Michelin Pilot Road-2

I now have 9k on the rear and 7k on the front PR2's and they still have some significant mileage left in them. Looks like barring any kind of foreign object I may get 12k or so out of them, maybe more. I generally get 10k out of a set of Storms but havd problems with Avons cupping up front, whereas these PR's are looking good still. My only concern to date has been that I dont feel as much grip in the rain as I did the storms but hey, I am not out there trying to drag a knee anyway.

There is an ebay seller (hpc95) who sells these at a good price. I have purchased 3 sets from him and most recently he ran a BF deal on ebay with some of these listed at $269/pair+$25 shipping. Throw in a 10% off coupon from ebay and it was a pretty good BF deal without having to deal witht he crowds.

dbvolfan said:

I now have 9k on the rear and 7k on the front PR2's and they still have some significant mileage left in them. Looks like barring any kind of foreign object I may get 12k or so out of them, maybe more. I generally get 10k out of a set of Storms but havd problems with Avons cupping up front, whereas these PR's are looking good still. My only concern to date has been that I dont feel as much grip in the rain as I did the storms but hey, I am not out there trying to drag a knee anyway.
There is an ebay seller (hpc95) who sells these at a good price. I have purchased 3 sets from him and most recently he ran a BF deal on ebay with some of these listed at $269/pair+$25 shipping. Throw in a 10% off coupon from ebay and it was a pretty good BF deal without having to deal witht he crowds.

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Sorry for the Hijack here:

$269/pair+$25 shipping is a decent price... Though, it does not beat Derbycycles regular prices shipped...

Although, with a 10% off Ebay purchase coupon (Ebay does not discount shipping), This price probably does... So long as the economy is down and Ebay is fighting for business (passing out online monthly coupons).. This would probably be the best price going....

Or have DennisKirk do their beat it by a dollar price match delivered to your door.

It might just be me, but if I get an out of round tire from Denniskirk or Derbycyles, I feel better about the return/customer service possibilities than an Ebay seller.

WW

I just completed 1,100 miles on a new set of RoadSmarts which fell directly behind my final test set of Mich PR2s. It's been roughly two weeks since I ran the Mich PR2s along the same roads but in much better conditions than this most-recent outing on the RoadSmarts.

What I'm laboring to say is that I believe I managed circumstances which gave the Mich PR2 every benefit of doubt in it's favor, at least where performance is concerned. The Mich PR2s were run in 45-55F average temps on clean, dry pavement. The RoadSmarts were run in 36-47F average temps on partially wet, salted, sandy pavement.

There simply is no comparison between the two brands grip on cool pavement. The Dunlop RoadSmart is the hands-down winner. However, I do expect the RoadSmart front tire mileage to completely suck. I just could not get another tire I wanted shipped in the time frame available.

I keep a database on my bike, including tire consumption stats. The Mich PR2s are hands-down the mileage-versus-performance champion.

5,372 miles to the rear tire wear bars (who knows how many miles are left on the front, although I estimate it would easily go 9,000 total miles)

That places the Mich PR2 at

Front $.025 / Rear $.029 Cost per mile

while the Dunlop RoadSmarts are running...

Front $.065 / Rear $.034 Cost per mile

I have hope that my latest RoadSmart front will last more than 2,000 miles as long as I'm not chasing my crazy friends around WV. But ultimately I intend to combine a Pirelli Diablo Strada front with the Dunlop RoadSmart rear.

Back to the Michelin...

For something like a two-week, summer time, two-up ride across the USA and back, the Mich PR2 will be the tire of choice for me. I can probably get 10,000 miles out of a set riding that smooth, black stuff they call pavement, west of the Mississippi. On that type of trip where you are depending on the bike to get you home without incident, there's no rationale for misbehaving or taking the bike beyond the 85% mark. The Mich PR2 falls nicely into that niche and represents a great value.

It's the slightly irregular, tar snaked, occasional gravel, straight bridge section in a curve, SCHOOL painted on off-camber sweeper, type stuff around my stomping grounds, where the Mich PR2 makes me so damn nervous. It doesn't like surface irregularities of ANY type, wet or dry makes no difference, and it doesn't mind yelling frequent reminders at you.

The RoadSmarts on the other hand are constantly saying, "It's okay, just stay on the throttle and OFF THE DAMN BRAKES YOU *****!"

I will say this... I tend to be heavy on the front and lighter on the rear. Like most everything else motorcycle related, individual results vary significantly. If you are taller and sit with your C.G. further back than me, you will probably like the Mich PR2 much better than I do. If you exhibit better personal wrist restraint, you will probably like the PR2 better than I do. There's a lot of factors involved to determine what works best for you. My observations are just like a Radar Detector, one more source of information to assist in your decision making.

