Suzuki V-Strom (VStrom) Owners Club DL250, DL650, DL1000 & DL1050
Oily Rag - Dedicated to Pat, Greywolf. 26/06/45 - 04/06/18 => Tyres => Topic started by: The Doctor 46 on March 15, 2022, 14:43:44
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I have just booked my bike in (2012 650 VStrom) for two new tyres,Mitchelin Road 6. The last time I ran Mitchelin was Pilot Road on a BMW 1150 GSA and they were great tyres. The Road 6 is said to be a big improvement to the last generation of the tyre which was the Road 5.
Well if everything I have read about the Road 6 is true, it should grip like glue, wet or dry and last longer. We'll see. £340 fitted, ride in ride out. That's by far the most I have ever spent on two tyres so I hope I get good mileage from them, 50,000 miles maybe. :smirk:......... Not really.
I'll let you know how I get on.
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Every new version is vaunted as such an improvement over the old that we must be at the stage of having tyres that are impossible to prise from the tarmac under any conditions, yet last for the whole life of the bike....
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Agreed, it's all spin in order to justify a new model tyre.
I sell pilot 6's , the take up is slower than slow due to the cost, they are, in my opinion, too expensive.
There's no doubt as to how good they are but are they (for big tourers and sports bikes) good enough at nearly £400
We talk to our rep often and he bullshits like a politician but as we are Michelin dealers we are encouraged to sell them.
For info , there's a fitting campaign which refunds the customer up to £30 running right now .
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The pilot 5's where supposed to be an improvement over the 4's but I can feel no difference in grip really but they last 1000 miles less so not an improvement for me anyways.
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Kwackboy. Thank you for the advise on the £30 back. The garage had already told me about it over the phone. I do agree that they are ridiculously expensive and also that they can't keep getting better but almost everything is advertised as better every year.
As I mentioned, I used Mitchelin Pilot Road many years ago. They were such an improvement on what ever I had fitted at the time (can't remember now) that I recommended them to my friends. They seemed to grip almost as good in the wet as dry and lasted well.
I really want 100% road tyres but the size (especially the front) makes them hard to find. I hope these are at least as good as I remember the Pilot Roads being. If they are not, I will go for cheap tyres next time and ride much slower.
I road over Dartmoor last night (yes it was very dark) and found my speed was limited by my headlight not my tyres. I will have a look at it tomorrow as it seems to be pointing a little high (even though the MOT pass shows it is not) as it lights up the trees more than the road on main beam?
I'll let you all know what I think of the new tyres soon. :thumb:
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I started using Pilot Roads way back on my 1st Fazer 600. Even got to use PR2s on the same bike and I really liked them . . . so much so that at the end of last year I bought a pair too replace the rubber on my NC750X. Yes, they still make PR2s - mine where moulded in the 33rd week of last year.
As they are an older model of tyre, they don't demand the silly money that the latest ones do.
Steve T
:icon_razz:
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Road 2's are a great tyre . :thumb:
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I just bought a road 2 as well to fit on the rear of my 1000 and match to a road 5 trail front. I can't get more than 4k miles from a 5 but I wasn't as lucky as Steve T, my road 2 was made in 2012! It'll be done by the years end so it's going on.
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I am still a fan of the PR3. I thought the PR4 went backwards. The P5 was a slight improvement on the PR3, but not much. Regardless of the model number, these Michlens are still prone to punctures compared with other brands due to how thin they are.
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They are not thin, just a softer carcass than most tyres.
Michelins have to be run at slightly more PSI/bar, this make them less prone to punctures.
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:thumb: I think that's what I meant. I have been told this by two separate sources who fit tyres. But one thing that never got answered, which perhaps you know the answer to? If the Michelin is softer, how can they produce more miles than many of the competitors? I can easily get 15k out of the rear PRs? Is it magic?
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Yes, agreed....
Michelin do have the ability to last a decent amount of miles.
I don't have a definitive answer but the compounds are something special.
The above words were from my Michelin rep when I asked him the same question. lol
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I have used 33 psi front and 36 psi rear (no pillion and panniers left in the garage, almost always) since I bought my 650. I forgot to ask the tyre fitter what pressure he had put in when fitted. Would you recommend a higher pressure with Road 6 ?
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Good question, the 6's haven't been out long enough for any Feedback as yet but, I'd treat them the same as it's predecessors.
