difference between the suspensions in the two.  

It can be advantageous, but it's certainly something you need to adapt to. 

[peterh101]

Angel GT2s are impressive and significantly out perform me, wet or dry.  They meet my acid test - are the tyres something I need to be concerned about when riding?   They are very neutral in feeling.  My 2p worth, but see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5fHik60WMM

 

[betoney]

58 minutes ago, texscottyd said:

The fronts, however, are vastly different.   I suspect the Dunlop has a rounder profile, as the steering is very light (bordering on too light) and neutral from straight up to fairly deep lean angles.   The Michelin takes a bit more initial effort to get the bike to turn in 

The front just ‘feels’ taller with the Dunlops, and it seems to be enough that it’s induced some geometry related setup gremlins

Could the Dunlop possibly have a stiffer sidewall? (or Michelin a softer than usual sidewall?)