Front end road noise

[Speedy1959]

My Angels have Wings..
Thanks to Seth I am a convert to them..
I asked for the GT version originally on Sophie, but the Honda dealership that fitted them ordered the ST version (Same tread but a softer compound).. I am approaching 6,000 miles on them.. I recon they will at least equal the 7,500 miles I got from the Michelin PR4's I used to have on Sophie.
Angels get my vote !

[gsxbarmy]

My Angels have Wings..
Thanks to Seth I am a convert to them..
I asked for the GT version originally on Sophie, but the Honda dealership that fitted them ordered the ST version (Same tread but a softer compound).. I am approaching 6,000 miles on them.. I recon they will at least equal the 7,500 miles I got from the Michelin PR4's I used to have on Sophie.
Angels get my vote !

That's interesting @Speedy1959 . Why do you rate them over the PR4's which after all are a very good tyre, the PR5 being even better. What in your opinion makes them a better tyre as I thought they were on a par with the PR4.

I have PR4's on my Tex, and they still grip like mad and are only about half worn through after 7k miles, which includes touring across Europe, and thoroughly rate them.

[Speedy1959]

Hi Barmy..
The main thing I like over the PR4's is the lack of tram-lining over road irregularities..
The PR4's did this quite badly.. So much so that I subconsciously altered the way I gripped the bars when approaching road deviations..
When I got the Angels it was as though I have a very good steering damper on..
Also I love the extra confidence the Angels inspire through bends.
Now I am by now means a "scratcher" that hoones around the lanes, but even my mates commented that I was riding "up a notch or two" in the bends.
And then of course there is the longevity..
The PR4's were very good for this..
The Angel ST's I have on look like they will last at least as long..
Next time around I shall get the GT's though...
Its always a bit of a gamble putting on a different set of tyres that your not familiar with onto your bike.. (Could be an expensive regret)..
But thanks to Seths consistent endorsements there wasnt really any risk..

I therefore recommend this tyre to the house (Mi Lord)

S

[KiwiCol]

I agree on PR4 the tram tracking as they wear, new & only part worn, that issue wasn't there, but it slowly crept in & would track even  on road repair edges where it was straight. & yes I too modified the way I rode on areas like that, just more aware & ready for when it happened.

I've got PR3's on the blue, close to retirement too, they don't seem to be as bad at tramtracking, but it's been a while, maybe I forget stuff.  The Angels (ST) on the black don't track, they're about ½ worn & not getting a lot of use,  as it's a 'spare / donor' most of the time. It's still fully rideable & it does go out on occasion just to be fair to it.

I'm thinking I'll give the P5 a go next time, but haven't they got a new version of the Angels out now too? Who knows, it'll be one or the other, both very good rubber.

[seth]

I'm loving the new Pirelli Angel gt2's they feel as good as the gt's they replaced and I got them at a very good price that was very close to the gt's.
In comparison
The gt2's are a little more sensitive than the gt's .
The gt2's give loads more feeling and confidence in the wet for me.
The gt2's are seam to be wearing even better than the gt's did and at just over 3000 miles they still look like they were fitted yesterday (front and back)
Are the gt2's worth the extra I'm not sure yet but they do feel very close to the gt's(Better in the wet) but I suspect they are going to give an even longer life than the gt's s did.
I've only fitted Pirelli tyres in the last 6-7 years so know nothing about them .

[Will14]

Given the low mileage - how old are the tyres Will - could be the issue, as tyres do go "off" over time, and 5 years and only 900 miles, sounds like they don't get much chance to get worn out. Rubber will go hard over time.

To find your tyres age you need to find the DOT Date Code on the tyre. Find the raised DOT letters and numbers. Look for 4 numbers together, often enclosed in a raised oval. The first two numbers are the week the tyre was manufactured, for instance in the example below, 35 stands for week 35. The second two numbers are the year the tyre was manufactured. In the image below we see the 07, indicating the tyre was build in 2007. This particular tyre was made the 35th week of 2007.

Good call on the tyres Dave, have just had the time to go and check & it is time for some new rubber 

Front Tyre: Week 8 Year 2012
Rear Tyre: Week 3 2011

Think I will also change the chain & sprockets for peace of mind, tyres first though just to see if it alleviates the noise if not will work through step by step

Thanks

Pete

[gsxbarmy]

Given the low mileage - how old are the tyres Will - could be the issue, as tyres do go "off" over time, and 5 years and only 900 miles, sounds like they don't get much chance to get worn out. Rubber will go hard over time.

To find your tyres age you need to find the DOT Date Code on the tyre. Find the raised DOT letters and numbers. Look for 4 numbers together, often enclosed in a raised oval. The first two numbers are the week the tyre was manufactured, for instance in the example below, 35 stands for week 35. The second two numbers are the year the tyre was manufactured. In the image below we see the 07, indicating the tyre was build in 2007. This particular tyre was made the 35th week of 2007.

Good call on the tyres Dave, have just had the time to go and check & it is time for some new rubber 

Front Tyre: Week 8 Year 2012
Rear Tyre: Week 3 2011

Think I will also change the chain & sprockets for peace of mind, tyres first though just to see if it alleviates the noise if not will work through step by step

Thanks

Pete

For sure they could be a little off Pete!!

Keep us apprised buddy, as if its not the tyres, then it will be interesting to find out what is causing the noise. When I got my Triumph new, the tyre noise from the standard Metzelers was awful, put a set of PR4 Trails on her at 4,500 miles and all the road noise went.

And the handling improved as well (which if your tyre's have gone off you'll notice).

Good luck!

[Tony Nitrous]

Bugger using touring tyres.

If I had a bike that did 180 miles a year I'd use the stickiest tyres I could find. You're still going to be binning them before they wear out !