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15k miles on a rear, wow. I've never got any more that 5k miles from any Michelin pilot road of any number. I've a 5 road trail on at the minute that will be lucky to see 4k.
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The road 5 trail is softer than the normal road 5, Its an identical looking tyre, just different compounds.
The latter should last a little longer .
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I had the standard road 5 before this trail one and it didn't make it to 5k miles either.
If you ride like me, dry weather only, use the torque hard and enjoy corners there not a long lasting tyre and I don't see the 6 being any better.
Just got an older pilot road 2 for the rear, we'll see how that lasts.
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4.5k to 5.5k on 4s and 5s for me. A d that was on the mighty glee, not the 1000.
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Various customers I used to deal with said they noticed no discernable difference in grip between the 4's and 5's
But were getting 5-6k per rear on the 4's and 4-4.5k with the 5'. And the 5's looked shredded, the 4's were just well worn.
Haven't used Michelin since 2016 when I put a pair of Anakee 2' on the varadero after they were discontinued. Don't think I'd bother as there a cheaper eaqually capable tyres out there that seem to be lasting longer these days.
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19,000 out of my Dunlop Roadsmart 3s, though that rear tyre stood up on its own when it was finally removed. That was replaced with Road 5s which was very weird as the tyres were round so the bike was a bit wobbly to begin with...
to be honest I've never noticed a difference with any of the tyres I've used, OEM, Anakee 3s (front and rear wore at the same time), Pilot Road 4s, Dunlop Roadsmart 3s and now Road Pilot 5s.
I'd have put the Dunlops on again but they were close to £300 where the 5s were £240.
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I've put a few miles on the Pilot Road 6 tyres now and like them. They are very confidence inspiring and I have scrubbed them in right down to the Michelin man on the sides of the tyre already. The tyre can take anything I can throw at it on a dry road but I have't had chance to ride them in rain yet, it hasn't rained.
In honesty, the first generation Pilot road was the same on a much bigger bike years ago. I guess I should have fitted cheaper tyres, Pilot 5's maybe but then, as I said "I haven't used them in the wet yet" and I don't know how many miles they will last.
Overall I am very happy with them. Oh, I claimed £30 cash back as per their offer and it's in my bank. :auto-dirtbike:
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My last set of pilot Trail 5 lasted 12K rear and 20k front. I have anakee adventure now but looks like I will try Pilot 6 Trail next.
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The mileage in a tyre is subject to many variables, but assuming they are always inflated correctly, the key reason is not riding style so much, but how many of those miles do you do in the cold and wet? Riding in the cold and wet will prolong the mileage due to the effect of the tyre temperature.
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The mileage in a tyre is subject to many variables, but assuming they are always inflated correctly, the key reason is not riding style so much, but how many of those miles do you do in the cold and wet? Riding in the cold and wet will prolong the mileage due to the effect of the tyre temperature.
... as well as the horsepower of the engine when it comes to wearing out the back tyre maybe?
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Scotland isn't the driest, or warmest place, and I tend to get no-where near the claimed miles others do. But they do resurface most of the roads every few years by spreading tar and then throwing loads of chuckies on them, which probably increases the grippiness of the roads and reduces the miles achieved from the tyre.
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Out of interest would different versions of the Michelin Road front and rear be a massive "no no"?
I.e. I have 4's on the front and rear, but if the rear needs replacing can I swap it with a 5 and leave the front as is?
:eusa-doh:
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I would say yes, definitely. Before I changed my tyres it had a miss match of tyres. The garage where I bought it had put a new rear on but when it came to changing the front I realised the miss match but (I can't remember which tyres were fitted) could not buy a matching tyre in the correct size for the front so I bought what the garage recommended. They miss matched but worked perfectly.
Years ago I bought a Kawasaki ZX10 with miss matching tyres. They worked very well but the front lasted half as long as the rear. It was very soft and sticky. Even with all that power to the rear it still lasted twice as long.
Anyway, my tyres do match now. The pilot 6 is first class in the dry. I went out yesterday as it started to snow a little, to try them in the wet but the snow stopped after only making the road damp. They still performed perfectly but I have still got to try them in proper rain, sometime this week probably.
Back to your question. Make sure both tyres are speed rated correct for your bike and the correct size then go easy until you are confident with them and the new one is worn in then.... Go for it. :thumb:
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I ran a 4 trail front and rear and when the rear was done I fitted a 5, then two sets of 5's and now I'm going to fit a pilot road 2 rear as the 5's give crap mileage.
