Pilot Power / Pilot Road Combo

[jeremy556]

Nobody likes the mez4, but it has decent wear and steel belting.

I just ordered another MEZ4 rear, at 5,000 miles the rear is just starting to kiss the wear bars. The front is wearing into a V shape, but no cupping or anything.  They arent the best, But I cant afford to replace tires frequently the MEZ4's seems not bad for longevity with decent traction.

I rode over a steel staple yesterday it didnt make it through the tire I pulled it out. Whether the steel belting aided is the unknown.

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I think you would be better off and get similar if not more mileage and much better performance from a mez6 or pirelli strada.

[theoxmole]

Just to throw my 2 coins in here I resently purchased a Dunlop Qualifier for my 5.0 gen and WOW that puppy sticks...I have a Strada up front which had plenty of meat left so I didn't worry about matching rubbers but a Qualifier will definitely be my go to tire for awhile...

Had a 220 on before getting nailed and the Quailfier just really impressed me in the sweepers, now to see how it does in the tight stuff

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I'm anxiously awaiting your input here. :goofy: I put a Qualifier on the front and I'm thinking of replacing my 220 rear with a Qualifier but need it to last a little more than 1500 miles. Go ride! Go!

[Guest]

Pilot Roads suck, you will end up with a wobble in the front as they wear and cup badly.

I'm running Diablo Strada now. Great warm-up, very sticky, and with about 2500 miles are barely showing any wear yet. I'm totally impressed with these tires! They seem to be an exceptionally good match for the VFR.

[Guest]

Came off 020's and went Pilot Roads look'n for more mileage and all I can say is;

NEVER AGAIN!!!!!! :o

The front gives way with no notice.

I was hope'n a pilot Road rear tire with a Power front would be the answer; sounds like it may not be.

I may be screwed, 'cause my VFR is my daily commuter through the mountains each day to work so I can't live with change'n tires every 3K miles. :goofy:

Mmmmm, live with the slide'n, yuck

Slow down, bigger yuck

Change tires every 3k, $ yuck & time yuck

Guess I will try the Power front :lol:

[Hoopster]

Pilot Roads suck, you will end up with a wobble in the front as they wear and cup badly.

I'm running Diablo Strada now. Great warm-up, very sticky, and with about 2500 miles are barely showing any wear yet. I'm totally impressed with these tires! They seem to be an exceptionally good match for the VFR.

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I agree, the Strada's are great on the vfr. I now have the Power front on to go with my Road rear and like the way it handles dry but have already had a slip from the Road rear while downshifting on wet pavement. Through 2 Strada rears I never had a single slip, wet or dry. Depending on how long this Road lasts, I may try the Power rear or possible Z6's. Then back to Stradas if nothing else can compare.

[Guest]

i'm very happy with the diablo stadas... only other tire i've had on the bike was a set of 010's - which were good, but wore quickly. the stradas will grip as far as the VFR can lean, they're great in the wet as well... and they warm up real fast.

i've ordered another set through the pirelli deal going on in canada right now.

[Hoopster]

Wet update: Had a major slip out of the Road rear today in the rain coming home from work. This is a curvy road that I know very well and have never had a slip from the Stradas. Thankfully nobody was coming the other way and the Power on the front seems to be much better in the wet.

Overall, it looks like the rear is 36% gone and the Power front is already 44% gone so this combo while great when it's dry, just isn't all it's cracked up to be. I'm happy with the wear of the Road rear but if I can't trust it wet, I don't want another. I guess it isn't worth saving a few bucks if it means risking tossing the whole bike. I hope I can find another set of Stradas, otherwise it's on to something new.

[Veefer Madness]

I got the Pilot Powers on the bike before I even picked it up. I've always used Michelins on all my vehicles... ain't broke don't fix it I guess. Also, the parts guy races and his parents are the distibutors for Michelin bike tyres in Canada, so the deal seemed to be right :goofy: I chose powers for the fast warm up, wet traction over long life as I don't everyday my ride. FWIW, I love them but consider that I hadn't had a bike in 23 years and never even tried the stockers, so everything is better :D At about 10,000kms (6200 miles) I'm just hitting the wear bars and a good amount of side left. Judging from that one pic. I think I can go a little farther yet.... Sometimes parts dude has some racing compounds with some life left. If I had spare rims, and a tech brain to easily change them, I'd like to try them!

