• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

Sport touring tire recomendation

I'm happy with my Angel GTs, but would have bought M7RRs if they were in stock when I had time to bring the wheels in.
 
NeverSayDie said:
PR4 GT worked well on a loaded at-capacity FJR. Always inspired confidence. They did get square in the back but handling wasn't hugely effected.
Click to expand...

I really like Michelin PR4s on my '09 Multi 1100. Amazing wet grip compared to some Pirellis I've had on other bikes before, and they last for a long time. I got more than 15K miles of commuting out of them before getting close to wear bars. I replaced them because the rear squared off, but that's what highway commuting does to tires.
 
russ69 said:
Holy cow, what are you doing? Coasting everywhere? I get about 3000 and I'm happy with anything over 1500 miles.
Click to expand...

I got 15K+ out of a PR4 rear, on an 1100cc Ducati, and the current pair is still looking alright almost 15K later. What tire pressures are you running?
 
15K miles thats what I'm talking about. Why bother wasting super sticky dot race tires putting around on the backroads.
 
I may have posted before that I liked the Bridgestone T30's. That was true, but be wary of the T30 EVO. I'm not sure what they changed, but they handle a bit strange. The bike has a tendency to 'fall over' in a turn which I am not fond of.
 
Blankpage said:
For a 450 pound 120 hp sportbike.
Do I just buy a set of Pirelli Angel GT's and forget it?
Click to expand...

As you can see, there's absolutely no consensus on this. Every time this question seems to come up, the three most popular answers are the Dunlop Roadsmart III, the Pirelli Angel GT, and the Michelin Pilot Road 4 or Road 4 GT. I've ridden two of the three and for sport-touring purposes there isn't really a huge difference between them in dry conditions.

If I were you, I'd buy whichever of these three happens to be cheapest at the moment.
 
Let me elaborate on the road smart 2/3's

I've ran a few sets I'd Rs2's over the years on various bikes. The milage I've got out of them has been insane. Currently I have Rs2's on my Nc700x, the rear has 7k miles and front has 5k. Both should be good for another 2k at least.

I ran Rs3's on my st1300, got a solid 5k out of the rear before it was shagged. This was 5k miles fully loaded with gear for a month long camping trip at a very good clip every day. Previously, I got 4k out of a set of Rs2's on the st1300, funny enough the front wore out first.

My usual tire life:
Pr4 - 2700
Angel GT - 3000
T30 (non Evo) 2700
M7 RR - 2K miles
Q3 - 1300-1500
Supercorsa - 1k
Pilot power Evo race thing - 1000
Pilot power - 2500

So, to find a tire that lasts over 3k is pretty amazing...
To find a tire that grips and handles my abuse, sign me up and call me a fanboi

Roadsmart 3's have a $100 rebate right now.
 
Last edited:
Another vote for M7 RR.
I ran both it and Angel GT, seems like M7 has more grip in the wet. Dry too.
But mostly noticed in the wet. With GT I had tires slip, not so much with M7.
 
FreeRyde said:
Let me elaborate on the road smart 2/3's

I've ran a few sets I'd Rs2's over the years on various bikes. The milage I've got out of them has been insane. Currently I have Rs2's on my Nc700x, the rear has 7k miles and front has 5k. Both should be good for another 2k at least.

I ran Rs3's on my st1300, got a solid 5k out of the rear before it was shagged. This was 5k miles fully loaded with gear for a month long camping trip at a very good clip every day. Previously, I got 4k out of a set of Rs2's on the st1300, funny enough the front wore out first.

My usual tire life:
Pr4 - 2700
Angel GT - 3000
T30 (non Evo) 2700
M7 RR - 2K miles
Q3 - 1300-1500
Supercorsa - 1k
Pilot power Evo race thing - 1000
Pilot power - 2500

So, to find a tire that lasts over 3k is pretty amazing...
To find a tire that grips and handles my abuse, sign me up and call me a fanboi

Roadsmart 3's have a $100 rebate right now.
Click to expand...

Are you riding on sandpaper?
I've gotten 5000 miles on sport tires on one liter I4's, with a trackday. I try not to abuse tires and I never do any burnouts but I almost never miss an opportunity to wheelie up an onramp or get hard on the gas in 2nd and 3rd.
I just want a tire I can get 10K from and I'd be satisfied.
I'd almost like to strap a gopro to people that get only 1000 miles from a tire just to see whats going on.
 
The M7RR is not a sport touring tire? It's a sport tire... of course it grips better. It also lasts 2000 miles.

