tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post7332911049171306451..comments2024-03-03T07:04:39.132+13:00Comments on Confessions of an Ageing Motorcyclist: Michelin Pilot Road 3 tyres progress reportGeoff Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-81042931535831178202013-08-19T17:11:55.893+12:002013-08-19T17:11:55.893+12:00Thanks for the very kind words and thank you for d...Thanks for the very kind words and thank you for dropping by!Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-16915157010383723852013-08-19T16:59:32.272+12:002013-08-19T16:59:32.272+12:00Your work is totally enthusiastic and informative....Your work is totally enthusiastic and informative.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07335248731502186990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-23032536195848916992012-10-26T09:03:36.061+13:002012-10-26T09:03:36.061+13:00Hi Anon and thanks so much for dropping by and sha...Hi Anon and thanks so much for dropping by and sharing your thoughts.<br /><br />So we think pretty much alike on Qualifiers. You may have also seen my post about riding a Daytona 675 equipped with Supercorsas. It was wet and quite cold and they felt really vague. Sports tyres need to be really warm for decent grip. So you ride in 110 degree temperatures but need winter tyres. Must be the Midwest or somewhere similar! I'm now up to 12000 km with more to come. Since I've been riding with the IAM, I'm a much smoother rider and I'm wondering if that's helping with tyre life too. End of life write-up to come in due course.<br /><br />Thanks for the kind words and looking forward to hearing how you get on with the PR3's.Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-53991686645250021492012-10-25T21:57:46.206+13:002012-10-25T21:57:46.206+13:00Triumph Street Triple R rider here:
How and where...Triumph Street Triple R rider here: <br />How and where: I ride in heavy urban traffic. Ride hard and aggressive, just to survive and stay alive. I often Brake hard and aggressive. <br />-Original OEM tires, Dunlop Qualifiers: <br /> DRY conditions, ok. Not Great. I would NOT buy another set.<br /> WET Conditions, terrible. Must ride very carefully.<br />-Replaced w/Dunlop Q2: Great tires. Stiff carcass. Feel every bump,but absolute control. Yes, I'd buy another set and recommend for dry summer aggressive riding. <br /> DRY, WONDERFUL!! Stick like glue. Warm up quick. <br /> WET, better. But Not great.<br /> Seem a bit squishy in over 110F temps on long rides. Feel unusual.<br />-Michelin Pilot Road 3: You sold me. Will give you a report back. <br /> Have some long road trips ahead. Need better winter tire.<br /> Thank you for your reports. Enjoy your write ups. Love the Street Triple.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-1570274446354334682012-01-10T22:27:12.714+13:002012-01-10T22:27:12.714+13:00Hi Rog:
Cheers mate. More than anything, the posts...Hi Rog:<br />Cheers mate. More than anything, the posts are a useful reference point for me to document events at the time!<br /><br />Of course I want to hear, particularly when you tell us how it went compared with the last one!Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-74581067468188678382012-01-10T22:10:29.214+13:002012-01-10T22:10:29.214+13:00Geoff: As usual a post which many will find helpf...Geoff: As usual a post which many will find helpful at a certain time. (I often refere back to a lot of your blogs when I am seeking information), <br /><br /> I dont suppose you want to here about my new knobbley I just put on the GS though?Rogerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12048736059922578612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-31741768834983621272012-01-10T21:48:20.552+13:002012-01-10T21:48:20.552+13:00Hi Kari!
Pilot Road 2's have a great reputatio...Hi Kari!<br />Pilot Road 2's have a great reputation, particularly on bigger, heavier bikes. I'm not a fan of mis-matched tyres. Probably doesn't make much difference in a straight line but potentially, the different profiles (and construction) can cause handling problems when leaned over.<br /><br />I've had no experience with Bridgestones so can't make any sensible comment!<br /><br />Happy New Year!!Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-6439569174126926812012-01-10T21:19:45.418+13:002012-01-10T21:19:45.418+13:00My rear tire is a pilot road. Before that I had Br...My rear tire is a pilot road. Before that I had Bridgstone Battlax. Still have the Battlax on the front since it still has some tread on it. <br /><br />Honestly, I'm the last person to give a review on tire performance, but I like the PR. It seems to inspire a little more confident road feel, but that could be more in my head than in reality. I'm anxious to get the front changed. Partly to see if it makes a difference and partly because it just bugs me that my tires aren't a "matched set". <br /><br />As for the Bridgestones, they're what came originally on the bike. I changed them once to the current Bridgestone offering, but since they didn't really do that much for me (neither good nor bad, just meh), I wanted to try something different. I'd heard a lot of good reviews on the PRs.Bluekathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13485258388887249275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-7781571185671797922012-01-10T20:14:12.872+13:002012-01-10T20:14:12.872+13:00There's a big "B" on my PR3's!