HaulinAshe said:

I keep a database on my bike, including tire consumption stats. The Mich PR2s are hands-down the mileage-versus-performance champion.
5,372 miles to the rear tire wear bars (who knows how many miles are left on the front, although I estimate it would easily go 9,000 total miles)

That places the Mich PR2 at

Front $.025 / Rear $.029 Cost per mile

while the Dunlop RoadSmarts are running...

Front $.065 / Rear $.034 Cost per mile

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Jeff - now that's a chart in the making; Great idea!

Guys like jeff make this forum one if not the best there is out there . He puts out the info and many jump right in which is what this forum is for . As for the pr2 i have 6k ((and it looks like maybe another 5k more on them )and out of the tires i have had before stones, stradas, pilot roads , the pr2 far out weight the rest of the bunch . And i will buy another pair .

just finished installing my new front PRII - based on all i've read - i'm sure i won't ever push this bike as hard as jeff. seems like the right mix of value/ performance for me. i managed to get 3400 miles on the original 021 the original rear still looks great - will run 40 psi on the new front tire and see how this one goes.

I just install a set of PR2's and the day I did it, it started snowing. So I have brand new tires and can't ride....what a bummer. Plus, thet had to put about three inches of weight on the rear riim. Has anyone else had that much weight added to their PR2"s?

skifrik said:

I just install a set of PR2's and the day I did it, it started snowing. So I have brand new tires and can't ride....what a bummer. Plus, thet had to put about three inches of weight on the rear riim. Has anyone else had that much weight added to their PR2"s?

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Just put PR2's on about a month ago. After balancing the wheel, I put zip to balance the tires. Just saying. (how much does three inches weigh )

Purchased set of PR2's about a month ago; Bridgestone OEM's lasted for 6,300 miles or so, back BT was slick right down the center, front still had some tread left pu was cupped real bad.

PR2's so far have been everything expected and also gave such a smooth and comforting ride felt like I had a brand new bike all over again. Worth the money so far but I'm curious to see exactly how much miles I'll get with these. :yahoo:

Just mounted a new rear PR 2C 170/60/17.

Scrubbed it in yesterday!

Rain IS PREDICTED for this weekend, so a wet test will occur!

Reply to come, opinion will (probably?) vary.

Left Coast.

Khunajawdge said:

Just mounted a new rear PR 2C 170/60/17.
Scrubbed it in yesterday!

Rain IS PREDICTED for this weekend, so a wet test will occur!

Reply to come, opinion will (probably?) vary.

Left Coast.

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Why this particular tire size?

Feejer/Weejer man said:

Why this particular tire size?

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i was wonder the same - i always liked the flickablitiy and ride on the older BMWs/Triumphs with the smaller rear tires.

s_boy said:

just finished installing my new front PRII - based on all i've read - i'm sure i won't ever push this bike as hard as jeff. seems like the right mix of value/ performance for me. i managed to get 3400 miles on the original 021 the original rear still looks great - will run 40 psi on the new front tire and see how this one goes.

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due to the holidays i didn't get much riding time in - but now have about 500 miles on the new front tire. if i didn't know better - i'd swear i was riding a different bike. i'm running it at 38psi for now. if this tire provides decent milage - i predict there will ba a rear PR2 in my future.

Violione said:

Jeff,
Thanks for this write up on the PR2's. Your reviews of all the other tires you have reviewed have been spot on with one exception IMHO. The Strada's for me have been Da Bomb! You were right on when you posted that their life span on the east coast is very short. I have read your past reviews on the Z6's and again, your opinion was very accurate! This latest review of the PR2's has made my list of tires to try, number 3 right after the Road Smarts. The Pirelli Diablo Stradas E series are #1 for sport riding nirvana.

Your contributions to the forum are most appreciated!

Keep up the good work,

V.

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I have had a strada E for the last 6200 miles will be putting a new one on this week. I love the Strada E tires but I will try the PR II next just so I know first hand how well they will work for me.

This has been a pleasant thread.

Tires are about tradeoffs. A tire that wears out faster (your Roadsmart fronts are wearing out over twice as fast) should perform better and have more ultimate grip. That is pretty much a no brainer. If a person wasn't concerned much about mileage and wanted to get the best performance, they could go with a Pilot Power or a Pilot Power 2CT. I wonder how those compare to the Roadsmart? You can get both the Power and the Power 2CT in FJR sizes.

