Tire use update (2nd set of PR3s are done)

[ZenMoto]

So the 1st set of PR3s (actually the 3rd set of tires to go on the bike after the OEMs, then a set of Pilot Powers) lasted 4951 miles; I was still fiddling with the suspension during this time as well as getting used to the new tires. Those tires had a fair amount of freeway miles on them as well, since I was riding up to the Sierras to enjoy those roads quite often.

The 2nd set of PR3s went on the bike 10776 miles and, with the exception of a little commuting, saw very little freeway use; primarily, they were canyon carvers! It is also fair to say that I am now very comfortable with both my suspension settings as well as the Pilot Road 3 tires ...I push them pretty hard!

Saturday, I replaced them with a 3rd set of PR3s:

...ouch!

By my math this means I got 2868 miles out of this set! Granted I could have eked out a couple hundred more commuting, but they were no longer fun in the canyons; the "V" shape of the front meant that it fell deeply into turns, and there was a definite "ridge" where you were between the top & side profiles of the V that felt less than stable. ...that said, never, not once, did these tires ever give me a moment of pause or loss of grip; just excellent feedback and predictable handling throughout.

...but I could tell they were done! lol

Here's how they compare to the new shoes:

Front:

Rear

As you can see, there was a little left on both tires, but not uniformly (especially the front, which I tend to ride harder on the right side ...probably because rights are always tighter turns and I don't slow down much! lol). Here's another look at the fronts top-down:

I have to say I'm impressed by the very, very small amount of cupping these tires exhibit; I remember how bad the Bridgestone BT-020s used to look when I'd peel them off my 5th gen.

So I'm just posting this as a data-point for anyone looking at tires. ...I'm sticking with them as I think for the performance they wear really well. ...cheap insurance as an old friend of mine likes to say of sticky tires! lol

So here's some garage porn, getting ready to scrub them in Saturday afternoon:

And a parting shot parked at the Rock Store in Malibu. March Madness kept all the squids (and just about everyone else it seems) off the roads ...it was perfect!!!

[timmythecop]

can you give us a detailed review? I at least havent seen a post from a dedicated 3 user yet.

[ZenMoto]

I can try! ...not sure what to say really. I'd never run the Pilot Road 2s, and my 5th gen used up a stack of Bridgestones that needed to get used (never loved that tire much). My 4th gen lived on a diet of Avon AV45 / AV46 and loved them.

So here's my take on the 3s. ...they're plenty sticky! The sidewall is noticeably stiffer than the sportier Pilot Powers, which I found too soft for the big VFR as every ridge in the road felt as though it was going to collapse the carcass. Despite that, they are very easy to mount.

As I said, the grip is fantastic from edge to edge; though I'm not a knee on the ground, feather the very edges of the tire kind of guy (as you can see from the pics). Still, I ride plenty hard and have had zero complaints. They track straight and true on all surfaces I've ridden, which is everything from perfect, to torn up, ridged, gravelly and coarse, or raked concrete (rain grooves); the latter would make the Bridgestones wander all over the place, the Avons less so, these ...not at all.

Steering is very neutral; it is a round profile tire, not a V, so you have to push the bike over into turns, but frankly I like the rolling transistion more than the snappier fall-off you get with a V tire like the Dunlops I've tried seemed to have.

I'm told they are great in the wet, but I've had little chance to test it as it just doesn't rain that much in SoCal, and when it does, I'm usually in my truck! lol

I ran the last set at 37 lbs front / rear, and I may try higher pressure for a bit to see if it helps with the wear without much sacrifice in the grip department.

Not sure what else to say. ...great tire, neutral handling, tons of grip, and it doesn't mind the weight of the V12 at all. Frankly, until the front got worn to a V there was no noticeable degradation in the handling or grip at all. Once the V shape started to settle in the transitioning became more edgy, but grip never seemed to suffer; it just messed with my corner entry a bit. :)

If you have any specific questions, I'll do my best to answer.