...There's a big "B" on my PR3's!<br /><br />BTW: I'm not sure that the wear I'm seeing is excessive - it's just "different" to what I see on a PR2. I live in hope...<br /><br />I am a PR2 fan...Andrew Thomsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00716829007873864871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-78917728491076393182012-01-10T20:09:31.953+13:002012-01-10T20:09:31.953+13:00Hi Chillertek:
Nope, the PR3's are sports tour...Hi Chillertek:<br />Nope, the PR3's are sports touring tyres. With my advanced Observer/instructor training, there are no concessions with respect to weather or other conditions and most pure sport tyres won't operate so effectively at what you might call "everyday" riding conditions or even life that I need.<br /><br />I actually formally evaluated the Avon VP 2 Sport tyres on my Blackbird for the NZ importer and whilst the rear only lasted 6000 km, they were hugely impressive when ridden hard. If that was my normal mode of riding, I'd be sorely tempted to feit 'em to the ST. If you'd like a copy of the report, send me an email.Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-2619147202371131002012-01-10T19:59:33.704+13:002012-01-10T19:59:33.704+13:00Hi Jules - that's great mate!
If I understand...Hi Jules - that's great mate!<br /><br />If I understand correctly about wheel alignment, if you type that in the search box, it'll direct you to the laser alignment rig I built for the Blackbird and subsequently adapted for the Street Triple.<br /><br />I think you're right about tyre manufacturers and some tyres have some characteristics which are better than others, but not all. You're right about certain bikes too. The Blackbird was murder on all but a couple of brands of front tyre because of the weight distribution and conservative steering geometry. The quality of your suspension also has a significant bearing on tyre wear and life.<br /><br />Yeah, I know what you mean about some overseas roads as some NZ roads aren't all that flash by comparison either. You'll find most NZ south island roads as grippy as heck becausr they use granite chip, but it does give your tyres a shortened life.<br /><br />Don't get me started on tyre pressures. The 'bird was really sensitive to them being a heavy bike - 3 psi under recommendation and the handling deteriorated significantly. The lightweight ST seems to be more forgiving.<br /><br />P.S - don't expect treats like this all the time, haha!Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-69416783609327980552012-01-10T19:55:07.619+13:002012-01-10T19:55:07.619+13:00Interesting read geoff. as i'm up for a new se...Interesting read geoff. as i'm up for a new set of tyres in the next 500kms, they are almost to the wear markers. I agree totally with Jules about tyre wear. I only get about 5000km out of my tyres (michelin pilot power on at the moment). It must be the rough aussie roads.<br /><br />Having not looked at buying tyres in the last 2 years are the PR3 tyres michelin super sticky top of the line sports tyre or are they touring tyres? Excuse the tyre ignorance.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10160712689280276620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-42945536503518593072012-01-10T19:47:08.510+13:002012-01-10T19:47:08.510+13:00Loui:
I don't think you'll regret the choi...Loui:<br />I don't think you'll regret the choice and come after me with a baseball bat! It's that "fitness for purpose" thing again - if you ride in all weathers on a whole range of road conditions, they're the perfect tyre. If you ride predominantly in fine weather on twisty roads or trackdays where tyre temperatures are higher, then a pure sport tyre is the thing to go for. Stay in touch with how you get on!Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-54918477349987106512012-01-10T19:42:02.019+13:002012-01-10T19:42:02.019+13:00Hi Andrew,
Do you have the "B" load rati...Hi Andrew,<br />Do you have the "B" load rating on the rear of your Concours? From past experience with my Blackbird, some tyres which were theoretically suitable for the bigger, heavier hyperbikes had carcasses which didn't support the mass too well and developed abnormal sidewall wear quite early.<br /><br />Let us all know how yours go.<br /><br />Regarding hoon behaviour... what's the saying? "You may well think that, but I couldn't possibly comment" :-)Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-17466882916162056112012-01-10T19:01:43.197+13:002012-01-10T19:01:43.197+13:00Hey, wide awake Geoff - I must have missed the ner...Hey, wide awake Geoff - I must have missed the nerdy bits, I thought it was all interesting. I'd like a re-cap on your wheel alignment process though (and no, I'm not winding you up!)I'm probably a bit obsessive about tyres though though as I have 2 sets of PR2's here in my office that I bought from the USA when the dollar was running at $1.10 against the US$.(Dorothy says it's like still being married to a university student!)