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

I'm looking something for long distance all-weather touring. So far, I like the Pirelli Angel GT or the Metzler RoadTec 01. The Michelin Road 5 would be my first choice but I don't think they make it in 170/60, (they DO make a 180/55 which, I think, the Rockster came with). Would I be asking for problems if I went with the 180/55?

PR-4 do come in that size. Very good tire.

I have a 180/55 - Pireilli Angel ST (previous to that a Michelin Road 5) on the rear of mine and I have had no issues. The Road 5 lasted 6000 miles before I had a puncture that split the rubber down to the cords!

Regards,
Russ

I'm devilishly pleased with my Pirelli Angel Gts. ( Remember...Lucifer was a fallen angel ) Anyway... Michelins came with the bike; they worked well. They were back ordered when I needed rubber. Cycle Gear had a sale on the Pirellis. Do look for deals. FWIW...did my first 2019 ride yesterday - snow on the landscape with roads dry and clean, temperature in the high 40s.

Bogdan

Consider Metzler M3 up front and Z6 out back, weird part is Z6 looks bald in middle, worked just fine for me in the rain and will wear better than a soft rear but my favorite is still Dunlop Q3 up front and Streetsmart out back...good luck...

I had the Michelin PR3, switched to Bridgestone T30 and now ride the T31 and I like them a lot and will buy them again.

I've run Shinko Raven 009's for near 50K. Very happy with handling, tread life etc. About 5K ago I switched to Shinko 705's (dual sport tire). Really love those. Not as smooth of course but I'm much more confident when I get off pavement onto gravel roads and the occasional dirt.

Stick with the Angel GT, https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/pir ... l-gt-tires

WOW, timely topic here.
I went for a short ride yesterday afternoon, it's about a fifty mile loop I do often up in the Sierra foothills. About half way I hit a small rock in the road and then the bike felt a little weird. Going another 3 miles or so the bike still was acting weird so I pulled over to the side of the road to check things out. The new Pirelli Angel GT rear was flat, smoking and coming unbeaded from the rim. I found a slash cut about two inches long in the tread , to big of puncture for the repair kit I carry. Called the AAA premier road side assistance for a tow home. Tow showed up fairly quickly with a motorcycle trailer and I was back home 22 miles later.
Anyway my point is I had very good luck with the Angel GT in the past, about 3-4 sets however the last three sets I've now experienced un-repairable punctures. The other two punctures last summer occurred on dirt gravel roads that were maintained well in National Parks in Colorado. I didn't think I was abusing them on these roads, regular passenger cars were using these roads, I figured the Angel GT's should have been fine. I'm going to rethink my replacements after these latest problem.

I myself have Michelin road 4 like you wanted the 5 but size not available. Am extremely happy with my purchase and performance

My last set of tires, I ' downgraded ', a lower cost tire . I put Michelin Pilot Power tires on and no issues , 90% of my riding is commuting to work, so I didn't need a more sticky compound . They are great in wet conditions .

I also switched to the Michelin Pilot Power, a single compound tire that made my bike much more responsive. I’ve had no problems with the tire except I can’t find it in 170/60 anymore. I checked revzilla, MC superstore, bandit etc. and can’t find it. I’m not a high mileage rider so I really like the stickiness of the pilot power. If I can’t find it, I’m considering going to Pirelli Diablo line.

I was always a fan of the Bridgestone T30. The price was good enough that the 3 rear to 2 front wear rsatio was still a better price I never found them lacking for traction

Since posting above here I was taking my S1000XR up to the dealership Tuesday and had another non-repairable puncture. Pirelli Angel GT rear again, that's four flats with these tires within 6 months on three different bikes. I've decided to try out a set of Dunlop Roadsmart 3 tires on the R1150R. I had the Roadsmart 2's on it a long time ago and didn't really like them all that much but the 3's are supposedly rounder with better turn in. The 2's had a very slow turn in compared to the Angel GT's.
Anyone else here using the Dunlops, hope they perform well.

swamper wrote:Since posting above here I was taking my S1000XR up to the dealership Tuesday and had another non-repairable puncture. Pirelli Angel GT rear again, that's four flats with these tires within 6 months on three different bikes. I've decided to try out a set of Dunlop Roadsmart 3 tires on the R1150R. I had the Roadsmart 2's on it a long time ago and didn't really like them all that much but the 3's are supposedly rounder with better turn in. The 2's had a very slow turn in compared to the Angel GT's.
Anyone else here using the Dunlops, hope they perform well.

