Recommended tires for 3rd gen VFR?

[rsouthern]

Looking around, I see some old threads on tires, but didn't find anything recent, but maybe I missed it.

In any case, I will need to replace the rear tire on my '92 VFR and was looking for some input. I have a Michelin Macadam 90X in 170-60 R17 (stock side) on the rear and the same type on the front. I just need to replace the rear for now as the front has a lot of life left in the tread. and isn't showing any cupping or feathering.

I have been riding commute but will be shifting this bike to weekend duty, so I'll finally have a chance to put some wear onto the sides (a.k.a. chicken strips), but I'm not going out to drag knees or pegs, so I suspect most of the wear will still be on the center. I also ride in good weather, never in the rain if I can avoid it. Not sure if that eliminates any options or not, but just putting it out there.

thanks in advance for your input

-Richard

[RollinAgain]

Michelin Pilot Road 2 is one of the best tires for both mileage and performance. I have run 180/55 R17 on both of my bikes.

Rollin

[V4 Rosso]

Yes, Pilot Road 2 is an excellent tyre but I would not recommend using a modern sport touring tyre with a Macadam up front.

Also get a 180/55 instead of your current 170/60 size rear as a 180 is designed for a 5,5" wide rim the 3rd gen has.

[RickM]

I have bt-23 on the the '96 and pr2 on the '94 and my sprint(180 size). The bt-23 has 9k miles on it now and is starting to square a little but still has good tread.

To me it feels like the pr2 falls into turns and is quicker transitioning side to side and bt-23 has a totally linear feel going to side to side. I don't know if I worded it right.

You cant go wrong with either but bt-23 gets my nod for value. I have ridden both tires in the rain but when it is even slightly damp I take it way easy, so I am not exploring the limits of wet traction.

I have had the pr2 slip(not slide or wash out) a little on the sprint when hitting slightly dust/gravel conditions but I was riding way faster with the sprint(or maybe it just feels that way). I have about 1/4" unused tread on the vfr's on each side, the sprint doesn't have any( I am suspecting due to the profile on sprint being less rounder than vfr). So it may be the bike.

Another tire I am used is the continental contimotion ST on the Hawk gt. It works very well on that bike but may not be relevant in this discussion as the vfr is much heavier and powerfull than the hawk.

Edit: thinking more about it one difference I notice between pr2 and and bt23 are its easier for me to make small corrections in lean angle when leaned over with the bt23. The same inputs on the pr2 the bike responds faster and I over correct. I think as my skill( I am fairly inexperienced, less than 15K miles on big bikes like vfr) increases I will prefer the pr2 for this characteristic, but right now the bt-23 is more confidence inspiring.

Edited October 23, 2012 by RickM

[Guest]

What are the characteristics of the Macadam that would steer you away from the PR2?

[Guest]

Do they still make that?

I thought it was disco'd around ten years ago...

[rsouthern]

Thanks all. Sounds like the road pilots win the limited concensus in 180/55. I'll need to replace front a rear, which is probably safer anyway since the tires have been on the bike for a while, even with the good tread on the front.

So the next question is order online and have it mounted or take it to a local shop to buy and install there? Time to start a google search ;)

-R

[GSP]

New tires sure make a difference. I recently ditched a pair of the original (?) Pilot Roads that I never liked--although I persisted, and put 17000km on 'em

For a replacement, I went with the older Pilot Power. What a difference! Felt like a new bike, although by the time I was getting the knee down (track), the pathetic state of the front suspension was really showing itself. For $200, hard to go wrong, really.