Personally guys an gals, I have been riding for 60 yrs and over that time have had all sorts of bikes. I think the most progress over those years has certainly been tyre technology, and having tried all manufacturers for sports bikes to super nakeds so the best all round tyre for Road use imo is the Metzeler Roadtech SE 1. I haven’t tried the 2’s yet. They are great in the dry or wet with reasonable tread life? Regards Lou
Hey, I just fitted Michelin road 5 on my 748. Had 22 yr old Pirelli Diablo on! Bike been parked in an office since 2008. Massive difference. After 100 miles I have to say these road 5s are brilliant. I’ve always been a Michelin fan on my cars and thought I’d give these a go.
To add to this, I chose Michelin Road 6s to go on my Monster 1200S. I had Road 5s on another L twin and they had great grip on start up even on damp, greasy London roads. The 6s are great all round tyres, the Monster is used for days out touring with the odd blat and an occasional track day at Brands and I have taken them to the edge of the tyre without a moment. I'm very happy with them as a tyre and they are leaps and bounds better for everyday use than the Pirellis it came with. They have over a thousand miles on them at this point with no discernible wear. My other bike is a Street Triple 675R and I put Michelin Power 5s on that as I believed the fitter's hype about them being "sportier", they take longer to get to temperature and grip, and feel schetchier in the wet; less confidence inspiring in general. Picture for illustration
On my Sunday best bike I have a Road 5 on the rear and a Cup on the front. Grippier for the front and longevity for the rear.
I have only done about 60 miles on the Roadtechs on the MTS I recently bought but can’t believe how good they feel. The main run was on greasy, and at times muddy, roads on a showery day following significant rain. The stability and feedback from the tyres has blown me away to be honest. One tiny wiggle on a white line was the thing I noticed. Twenty years ago riding a bike like that in those conditions would have been a proper arse clenching experience. They seemed to warm up in no time at all and gripped well from the off. I think these have a couple of thousand miles left in them so will see if the 02s are an improvement, otherwise it will be another pair of the same when they need replacing.
Question for you Michelin Road 6 users : Does your bike stay in a straight line if you take your hands off the bars ? (disclaimer - this is not a suggestion that you take your hands of the bars while riding ) Roadsmart IV arrived today
I’ve run both sets, and the Angel GT2s felt a bit sharper on turn-in, while the Road 6s gave me better wet grip and lasted longer on my commute. Depends on whether you want sportier feel or max mileage. I’ve also used pneusquebec.net for my truck tires and had a smooth experience, so I tend to trust good rubber and consistent service, whatever the bike ends up wearing.
When I tried them on my KTM, they were stable, no issue with wagging or pulling if I took my hands off, but they would make it wander off-line in bends without constant micro-corrections to maintain the line my eyes were following. Experimented with pressures but it made no difference. It wasn't dangerous but very annoying. Went back to Conti RA3s and it tracked exactly where I was looking again.
Spot on. Angels are very good in the wet, Road 6s are better. It's only marginal but nice to have. If you're a wet weather rider the Road 6s make sense, if you're more for the sporty touring in warm/dry places then the Angels. I've run both varieties for tens of thousands of miles, but on a BMW, not a Duke.
Just ordered a set of Metzeler Roadtec 02 for the new Kawi Z1100. Got a pair deal on the 120/70/17 + 190/50/17 . Would have ordered them without the deal to be honest, but take it if they are giving away free money Did think lots about the Michelin R6 but there seems to be too much "air" in the tread design - speaking as someone who does not actually design tyres .... So back to Metzeler - try the Roadtec 02 this time - happy days !
I would be interested in your impression of them. My go-to touring tyre was the 01SE and I didn’t get quite the same level of confidence but there was no comparison between the 2 bikes I had them fitted to. Andy
I ran a couple of sets of Roadtrec 01s on my KTM before I discovered Conti Road Attacks. I liked them. Excellent grip wet and dry and a super-smooth ride quality. But I couldn't get more than 3000 miles out of the rear before it was worn out down the centre and they squared off easily, even on the twistiest rides. I also found the profile wasn't as sporty as I'd like. I've got a set of RT-01s on my 1098 at the moment. Not by choice but because the workshop had a nearly-new used set going spare so they were fitted for an MOT. They're good tyres and sure-footed but not right for that bike. It needs a much sportier profile or it feels heavy on its feet. Haven't tried the 02s. Though I had a set of cruisertecs on my Rocket 3 which are basically heavyweight Roadtec 02s (exactly the same tread pattern) and they were great on that bike.
The same here - I liked the 01 SE. I seem to remember you had the Roadtec 02 as soon as they were available, but did not like them somehow ? The reasoning for this bike is that the rear tyre is 190/50/17 which is quite a flat profile. I though the 01 SE in that size would be too flat a tyre profile to put on the bike - maybe different if it was a taller 190/55/17. So hoping the Roadtec 02 will be a bit sportier characteristic, and capable of doing some mileage as well, without going full sports bike tyre. Being a Metzeler, the Roadtec 02 should be a very capable tyre.
And what a can of worms it is. Normally go through a couple of sets of tyres a year. Been using Michelin for about 19 years and I fell out of love with them on Road 5. Swore never to return but was persuaded to try R6 which I like a lot. It does depend on the bike a lot too. Last set of tyres in my Multi were Metzeler 01 which were well suited. Put a pair of those on my tracer 9GT and not so well suited?? Just got another Tracer with new OE Bridgestones fitted, and much to my surprise they are good too?? Can of worms.
I always would change GSXR1000 tyres to 55 profiles, made the bikes so much better. I've had the 02's on my Pikes Peak, did NC500 last year on them, a lot of rain, I thought they were a really good tyre, but wore a bit weird, but the PP is a lot heavier than yours, and it did 1800 miles full luggage so even heavier. I've gone back to Angel GT2, but I always have preferred Pirelli's on all bikes I've had.
