Hi all
Tyres on my GSX are the Michelin 2CT I fitted at least 5 years ago. Tread not an issue but thinking of changing due to age
Bit out of touch, the Michelin road 6 seems to get good reviews. Thoughts ?
Cheers
Phil
I'd be going for either road 5/6's or pirelli angel gt2's
Both are excellent :cheers:
5yo not too bad for a tyre. Any cracks in the shoulder?
Seems they say 6 years a reasonable time to replace.As far as recommendations
If you're not an aggressive rider and it would appear you've done very few miles/kilometres lately I'd be going for something less expensive than Michelin or Pirelli potentially a Chinesium branded one.
I switched to Michelin many years ago after using Pirelli's from a donor and having major scalloping issues and lack of mileage. I'd sooner pay full price for Michelin and imho get far superior grip wet and dry plus long lifespan as I ride two up 80% of the time.
"the poor man pays twice" buy the best you can afford, remembering that (and good brakes) is what's keeping you safe on the road.
Quote from: GSXKING on Saturday, 17 May 2025, 04:35 PMIf you're not an aggressive rider and it would appear you've done very few miles/kilometres lately I'd be going for something less expensive than Michelin or Pirelli potentially a Chinesium branded one.
I switched to Michelin many years ago after using Pirelli's from a donor and having major scalloping issues and lack of mileage. I'd sooner pay full price for Michelin and imho get far superior grip wet and dry plus long lifespan as I ride two up 80% of the time.
well said Chris. :onya:
Fit the best tyres you can Phil. In a tricky situation or emergency you may only need that tyre's performance for 50 metres. It's then you value your investment.
My Michelin Road 5´s are about 5 y.o. and still in good shape; I do +-5/6000 km´s a year, solo. Very grippy, but I don´t do wet. Reviews say they are great in the wet. Next I´ll go for the Road 6. Bike is always garaged or in the shade, no direct sunlight so no UV damage, no cracks. I check big commercial aircraft tyres, and this is to say everything on my 14 is always in top notch condition. By the way I always change in pairs.
I look at it this way, almost all tyres can outperform me and the bike, I don't ride hard or fast so I just fit what's available at a sensible price, have done for the last 50 years and have never had a problem. As far as I'm concerned there is far too much bullshit written and spoken about tyres.
Last I saw, tyre companies say up to 10 years old if stored correctly.
I judge old tyres by trying to push my thumb nail into them, if they're harder than fresh tyres it's time to change them.
MickJ, i agree. Most tyres way above my ability.Chinese tyres were mentioned, thats pretty much all brands.
Hey Phil
I used to run Michelin PR5's but found they had erratic / uneven wear over time - to a point where they still had good tread on average, but needed to be replaced because of bad scalloping on the front and uneven wear on the back (due to road camber) - both impacting vibration and handling, especially when wet.
After a lot of inquiries, I was advised that they don't handle heavier bikes (esp in the front) as well as other brands.
So anyway, research led me to Metzeler Z8 Interacts. I've had these on the bike for well over a year now, with great handling, quiet running, good grip in the wet and little wear showing - any wear is even too. - Very impressed.
Good luck in finding the right solution for you.
Cheers Grae
Very interesting comments there, thats exactly what I'm getting with my Michelin PR's on my BMW K1300GT. Rear is ok, front is worn assumetricalky and has more scallops than a fish and chips shop on a Friday night.
Amazing how different experiences are had.
Switching from Metzeler Z8 to Michelin Road 5 was a great revelation (improvement) for me, particularly in the twisties. So much better grip! There was scalloping (rear) on the Z8 as well as my first set of Road 5. After getting new rear shocks (and proper setup) there was no more scalloping. Road 5 wear very even in my case.
So what gives?
Misaligned tires, worn Suspension, or unbalanced tires are culprits for uneven wear/scalloping.
