Michelin Road 6GT

[redneckj]

This cupping appears to be caused by one or more of the following:
1. Lack of air pressure
2. Improper suspension adjustment
3. Improper suspension service “old oil”
4. Non GT tire when a GT tire is required
due to the FJR being a heavy bike.

 

[hppants]

^^^ in the immortal words of Col. Sherman T. Potter, "Mule Fritters".

I run 40 psi on the front tire RELIGIOUSLY and PARANOIDLY. My fork oil has been changed at 30K intervals and the sag (preload) is set right. I run the PR4GT and after about 4k, the front cups, mostly on the right side.

The RS3 will wear out about 20% faster, but it holds its shape right down the the wear bars, and with the occasionally offered Dunlop rebate, it cost AT LEAST 30% less and sometimes 50% less than the PR4 GT.

RS3 it is until the RS4 price comes down.

 

[sloppy]

Agree 100% hppants. PS3s and PS4s cup out due to the aggresive perpendicular siping. I am a huge Michelin fan but not of these two tires. Had em on 2 separate bikes and never had issues with the PS2s like the 3s and 4s. The 5s don't have nearly as aggressive siping. I have had GTs on the FJR, non GTs on my FZ-1. I disagree with Redneckj, my bikes were maintained properly. Michelin builds great tires but I didn't care at all for the 3s and 4s. No issues ever like that with the 2s and I ran a bunch of em. No issues the 5 I have up front now.

 

[Rocnsanman]

View attachment 1010


This cupping appears to be caused by one or more of the following:
1. Lack of air pressure
2. Improper suspension adjustment
3. Improper suspension service “old oil”
4. Non GT tire when a GT tire is required
due to the FJR being a heavy bike.

I've run the RP 3's, 4's and 5's all non GT front and rear. 42 and 40 psi respectively. I've never experienced this cupping on my 07 and 09 FJR. I run linear springs in the110 NM up front with 10w oil. The rear shock is a HyperPro with hydraulic preload, usually set very stiff. IDK, just thought I'd offer my 2cents . I'm going with the Pilot 5GT next just to experiment. BTW, no tire has given me more than 7,000 miles but the grip with the 5's has been great.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Besides inadequate pressure, one of the more common causes of premature wear to the front is braking into turns. Itll turn a front tire into a V shape in short order.

 

[CCook82]

Here, here
I think we might be on to something.

 

[sloppy]

A couple of oh by the ways, the low priced PR2s that were on Amazon a month ago sold out fast. I guess a distributor gobbled up all he could and made the quick sales after places like Revzilla and Cycle gear were sold out and pushing other tires. I did run across a deal from Rocky Mountain ATV on some Bridestone T31 GTs. I ran the T30s several years ago on my FZ-1 and didn't care for them nearly as much as the PR2s. I don't know much about the T31s and my Michelin's still have a ton of tread on them. I do like the Road 5 so far but the price was right and "supplies were limited" so I'll give Bridgestone another whack. Does anyone have any experience on the T31s?

 

[RossKean]

Does anyone have any experience on the T31s?

T31 is OK but not exceptional. I have run a few T30 and T31 and found them to be decent for the cost. I never liked the Michelin PR2 front tire but the rear was pretty good. I often ran the Michelin PR2 rear with a Bridgestone front (BT023, T30 or T31).

I have been mostly running the Dunlop RSIII's of late but I have a set of the newer Bridgestone T32 to try for the next set. They had a deal going and Dunlop didn't...

 

[BigOgre]

Just going back to that badly worn PR4 for a moment, note that the poster stated that tire came in that condition on his new-to-him bike purchase. Nothing mentioned about how the previous owner rode or maintained that particular bike.

 

[AdamK]

Ran a set of 5’s non GT. Ran a set to try out for a local rep. The stickiest tire I’ve ever had on the FJR. COMPLETELY toast after 2500 miles. I had to rebalance the front at about 1000 miles because how bad the front deformed. Non GT isn’t made for the heavy FJR but is DAMN sticky.

Those 2,500 miles were pretty fun though! We all should have ended up in jail. Riding as if we had diplomatic immunity.

