Michelin front tire - Pilot Road 4 vs. 5?

[willowstreetguzziguy]

Has anyone gone from a Michelin Pilot Road 4 FRONT TIRE to the newer Pilot Road 5? If so, what are your thoughts? Going to replace my Road 4 in a few weeks and the installer has a Road 5 he could install on my 1200 Sport.

I replaced my REAR Pilot Road 4 with the newer Road 5 in April and am pleased with that change and was wondering about the front tire.

[calfruit]

I have had the 5 on the front of my Norge for a little over 6,000 miles. Very happy with the ride, handling and so far the wear. Knowing that the first 50% always runs longer then the second, i expect to get in the 9,000 miles range with this tire——— if so, it will be my highest mileage tire to date

[Kiwi Dave]

I prefer the Pilot Road 4 GT with stiffer side walls on my Griso 1200SE.  When I was replacing my tires from the crappy originals, I also asked about the Pilot Road 5 GT but was told they were not available.

Perhaps they are now?

[Lannis]

I prefer the Pilot Road 4 GT with stiffer side walls on my Griso 1200SE.  When I was replacing my tires from the crappy originals, I also asked about the Pilot Road 5 GT but was told they were not available.

Perhaps they are now?

I'll know next week.   I'm pulling the worn out (15K miles) Pilot Road 4 off my Stelvio on Monday and going to the local shop I use for tires and finding out what's available.   These things work well on my Stelvio ....

Lannis

[Kiwi Dave]

I just did a Google search for Michelin Pilot Road 5 GT.  Of course I got answers, but nothing to suggest they really exist.

Please post if you find something different.

[ohiorider]

Here's my story:

Had been running Metzeler 880s and wanted a cushier ride.  So, I installed ......
PR3 front and rear installed at 23095
PR3 front and rear installed at 34963
PR3 front and rear installed at 44027
PR3 front and rear installed at 54498

Obviously, I liked the way the PR3 handled and wore.

Then:
PR4 front and rear at 62504
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's my opinion.  After running the PR4 for a couple thousand miles, I grew to dislike them.  It seemed that they lost their 'feel' of the road, and to me, made the 1200 Sport feel like it had over-boosted power steering, or as an ST1300 riding buddy of mine said, "it felt like I was riding on marbles."  I personally wouldn't do another set of PR4 tires on the 1200 Sport.  But we all ride differently, and all feel feedback differently. I'm not a canyon racer, just a touring dude.

Bob

[Kiwi Dave]

Obviously, I liked the way the PR3 handled and wore.

Bob

I'm in full agreement with you choice for the 1200 Sports (2V) Bob.

But can you still buy PR3's?  Perhaps I'm a bit confused, but they appear to have superseded by Pilot Powers, which appear to have the same tread pattern as the PR3s.  Well that's the case in NZ.

Pilot Powers are what I'm now running on my 1200 Sports.

[ohiorider]

I don't know, Dave.  But I'll check with the small independent shop where I've bought my tires for the past several years.  I don't think PR3's are available any longer.  I'm at the stage in my life where I want to go to lighter bikes, or at least those with their weight carried lower in the frame.  However, if I do hang onto the 2v 1200 Sport for year 'eleven,' I'll follow up on your suggestion about the Pilot Powers.

Thanks for the info!

Bob

[marcdavo]

I've just gone the other way.  Had 5's and found them to be very good for 3/4 of their life. I managed to wear the sides out before the centers. The front tyre wore into a definite triangular shape and felt horrible for the last 1000 k's or so.
Having said that, they were a very confidant tyre till they wore. I think a GT version would be better. I ride a 1200 Griso so stiffer side walls make a difference.

Cant fault them except for their end of life wear characteristics. Got around 8 or 9000 odd k's from them.
Now have the 4 GT's. On road feel is much the same as the 5's

[BRG-BIRD]

I have the Pilot Road 5’s on my Norge and am not happy with how they are wearing, I’ll be lucky to get 6,000 miles out of them. I have had Pilot Road 3’s and 4’s (GT) on a Triumph Sprint ST and they worn like iron so I attribute the wear on the 5’s because they are not GT tires. A Michelin rep told me this past won’t the Pilot Road 5 GT model will not be out until late this year or early 2020.