[Guest]

Nice review. I'm going to replace my OEM Dunlops very soon courtesy of a punctured rear.

[Cam2]

Thanks for the review! I look forward to tossing these 'Stones in the trash soon and have been debating between the PR2 and PR3. Have had great luck with the 2's on the 6th Gen but have heard nothing but good about the 3's yet either.

[Guest]

I picked up a bolt in my rear PR3 just 45 minutes ago and had to fix it just off the 5 at Terra Bella in Pacoima, not my idea of a safe place to fix a flat.

I keep a plug kit and a small compressor in the trunk of the bike and had the tools I needed to do the repair on the side of the road.

Yes, I am parked in the red and too fucking bad if John Q Law did not like it, I had a flat and was not rolling anywhere else after the hairy escape from the 5 freeway.

[ZenMoto]

Damn, that's no fun at all! ...but I've run those gummy worms down the cords and never lost an ounce of air!!!

[interceptorrider]

Nice write up. I love Michelin's. I have a set of PR3's in the basement waiting for last of those junk OEM 'stones to burn off. Not sure I'm going to wait much longer. I want the good stuff on and soon. Ride safe.

Mark

[Guest]

Hi.

I loved your post. Thanks. I've just put a set on myself and so far, so good. I was hoping for a little more mileage than you got, but I don't care given how they feel on the road. I do more commuting so I may end up with more miles, you never know. And they are brilliant in the wet!

Off topic, I am curious about the pillion bag you have in the pictures. I've never seen one with such a low profile. Can you give me a brand or shop name?

Fasterspider: I also recently had a flat, out the back of whoop whoop (the beautiful Waterfall Way in Dorrigo, Aus.), and used some plugs (Stop'n'Go), but had to re-apply three times over 80 km riding some brilliant mountain roads (which I obviously couldn't ride the way I wanted to). I'm sure it was operator error, but what plugs do you use, and would you recommend them?

Thanks guys,

Greg.

[ZenMoto]

Hi.

I loved your post. Thanks. I've just put a set on myself and so far, so good. I was hoping for a little more mileage than you got, but I don't care given how they feel on the road. I do more commuting so I may end up with more miles, you never know. And they are brilliant in the wet!

Off topic, I am curious about the pillion bag you have in the pictures. I've never seen one with such a low profile. Can you give me a brand or shop name?

Thanks guys,

Greg.

That particular bag is a Cortech Dryver tail bag http://www.tourmaste...g-p-336_31.html

It's good for small stuff (phone, wallet, cloth, etc.) but you're hard pressed to stuff a pair of gauntlets in there, let alone much else. The bag I usually use (which had a zipper blow out) is an Axio Tailbag 2.0 (which I don't think they make anymore; it was originally for the R1).

I've had the zipper repaired, and will remount it at some point (I love that bag), but I'm in no hurry as the Cortech does a fine job. Axio still makes their normal Tailbag, but I'm not as fond of the looks of that bag ...the 2.0 really works will with the lines of the bike!

Cheers,

Dale

[Monk]

Hi.

I loved your post. Thanks. I've just put a set on myself and so far, so good. I was hoping for a little more mileage than you got, but I don't care given how they feel on the road. I do more commuting so I may end up with more miles, you never know. And they are brilliant in the wet!

Off topic, I am curious about the pillion bag you have in the pictures. I've never seen one with such a low profile. Can you give me a brand or shop name?

Fasterspider: I also recently had a flat, out the back of whoop whoop (the beautiful Waterfall Way in Dorrigo, Aus.), and used some plugs (Stop'n'Go), but had to re-apply three times over 80 km riding some brilliant mountain roads (which I obviously couldn't ride the way I wanted to). I'm sure it was operator error, but what plugs do you use, and would you recommend them?

Thanks guys,

Greg.

Stop & go are those little black mushrooms, correct ??????? That's what MY S&G's were......They suck in my book....