 

[redneckj]

A couple of oh by the ways, the low priced PR2s that were on Amazon a month ago sold out fast. I guess a distributor gobbled up all he could and made the quick sales after places like Revzilla and Cycle gear were sold out and pushing other tires. I did run across a deal from Rocky Mountain ATV on some Bridestone T31 GTs. I ran the T30s several years ago on my FZ-1 and didn't care for them nearly as much as the PR2s. I don't know much about the T31s and my Michelin's still have a ton of tread on them. I do like the Road 5 so far but the price was right and "supplies were limited" so I'll give Bridgestone another whack. Does anyone have any experience on the T31s?

I’ve run T31 and T31gt’s. What ever is cheaper. EXCELLENT tires. no regrets. The bike needs the GT because of the weight of the bike. If your just a average rider and not pushing it in the canyons, a normal T31 will work fine.

 

[sloppy]

Thanks Redneck, they were closing out T31 GTs at Rocky Mountain ATV (GREAT PRICES). I got the GT but am an average rider at best. I ended up getting the front for 107 and the rear for 128. It came out cheaper for both than one rear Road 5. I know we are beating this horse to death but I will put in a plug for ebay. They have PR2s for dirt cheap. I am pretty sure there was never a GT made with the 2s so Michelin intended the regular PR2 for the FJR. I am looking forward to riding on the T31s. I really appreciate the input.

 

[JQL]

The Michelin PR and current Road series of tyres (GT and non-GT) are probably the best all-round Tourer and Sports Tourer tyre on the market today. I've done well over 100,000 miles on various PR and Road tyres in all types of weather (including snow and a few icy patches).

BUT they are not without their "problems".

• I have found that they must be run at the correct pressure for the weight they are carrying, the air/road temperature and the type of riding you do. So the pressure needed will vary, sometimes with each ride! Sticking to one set of pressures all year round and with different loads and riding styles won't help the tyres...
• They do not like loose stuff or mud.
• They will square off quickly on "the slab" (in under 3,000 miles) especially if the pressure is incorrect for the conditions.
• Use the tyre rated for the bike e.g. GT on GT rated bikes due to the added weight.

IMHO, the best of the range in all conditions were the PR3. The PR4 weren't as grippy in the wet and the Road 5 are similar. The Road 5 also seems to square off quicker.

If you're only going to ride in the dry in the summer, there's no need to go for the Michelin's. A tyre with less tread and fewer sipes etc. will suit you better, but it will be more "interesting" in wet conditions...

I will retire this year so won't be commuting in all weathers and will tend to ride only in the better weather. Therefore, I will look at other makes of tyre more suited to the riding I will do.

 

[Bandit Greg]

I'm soured on Bridgestones at the moment, having crashed my SV1000S last May on a set. Granted, they were a BIT Long In the Tooth, and I was pushing them ... but I don't feel like I was demanding anything magical from them, the front just suddenly tucked, and it left a bad taste in my mouth (and a sore patch on my azz)...
I'll be sticking with my trusty RS 3's and 4 for now; I know what I'm getting; I like the long life and stickiness.

 

[grnarrowe]

So, I just picked up my set of Road 6GT's for my 16.
The wife got Road 5GT's back in December for her 18.

Rear Road 6GT on the left, Road 5GT on the right.

Front Road 5GT on the Left, Road 6GT on the right.

Big difference in both.
These will go on in August before we go on vacation, or if we get flats before then.

Looks like these might be better in the wet. I know the 5's are good in the wet when they are scuffed in, not after 8 miles though. (see my post above)

Discuss.

 

[Old Guy]

I was pricing tires a week or so ago. I'll be needing a set before a June trip. At the time, a set of PR5GTs was a bit more expensive that 6GTs. I thought that was odd.

I've run Bridgestones almost exclusively since the bike was new, but the last set of T30s were so blasted hard to mount I went to PR4s at roughly $100 more. it does look like they should last a bit longer, but I almost never wear a set out. It seems like I somehow manage to time my trips so that I've always got some mileage left in my tires but not enough for the trip. I've even mounted my take offs on the ZRX because they were just too good to throw away.

I've been fortunate for the last few sets to be able to hit a rebate. Here's hoping to hit one before June.

Edit:
Ah. I checked, and it appears Michelin has a rebate coming up.
https://www.michelinman.com/motorcycle/promotions