Pilot road 5

 

Bridgestone T31's

 

They just released the T32!

 

Have not tried that Michelin. Pilot Powers on previous bikes worked good, wore out fast.

On my second set of Angel GTs on Monster 1200.
Riding the back roads, avoid the rain, faster than the Harleys, slower than the loonies.
Still got chicken strips. Not doing track days.

Good handling, real good mileage out of them. Love them.

 

Dunlop roadsmart Iv.
Good feedback, good traction wet or dry, 1500 miles so far and virtually no signs of wear.

 

I live in FL and it rains a lot, so will probably go with the Michelin's once my stock Pirelli's are out of tread.

 

I am not sure, but when I checked the Michelin Road 5 does not come in 19 inch sizes (hope I'm wrong). The Metzeler Roadtec 01 do though so that should be a good alternative.

 

Michelin's are the best street tires I've ever used in my 20+ years of riding. They're also soft and easy to change.

I've tried less expensive tires to try to save a few bucks and they'll be fine for 90% of riding situations, but they either haven't lasted as long as the Pilot Roads or didn't stick as well in the wet or had to replace prematurely due to low quality.

 

With 120,000+ miles on my '12, I've tried every tire on the market, and the Michelin Road 5 is the best ever. For a tire that'll last 5000+ miles, the grip is incredible. I'm on my 3rd set.

 

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you've never tried a T31 (correct me if I'm wrong)

I used to be a big Michelin Pilot Road X (3, 4 and 5) fanboy (ran them on my R1, VFR1200F and S1000R) until I tried the T31 and could get the same grip, same durability and keep $100 in my pocket per set.

The Michelins beat the Bridgestones in the wet, but I rarely ride in the rain so it wasn't a concern for me.

 

Michelin Pilot Road 5s on my 1200S - excellent wear and grip so far.

 

Pilot Road 5s on my bike. I love them, excellent grip and are fantastic in the rain.

 

Neither, Conti Road Attack 3s are far superior, better in the wet, better in the damp and better than both in the dry, warm up fast, last for big kms (8000plus kms) , ball up like sports tires, give incredible confidence. I just fitted a set on my 950S. Trail attack on front (19 inch wheel) and a CRA3 on the rear. My 950S came with Scorpions, after multiple slips and slides i got rid of them for the Conti's. Confidence returned. PR5s were good, tried a few sets, but would chew out the soft sides really fast, would wear the outer edges out on the rear before the centre, and the front would barely last 4500kms (rear 6000kms) also once 3/4s worn would start to miss behave. Good tires, but theres better.

 

That's good to know and it underscores that tire selection also involves climate and local topography. Here in the upper midwest of the USA we have very different conditions; we tend to wear the center stripe quicker so the multi-zone compound of the PR's holds up very well and when cold they don't need much warmup to stick (even when wet). On my FJR and Ninja 1000 I'd get about 8k miles out of a rear and 12k miles from a front (I run Mission Trailmax's on the MTS-E). If I lived in the Ozarks I'd probably pick a different tire.

 

PR5 was on my 1200 multi, removed it after 5000kms, it still had some more miles in it, but it was starting to squirm on the edges, Conti on the 1290ktm had done 5000kms also, it handled the beating much better, and went on to do 8000kms. I put Conti's on the 1200 multi after the PR5s.

 

Yes, I tried the TF31 and really liked it, but the rear tire profile felt 'different'....not bad, just different from what I was use too. GREAT grip...felt more like a sport tire, then a ST tire. I hated the PR 4's. Only tire I've ever taken off my bike early.

 

Fair enough, for me they're the perfect blend and saving money on top of it isn't a bad thing.

Too bad they jacked the price on the new T32 to more than what a set of Road 5's cost.

 

I don't know if they jacked the price. I put a set of Power 5's, on my '07 1100S MTS Project bike, in March and I thought the price was a little steep, but the shop owner, who has always given me great deals on tires, said, 'Prep for $$$ going higher in June. A lot higher.' And sure enough, my new virgin Road 5 rear had an affair with a nail....replacing was $$$$

 

Tried to source some Mich R5s this week but couldnt get hold of a 190/55 here in the UK. I was then told that the R5s were now discontinued and Michelin were bringing out the new R6. I've been a big fan of michelins for last 13 years and 150k miles but still find I'm only getting 3k miles out of a set with a blend of spirited single and 2up riding and touring. I was once caught short on a pilot power while touring in Spain and my options were limited so went with a metzeler M7rr. Great tyre and did about 4.5k miles, so Ive just ordered a new set of M9rr instead, all reviews have been very positive so fingers crossed

 

I run a set of Angel GT2's on my 1200s, and it's mostly freeway riding with some back roads stuff out here in Socal/Mexico. They seem pretty good. The last set were regular GT"s, and I don't know how long they were on the bike for in terms of mileage, but I got about 2k miles out of the rear, and roughly 2800 out of the front. I'm interested to see how long the new set lasts. I commute 60-70 miles per day, so having long lasting tires is going to be a important thing for me.

