Pirelli Scorpion (rear) 160/60-17 10,700 km/6428 miles
- down to belts (showing through rubber), heavily flat spotted in center, 10,700 km/6428 miles
- seat of the pants impression is the new Michelin PR3 feels a lot more stable and planted in corners however it is possible this is the result of the flat spotting on previous Scorpion tire compared to round profile on new tire effecting my impression.
- these seemed to grip dirt roads (when new) better than any other tire I've used however as tread wears away, especially on front, they offer less traction off pavement. 98% of use was on pavement.
- does not feel as connected on pavement as previous PR2's or possibly new PR3's (too early to make this judgement as just installed)
- seems to flat spot more easily on rear than previous PR2's perhaps due to lack of dual compound design
- not terrible but over all disappointed in performance, will not be purchasing again.
Gone thru several sets of these in the stock sizes. Worked great IMHO, and I got around 10,000 miles from the rear, around 12,000+ from the front.:thumb:
Gone thru several sets of these in the stock sizes. Worked great IMHO, and I got around 10,000 miles from the rear, around 12,000+ from the front.:thumb:
I agree. Best bang for the buck I've found. My first Bridgestone T30 lasted 6k miles. The Conti Motion only lasted 5k, but is about half the price (made in Indonesia vs Germany for their higher end tires).
The bad things about the T30 were they were a little skittish in the wet and made the V1k understeer in fast sweepers. The Conti Motion seems a little better in the wet (though no Pilot Power). It does not cause the bike to understeer. It was a little too easy to break traction under hard acceleration. The V1k is pretty spunky, prolly be perfect for the 650.
Currently running a Conti Motion on the front and a higher dollar Conti Road Attack II Evo. Love that setup. Hope the RAII lasts 6k miles. If it does, it will become my go to tire. Rode a little over 100 miles this morning to start the new year. It was ~28°F. Both tires still stuck like glue. Brilliant!
Just replaced the second Metzeler Z8 front after about 16k miles. Not sure why the big tire life discrepancy from the 1st one. I think it saw a little more fun riding, and more dirt/gravel than the previous one.
Angel GT on the back looks better than any rear tire with 9k miles has a right to. Yeah it's squared off a bit, but it has a lot of life left. Probably the best tire I've used for my mostly freeway riding.
Cont-Motions. I ride about 10K miles a year, and put a new set on every spring. For the money and my riding style, I think they are a great all-around tire. Good in the wet and in the dry and are sporty enough for me. Plenty of cornering ability, with a firm turn-in, and are very stable. I think they are the perfect tire for where and how I ride.
Dunlop Sportmax. Rear 5100 miles and the centre had worn away and they went square very quickly. The fronts were low enough to warrant them being changed as well.
I was never inspired by these tyres, especially in the wet.
These were better than the stockers, but I just mounted a set of Michelin PR3's and the difference was quite shocking. The PR3's make a significant change to the handling of the bike - the straight line tracking is very solid (bars are much stiffer), and cornering confidence has boosted considerably only after a few rides. Ripples and tire snakes are now barely noticeable, quiet, smooth. All the reviews I read turned out to be quite accurate. I am VERY impressed and pleased with the purchase.
While the Versys manual recommends 32 front and 36 rear psi for tires. I notice some tire manufactures are now recommending bike model specific pressures on their sites for their tires. For instance Michelin recommends 2.25 bar front and 2.5 bar rear for the PR3 which translates to 32.5/36 while Bridgestone recommends a slightly higher pressure for their new T30.
Rear tire: Avon Storm2. 11800 km with maybe 1000 km to go before wear bars appear.
This is the second time I have used this tire> first was the original Storm on a Concours with similar wear but less km due to heavier bike.
Like the original, this is a very good dual compound sport-touring tire with great wet roads handling but there is one large complaint: noise. When I first put it on the V it was more noisy than the one on Concours, probably due to saddle bags and deep valance of Conc fender masking the noise. It whined and howled to the point of distraction on my V. My notes indicate it was still noisy at 2600 km but after that the noise slowly disappeared.
Great wear and handling but can't handle the noise. I'll stick with Michelin PR2's. My front PR2 may not last as long as it should> see my thread about reversed wheel!
I'm about 195 lb in full gear, occasionally travel with maybe 40 lb additional luggage etc. ( i think weight is a useful factor for determining tire life)
I measure right in the centre of the tire where the most wear occurs, since this is what dictates to me that replacement is required. I have never worn out the side of a tire ever...lol
When I picked up my bike 5k ago it had bt-023's. I am not all that impressed coming off of PR2's on my SV650. I will be slapping on a set of PR3's for the winter here in the next month of two.
2011 versys 1st owner road for 1348 miles on stock tires I finished them off at 5452 miles
2nd set of tires Michelin pilot road 3 just shy of 5000 miles Sides wore out before center
I am having a Michelin pilot road 4 installed on the rear tomorrow
As to tire life, and gas mileage, it depends on the person riding the bike, and the attitude with which they are riding. I get crap gas mileage, and crappy tread life on tires. My wife routinely gets 30% better gas mileage than I do and just about DOUBLES tread life on her bike, and car tires. I don't imagine that people telling me they get X miles on a tire will mean much to me unless I also know that they got Y miles on a tire that I am used to with the same kind of riding they did on the first set of tires. That way I could compare tread life between tires with the SAME rider.
Dunlop Roadsmarts, replaced after 2 seasons/ 12k miles. Lot's of care to squeeze miles out of them. Mostly a commuter on my bike, not too aggressive on the roads. even squeezed 1000 miles out of them this spring before changing.
Got a deal on some dunlop Q3's this season, tires have been awesome so far (400 miles). Hoping for 5k miles and planning on doing some more spirited riding this summer.
On touring jaunts, I add a few pounds to the recommended pressures. Get better tread life for highway riding. But when riding around town, or in the twisties, I run a 3-5 pounds UNDER the recommended pressure. This gives better grip, and feel as you approach limits where the tire scrubs.
As to tire life, and gas mileage, it depends on the person riding the bike, and the attitude with which they are riding. I get crap gas mileage, and crappy tread life on tires. My wife routinely gets 30% better gas mileage than I do and just about DOUBLES tread life on her bike, and car tires. I don't imagine that people telling me they get X miles on a tire will mean much to me unless I also know that they got Y miles on a tire that I am used to with the same kind of riding they did on the first set of tires. That way I could compare tread life between tires with the SAME rider.
As to tire life, and gas mileage, it depends on the person riding the bike, and the attitude with which they are riding. I get crap gas mileage, and crappy tread life on tires. My wife routinely gets 30% better gas mileage than I do and just about DOUBLES tread life on her bike, and car tires. I don't imagine that people telling me they get X miles on a tire will mean much to me unless I also know that they got Y miles on a tire that I am used to with the same kind of riding they did on the first set of tires. That way I could compare tread life between tires with the SAME rider.
Only had what came on my '13 which is are Dunlop SportMax. It is a pretty decent performer, maybe a little squirmy when pushing it in corners but can deal w/that. What really stinks about them is they are down to wearbars after 2200 miles.
Chris
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