Hey, I wonder if we could swing a bulk kind of purchase from him, from Hamilton Ontario CA? Hmmm... those Pirellis look sexy too though B)

[jeremy556]

a tech brain to easily change them, I'd like to try them!

It doesn't take a technical mind, or much of a mind at all really to change them, it is very easy.

[Bent]

Well, great, just friggin great! I've run BT020's (came with my bikes), Metzlers, Dunlops and didn't like any to put it mildly.

So, what do I try next? Pilot Roads...just put some on the VFR. I have about a thousand miles on them and, for me, they are like night and day better in the handling dept. in the mountains. Time and miles will tell the rest of the story I guess.

Like Bailey Rock said, I ride aggressively but not as much as he and other's do so I've stuck to the type tires mentioned above.

I'm just wondering if I put a set of PP's on the animal, would I be able to ride better through the curves and would they allow me to improve my cornering skills in time? I already know the physics of cornering and apply that reasonably well, IMHO. Obviously the PP's stick better than PR's but would that translate into making me quicker in the curves. With me, instinctive gut feel and feedback from the bike has a lot to do with my confidence and ability to move my riding up a notch. If that makes sense....

Thanks,

Bent

[jeremy556]

Well, great, just friggin great! I've run BT020's (came with my bikes), Metzlers, Dunlops and didn't like any to put it mildly.

So, what do I try next? Pilot Roads...just put some on the VFR. I have about a thousand miles on them and, for me, they are like night and day better in the handling dept. in the mountains. Time and miles will tell the rest of the story I guess.

Like Bailey Rock said, I ride aggressively but not as much as he and other's do so I've stuck to the type tires mentioned above.

I'm just wondering if I put a set of PP's on the animal, would I be able to ride better through the curves and would they allow me to improve my cornering skills in time? I already know the physics of cornering and apply that reasonably well, IMHO. Obviously the PP's stick better than PR's but would that translate into making me quicker in the curves. With me, instinctive gut feel and feedback from the bike has a lot to do with my confidence and ability to move my riding up a notch. If that makes sense....

Thanks,

Bent

Yes, if you put a set of PPowers on it will feel like a different (much better) bike and you will have much more confidence and better feel during cornering.

[Hoopster]

Yes Bent, you will like the Pilot powers better. Mainly because the rear profile is better for corner carving and they are just plain stickier. Be careful with those Roads in the rain!

[Guest]

Wow, this is kind of a bummer. I used Roads on my Beemer and without fail would only get about 4-5K miles out of a rear and never really experienced any wet traction issues, but I suppose the BMW weighs more than the VFR which lends itself to being a virtual rock on the road in nasty conditions...

On my VFR have used Powers since owning it and seem to get 5-6K mileage out of a rear, and decent traction for my riding, but the VFR, to me, is not as stable in nasty conditions as the BMW was, I haven't had any major slips but I have noticed those minor slips every once in awhile that make you pucker...

I like Bent, just ordered a rear Road to match an extra frt power I had laying around. Was hoping I'd get a bit more mileage out of the combo since I'm primarily a "squared off" tire replacer (Florida), with minimal loss of traction... now I'm not so sure, dag gone you Hoopster!

Sounds like I'm going to try the Diablo's next set... but I do like the Powers and have been real happy with them.

[jeremy556]

Wow, this is kind of a bummer. I used Roads on my Beemer and without fail would only get about 4-5K miles out of a rear and never really experienced any wet traction issues, but I suppose the BMW weighs more than the VFR which lends itself to being a virtual rock on the road in nasty conditions...

On my VFR have used Powers since owning it and seem to get 5-6K mileage out of a rear, and decent traction for my riding, but the VFR, to me, is not as stable in nasty conditions as the BMW was, I haven't had any major slips but I have noticed those minor slips every once in awhile that make you pucker...