Agree, very strange. Ive seen bikes from new, one bloke has no prob, anothers same tyres just bugger up🤷. I had Mich 4 and were terrible, others loved them.I spent hundreds plus so much time on my old GS1000, just no straight line stability. I went thru doing bearings, frame checked, forks, new shocks.Ran out of ideas, hated the bike, was just a really bad ride. Took the Dunlops off, Michys fitted, went from a shopping trolley to a superb handler. I still remember first trip, unbelievable the difference.Bloody tyres??
Quote from: Andre on Tuesday, 20 May 2025, 03:26 PMAmazing how different experiences are had.
Switching from Metzeler Z8 to Michelin Road 5 was a great revelation (improvement) for me, particularly in the twisties. So much better grip! There was scalloping (rear) on the Z8 as well as my first set of Road 5. After getting new rear shocks (and proper setup) there was no more scalloping. Road 5 wear very even in my case.
So what gives?
Misaligned tires, worn Suspension, or unbalanced tires are culprits for uneven wear/scalloping.
Interesting, thanks Andre. I did get the alignment, balance and suspension checked when I had the PR's, as I was concerned about the uneven wear. All was well supposedly. It was then I got the feedback that the relatively heavy front end on some bikes causes scalloping on PR's, but who knows. No issues with the Z8's so far, working fine for me, but of course I'll keep an eye on it. Cheers G
Never ever had scalloping on the front on any tire, incl. the infamous Bridgestone that the 14s came with from factory. According to Dave Moss (look him up if you haven't heard of him), scalloping due to suspension is a rebound-damping issue.
My setup comes from a former mechanic on Suzuki (and others) race teams who has the same suspension as I do as well as about the same weight. It is spot-on. Well, it was. Lost a bunch of weight recently - so at least preload needs to be adjusted.
Quote from: grog on Tuesday, 20 May 2025, 04:31 PMAgree, very strange. Ive seen bikes from new, one bloke has no prob, anothers same tyres just bugger up🤷. I had Mich 4 and were terrible, others loved them.I spent hundreds plus so much time on my old GS1000, just no straight line stability. I went thru doing bearings, frame checked, forks, new shocks.Ran out of ideas, hated the bike, was just a really bad ride. Took the Dunlops off, Michys fitted, went from a shopping trolley to a superb handler. I still remember first trip, unbelievable the difference.Bloody tyres??
Yes, bloody tires and bloody ... Seems like find one that works for you and then stick to it.
I had my new Michelins fitted yesterday.
Tyre tech said Michelins are very pressure sensitive and suggested I check a few times a week 🧐.
He did also mention most motorcycle tyres being manufactured in countries with very cheap labour costs.
The price we pay subsidises R&D for race tyres which then transfers through to street tyres eventually. Transport and shipping plays a big part also.
Australia charges tax on taxes also so my discounted price was $650 for two tyres fitted and balanced. Retail he's quoting $720 for his next shipment.
Apparently I was lucky he had my sizes available. 🍀🍀🍀
Quote from: GSXKING on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, 09:14 AMTyre tech said Michelins are very pressure sensitive and suggested I check a few times a week 🧐.
In 21 days. Similar outside temp. Road 5 front 2.5 to 2.4 bar, rear 2.9 to 2.7. 1.5/3.0 psi drop. Judge yourself. Same trend for all 3 sets of road 5. New valves included on new tires. Should be checking before each ride anyhow ;)
Quote from: GSXKING on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, 09:14 AMHe did also mention most motorcycle tyres being manufactured in countries with very cheap labour costs.
Probably true. Road 5 and Road 6 produced in Spain (as are all Michelin for 14). Angel GT produced in China, Angel GT2 front from China and rear from Germany. According to large online tire dealer. https://www.mopedreifen.de/Motorrad/SUZUKI/GSX+1400.html?id=1597 (https://www.mopedreifen.de/Motorrad/SUZUKI/GSX+1400.html?id=1597)
What was his recommendation on pressures Chris
Col for my style of riding solo 42 psi and two up 44 psi. :cheers:
Same pressure we used in NZ mate .
