Another Tire Thread

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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by xprof »

Just replaced my PR3 rear at 10,000 miles (instead of 12,000, like last time), mostly because there was a PR3 on the rack and no PR4, and I wanted to go on a trip NOW. The tire didn't look worn out, but the handling increased dramatically with the new one! In the future I'm gonna replace at 10,000 miles rear, on miles alone, just for the handling. PR4? We'll see...
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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by deilenberger »

So far with about 4,500 miles on my PR4's - I'm a happy camper. The front has some cupping, but every front I've ever had has eventually had some cupping. I can hear a tiny bit of singing from the front end on curves, but it's still quiet going straight, so that isn't a bother. Wear so far looks quite good.
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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by Bob Ain't Stoppin' »

Don, The only front tire I've had that doesn't cup is the Avon. Works great and holds up longer than the rear. I had early wear out on the last Avon rear I used, so have moved away from them. Also, on ADV there is a thread about delaminating rear Avon's that kind of scared me.
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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by deilenberger »

Bob Ain't Stoppin' wrote:Don, The only front tire I've had that doesn't cup is the Avon. Works great and holds up longer than the rear. I had early wear out on the last Avon rear I used, so have moved away from them. Also, on ADV there is a thread about delaminating rear Avon's that kind of scared me.
Bob,

Avon's are iffy. Seems the quality can be quite variable. Nice warranty for road-hazard, but if one delaminates - that is a really bad thing. The Conti's I first had on the bike also cupped badly (enough that I was using a belt-sander to smooth them off a bit..)
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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by angellr »

Putting Angel GT's on the bike tomorrow ... will let you know how well they ride. The ones that came with the bike (Bridgestone's (?)) have worked well, but lots of cupping after 4k miles, however, were fairly effective when I ran the Dragon yesterday. :D
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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by gibbo111 »

PR4's here and i'm loving them , best wet tyre I have had for ages. Hope I can get the milage they claim. Been using PR2's up till now. I get at best 10000km (6000m) out of rears and 15000km for the front.
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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by angellr »

angellr wrote:Putting Angel GT's on the bike tomorrow ... will let you know how well they ride. The ones that came with the bike (Bridgestone's (?)) have worked well, but lots of cupping after 4k miles, however, were fairly effective when I ran the Dragon yesterday. :D
Angel GTs mounted a few hours ago, now with 300 miles on them, and WHAT a difference there is over the stock tires in the twisties! So far, love these tires.
-Bob-

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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by Dr. Strangelove »

angellr wrote:
angellr wrote:Putting Angel GT's on the bike tomorrow ... will let you know how well they ride. The ones that came with the bike (Bridgestone's (?)) have worked well, but lots of cupping after 4k miles, however, were fairly effective when I ran the Dragon yesterday. :D
Angel GTs mounted a few hours ago, now with 300 miles on them, and WHAT a difference there is over the stock tires in the twisties! So far, love these tires.
yup.
They have a great feel, far better than PR3s imo. I am getting similar wear from them as the PR3s. The Angel GTs have a much firmer ride than the PR3s which felt squishy/marshmallowy, not so much that it was bad, but I prefer firmer.
Are you still in NC? Try the Dragon with them.
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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by ColumbiaBMW »

Are people really getting 10,000 miles out of the PR3's??? I've been using the Conti Motions for years now just because they're so cheap, but it seems like they need to be replaced every 3,000 miles. So if I can really get anywhere near 10,000 miles out of the PR3's it would be WAY more cost effective to just fork up the extra cash up front, and not have to buy and install another set of tires for 10,000 miles.

Do the PR2's last just as long? I may go with them to save even a little bit more money.

I have Metzeler's on there right now, and they have quite a bit of tread left, but I'm getting ready to take off on a 3,000+ mile trip to the Colorado/Utah/Arizona area and I'm afraid they're just a little shy of having enough tread left.
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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by MTBeemer »

Columbia03BMW wrote:Are people really getting 10,000 miles out of the PR3's??? I've been using the Conti Motions for years now just because they're so cheap, but it seems like they need to be replaced every 3,000 miles. So if I can really get anywhere near 10,000 miles out of the PR3's it would be WAY more cost effective to just fork up the extra cash up front, and not have to buy and install another set of tires for 10,000 miles.

Do the PR2's last just as long? I may go with them to save even a little bit more money.

I have Metzeler's on there right now, and they have quite a bit of tread left, but I'm getting ready to take off on a 3,000+ mile trip to the Colorado/Utah/Arizona area and I'm afraid they're just a little shy of having enough tread left.
PR2s were the longest lasting tire yet on my R; 9000 miles. On my second set of PR3s on my FJR and it looks like they will max out at 6000 miles. Kinda of an apples to hand grenades comparison, but I don't plan on buying any more PR3s. Will either move on to the PR4s or buy PR2s as long as they are available.
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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by jkhomes »

My PR3's are about cooked. They are right at 12,000 so I am happy with that. I can definitely feel it in the handling, although the front still looks surprisingly good. Evidently there was premature wear in the PR3s due to the change in the sipes and the PR4 is supposed to have 20% more life.

I have read some magazine reviews that really like the new Dunlop Technology, something to do with the silica. Does anyone here have experience with the Sportmax Roadsmart 2? Based on the same reviews and the comments on this board, I might be interested in the Pirelli Angel GT's also.

