Pirelli Scorpion sync tires

[red baron]

Chitown:

I read all your stories with regard to the Scorpion tires on your R1200R. I purchased these tires and must say they are excellent tires both for wet and dry surfaces and they have wonderful cornering characteristics and I know many factors play a roll as to how long a rear tire will last. After mounting these tiers I went on a 2,400 miles trip (in this case Big Bend National Park in TX). We had not ideal weather conditions with lots of rain and cool temperatures (mostly in the low thirties to mid fourties). I carried side bags and a small soft tail bag and now my rear tire is almost gone. Maybe 500 miles left. Question: How long did your Scorpions last on average and what tire pressure do you normally use? I love these tires but at least in my case these tires do not wear well.
Peter

[celticus]

I have these on my bike and the rear made it almost 6000 miles. You must be rough on tires.

Mark

[tobes]

I got 5000 miles out of my last set of these. I run 32 front and 36 rear.

[parkec]

Dude,
German Bike...deserves German Tires!!!
or at least Michelin Pilot Roads. .got 10,000+ with plenty of tread left..but will change prior to International Rally... buying another set of Mich..Pilot Roads.... but I'm Jonesing for a a good of German Metzlers

[RonR]

+1 on the Pilot Roads. Great handling wet & dry, reasonable price and great wear: Got 10,000 + miles front and rear. Run 36 front, 42 rear. -1 on Metzlers, though. Don't like the non-linear lean-in characteristics due to the front tire profile.

[red baron]

Thanks for the replies. It may have been the tire pressure (42 cold), possibly the road surfaces and I must say we drove rather spirited but this was by far the most tire usage I ever have experienced. I purchased another Pirelli tire of the same model and lets see how long this one will last.
Peter

[deilenberger]

+1 on the Pilot Roads. Great handling wet & dry, reasonable price and great wear: Got 10,000 + miles front and rear. Run 36 front, 42 rear. -1 on Metzlers, though. Don't like the non-linear lean-in characteristics due to the front tire profile.

I put on Michelin Pilot-Road-2's (II) last week. I'm very impressed. Seemed a bit snakey at first, but once I adjusted the pressure to what I usually use (37front/39rear) they became very nice and very secure feeling in turns. Only had them in a bit of rain - which caused no drama at all.. I may try lowering the pressure a few more PSI to see how noticeable it is. (mebbe 35f/37r).

Only downside I can see so far is price. About $70 more than I was paying for the Conti Road Attack tires..

[celticus]

Dude,
German Bike...deserves German Tires!!!
or at least Michelin Pilot Roads. .got 10,000+ with plenty of tread left..but will change prior to International Rally... buying another set of Mich..Pilot Roads.... but I'm Jonesing for a a good of German Metzlers

I do believe my bike handles better with the Pirellis than with the Pilot Roads that came on it new. 35 front, 38 rear. Or there abouts.
Mark

[RougePivoine]

Don - Curious to hear more about your experience of how the MPR2s compare to the Conti Road Attacks? My new R1200R was delivered with Conti's. Have done 3,000 km with them till date and very pleased with the tires. They provide good grip and feel very secure in turns. That is, in the dry - for once the weather in Belgium has been great so no experience with wet yet. I had MPR2 on my R1150R and was really pleased with those - including in the wet. I had planned to go back to the PR2s after the Conti's though not so sure anymore . So would love to hear a bit more about your experience with both tires. Thanks.

Hi to you all BTW. First time posting here, although I visit the forum for quite a while already. I traded my R1150R for a R1200R end of last year - taking advantage of after-season promotions in the Belgian dealerships with free bags and screen .

Man, this bike is awesome! I was quite happy with the 1150 (first bike, did 37,000 km on it) although it was just that bit too heavy for me, as a woman. Though the test ride had me convinced. Should have known - you had warned us that test riding with the R1200R is hazardous for your bank account . The R12R feels significantly lighter and more compact overall (although it's actually a few cm longer). The 1200 handles so much better that I now ride with the standard height saddle (which is a bit smaller at the front as well) on the R12R while I had a lower saddle on the R1150R. Although I am in doubt of buying an additional lower one for our trip to the Alpes in summer: just toes on the ground is tight when on gravel or slightly inclining surface.