I have run the Pilot Power on a ZX-11 and a ZX-14 and they are awesome (have not tried the Power 2CT yet). However, they only last 3000-5000mi tops if I ride in the mountains of NC, West Virginia or Virginia much - which is exactly where I like to go to ride. I wonder if anyone knows how many more miles they get out of the 2CT's?

I am on my second set of Road 2's on the FJR. I got 11,000mi out of the last set, however, even with tread left, they were performing sucky for the last 2000-2500mi or so. The new set is working fantastic like I would expect a fresh set to behave.

Jeff - do you replace your own tires or have the shop do it?

Having the shop replace tires every 3000-5000mi totally sucks - extending things out to 10,000-11,000mi is not so bad. I truthfully wouldnt mind the reduced range if I didnt have to deal with the bike shop to replace them. One of these days I need to break down and get the tools to start doing them myself.

HaulinAshe,, Just getting around to reading the tire report / thread.

Good report ,, Good food for thought... THANKS !!!!!

I've only had my FJR for less than a year now,, and due to family matters,

didn't ride as much as I would have liked in 08...

My BT021 front was shot at about 3500 miles.. I replaced it with a PR2 and currently

have about 2500 miles on it.. It appears to be wearing just fine..

The rear BT021 is wearing well and appears to have lots of miles still on it..

( guess I was just lucky to get the right combo ,, PR2 front ,, BT021 rear.. per your report.)

IMO , both the BT021's and the PR2 Front handle good on the FJR..

I'm hoping to do more riding in 09 and planning a cross country trip this summer..

So sounds like the PR2's will probably be the right choice for me,,,

( besides I have a new PR2 just waiting in the garage to be spooned on .. )

BTW ,, I loved the Dunlop D220's on my Concours wore like iron ,, had good grip wet or dry ...

Went thru a bunch of tires on my CBR1000F ,, Dunlop's were my first choice ,, Pirelli's my 2nd choice..

( maybe D205 on the dunlop ,, and dragons on the Pirelli ,, it's been awhile ago..)

The Vmax would go like hell in a straight line ,, but didn't handle or stop worth a darn with anything I had on it..

Different bikes ,, different riding styles ,, different opinions...

Thanks Again for the info,,, saves me the time of sorting thru all the different brands..... Old & Slow DAN :yahoo:

skifrik said:

I just install a set of PR2's and the day I did it, it started snowing. So I have brand new tires and can't ride....what a bummer. Plus, thet had to put about three inches of weight on the rear riim. Has anyone else had that much weight added to their PR2"s?

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Added zero weight to my Front PR2 to balance it ,,,???? Haven't done the rear yet ,, BT021 is has thread...

If you added 'zero' weight to balance a newly installed tire, then the balancer, or operator, is just not that good.

As for 3 inches of weight, what does that mean? How much weight? In ounces or grams?

I would consider anything over 60 grams excessive. Though things still could be fine. It may not be all the tire's fault either. The shop could have put the 'heavy' part of the tire at the same place as the 'heavy' part of the wheel. Totally random thing.

That's why doing your own tires gives you the satisfaction of knowing what's going on exactly, and getting it done right.

I recently picked up a set of PR2s for my bike, but haven't had them installed yet. The Metzelers that came on the bike have worn well (8600 miles) and still have a respectable amount of tread left, but they've gotten hard feeling. As I've put more miles on the bike its ride quality has gotten harsh.

I've run 40 psi front and 43 psi rear in the Metzelers and, like I say, they've worn well with negligible cupping.

What pressures do you guys recommend in the PR2s?

Alan

SkooterG said:

If you added 'zero' weight to balance a newly installed tire, then the balancer, or operator, is just not that good.
As for 3 inches of weight, what does that mean? How much weight? In ounces or grams?

I would consider anything over 60 grams excessive. Though things still could be fine. It may not be all the tire's fault either. The shop could have put the 'heavy' part of the tire at the same place as the 'heavy' part of the wheel. Totally random thing.

That's why doing your own tires gives you the satisfaction of knowing what's going on exactly, and getting it done right.

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It doesn't happen that often ,,, but every once in awhile I get a tire that doesn't need weight ,,,

Those are the ones that worry me the most,, and I check ,, and recheck ,, and recheck ,, :dribble:

( and it takes me twice as many beers to balance the tire when that happens,,)

I've taken the bike up to the ton a few times,, No vibes ,, No wobble,,

So, maybe your right ,, the balancer / operator ,,, (that's me) might not be that good,,,,

but if it's out of balance ,, I sure can't tell....