 

Just buy the best tyres for your budget. You'll be hard pressed to find crap ones and whatever your riding style, you'll be making a compromise.

 

I have used Road 5 on the rear for about 3 tires now but I bought a new Bridgestone T32 to try out this time around. I just got 7,000 miles out of the rear tire and it gave me confidence in the hot & dry as well as the cold & wet. I did track time with a Road 5 rear and it was great.

 

You got a deal on ebay is all I can say, all major online retailers sell the T32 for roughly $250 (USD) for a rear, meanwhile a T31 is around $200 (USD)

 

Been through two sets of Angels, one set of Road Pilot 4’s and on my second set of Road 5’s. The Road 5’s worn down are better in the wet than a new set of Angels in my opinion. They all averaged about the same 9k miles.

 

I have a 2019 Multistrada 1260. I just switched from the stock tires to the Angel Gt2....after breaking them in, I just rode 3,000 miles across five states to Yellowstone...numerous twisty roads, long straight freeway runs, cold and very hot weather.

The dry grip is excellent, they turn in well, and in cold temps they heat up quickly.

Wet weather performance is excellent, with proper tire inflation and checked regularly, they did not develop a flat spot. When not touring, most of my time is spent riding twisty mountain roads in Northern California. Solid grip, confidence inspiring, BUT they have one negative.

The two groves on the front tire while great for wet weather performance, will chase groves on concrete pavement...highways and bridges etc...asphalt pavement, even grooved, no issues. It's not going to give you a tank slapper but you will feel a bit of handlebar shake especially above 75 mph.

I would definitely buy them again but I have very little groved pavement in my area.

These tires definitely improve the bikes handling and cornering ability.

I am 100 percent street but while riding through Idaho I crossed numerous sections of road construction with all gravel roads...unplanned...the Multistrada did great with just a hint of rear movement but nothing to worry about...

Long answer here but hopefully it helps...

 

The two groves on the front tire while great for wet weather performance, will chase groves on concrete pavement...highways and bridges etc...asphalt pavement, even grooved, no issues. It's not going to give you a tank slapper but you will feel a bit of handlebar shake especially above 75 mph.

I just got a new front Angel, and noticed that recently. Was pretty unsettling at first, but never realised it was those grooves. I just thought it was because I finally had tread on the front. Very unnerving when lane splitting and feeling the front end wobble a little. I'm used to it now though. Thanks for clarifying.

 

I just replaced mine to T32. So far, very happy with them. I live in Singapore and it rains quite abit. The tyres have great grip. Not sure about the durability as I change my tyres every year.

 

Do not buy Angel GT II tires they will wobble on grooved pavement and in crosswinds. I loved my Angel GT tires on other Ducati motorcycles, but the GTII were unacceptable. I replaced the original Scorpion Trail II with the GT II and got rid of them after 450 mi. I went back to the Scorpions.

 

I tried the Road 5 tires on my 2016 Multistrada 1200s and they suited the bike well. I think they are among the sportier of sport-touring tires, with a relatively steep profile and a "slick" part on the edge which gives extra grip in the dry at deep lean angles and less squirming. At first I thought this would have a negative effect on wet grip but the profile is such that you will never get to this lean angle in the wet. And I believe that the wet test results are quite impressive. I have never tried the Pirelli Angels but I think today all sport touring tires are very good.

 

Dunlop Roadsmart 4. Great traction, road feel, life and work great in the rain. Used to run Michelin until I tried my first set of Dunlops a few years ago. Not looking back.

 

I have used both..... My KTM SDGT came with Angel GT's. They were fine once I dropped them from 36&42psi to 34psiF & 36psiR (light bike big horsepower ). They had good grip and cornered well, and lasted 15,000kms (9k miles) with tread slightly above the wear indicator's (I am a road ST rider, not a track star ).

Next set were R5's running the same pressures and they were much better. More grip, better feel, and they had more tread left at 15k kms (but that was a service and tyre change point ready for a big trip so I didn't run them to max wear - probably 17k kms estimated). R5's have kevlar belt construction so they run cooler than tyres with steel belt construction...... so they get more miles..... but they might not warm up fast enough for cold wet climates or suit track day riding as they are a sport touring tyre .

The Angels are a good tyre, but can wear out fast if you do a lot of straight up riding. The Road 5's are better at everything and last the full 15k kms even if you don't do much full lean cornering. Sport tyres will have better grip etc but won't last as long if that is a priority so it all depends on what you need for your riding style/conditions.

I'd say for sports touring, the R5 is top of the list.

I think most tyre manufacturer's have caught up to Michelin and all are good for sports touring wear & grip, so it's a safe bet any new tyre will be better than the Angel GT (unless they also have been upgraded like Pirelli did with the Scorpion Trail II, which are a decent tyre now on the V4MS compared to forum comments about the original Scorpion Trail I's - I'm not so sure now whether I'll change to R5 Trails or stay with Scorp's on the V4MS when the time comes.......).

Maybe chase the best price. Tyres are all good these days.