The tacky string (camel colour) I use work great.

This looks like the bag........ http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/4/71/36135/ITEM/Cortech-Dryver-Tail-Bag.aspx?SiteID=SLI|Tail%20Bag&WT.MC_ID=10010

[Monk]

ZenMoto

I noticed that the frt tyre Sypes are worn down to nothing(on the side).... where as the rear tyre has some sypes left on the side..... Any reason that you know of ?????????? ie; Braking into the turn vs how much power out ........... or the amout of air in the tyres? (I did notice you said you're running 37 F/R as opposed to 36/42), but I'm running a 6gen, could be diff' or that the speeds you're running might be why the lower rear, but why the higher frt?

No reason other than trying to learn something...... I've been running the PR2's F/R, and am coming to the end of their life of my 3rd set, and averaging 8k or better F/R (but I'm not anywhere as aggresive as you.. Good on ya').

[mello dude]

Your mileage was 2868? Did I read that right? ---

[Guest]

Fasterspider: I also recently had a flat, out the back of whoop whoop (the beautiful Waterfall Way in Dorrigo, Aus.), and used some plugs (Stop'n'Go), but had to re-apply three times over 80 km riding some brilliant mountain roads (which I obviously couldn't ride the way I wanted to). I'm sure it was operator error, but what plugs do you use, and would you recommend them?

Thanks guys,

Greg.

I picked up a puncture repair kit from some kid trying to make a few dollars at a bike night.

It has CO2 inflation, a bunch of internal patches & rubber cement and a 5 plug kit that I have since refilled with Pep Boys auto parts store plugs.

The compressor came from Pep Boys too and it works great.

I will be replacing the tires in another week or so, I just have to make some more money to pay for them and it will not be long because I just got swamped with work fixing motorcycles.

Anyway, I will not be using the Pilot Road 3s again, they don't give me the mileage I want out of them like I get with the PR2s.

My CBX has the PR2s with 12,000 miles and I ride that bike hard every where I go with her.

[ZenMoto]

ZenMoto

I noticed that the frt tyre Sypes are worn down to nothing(on the side).... where as the rear tyre has some sypes left on the side..... Any reason that you know of ?????????? ie; Braking into the turn vs how much power out ........... or the amout of air in the tyres? (I did notice you said you're running 37 F/R as opposed to 36/42), but I'm running a 6gen, could be diff' or that the speeds you're running might be why the lower rear, but why the higher frt?

I dunno ...I've never worried too much about tire pressure as long as it doesn't feel low. I prefer to err on the side of grippier (lower pressure) vs. higher mileage (higher pressure). The only tires I've ever run over 40 lbs were the Avons, but that's because the carcass would overheat at anything under 40 lbs and they wore out fast, and felt squirrely at lower pressure. ...I may be running these too low ...or too high, I just adjust pressure to feel on the road. ...a lot of the canyons around here are really chewed up, so the lower pressure also helps soak up a lot of the harshness inherent in those surfaces.

I think the reason they wear the way they do is that I enter turns pretty hot, and hence don't need to accelerate out as hard on the other side. I've always worn my tires this way, even going back to my '95 Honda Magna ...I would consistently wear the front to a V while keeping a relatively even wear across the rear carcass.

I'm sure if some professional go-fast rider were to follow me, they'd find a myriad of things I'm "doing wrong" when I ride, but I've been going at it on the street for 20+ years with no complaints! :)

[ZenMoto]

Your mileage was 2868? Did I read that right? ---

Sadly ...yes! lol

I promised my wife to take it easier on this set of tires; with a newborn boy, we just can't afford tires AND diapers every month!!! ;)

[Dae]

I’m at alttile over 41,000KM (26,000 miles) and on my 5^th set of tires. The bike came with Bridgestone 021 lasted 6,500KM (4,000miles). Michelin Road 3 lasted 12,000KM (7,400 miles) by far the longest lasting tire I’ve tried so far. Road 3 front wore dramatically more on the left side as oppose to center or the right side. The Rear tire wore down in the center.