I like Bent, just ordered a rear Road to match an extra frt power I had laying around. Was hoping I'd get a bit more mileage out of the combo since I'm primarily a "squared off" tire replacer (Florida), with minimal loss of traction... now I'm not so sure, dag gone you Hoopster!

Sounds like I'm going to try the Diablo's next set... but I do like the Powers and have been real happy with them.

Make sure and wear some Powers or Diablos next month, those Roads suck at cornering.

[Guest]

Wow, this is kind of a bummer. I used Roads on my Beemer and without fail would only get about 4-5K miles out of a rear and never really experienced any wet traction issues,

I don't think most people have trouble with wet traction with the Roads. I have 7K on mine and ride two lane mountain twisties every day on my commute and have at least 3K of that in wet or rain, never a slip. The problem is the feed back from the front tire, there is none. Slow turn in, poor feel and it will slide up front, like all tires will do when pushed hard enough, but it does so without warning :goofy:

[vfrjim2002]

I don't think most people have trouble with wet traction with the Roads. I have 7K on mine and ride two lane mountain twisties every day on my commute and have at least 3K of that in wet or rain, never a slip. The problem is the feed back from the front tire, there is none. Slow turn in, poor feel and it will slide up front, like all tires will do when pushed hard enough, but it does so without warning :goofy:

Funny thing is the PRs felt/feel great for the first couple of thousand miles. Once the front begins to square a bit (in this part of the world all tires square a bit) the feel from the front becomes increasingly vague and it will try to tuck without much if any warning. Wierd thing is, it will do this at a moderate pace. Decreasing the tire pressure to 32-33 seems to help the grip, but the feel never comes back. YMMV.

[Guest]

Funny thing is the PRs felt/feel great for the first couple of thousand miles. Once the front begins to square a bit (in this part of the world all tires square a bit) the feel from the front becomes increasingly vague and it will try to tuck without much if any warning. Wierd thing is, it will do this at a moderate pace. Decreasing the tire pressure to 32-33 seems to help the grip, but the feel never comes back. YMMV.

Ok, here is a weird thing, the PR is about the only tire I have had that works better at max tire pressure for me. The turn in is a bit better and I get more feed back. At lower pressures the PR feels like a squishy rubber mass up front and I never know what it is do'n and it feels like it wants to tuck. :o

[phaedrusman]

Alright I apologize if I'm just being a stupid noob here and hijacking the thread, but would it be possible (or maybe it already exits) to have a thread or sticky on a generalized Pro/Con break down of tires by brand and model? I mean lets face it, not everybody is looking for the same thing from a tire. For reference, my current situation - my '98 VFR is my first bike and I've really only been riding it for little more than 2 months. Obviously my skills are not well honed yet and as such I don't think I need to be stepping up to something like a Pirelli Corsa (higher performance tire if I'm not mistaken) because quite frankly I can't make use of it and shouldn't be trying to at this point. As it were I currently mostly just ride my bike to and from work with occasional group rides with coworkers (HD and cruiser types mostly). I think I would prefer something with decent tread life, good wet traction and trade-off on all out cornering grip, and maybe something shy of a premium price. I think. What do I know, I'm a stupid noob. Later on I may be interested in something with more capability, but less tread life. Currently I'm using D208's. Are these a good tire for me? How should I know? They seem adequate... Whats the difference between D206, 208, 220? How do they compare to Pilot's? Power or Road? ect ect. I'm just thinking maybe a single thread for quasi-side by side comparison instead of having to read through 30 different threads of people saying "this is the bestest tire EVAR!!11!!" or "this tire is complete poopy" with out examining the possible pro's or con's of a given tire, just because it may or may not have been the perfect tire for them.

And yes, I do realize that it probably wouldn't be that easy considering the sheer amount of choices, people's opinions and the forum format. Thats why I'm just tossing it out as an idea.

Sorry for making this post so long and I apologize if I sound like I'm trashing the site or the people because thats not my intention at all. Really this is a great board, with alot of great people and great info. I hope to be able to ride some miles with some of you guys (and gals) some day.

[spud786]

Nobody likes the mez4, but it has decent wear and steel belting.

I just ordered another MEZ4 rear, at 5,000 miles the rear is just starting to kiss the wear bars. The front is wearing into a V shape, but no cupping or anything. They arent the best, But I cant afford to replace tires frequently the MEZ4's seems not bad for longevity with decent traction.