Enjoy the ride!

[ka5ysy]

+1 on the Pilot Roads. Great handling wet & dry, reasonable price and great wear: Got 10,000 + miles front and rear. Run 36 front, 42 rear. -1 on Metzlers, though. Don't like the non-linear lean-in characteristics due to the front tire profile.

I put on Michelin Pilot-Road-2's (II) last week. I'm very impressed. Seemed a bit snakey at first, but once I adjusted the pressure to what I usually use (37front/39rear) they became very nice and very secure feeling in turns. Only had them in a bit of rain - which caused no drama at all.. I may try lowering the pressure a few more PSI to see how noticeable it is. (mebbe 35f/37r).

Only downside I can see so far is price. About $70 more than I was paying for the Conti Road Attack tires..

+1 on the PR2's. Outstanding tires after you scrub them in. Got 500 miles on so far and love them. Very sticky in curves and solid on the interstates. I got tired of the Road Attacks after they get 300o miles to a flat spot on them. Good tires, but too soft for mostly road work.

[deilenberger]

Don - Curious to hear more about your experience of how the MPR2s compare to the Conti Road Attacks? My new R1200R was delivered with Conti's. Have done 3,000 km with them till date and very pleased with the tires. They provide good grip and feel very secure in turns. That is, in the dry - for once the weather in Belgium has been great so no experience with wet yet. I had MPR2 on my R1150R and was really pleased with those - including in the wet. I had planned to go back to the PR2s after the Conti's though not so sure anymore . So would love to hear a bit more about your experience with both tires. Thanks.

It's always a challenge - doing an accurate comparison of new tires vs the ones that came off. In my case - the rear Road Attack was badly squared off, and the front was just plain worn out. These had been my 3rd rear and I think 2nd front.. which would make the rears around 8,000 mile tires and the front 12,000 mile tires. The front was down to the wear bars, the rear was flatted.

A few things made me decide to change

1 - The last Road Attack I got was made in Korea. Nothing wrong with that I'm sure - but I'd rather my tires come from Europe (or US.) Just me..
2 - The Road Attacks rears do seem to square off rather quickly. The MPR-II's are a dual compound tire, with a harder center compound, so hopefully squaring off will be less of a problem. Of course my riding area tends towards straight/flat roads, so some squaring off is to be expected.
3 - The guy who mounts my tires had a heck of a time with the rear tire on the Road Attacks. The sidewall is apparently quite stiff, and it doesn't want to go on or come off. That might be a good thing if you get a flat, but I was tired of hearing my tire dude complain about it.
4 - I've always had good luck with Michelin tires, on cars and on bikes.

So far - about 500 miles on them (250 of those on Sunday) - the MPR-II's seem fine. Grip is more than I'll use up, and wet grip seemed good also. We'll see how they wear. One good thing on the Road-Attacks, the front started exhibiting a funky wear pattern on the first one I had, the last one wore quite uniformly, with very little cupping evident (might have been balance?)

I have found the MPR-II's completely immune to open-grated-bridge-syndrome, and road-grinding-weaving. I went over some ground road surface and it felt like I could let go of the bars and it would continue tracking straight. It is also confidence inspiring in cross-winds - up to 40MPH (which we had on Saturday), very little side movement with these tires (some of that is also the R12R, which I've found amazingly neutral to wind-gusts/blasts.) One thing I did notice - the MPR-II's seem to sing a bit more than the RA's did. Not an annoying noise, but there is a bit of singing coming off the front tire.

Hi to you all BTW. First time posting here, although I visit the forum for quite a while already. I traded my R1150R for a R1200R end of last year - taking advantage of after-season promotions in the Belgian dealerships with free bags and screen .

Man, this bike is awesome! I was quite happy with the 1150 (first bike, did 37,000 km on it) although it was just that bit too heavy for me, as a woman. Though the test ride had me convinced. Should have known - you had warned us that test riding with the R1200R is hazardous for your bank account . The R12R feels significantly lighter and more compact overall (although it's actually a few cm longer). The 1200 handles so much better that I now ride with the standard height saddle (which is a bit smaller at the front as well) on the R12R while I had a lower saddle on the R1150R. Although I am in doubt of buying an additional lower one for our trip to the Alpes in summer: just toes on the ground is tight when on gravel or slightly inclining surface.