I've used Dunlop Q3s on Rockster (2 sets) with good results in dry weather, besides front tire cupping and rear tire square-off caused by unavoidable long, boring, straight stretches. But I've had the same experience with early Pilot Road versions, Metzelers, a couple of Pirelli types. The Q3s had good front tire profile to match jacked-up Rockster tail via shorter Paralever strut.

Aside from dirt, gravel, or wet surfaces, the R1150R doesn't have the power to break tire traction in good dry conditions - unlike your S1000XR.

I wish someone had an objective measure of wet surface tire performance - along with center tread wear - to give us more to consider besides all of our subjective evaluations. But the associated physics (really, the large number of independent variables) makes experimentation complicated.

FWIW
In my experience for long distance travel in a high HP machine (more than 100 hp to the ground), you need a dual compound tire and raise the pressure up to the limit.
But,
The most important thing is to make a concentrated effort to be S-m-o=o-t-h with the throttle, no blitz slab entries and no fighter pilot passes on the road....
You can double the mileage on a trip if you go easy on jack rabbit starts and passes.
I can shred a sport R bike tire on my VFR in 1500 miles but get 7,000 on the road with the above technique .

Tire life has allot to do on how you ride....

With a street tire you can safely get about 75+% of dry traction on wet asphalt of concrete. (no standing water).

I have experienced wet riding on the on club racing and seen several studies over the years that support that performance....of course this requires a smooth hand on the throttle.

I'll be ordering the Metzler RoadTec 01 at my local dealer tomorrow. Staying with the factory size rear, 170-60. This comes after obsessively searching for and reading every written tire review, video, and discussion board thread I could find. It comes down to people's impressions of quick/smooth handling, outstanding wet grip, reasonably good mileage, and good looks. I've obsessed over this too much, no doubt. I guess that's what happens when you're recently retired and cooped up inside while the outside temps can't seem to get above freezing. I'll let you know how they feel if we ever thaw out here. Can't wait for Spring.

Barista wrote:I'll be ordering the Metzler RoadTec 01 at my local dealer tomorrow. Staying with the factory size rear, 170-60. This comes after obsessively searching for and reading every written tire review, video, and discussion board thread I could find. It comes down to people's impressions of quick/smooth handling, outstanding wet grip, reasonably good mileage, and good looks. I've obsessed over this too much, no doubt. I guess that's what happens when you're recently retired and cooped up inside while the outside temps can't seem to get above freezing. I'll let you know how they feel if we ever thaw out here. Can't wait for Spring.

Obsessive winter research makes it a year-round sport.

Kirby- how about an R1150** hypermiling contest? I'm bound to lose with poor throttle discipline (hence my other bikes) but it would be fun to try.

Yeah, there is a time to go fast and a time to mellow out and save the rubber. Anybody looking for mileage should look for dual compound rubber, it does work well.

Barista is correct, he is OVER thinking this tire selection. The internet is full of....hyperbole embellishment and just plain BS. Moto handling is very much a subjective thing. Just put tires of the right rating and size and ride, tire pressure has allot to do with the fine points of handling. For public roads your wasting your money on high zute sportbike tires made for 130 MPH sweepers and heavy braking to 2 gear corners.

Just change to a smooth approach to riding most of the time and be astounded at how good that works.

Barista wrote:I'll be ordering the Metzler RoadTec 01 at my local dealer tomorrow. Staying with the factory size rear, 170-60. This comes after obsessively searching for and reading every written tire review, video, and discussion board thread I could find. It comes down to people's impressions of quick/smooth handling, outstanding wet grip, reasonably good mileage, and good looks. I've obsessed over this too much, no doubt. I guess that's what happens when you're recently retired and cooped up inside while the outside temps can't seem to get above freezing. I'll let you know how they feel if we ever thaw out here. Can't wait for Spring.

They’re my favorite. Hoping Metzeler offers another rebate on a pair like they did last year.

Excellent grip. Great feel and inspires confidence. You won’t be disappointed.