Currently running Shinko Verge 011 have about 500KM on them now and can’t tell the difference in grip from Road 3s. I average about 3 sets of tires a year and at $650 for a set for Michelin Road 3, where Shinkos were only $280.

I’m curious if we had 5 identical bikes and mounted 5 different Sport touring tires, would an average street rider know the difference.

[Cam2]

I’m at alttile over 41,000KM (26,000 miles) and on my 5^th set of tires. The bike came with Bridgestone 021 lasted 6,500KM (4,000miles). Michelin Road 3 lasted 12,000KM (7,400 miles) by far the longest lasting tire I’ve tried so far. Road 3 front wore dramatically more on the left side as oppose to center or the right side. The Rear tire wore down in the center.

Currently running Shinko Verge 011 have about 500KM on them now and can’t tell the difference in grip from Road 3s. I average about 3 sets of tires a year and at $650 for a set for Michelin Road 3, where Shinkos were only $280.

I’m curious if we had 5 identical bikes and mounted 5 different Sport touring tires, would an average street rider know the difference.

Depends on what "average" would mean. I feel I'm pretty average rider and I can tell a difference in good tires vs crappy ones. I have been going back and forth with Michelins PR2's and Pilot Powers and I can tell a big difference between those and they are in the same brand category. I have actually read alot of good things about the Shinkos regardless of their reputation. Never tried any.

[Guest]

Thanks for the responses all. It's much appreciated.

[nasaorbit13]

I am wondering. My bike has almost 4000 miles on the OEM tires Bridgestones and judging by their current condition, it looks like they have another 2000 miles more to go! I am not exactly a hooligan rider, but, I do push the bike pretty good.

I am wondering how your brakes are doing? Just a thought.

[spud786]

IAnyway, I will not be using the Pilot Road 3s again, they don't give me the mileage I want out of them like I get with the PR2s.

THats what I fiqued, they screw up the milege with the Road 3

How significant?

[Baileyrock]

One of my regular riding buddies likes the PR2 better than the pr3 on the rear of his k1300s except in the wet. Felt the 3 moved around more when pushed.

br

[KevCarver]

One of my regular riding buddies likes the PR2 better than the pr3 on the rear of his k1300s except in the wet. Felt the 3 moved around more when pushed.

br

It does have a lot of crazy looking sipes in it. The PR3, that is. Looks like it would move a bit, but I know CornerCarver had no issues with his rear in NY with Seb's group. Was pretty wet, though. Also not as big a bike as a K1300!

[Guest]

This is a timely thread, as I am getting ready for a new set of tires. I used PR3's on my FJR with no major problems, but I will not use them on the VFR. (Not a jab)

In West Texas the rain is not an issue so the minor difference they would have over the Raodsmart 2 is not an issue. CORRECT me if I’m wrong, but I have read the Raodsmart 2 preforms much better than the PR3 in the dry conditions. The Power CT2 is not an option as they will be done in less than 5K miles.

So I’m looking for 5K miles of wear, comfortable sticky tires. Suggestions?

[spud786]

Hi.

I also recently had a flat, out the back of whoop whoop (the beautiful Waterfall Way in Dorrigo, Aus.), and used some plugs (Stop'n'Go), but had to re-apply three times over 80 km riding some brilliant mountain roads (which I obviously couldn't ride the way I wanted to). I'm sure it was operator error, but what plugs do you use, and would you recommend them?

Thanks guys,

Greg.

Ive used many external mushroom plugs and external worms, they all Fail, Id did have one that lasted the life of the tire but in between a tread block and not recieving road contact.

The worms are the longest life external over the mushroom, but for me its the difference between 500 miles and 1000 miles till failure, neither are really worth a Chit , other than short term to get you somewhere.

So I have an entire assortment of iternal repair set up, Now that Stuff really works Permanently.