The 2015/2016 Big FJR Tire Poll

[pista]

I wonder what changes have happend with the Roadsmarts III's coming out. Hopefully free and last for over 100k miles and stick like glue to the road lol. Seriously tho my RS 2's have been good tires and with 4k miles so far looks like all get a total of 7 perhaps 8k out of them, was hoping for a wee bit more oh well.

I just took off a set of RS II's with over 13,000 (flower sniffing) miles on them. They looked to be still usable for probably another 3-4k based on the tread wear indicators.

Only downside I noticed was that "tabletop bulge" thing going on with them. It was just recently discussed, with the predictable transition from upright: Enter a corner, Stable, Stable, Woah tippy!, Stable, Stable..repeat...

 

[Spud]

I just finished my first set of Dunlop RoadSmart II's, was very happy with them. Got 8,100 miles out of them. Only tires I've had go further were Angel GT's (8400). I'm now putting on the cheap Avon AV80 on the back with a take-off 'stone T30GT front I've got, not expecting the Avon to last all that far, then I've got a fresh new set of RSII's to put back on that I found cheap online over the winter. I've run through 2 sets of Avon Storm 2 Ultras and liked them.

 

[Yosemiterich]

Received this email after applying to be a tire tester for roadrunner magazine.

Hi Richard,

You participated in becoming a road tester for the Metzeler Roadtec 01 tire. We selected you as one of ten!

Please confirm your shipping address. The ETA for the tires is June. Let me know if you can install these on your FJR right away and start putting miles on them.

Sincerely,

Florian Neuhauser

Managing Editor

RoadRUNNER Magazine

[email protected]

I'm very interested in the new Metzler road tech 01, I'll get the chance to see how they perform. I'll let everyone know as I'm getting a set sent to me free of charge in June, hope to have them before I go to redlodge. As of now my favorite tire for my fjr is the

Michelin pilot road 4 GT.

 

[eflyguy]

Can anyone who's had PR2 and PR4 comment on longevity? I had PR3 and didn't feel it offered any benefit (wet or dry) over PR2, and the PR2 is cheaper.

Thx,

..a

 

[TomInPA]

Can anyone who's had PR2 and PR4 comment on longevity? I had PR3 and didn't feel it offered any benefit (wet or dry) over PR2, and the PR2 is cheaper.
Thx,

..a

Most of the reviews I've seen, and personal experience, is that the PR2 and PR4 are good long-lasting tires. The PR3 seems like the Windows 2000 of the tire world. They don't last as long, and the fronts were prone to serious cupping. Longevity is dependent on a lot of factors that varies between riders, and even with the same rider, you will get a lot more miles out of a long cross-country trip, than lots of heavy curves and start/stop traffic. That said, PR2 has been my mileage champion with PR4 a close second, but with better wet handling. I'm not a fan of Michelin on the front and use the Bridgestone T30 there. It lasts as long for me as any PR rear tire but doesn't wear across the shoulder or get strange pyramid shapes that I have had on PR front tires. If I'm putting Michelin all around, then it is the 4 series on the front.

If you get 10 responses, you'll get 10 different answers. That's why this is a poll and discussion. Just read through the answers.

 

[redneckj]

The best tire is the one that you like the most.

 

[eflyguy]

Thx. I did read all the responses, and based my question on the fact that the PR2 and PR4 were very popular. I've used the PR2 quite a bit, but never the PR4, so I was asking for a direct comparison of these two.

 

[eflyguy]

My '08 has PR2s that handled my romp in the hills this past weekend, and I have used them on other bikes as well, so as I'm in need of new shoes for an upcoming trip I planned to just get them again. I kept reviewing this thread, however, and when it came time to pull the trigger, I threw caution to the wind and put a set of PR4 GTs into my cart @ JW. Delivery tomorrow. What's another $100??

Now, how to get the wheels off.. (j/k - I already did that research..)

 

[Fred W]

I'm in the same camp in that I have had very good luck with the Michelin PR2 rear and Bridgestone (BT023GT or T30GT) front combo, but was being somewhat swayed by all the glowing reports of PR4 greatness.

Among the other character flaws that I sometimes get accused of is cheapness. At Jake Wilson I can get a PR2 rear and T30GT front for $234.76 shipped.. Or, I could order a set of PR4GT's for $337.98 from them, or $103.22 more. That is 44% more expensive. I generally get 9k miles from a rear and 11-12k miles from a front. I seriously doubt even these current darlings will net me 44% greater mileage, but it sure would be nice if they did.