Here is a comparison I was able to do online. I still don't know what to do, but the long life of the Michelins is a big factor.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/co ... 070,44061,
Last edited by jkhomes on Fri Aug 08, 2014 4:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by deilenberger »

My latest PR4's.. at 4,500 miles the rear hasn't started squaring off.. big gain over the PR3. Front has some cupping, but it's not noisy and handling isn't effected that I can feel, so I can ignore it. Best I got was 14,000 miles out of a rear PR3, and 11,000 out of a front. They both could have gone another 2,000 miles or so, but I wanted new rubber for the ride to Birmingham, so the PR4's went on then.
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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by Mike Figielski »

I too am amazed guys are getting 10K + out of any tire. I seem to get 5-6K miles out of rears and usually replace both at that mileage even if the front has a little life left. PR3s felt good, a little better wear than PR2s. Recently I spooned a set of Pilot Power 2 tires on and WOW, what a huge difference in handling and confidence. They do not last long, around 3k miles from the rear but OMG, what a confidence inspiring tire! I am going to try a set of Pilot Power3s next as they are supposed to get better mileage. if I can get 3500-4000 miles out of the rear I'll be happy. The Pilot Powers are about 20-25% cheaper than the Pilot Roads and now that I have tried them it is like crack, can't see going back to the Pilot Roads unless I start doing a lot more miles. For the 2 or 3 good trips I do to the twisties each year these tires are perfect and if i can change tires once a year I am OK with that.
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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by angellr »

Dr. Strangelove wrote:
angellr wrote:
angellr wrote:Putting Angel GT's on the bike tomorrow ... will let you know how well they ride. The ones that came with the bike (Bridgestone's (?)) have worked well, but lots of cupping after 4k miles, however, were fairly effective when I ran the Dragon yesterday. :D
Angel GTs mounted a few hours ago, now with 300 miles on them, and WHAT a difference there is over the stock tires in the twisties! So far, love these tires.
yup.
They have a great feel, far better than PR3s imo. I am getting similar wear from them as the PR3s. The Angel GTs have a much firmer ride than the PR3s which felt squishy/marshmallowy, not so much that it was bad, but I prefer firmer.
Are you still in NC? Try the Dragon with them.
Having just come off of a 5K trip, I can attest that the Angel GTs are some of the finest tires I have had on an R1200R!!! I have about 3K on them right now and NO cupping or any sign of significant wear - and I rode hard in a significant number of twisties from the East to West covering 10+ states. They even handled well in the torrential rain that I encountered through the OK panhandle (5 hrs of heavy rain / lightning (no shelter, so just muscled through it)). Have had PR2/PR3/Scorpions for over 35K miles and these are by far the best. BTW, rode 421 from Boone to Bristol; Pikes Peak, and a few other twisties through CO/Utah.
-Bob-

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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by Dr. Strangelove »

Glad you like 'em; my experience also. As I have said, if I were buying today, I wouldn't even research. I did like the scorpion "trails" a little better, but I am splitting hairs, and the GTs get far better mileage. I am talking about the second generation Scorpion Trails.
Just watch out for the tar snakes, esp the ones on the east side of Cedar City
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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by angellr »

Dr. Strangelove wrote:Glad you like 'em; my experience also. As I have said, if I were buying today, I wouldn't even research. I did like the scorpion "trails" a little better, but I am splitting hairs, and the GTs get far better mileage. I am talking about the second generation Scorpion Trails.
Just watch out for the tar snakes, esp the ones on the east side of Cedar City
Funny you should say something regarding tar snakes ... I was cornering near vernal, utah and almost had the ass slide out from underneath me due to the snakes ... unnerving! As aggressive as I can ride, it will be interesting to see what kind of mileage I can get out of this pair.
-Bob-

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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by Dr. Strangelove »

Vernal!
They say Hwy 50 in Nv is the loneliest road in America, but it does not hold a candle to US 40 between Vernal and Craig, Co.

There is nothing that can hold on freshly poured tar snakes, ie before they "dry."
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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by angellr »

Dr. Strangelove wrote:Vernal!
They say Hwy 50 in Nv is the loneliest road in America, but it does not hold a candle to US 40 between Vernal and Craig, Co.

There is nothing that can hold on freshly poured tar snakes, ie before they "dry."
Amen, brother, amen! Rode US60 (across MO), US64 (across the OK panhandle to Boise City [raining, blowing and lightning with NO shelter so had to play the statistical odds] - the junction of nowhere, going somewhere - I would say that is probably the second lonely place I rode), US50 (parts of CO) and US40 (off of I-70 out of Denver) coming back west from an intermediary stop in Paducah, KY. US40 from Craig to Vernal was truly one of the loneliest sections on the ride. This is also the same section that I figured out that significant triple digits feel the same as 70mph. :D

Vernal's tar snakes weren't fresh, but melting due to the higher temps (90+).

As this is still a tire thread, the Angel GT's performed flawlessly through these conditions. ;)
-Bob-

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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by jkhomes »

Took my 08 R1200R in for a pair of Pirelli Angel GT's today. I am curious to see if I can tell a noticeable difference from the PR3's. I bet I can. The dealer prices were only about $9 more per tire than I could find online.

I asked the service manager at the BMW dealership to look at the Michelins on the bike with me so that I can better get a visual on worn out tires next time. He showed me some cupping on the front and the back and said it was technically underinflated and might have gotten a couple thousand more miles. He recommended I disregard the pressures indicated in the owners manual and run closer to the max pressure on the sidewalls of the tire. He wants me to run 36 on the front and 42 on the back for regular riding, and bump it up to 42 and 42 when loaded with luggage. These guys have always been reliable and knowledgeable, so I am inclined to take his advice. Hopefully the ride is not noticeably rougher.
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Re: Another Tire Thread

Post by Catchina »

36 and 42 is what I run, that is what it says under the seat. That pressure has worked fine for me.
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