Blankpage said:
Are you riding on sandpaper?
I've gotten 5000 miles on sport tires on one liter I4's, with a trackday. I try not to abuse tires and I never do any burnouts but I almost never miss an opportunity to wheelie up an onramp or get hard on the gas in 2nd and 3rd.
I just want a tire I can get 10K from and I'd be satisfied.
I'd almost like to strap a gopro to people that get only 1000 miles from a tire just to see whats going on.
Click to expand...

Similarly, I'd like to see how someone gets 23,000 miles from a PR4 lol. How? I had them on my bike which was used mostly for commuting with fun rides on the weekends, and got 6,000 miles out of them. I thought that was incredible. I run 34-35psi cold, nothing crazy high or low. Maybe one person just accelerates and decelerates more than another, all the time?
 
Last edited:
Blankpage said:
Long life with the best grip is what I'm looking for. I like the pointed profile of some sport tires, not sure if there's such a profile in a ST tire.
Click to expand...
As far as tread life I got a little better life from the Metzeler Roadtec 01 (latest sport touring offering from Pirelli/Metzeler, which seems to alternate releases between the two brands) in back of my R1200R than I did the Angel GT before it. And on a milder bike, the Angel GT holds my record for best rear tire treadlife. That record in front goes to the Roadsmart 2.


kuksul08 said:
I may have posted before that I liked the Bridgestone T30's. That was true, but be wary of the T30 EVO. I'm not sure what they changed, but they handle a bit strange. The bike has a tendency to 'fall over' in a turn which I am not fond of.
Click to expand...
Could that be what Blankpage is looking for? I remember thinking their ancestor the BT023 was a bit reluctant to turn, with a relatively shallow profile compared to the old Angel ST.
 
davidji said:
As far as tread life I got a little better life from the Metzeler Roadtec 01 (latest sport touring offering from Pirelli/Metzeler, which seems to alternate releases between the two brands) in back of my R1200R than I did the Angel GT before it. And on a milder bike, the Angel GT holds my record for best rear tire treadlife. That record in front goes to the Roadsmart 2.



Could that be what Blankpage is looking for? I remember thinking their ancestor the BT023 was a bit reluctant to turn, with a relatively shallow profile compared to the old Angel ST.
Click to expand...

They are more round with steep edges, so they are stable but as you start to lean they just want to keep going. Kind of odd.
 
Uhhh, I had to stop watching when he head PR4 dry grip was meh, and T30 felt like plastic leaned over...
T30's are some of the best gripping ST tires I've ever tried.
 
Too many factors to pick a winner. Maybe easier to identify a loser or ones that should be avoided.
 
Blankpage said:
I'd almost like to strap a gopro to people that get only 1000 miles from a tire just to see whats going on.
Click to expand...

I've never actually worn a motorcycle tire down to the wear bars - every set has been lost to a flat. :dunno

I've got 6k+ on a Q3 rear of all things at the moment. It's a little squared off, but not badly, and not worn to the bars yet. Hard to imagine wearing through a firmer tire in less time without serious hooning.
 
kuksul08 said:
Similarly, I'd like to see how someone gets 23,000 miles from a PR4 lol. How? I had them on my bike which was used mostly for commuting with fun rides on the weekends, and got 6,000 miles out of them. I thought that was incredible. I run 34-35psi cold, nothing crazy high or low. Maybe one person just accelerates and decelerates more than another, all the time?
Click to expand...

That's your problem right there. 34psi is a pretty low pressure (I'm assuming you're talking about the rear tire). I run my rear around 40 and front around 34. And that's on a Multi 1100S, which isn't super heavy. I'd up that a couple PSI for a heavier bike. Higher pressures mean lower tire temperatures and less flex, both getting the tire to last longer.
 
SFSV650 said:
I've never actually worn a motorcycle tire down to the wear bars - every set has been lost to a flat. :dunno
Click to expand...
I've never lost a set of tires (or an individual tire) to a flat. I've repaired them. I did lose one to a shitty repair job the time I paid a shop to patch it though.

By my count I've done seven motorcycle tire plugs and two internal patches.
 
davidji said:
I remember thinking their ancestor the BT023 was a bit reluctant to turn...
Click to expand...

Yes. I've used a couple Roadsmarts and several sets of T30s on the FJR. My new FJR came with BT023s and yes, compared to both RS and T30 the 023s are reluctant to turn in. And they "howl" at lean angles regardless of psi which I find annoying.

FreeRyde said:
T30's are some of the best gripping ST tires I've ever tried.
Click to expand...

Agree. Haven't tried RS-III, but T30s certainly in the same league as RS-iI.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top