[Huzo]

Well..
I can’t understand what some of you blokes are talking about.
Maybe I don’t get out enough, but here’s a pair @ 10,000 k...?
I cannot tell the difference between 4’s and 5’s, but I prefer the 5’s ‘cos it’s a nicer number..
I reckon, just..
#1.
Buy either set
#2.
Ride for 15,000-18,000 k’s
#3.
Buy another set...
Also.
A little while ago I did a lap of Oz, starting with brand new 5’s.
They did 18,000 k around Australia and I took them off @ 20,000.

[Lannis]

Tire wear characteristics (bike/tire/roads/riding style) is so variable that you can only get a vague bit of information about it from the experience of others.

For example, on my Centauro, which I did not ride hard and which had less horsepower than my Stelvio, I never got as much as 3500 miles out of a rear tire, nor 7000 from a front.   I tried 6 different brands of tire (10 rear tires total) in my time of ownership and none got more than 3500.

On my 132 hp Triumph Trophy, 650 pounds net plus 450 pounds of payload = 1100 pounds total, I get 7500 miles rear/15,000 front from Pirelli Angels.

And at a Guzzi rally once, I was talking to a guy on a Kawasaki Voyager, a huge porky powerful bike, commenting on his Michelin 880 on the rear, and he informed me that that tire had 25,000 miles on it.   I put 880s on my SP and haven't worn them out yet ...

Just have to go with what works for YOU ... it might not work at all for ME ...

Lannis

[Lcarlson]

After running Metzelers for years, I decided to try Michelin Pilot Road 4s on my R1150R. Only the GT version was available in the right size. I HATED THEM. I thought for a while that there was something wrong with the suspension or running gear. The bike did not want to turn in, and had to be muscled through turns. It squirmed around on anything but completely smooth surfaces, and felt generally unstable, with sudden weird feedback at unpredictable times.

I finally figured out that it had to be the tires, and switched back to Metzeler Z8 Interacts. It was like night and day; all the weird sensations were gone, and the bike was back to its smooth handling self. FWIW, when I switched back at 5200 miles, the front PR4 GT was down to the wear bars.

This was by far the worst experience I have had with any tire. They might work fine on a heavier motorcycle, but on my 500 lb bike they were completely unsuitable.

[Vagrant]

same experience with GT. need a heavy bike for them I guess.

[wyno]

I went from the 4's to the 5's. I used to have a problem with the 4's cupping the front. So far (9,000km) I haven't had that problem with the 5's.

[Huzo]

I went from the 4's to the 5's. I used to have a problem with the 4's cupping the front. So far (9,000km) I haven't had that problem with the 5's.

That’s the comment that most closely mirrors my observations.

[kingoffleece]

I'll usually stay a generation behind.  What was formally the latest/greatest tire ever made now becomes the latest thing to be replaced by the NEW latest/greatest tire. Hence, the previous tire is now cheap! (Guzzi content) and therefore a good buy.  Hey, if it was good at 200 bucks (or 300) per it's GREAT at half that.

That said, I really like Angle GT tires on my Norge-but you didn't ask that, I realize.

[ajpjive]

I've been running PR3s on my Versys and PR4s on my 1150GS for the past while. Quite impressed with both. I've had good handling in all weather and have gotten great mileage out of both 3s and 4s. I went with a standard PR4 rear and a PR4-Trail front on the GS, and the combination has been quite stable.

[Lannis]

I've been running PR3s on my Versys and PR4s on my 1150GS for the past while. Quite impressed with both. I've had good handling in all weather and have gotten great mileage out of both 3s and 4s. I went with a standard PR4 rear and a PR4-Trail front on the GS, and the combination has been quite stable.

That's exactly what I've had on my Stelvio.   Went in to order a new front (which was a Michelin Pilot 4 Road and Trail, which looks like a 100% road tire), and the shop's suppliers don't sell them any more, so went for a Michelin Pilot 5 Road and Trail.  $177, the price is going up.

Lannis