Tires tires Tires - what tires are best for touring?

CruisnGrrl

CruisnGrrl

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So recently i rode out to Saskatchewan and back, probably about 5500+km counting little side trips

Before i went out I put on some PR3 tires i purchased in spring... to break them in i did a little bit of commuting and took a ride out to Bruce Peninsula. probably put on 1000km before going out...

unfortunately 1/3 of the trip is across Manitoba and Saskatchewan and the provinces are noted for being flat and the roads straight... northern ontario wasn't something that would chew off your chicken strips while staying at the posted limit and southern Ontario was only slightly better than the prairies.

I thought the PR3's would be great for the trip with the multi compound but it appears i've flattened a pair of tires when i might have chosen something else... what tire would be good on a sport touring bike (17" rims, 500 pound bike + gear & rider) for a trip like this?

The PR3s were great in the wet and i was fully confident in any curvy sections that they would stick, my complaint is wear.
 
Im interested to see how this thread pans out.. I was literally about to order me a set of PR3's - I thought these were one of the best for longevity?

your saying you only got 8-10k out of them? you running at 5psi?


I saw posts on some forums, that the PR2 could get up to 20k miles! - i know that is a stretch.. but still no where even close to what you are seeing..

http://www.kawiforums.com/two-wheeled-discussion/152819-pilot-road-2s-get-20-000-miles.html
 
I'm currently working on a set of Metzeler M5's. the centre is holding up very well for the past 5000 km so far (barely any wear).

a Busa-friend is working on a pair of Avon Storm 2 Ultra's and loves them. She does a lot of long distance touring and they hold up very well apparently
(said she got close to 20,000km)
 
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I have the pilot road 3's and I think they're an OK tire but it sounds like you've already tried them.

I found it was good in the rain, but I never really trusted the tire when I was leaned over all the way. I've had it lose traction once while leaned over but luckily I kept my composure. Could have been other factors that caused it but who knows.
 
Bridgestone 023.
 
i'm glad to hear a positive review of the M5's. it's what i'm planning to put on next year. the M3's after 11k are starting to show flatness, though i wouldn't call it "aquare" yet.
 
omnivore said:
Bridgestone 023.
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Don't touch the older 020's unless you enjoy replacing front tires due to tread lift.The 021's were brilliant on my VFR down to Deals Gap and back, knee dragging, fairing and muffler touchdowns, 14,000km on the rear tire with a heavy throttle hand. They've a very round front profile in comparison to the Pilot Road series.
 
CruisnGrrl said:
I'm probably at 7k, they're not worn out, just you can see they aren't quite round anymore... PR3s were released this year. I'm betting with more mixed roads than the ones i've ended up going on (i'd say 50% of the riding i've done on them have been straight line roads).
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That doesn't sound good at all. I'm on PR2's from last year with about 8k on them and they still look fine. Also put 14k on a set of Dunlop Roadsmarts in '09
and they probably could have gone another 2k. Worst tire I've had so far - Bridgestone OEM's on the C14 were prone to cupping.

I'm not an overly aggressive rider though.
 
matthew said:
Shinko 009. Perfect for Saskatchewan
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I forgot about this one.

The shinko 009 is pretty good for touring. When I bought my bike, it had this tire on it. With ~19 000kms on the tire, I tried to kill it with burnouts, heavy throttle hand, etc to justify putting a new stickier tire on but it just wouldnt die! I ended up putting on a new tire anyways.
 
omnivore said:
Bridgestone 023.
Click to expand...

X2.

As mentioned, the older Bridgestone 02x models aren't so great. I heard great things about the BT023's and I have a set on my VFR....love 'em.

You can also get the 023 in a GT version for heavier bikes.
 
That's what I thought would happen after seeing the tread pattern with all these sipes.
I liked the BT 021 (the 020, not so much) and I'm currently on a set of Roadsmart and am quite happy with them.

CruisnGrrl said:
Thats another thing that the pr3's have done is cup on me on the front...
Click to expand...
 
I am using Bridgestone 023s on my tour. After 4500 KMs, the rear is beginning to square a bit. Granted, I've been riding mostly straight - not too many twisties in the prairies.

I am a bit disappointed in them because of the squaring. I thought they would have been harder. I am thinking of the Avon Storms for next time.
 
Chaos said:
I am using Bridgestone 023s on my tour. After 4500 KMs, the rear is beginning to square a bit. Granted, I've been riding mostly straight - not too many twisties in the prairies.

I am a bit disappointed in them because of the squaring. I thought they would have been harder. I am thinking of the Avon Storms for next time.
Click to expand...

I think i'm going to try the shinko 009's I loved the shinko's i had on the maxim and they seem to be far less expensive than premium brand tires. I do a lot of traveling on the 401 and there's not many turns on that either...

where in the prairies are you?
 
Pilot Road 2's, i have 15K on them, and they have VERY slight flat spot, hard to see. But the PR3's should be better....

What PSI are you running them at?
 
I have 17,000 kms on my PR2's. I figure I should get at least another 4k out of them.
 
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