Its almost hitting the TDM and if you want to know how much rubber is left in the center, just release all air and press the center with your finger, you will get a good feel of the tire. If it goes in or bends in without much pressure from your finger, then high time to change.:goodluck:
I just ordered a Roadtech 01 heavy. I'm hoping it'll be longer lasting. If that doesn't work, I guess I'll be ordering in sets from then on.
Every other bike I've ever owned would use fronts at half the speed of the rears. This would have been a 1:1 if I hadn't changed the rear from that puncture I had.
What type of bikes were your other bikes? Was your riding style and types of roads the same when on those bikes? Did they use the same type of tires? So many factors involved in motorcycle tire wear.
I went through 2 pairs of Metz roadtec01 already. Subjectively, road 5 on the back wheel feels grippier so far. I’m doing arnd 12k per year, Metzeler would last exactly one year on the rear and abt 2 years for the front tyre (tracked my purchases for the last 3 years). On the twisties rear Metz would loose grip quite occasionally, but never the front. By the end of their life, both front and rear Metz tend to square off to the point it affects the handling. Still I’m quite happy how Metz front grips, lasts, and dies. Rear Metz not so much. Let’s see if road 5’s double compound helps here.
As for the heavy duty version of Metz, it’s not recommended for the lighter bikes such as V650, but if you decide to try it, let us know how it compares to your road5.
The difference is pretty dramatic, certainly compared to a worn out front tire.
One of the biggest differences was in the balance dot present on the metzeler (I have yet to see one on a Michelin). I lined it up and had a heck of a time seating the bead. So, I haven't put any balance beads in it. The Michelin Road 5 front I wore out had 1.5 oz in it and shook so badly at 85+ mph I used it as a speedometer.
This one is glass-smooth up to at least 125 mph. Handling is excellent so far.
I ran Roadtec 01's on my V650 and really liked them. Wore very well. Even though, I just mounted a new set of Road 5's on the new bike. One of the guys at the shop was telling me the Dunlops are a great tire to run on the Versys 1K. He claimed they are delivering more miles than either Metzlers or Michelin. I haven't read anything to support the claims. Just reporting what I was told.
Yes, I do believe Dunlops came stock on the Versys. But I do not recall which model. The Sportmax Roadsmarts 3's were suggested as a great alternative. I was told they perform well and provide greater longevity. Especially, bikes that tend to wear flat spots.
If I recall correctly, I got less than 6k of if the OE rear, and more than 8k out of the Road 5 rear. There's still tear on that one, but I punctured it and my wife insisted I replace it rather than patch and repair. I'm on my third set of tires now with just over 23k on the clock.
As this thread is at least peripheralley about tires, here are several pics of a REAL tire-scorcher that I saw at a Fly-In breakfast I attended this AM on BIG RED.
12K mi, that's 19K km. I've never gotten that kind of mileage from a front tire so I would consider this excellent.
Mileage in my experience varies dramatically depending on how the bike is used. For example highway cruising, corner carving, city riding, etc.
Currently finishing year 2 with my Roadtech 01's.
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