I don't worry about mixing tyres much, my mate raced for years with a Pirelli front and a Dunlop rear and even turned the tyres the wrong way for practice sessions to save money. And at 6 times Irish superbike champ he wasn't slow like me!
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I was told same brands are fine. When I went to change one to a different brand, the shop said they'd contact the tyre rep to check it was OK (it was)
[This was a previous bike, not Strom]
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Porter, would that be Jonathan Rea you are talking about? Brilliant rider. I could beat him on my 650 Strom though. :whistle:
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Oh! I forgot to mention, I road my Pilot 6's in the rain (and hailstone) today. They felt good and gave me so much confidence that I'm sure I'll crash tomorrow. :shock:
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No not JR, he's a bit to good and to young!
Good to hear the new 6's are up to the job, the Michelin road range is a tyre I really like it's just the road 5 has given me poor mileage, about 1000 miles less than a 3 or 4 lasted.
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Interesting stuff. I'm on my third set of Bridgestone A40's bought as a pair from M&P for £109 delivered. (now around £123 I think per pair) Change around 7500 miles but the rear will go to 10,000. These are four years old when delivered, but haven't had any problem and I use them up pretty rapidly. I did try the new (then) A41 a while ago and noticed a slight improvement over the A40, but this could easily have been imagined. Wet performance great, but then I haven't tried any other brand or type in many years. I'm reluctant to change when a tyre is so cheap and gives me all the grip and life I need. I'm 11 stone and ride like the throttle's glued shut, but I'm happy.
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I had the road 5 trails fitted to the Veek at the weekend, never tried Michelin before always had Bridgestone but hope they last longer than the 4k quoted on here.
I did notice a slight rubbing sound coming from the front wheel on the way home, sounds like it rubbing the mudguard as anyone else ever had this?
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Agreed, it's all spin in order to justify a new model tyre.
I sell pilot 6's , the take up is slower than slow due to the cost, they are, in my opinion, too expensive.
As a new 650 owner the front Bridgestone is a bit low compared to the back so I would like to fit a road pilot -have loved them on other bikes .But can I put a front on ONLY as the rear bridgestone is like new?
There's no doubt as to how good they are but are they (for big tourers and sports bikes) good enough at nearly £400
We talk to our rep often and he bullshits like a politician but as we are Michelin dealers we are encouraged to sell them.
For info , there's a fitting campaign which refunds the customer up to £30 running right now .
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Brooksy75. I would expect the person who fitted it to have noticed if it was touching and refused to leave it like that even if you wanted him to. Have a good look at the tyre, if it's touching you should see marks on it.
A work mate of mine fitted his own rear tyre. It was too wide and the drive chain was cutting into it. He left it like that? :crazy:
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Agreed, it's all spin in order to justify a new model tyre.
I sell pilot 6's , the take up is slower than slow due to the cost, they are, in my opinion, too expensive.
There's no doubt as to how good they are but are they (for big tourers and sports bikes) good enough at nearly £400
We talk to our rep often and he bullshits like a politician but as we are Michelin dealers we are encouraged to sell them.
For info , there's a fitting campaign which refunds the customer up to £30 running right now .
As I have never tried the 6's and am still on the original Trail Hawks or whatever they are called I am sure I will find the Michelin Road 5 good enough. Hopefully save a few quid. Can you still get hold of the 2, 3 and 4? Hmm. lol
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You can Still get the 4s , the 3s are discontinued although someone out there may have old stock and the 2s , I don't remember Michelin making a 110/80/19 front for the strom .
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Well, it seems a lot of tyres are out of stock, but found a supplier that has the road 6 in, does anyone have some miles on them now to know how they last??
Will be going on my newly acquired 1000....
Cheers
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Done 5k so far on mine, two up from Azerbaijan and they seem to be wearing well.
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Well, loaded and over that distance.. and still life left is a pretty good recommendation..
They are a bit dearer than some others, but only by 20-40 quid for the pair..
Happy with the wet weather performance??
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You can still get the pilot road 2 in the rear size, I've one going on tomorrow but they never done a 110/80 19 front, I'll just use the road 5 front.
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Mine arrived today :)
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Super job.. where from? so far best I found was 276 a pair delivered..