Enjoy the ride!

And HI to you - another victim of the demo-ride Someone I was talking to over the weekend mentioned they wanted to test ride one (they were on an older K12GT - the brick engine one), I suggested they take their check book.

[Phillo]

Bought my "R" June 2007 fitted with Metzelers - traded it in a week ago with nearly 15000km on the clock and tyres still good for another 2000km or so.

[Bill Stevenson]

I have posted these impressions before, but thought my experience would add to this discussion. My bike had Battleaxes on it OEM. I have always liked the performance and feel of Bridgestone tires on the road including these. The problem for me was that they wore out too fast with the rear gone in about 4,600 miles. Front was still usable, but I change tires in pairs. I bought a pair of Michelin Road Pilot 2s. They now have 6,000 miles on them and are holding up quite well. Compared to the Battleaxes, though, the MRP2s slowed the steering response down. Another way to put this is that the bike is now more stable, but less maneuverable. Some riders will like this, but others not so much. This characteristic is something that I have noticed with other Michelin tires over the years on other bikes. Overall I am willing to put up with the MRP2s, but definitely admit that it is economics that drive my choice. The MRP2s cost a bit more initially, but cost per mile of useful life seems to be the lowest of the premium tires available for our bikes.

One other thing, I set my tire pressures as follows: front 33 psi, rear 42 psi. The higher pressures on the front that some of you report using are common among Beemer riders. I have always found that the front tire has a tendency to "skip" on bumpy surfaces more quickly with pressures over 33 psi. I weigh about 200 lbs. and probably ride somewhat more aggressively than the average rider.

Regards,

Bill

[Lost Rider]

Dude,
German Bike...deserves German Tires!!!
or at least Michelin Pilot Roads. .got 10,000+ with plenty of tread left..but will change prior to International Rally... buying another set of Mich..Pilot Roads.... but I'm Jonesing for a a good of German Metzlers

You should do your homework before spouting off-topic nonsense, on top of admitting to everyone that you must ride like a real wuss to get 10,000 miles out of a tire.... You could try twisting that throttle now and then, it's quite fun.
My Pirelli's Sync's were made in Breuberg in Germany. It says right on the label and sidewall.


"Pirelli Tires is represented the Pirelli and Metzeler brands: the first is characterized by strong sporting personality and is made for a clientele generally associated with the world of racing competition, while the second is more for everyday driving, which is comfort-oriented and is made for intensive road driving and long distances."










Mr Baron,

I typically get around 4000 miles out of my rear and double that on the front. With how I ride, more often that not I don't try and squeeze the most miles out of them... I don't ruin the R's wonderful handling by riding on squared off tires to save a few bucks in the big picture, but that's just me.
Personally I find that the Sync's work best for me and if they only lasted 2500 miles like my TKC-80 rear tire does on my GS I would still run them.

It's also been my experience that Texas has some rough/sharp chipped surface roads that can wear tires faster than other places with smooth blacktop, similar to what the Aussie's describe down under....

When I'm touring loaded with camping/photography gear which is most of my (46,000) miles I run 42 PSI rear, 36 front. Subtract 9 PSI when off tarmac, though now that I have the 8GS I wont be doing much of that on my R. When riding on gravel airing down makes a HUGE difference.

I'm setting out on a 5 day dash up the left coast tomorrow on my R ( so weird to be back on the Roadster!) with nothing but a softbag on the seat with minimal camping gear in it- no GPS, tankbox, panniers, topbox, windscreen, or heavy photo gear and I'm running 38psi rear, 33 front for the ride.



Cheers

[mtl-R12R]

[red baron]

Chitown: Thanks for replying and I have purchased a new rear since I agree with you that this is a terrific tire. Yes the pavement, especially furhter west in Texas is rather coarse and heavy load travelling at high speeds does take its toll. I enjoy your reports and picture. Hope you had a good joureney these past few days
Peter

[roscoau]

Dude,
German Bike...deserves German Tires!!!

Pirelli is owned my Metzeler... makes them German.

[red baron]

Actually it is just the opposit Pirelli owns Metzler however this particular tire (Scorpion) is produced in Germany.
Peter