I rode over a steel staple yesterday it didnt make it through the tire I pulled it out. Whether the steel belting aided is the unknown.

Try the MEZ6 on the front it wears really good also, no cupping. The feel much better than the Z4 front, I've got alittle over 2000 miles on the Z6 front, should last about the same as the Z4 from what I'm seeing.

Ok, here is a weird thing, the PR is about the only tire I have had that works better at max tire pressure for me. The turn in is a bit better and I get more feed back. At lower pressures the PR feels like a squishy rubber mass up front and I never know what it is do'n and it feels like it wants to tuck. :o

The pilot road has alot of rubber but it's an extremely flimsy tire and probably why it feels better over inflated, it firms it up.

[Guest]

The pilot road has alot of rubber but it's an extremely flimsy tire and probably why it feels better over inflated, it firms it up.

Thanks, now ya tell me :D

I kept drop'n pressure try'n to get some feel in the front and it just kept get'n worse......No workie with dat tire :goofy:

[Hoopster]

Try the MEZ6 on the front it wears really good also, no cupping. The feel much better than the Z4 front, I've got alittle over 2000 miles on the Z6 front, should last about the same as the Z4 from what I'm seeing.

The pilot road has alot of rubber but it's an extremely flimsy tire and probably why it feels better over inflated, it firms it up.

I noticed this as well, with the Road rear and Power front, even 2psi low in the rear made the bike feel much more sluggish. I try to keep it at 41-42psi. This combo isn't horrible, just watch that rear in the rain! I guess I'm just spoiled by the Diablo Stradas.

[Bent]

Yes, if you put a set of PPowers on it will feel like a different (much better) bike and you will have much more confidence and better feel during cornering.

OK, PP's it is, after these new Roads wear out. At my rate, that shouldn't be long at all though they are a "harder" compound. How can I go thru VFR life, after all this positive feedback on PP's, without trying them? Answer....I can't... :beer:

[Guest]

OK, PP's it is, after these new Roads wear out. At my rate, that shouldn't be long at all though they are a "harder" compound. How can I go thru VFR life, after all this positive feedback on PP's, without trying them? Answer....I can't... :beer:

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Trackday's Baby :beer:

[enzed_viffer]

Funny thing is the PRs felt/feel great for the first couple of thousand miles. Once the front begins to square a bit (in this part of the world all tires square a bit) the feel from the front becomes increasingly vague and it will try to tuck without much if any warning. Wierd thing is, it will do this at a moderate pace. Decreasing the tire pressure to 32-33 seems to help the grip, but the feel never comes back. YMMV.

I suspect it's maybe a sticky tire thing: good when new, but they've "done their dash" as far as the number of heat cycles they can put up with, well before the tread's all gone.

Ok, here is a weird thing, the PR is about the only tire I have had that works better at max tire pressure for me. The turn in is a bit better and I get more feed back. At lower pressures the PR feels like a squishy rubber mass up front and I never know what it is do'n and it feels like it wants to tuck. :o

The Bridgestones (BT020) were like that for me, and the Azaros too. In fact, I have to run my AV49-SP front at recommended or higher pressure (36-38) or it wanders, esp. on coarse chip seal. And if it gets down to 34, it makes the bike flop into corners.

The rear (AV46-ST) was OK, but I found once winter temperatures came along, it tended to not warm up enough, and would spin up on the throttle, so I've dropped it from 40 to 36.

The pilot road has alot of rubber but it's an extremely flimsy tire and probably why it feels better over inflated, it firms it up.

The Azaros (esp. the AV49/50) are like that - very soft carcases with the VBD thing, which gives a soft ride, but perhaps a susceptibility to puncturing.

[Guest]

Had Pilot Roads, did not like them at all.

Felt very squirmy to me, not confidence inspiring at all.

Squirmy when cold, could spin the back tire up when cold.

Almost tucked the front end numerous times at slow speeds.

Great milage though!

Guess it depends how you ride and what's important to you?

Am getting Powers to try next as per the Boards reccomendations.

my $0.02