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mytyres.co.uk
UK website but they deliver from Germany
276,18 delivered
No duty paid, used them few times already. Sometimes a bit slow but always deliver after all :)
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I've bought from mytyres as well .......... as stated by pichulec can be slow, but the tyres do arrive. Can't remember the details, but they were the cheapest and I don't recall paying a duty (post Brexit) ..... if you hunt the site you will find that Mytyres.co.uk is an internet service of Delticom AG, Hanover, Germany.
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Delticom.. yeah used different "flavours" of there biz for car and van tyres..
Cheers..
FWR in the UK have the road 6 for 276 delivered..
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Ordered the road 6's from FWR.. Hopefully they will arrive by Friday..
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AdvntureSi what issues you had with them? Just out of curiosity :)
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Haven't had any issues with "Delticom"...
If you search about there are several "mail order tyre sites" that belong to Delticom...
I had a trade account with one (can't remember which) that even with trade discount was dearer than a sister site retail....
Delivery can be a bit hit and miss, sometimes they turn up in 2 days, sometimes a week..
Mostly I check between Camskill, 123tyres, tyreleader and mytyres with a quick check against Oponeo, to see what's what and which is the best deal...
Just ordered a set of 4 car tyres from 123 as they were £10 each cheaper and free delivery over Camskill... (Camskill are often cheaper than the others even when adding on their small delivery charge per pair)
Also.. I may search for a specific tyre, some do not stock what I am looking for...
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The bike tyres turned up this morning.. cracking service from FWR
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Back at workshop, getting these installed tomorrow.
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Got puncture in rear tyre which is less than 300miles old. Road 6 like nails...
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I advise that you check it is a puncture as I thought I had a nail in my back tyre after just having it fitted, it turned out to be just a round stone stuck in the tread. Yes, they do seem to like picking up little stones.
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It was a copper nail, removed and plugged by mushroom plug. Tomorrow permanent repair.
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Mmm.. 300 miles.. that's a pain... Only ever suffered 1 flat tyres on a bike.. what a pain..
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Yeah, well what can you do... So much crap on the roads. But it is permanently fixed now so I can forget about it :) Tyre repair prices are mad. One bloke wanted 75 quid. I got it done for 25 lol 20 for whell off and tyre off and back, 5 for repair. Sensible bloke, he said he should charge little more but his conscience is not letting him :) Kudos for Darren from HBB Motorcycles Dunstable.
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Tempted to just get a set of BT023's, not sure these Road 6 are worth the extra cost and they do seem more prone to punctures as well.
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OK yes I talk rubbish, but I try to follow car/truck tyre tracks on the basis that they sweep those two paths in the road.
That old nail, screw whatever is lying there in the middle of the driving lane waiting for a bike to run it over - the front kicks it into the air and the rear drives it into the tyre. That is why rear tyre punctures are much more likely than front ones. Other places to keep away from include the crown / white lines in the middle of the road. I don't ride around sleeping policemen and between the bumpy pillows because that is where the cars wheels don't go and all the nasties collect there waiting for me on my bike.
And there is something about new tyres.... I've only had two punctures since 2010 a bike that was 200 miles old and a tyre that was 350 miles old.
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vstroman, I'm on my third set of BT023, back ones last for about 7,500 miles , the front that is on at present (2nd set) has been on for 14,000 miles.
I've been really please with them, grip is great wet and dry. They have been superseded so you may have to look round a bit to find a set.
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Hello PB,any chance you could measure how much tread you have got left down to the wear indicators on that 14,000 mile front 023 tyre please.
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vstroman, probably only about 1mm to the wear bar, back tyre probably about the same after 7,000 miles, both will need changing soon. MOT is due in October so I will get it done before then. Not been out much lately as it's been too hot, can't believe I'm saying that , I live in Wales! lol also I've been busy with Blood bike shifts so plenty of riding anyway. :happydance:
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I see the Road 6's come in a GT version for heavier bikes - what does that mean, ie is the 650 a heavier bike and what advantages would a GT tyre bring - longer life?
I'm totally ignorant about tyres and as I'll be needing some new ones before too long this thread is of interest...
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The 650 wouldn't be classed as a heavy bike and anyway the GT version of the tyres do not come in vstrom sizes. Fit the normal trail front and either a standard or trail rear. The standard rears tend to last a bit longer but not by much.