YM (and cheapness) MV.

 

[eflyguy]

lol.. I'm also "frugal" but I guess I succumbed to peer pressure .. and the fact that I'm not (yet) a high mileage rider compared to most here.

 

[art miller]

Returned recently from a 4200 mile ride to the Texas Hill Country and now have 9967 miles on the PR2's. The front tire is half worn and the rear is btw half and two thirds worn. Unfortunately, the trip involved a fair amount of slab riding and that has the rear tire a little flat on the center. The rest of the summer will be more twisty riding and I expect the PR2's will give me 14-15k before they take a dirt nap. I'm running a 190/55 on the rear and Michelin has decided to no longer offer that in PR2. I will go to PR 4's and see how they perform mileage wise. I want traction as much as anyone else but I do not ride in rain unless no choice. I will not go out in the rain but if caught in a moving storm I tough it out. I am getting old and life is short!!

 

[TomInPA]

Screw peer pressure. I wanted the PR4 rear tire in 190/55-17 again, but went with the T30 GT. With a $50 rebate, the net cost is under $200 for the pair. The mileage difference just can't make spending $100 more worthwhile. Meanwhile I have a PR4 take-off to use up. If a longer trip comes up the T30 should handle it. I'm still hoping to ride to CA this year, but it's one of those "so much to do, so little time" things. How do you guys find time to work?

 

[Uncle Hud]

eflyguy posted: lol.. I'm also "frugal" but I guess I succumbed to peer pressure .. and the fact that I'm not (yet) a high mileage rider compared to most here.

Those PR4-GTs will put a perma-smile on your face, and you'll want to put up high mileage numbers. (I'm trying out a few makes/models before settling down. Like dating a lot before getting married.)

 

[Fred W]

Ah, I see the corollary here...

When I was a mere yoot, I only (seriously) dated a handful of eligible young ladies. I few had great performance, but the maintenance intervals were too short. There were some that would have longevity to spare, but were less than exciting when you wanted to get on it. And some were such high maintenance that the cost of ownership was far too high.

Once I'd found my wife-to-be back in 1976 I knew that she was the one that would give me reasonably good mileage, excellent "handling", and all at a reasonable price. No reason to look further. It's been 30 years this year, and I'm still riding on that same model. Why switch when you've got a good thing goin'?

 

[Uncle Hud]

^^^^ That's a great example of "extending the metaphor."

 

[Fred W]

"The metaphor"... Is that what the kids are calling it these days?

 

[rgonanFJR2008]

Installed 2 weeks ago, a Pirelli Corso Rosso on the front and an Angel GT 180 /55 on the rear.

I had PR3s front and rear, prior to the "new" Pirelli combo. I liked the PR3s. For me, they were 8 outa 10.

Riding level, I am right smack in the middle.

Back to the tires. The Pirelli combo that are now on the bike....I love this set up. I would give it a 10 outa 10 in the dry. The FJR now feels to me, firmly planted in all dry conditions. Please note. I am a fair weather rider only, who does not really worry about mileage. There are some hard core riders here, who can ride 300-500 mile plus days, day after day, rain or shine. Those people are way outa my league!!

My kind of riding is where we will be on Sunday. Moonshiner, Cherohala…stuff like that. I am trailering my bike to Tennessee. We live 12 hours away from Robbinsville. That gives you an idea of what I want from a tire.

We do ride hard, 200 to 250 mile days are right where I like to be.

Hope this helps someone!
Rick

 

[Uncle Hud]

Just a thought ....

Since there are a gazillion many tire threads that are generic, would it be worthwhile to start a thread for each specific tire maker or make/model? That way, if you want to research Pirelli Angels, ahem, you won't have to search across a dozen disparate threads and read about T-30s or PR2s or whether to mount the GT-spec versions.

Us southern boys can read, and it does not overtax our brains to read a lot. It just seems more efficient to have a thread devoted solely to Pirelli tires, for example. (And of course, I assume these threads would be in NEPRT, because, hey, they're about an NEPRT subject.)

 

[Fred W]

Those threads already exist (in spades).

This thread was not supposed to be the grand compendium of all tire threads.

It is just a poll to see what tires are more or less popular with FJR riders.

To research a particular tire, Google is your friend.

 

[Uncle Hud]

Honestly, FredW, I didn't know they existed -- my searches got lost in the weeds of multi-tire/every-tire threads. Thanks!