I make no secret of being an S22 fan. Absolutely love 'em!
Being honest the Roads, Powers, S22's / 23's, Rosso's and a lot of others all seem pretty good.
Only one I absolutely avoid are the Angel GT2's. I removed a near new pair before I made a hole in the scenery and chucked them in the back of the shed. I can see why folk hate the double grove front, why other manufacturers don't do it, and why they were taken off sale in the huge US market.
Wouldn't fit them if they were $1 a pair.
Such a pity about new Angels, on my second set originals,never a problem. Think Seth uses Angel 2, i never even liked tread pattern from first sight.Next tyres will not worry about lasting, something sporty. Never been a Bridgestone fan but will have a look. Just realised my car tyres are Bridgestone. :laugh:
Quote from: grog on Friday, 23 May 2025, 07:21 PMSuch a pity about new Angels, on my second set originals,never a problem. Think Seth uses Angel 2, i never even liked tread pattern from first sight.Next tyres will not worry about lasting, something sporty. Never been a Bridgestone fan but will have a look. Just realised my car tyres are Bridgestone. :laugh:
I've used the St's the gt's and gt'2
The St's are good and I had 10k miles from them
Gt's last the best but get a bit sketchy over 6k miles to 8-9k
The gt'2 are in my opinion the best for the longest as the stay round for the longest miles I get 8-9k on average and they are great for 6-7k miles.
I had 1 set of micheiln road 5's and I l8ked them alot plus I got a good deal on them .
Only other tyres I've tried was a set of metzelar se01 and I hated them for 6k miles and even swapped my wheels( to a set with gt'2) for a trip to Denmark as they scared me a bit in the wet .
I've basically used various pirelli's for the last 15 years and done probably 45k miles on the 2 bikes in that time and these are my thoughts .
Quote from: seth on Friday, 23 May 2025, 09:49 PMQuote from: grog on Friday, 23 May 2025, 07:21 PMSuch a pity about new Angels, on my second set originals,never a problem. Think Seth uses Angel 2, i never even liked tread pattern from first sight.Next tyres will not worry about lasting, something sporty. Never been a Bridgestone fan but will have a look. Just realised my car tyres are Bridgestone. :laugh:
I've used the St's the gt's and gt'2
The St's are good and I had 10k miles from them
Gt's last the best but get a bit sketchy over 6k miles to 8-9k
The gt'2 are in my opinion the best for the longest as the stay round for the longest miles I get 8-9k on average and they are great for 6-7k miles.
I had 1 set of micheiln road 5's and I l8ked them alot plus I got a good deal on them .
Only other tyres I've tried was a set of metzelar se01 and I hated them for 6k miles and even swapped my wheels( to a set with gt'2) for a trip to Denmark as they scared me a bit in the wet .
I've basically used various pirelli's for the last 15 years and done probably 45k miles on the 2 bikes in that time and these are my thoughts .
Strange isn't it that what works on one bike and riders swear by, others hate - on my BMW R1250GS, Metzler Roadtec's are as good as Michelin PR6's, nothing in it wet or dry, yet on the 14, they don't work (well not for
@seth anyway LOL). Different bikes, suit different tyres, suit different riders/riding styles.
Regarding the 5 year myth it can be misleading. Many variables to consider. 3 years with a lot of sun and other stuff or 7 always in garage and shade ? I´d go for the 7.Michelin (https://www.michelinman.com/motorcycle/tips-and-advice/tips-to-take-care-of-motorcycle-tires/when-should-i-change-my-motorcycle-tires) and https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/debunking-the-tire-age-myth?srsltid=AfmBOopngkE634Pri-KlpJkGzfwzryWaZzVpdIv58BthPlpGzt5MWtvG (https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/debunking-the-tire-age-myth?srsltid=AfmBOopngkE634Pri-KlpJkGzfwzryWaZzVpdIv58BthPlpGzt5MWtvG).