BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

I've been looking into the Michelin Pilot 4 tires at the Michelin web page, and it does not recomend those tires for the R 1150 R; however, they are used on the R 1150 RT. Can someone explain why they might not work or be adequate? Thank you.

Can't imagine why. I just ordered a set, put the back one on and then this cold weather rolled in chasing me out of the garage. I will report back when the weather breaks, ice and snow everywhere.

Thanks for your imput. I can't see a reason either, but that's what the site says. When the Metzellers I have on now get finished, I want to try the Pilot 4s. I'll be waiting for your report, mountrous. I hope the weather becomes balmier soon. Good ridance!

The Pilot 4 should be fine since the 1,2, and 3s were. I have had 2 sets of the Bridgestone BT 023, and they have been working great. Sticky, and pretty good mileage for me (7500-8000 miles for a set). They have performed well in some horrible days of rain.

I have considered Bridgestones. The Michelin performance, as advertised, is what's gotten me interested though. Thank you for your comment.

They have three different types. Regular, Trail and GT. Get the Regular type. The Trails are for adventure bikes and the GT are for heavier bikes like the RT's.
I have the PR3 on my Vee Strom and they are very good. I have tried on my R1150R many different tires. Best have been the Pirelli Angel GT with the Avon Storm2 a close second both great confidence builders. The Dunlop Road-Smarts I personally didn't like at all and gave me an unsure feeling in the turns. I always by same brand front and rear and replace both at the same time. Hope this helps.

I had the PR3's and now have the BT30's. The BT30's are better than the PR3's in the dry and in the wet. Great performance en I'll buy them again. Don't know about the PR4.
http://youtu.be/bypI5RA8fso
and
http://youtu.be/eGBTnU5w6Fk

I have also used the PR3's with good luck, two sets both returning over 17k miles, then switched to the dual compound Shinko tires out of curiosity, inferior wet grip decent dry grip and totally shagged at 7k miles. Looking forward to trying the 4's, it is snowing and 9 degrees as I write this, I am in two wheel withdrawal.

I have a set of gt on my 2004. If you want a match set you will need to get the gt. They only make a gt size for the rear,but gt and regular for the front.
I like the tires and have not experienced any issues. I have not noticed any ride issues eventhough the gt is designed for a heavier bike they seem to work just fine.
Good luck

I put a set of GT's on my 2004 about 1000 miles ago and like them a lot.
http://2004-r1150r.weebly.com

I saw the same comment on the website and decided to give the PR 4's a chance. Road just a few miles yesterday but they felt damn good.

I have no personal experience with the PR4s, but have read several reviews observing that while they have superior wet traction, they are a step back from the PR3s on dry pavement. YMMV.

I have 'em and I LOVE 'em. I wouldn't hesitate to get 'em again.

(You may have accidentally tapped into one of those ongoing high-heat debates - like motor oil or oil filters. )

Watch the RevZilla video about the PR4. I'm shopping and after all I've seen it looks like the PR4 is a winner.

Mounted them up and have a little over 1000 miles on them, incredible wet traction as always. No strange handling characteristics at all, not sure why they are not recommended, they get my stamp of approval.

Thank you very much for all your imput. To keep the bike stock, I'll have to go with the GT since they don't have the stock size on the regular ones. I'll report again when the time comes that I've changed them and tried them.

3000 miles on them, so far so good.

4500 miles on now, rear tire is beginning to chop, I can't say I remember that being an issue with the GT3s, time will tell.

I found a screw in my front PR3, so I'll need a new tire. Rear is also a PR3 with plenty of life left.
I didn't really like the PR3. It seemed the tire pressure fluctuated more than with my old metzelers.
I don't like the feel of them either. I'm thinking of getting a Metzeler Z6 for the front or a PR4.
What is the consensus of having non-matching tires, and any thoughts here? Thanks.

The reason they would recommend the PR4 for the R1150RT and NOT for the R1150R is that the tire is most likely designed for touring bikes, which always have a heavier multi-ply sidewall designed for a heavier touring bike. While you may not notice a difference when installed on the R1150R, there are a few, like ride stiffness, less extreme angle cornering confidence, higher cost and heavier tire rotational mass. Those qualities could make your R1150R seem sluggish, like a luxury car. On the other hand, you'll likely get more miles/tire on that usually thicker straight ahead "touring tread."

On mixing tire brands . . . it's a crap shoot (roll of the dice). Tire manufacturers design front and rear tires to work together. Sometimes you get lucky and they are closely compatible, sometimes you will not notice any difference in the way you ride. Mixing brands could be OK if you just ride with the 4 wheeler traffic and never push the performance envelope. I myself would not do it, even if the correct replacement is not available yet.