<br /><br />My experience tells me that tyre manufacturers tend to leap frog each other in producing the "best" tyre for a given application, and consequently it pays to have an open mind and not get too rusted on to any particular brand.<br /><br />I'm convinced that certain tyres work better than others on certain motorcycles. Eg.my VFR was too heavy in weight for the Michelin Pilot Pure.<br /><br />On the VFR800 I liked to run a PR2 on the rear and a Pilot Power on the front, which was actually a good combination for a heavy bike. When the Powers were unavailable in Australia I fitted a Pilot Pure to the front which, although initially good, ended up being the worst tyre I've ever ridden on. Just before I sold the VFR I put a PR3 on the front and was very impressed though only rode on it for a short time. I believe Michelin have achieved what they set out to do, ie. create an excellent all weather, road use oriented tyre.<br /><br />One further point to make is how poorly constructed and maintained Australian roads are compared with the USA and Europe. I can never get the longevity out of tyres that I read on US forums, which in part because I'm just about always riding on what they call 'chip seal' rather than more sophisticated road surfaces.<br /><br />Great post Geoff and we haven't even talked much about tyre pressures yet!<br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />Jules.Tarsnakes Down Underhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04859439380216890525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-28612958500897800812012-01-10T18:16:37.722+13:002012-01-10T18:16:37.722+13:00Geoff thanks for choosing which tyre I'll buy ...Geoff thanks for choosing which tyre I'll buy in a few months for my 08 STLouinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-74061303924858587432012-01-10T18:16:02.680+13:002012-01-10T18:16:02.680+13:00I've been mucking around - mine only have arou...I've been mucking around - mine only have around 5-6,000km on them! So far I like them a lot but I do think that the sides may be slightly softer than the PR2's I usually use. <br /><br />The rear in particular is showing wear on the sides which would normally only be evident on a PR2 if I was being very hard on the bike or at the end of the tyre's life. It isn't a problem at the moment but I'm just not sure if this will affect the tyre's life. The front is still absolutely fine and looks like it'll last the distance easily.<br /><br />I'll be putting another 3-4,000km on them next month so it'll be interesting to see how they look after that (a lot of those k's in the South Island too).<br /><br />For me they have to do 12,000km or I'll be going back to PR2's...My big fat tourer can't be as hard on tyres as the Striple eh? Or is it the hoon behind the bars?Andrew Thomsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00716829007873864871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-84720644119023686472012-01-10T17:26:36.515+13:002012-01-10T17:26:36.515+13:00I'll take the DJ prices ... I'm not asking...I'll take the DJ prices ... I'm not asking for much, just $45,000 for the new Confederate Hellcat X132! :) (http://www.freeranging.net/blog/2012/01/09/right-up-my-alley/)Annahttp://www.freeranging.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-82141493450737933542012-01-10T17:22:28.277+13:002012-01-10T17:22:28.277+13:00VStar Lady:
Having watched the movie "Lars an...VStar Lady:<br />Having watched the movie "Lars and the Real Girl" (which was superb), I thought you Canadians has endless ways to amuse yourselves in the winter ;-).<br /><br />Apologies for losing you with the content - I did warn you, hehe!Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-4414713637680639822012-01-10T17:15:36.329+13:002012-01-10T17:15:36.329+13:00Ana!
How ya doing? Jules is a couple of hours be...Ana!<br /><br />How ya doing? Jules is a couple of hours behind NZ time so I guess he'll be busy earning a crust as opposed to this retired old fella!<br /><br />Yep, we Kiwis have perfected time travel - would you like some Dow Jones prices to make a killing on??<br /><br />Take care.....Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-3077731194860433282012-01-10T15:22:40.627+13:002012-01-10T15:22:40.627+13:00Hey Geoff, looks like Jules did fall asleep ... oh...Hey Geoff, looks like Jules did fall asleep ... oh well, for what it's worth, I enjoyed reading your post! Not only because of your great writing style and your amazing observation skills, but also because it makes me feel like I am looking into the future ... (the date on your post says Tuesday, Jan 10th while I still have 2 1/2 hours of Monday, Jan 9th ahead of me ...)Annahttp://www.freeranging.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-35824643406616847632012-01-10T15:18:33.269+13:002012-01-10T15:18:33.269+13:00Geoff - watching paint dry? Well, that's about...Geoff - watching paint dry? Well, that's about as exciting as winter gets here in Canada. Thanks for the report on the tires, though the report lost me ... I'm always trying to learn something new since there's so much riding on them.VStar Ladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634216576989421497noreply@blogger.com