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Professional Tire Comparison - Update Pilot 3

Hogboy

Hogboy

Street Cruiser
This month's issue of UK's Bike mag contain's its usual cornucopia of fantastic and eclectic material (155 detailed, glossy pages!), as well as a good blind comparison test of 8 Connie-ish tires.  Not sure if all these tires can be obtained in NA or whether each type is identical to those available on our shores.

While the test was conducted to assess wet weather performance, it probably wouldn't be too hard to extend the ratings to get an all weather assessment of these tires (longevity notwithstanding).

Here's a quick summary, which was conducted by a very experienced tester/racer.  Bike used was a 257 kilo GSX 1250 Zook. All tires sets cost in the 230-255 Pound range over there.

1. Control Tire - Bridgestone BT-003RS - "treacherous" - 'nuff said.

2. 5 Stars - Michelin Pilot Road 3 - "best... by miles".

3. 4 Stars - Dunlop Roadsmart & Bridgstone BT - 023 GT - basically good grip in the wet and ideal road tires.

4. 3 Stars - Michelin Pilot Road 2 & Pirelli Angel ST - Michelin comes out a bit more confidence-inspiring than the Pirelli.

5. Not So Good - Metzler Roadtec Z8 Interac & Avon Storm 2 Ultra ("poorest tire in test")


http://www.motorcyclenews.com/Bike/latest-issue/ (have a peek at the other articles here)
 
Personally I don't want to sound down on this review and I appreciate your taking the time to post this. But what I really want to know more, isn't how they are in the wet as much as in the dry. Since most of the riding and more spirited riding is in the dry. IMO, also, the persons opinion may be just that, his opinion. His opinion may totally differ from what I would find. He may be spot on, but since I don't live in an area where I spend all my time in the rain. It means quite a bit less to me than dry or wet/dry evaluations. So unfortunately because of this. This guys opinions do not mean a whole lot to me. I would rather he tell  me what he thinks in the wet and dry, or just the dry. That's what I care more about.
Although I may sound a little negative about the article, I still thank you Hogboy for posting it up. For unlike me there may be people in England or Washington who do spend a considerable amount of time in the rain. So I expect that they might like the article a little bit more.
 
Thanks for the review.  I am currently running the Roadsmarts and like them OK, but have been seriously thinking of etting back to Michelin when these are done... but they're doing pretty well and I'm not riding enough. LOL

I will agree with the assesment of the Avon in the rain versus the Roadsmart, but dry I have to give the Avon the edge by a little bit just because I prefer the profile.  Once worn a bit (1/3 used) they are about equal in dry weather.  There's my .02

EDIT TO ADD:
To be fair, my Avon experience is not the latest Ultra offering, but the original Storm and all testing of mine has been on a C-10 with 17" alterations at all two corners. ;)
 
Actually, this was aimed at people who like spirited riding and occasionally find themselves in the wet.  Over the last few years I have found myself at a severe (and scary) disadvantage on our Annual Idiot's Ride up the paved portion of the Trans-Labrador Highway (and a sister road in the same area).

On 3 occasions, I was on my Metzler 880s and was left in others' wake (literally) when it started to rain.  Conando, especially, just left - he was on Pilot 2's as I recall.  My bike was spinning up almost everywhere and got sideways more than a few times - braking was a horror.  I swore then and there to look for something that was safe to ride in wet conditions at... decent speeds.

Unfortunately, I am too lazy to type both tests on these pages, but rest assured they seem to be done very professionally.  The wet test was done blind and compared all dem der tarrs.  The dry test was done over 900 miles on roadways and 700 non-stop at Bruntingthorpe Raceway in the UK (gotta love them Brit names).  The riders included James Haydon (BSB, MotoGP, etc.) and Keith Roissetter (world endurance racer) with 3 others.

You are correct in assuming that the Pilot 3's upped the ante significantly in the wet, but left the bar unchanged in the dry.  Apologies for not being more clear mon.
 
Hogboy said:
I was on my Metzler 880s and was left in others' wake (literally) when it started to rain.
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There is your problem right there.  I would bet if you were pushing it to the edge in dry that you would been first to slip out also.  It is just a hard tire made for the heavy weight of a wing and two big old people on it.
 
smithr-scad said:
Hogboy said:
I was on my Metzler 880s and was left in others' wake (literally) when it started to rain.
Click to expand...
There is your problem right there.  I would bet if you were pushing it to the edge in dry that you would been first to slip out also.  It is just a hard tire made for the heavy weight of a wing and two big old people on it.
Click to expand...

I had 880's on the Mean Streak for a while. They started off good, but the more they wore, the more the bike would push wide in the turns, requiring more and more counter-steering to get her through. I actually removed them at about half life. The only other tires I ever did that with were the PR2's. Mine were junk, but there may have been something wrong with them, who knows! Needless to say I'm not in any rush to try 880's again.
 
Still on my first set of STs, based on Bob's previous love posts about them, and I'm very favorably impressed. :great:  That said, based on Peter's post, I'll try the PR3s next.  If I don't like them, I can switch back and send them to Canada. :sign0151:  Realistically, I'm pretty sure there will be 'the next great tire' every year or so.  I fear we are doomed to forever ride on 'something better' every 2-4 sets.  :banghead:
 
I have tried all the major brand tires everybody talks about. I'm riding a 2008 c-14 at 50,000 plus. All the top line brands handle about the same and get close to the same milage. Everything mentioned depends on how munch you twist that that wright wrist. Also the type of ridding, straight line or mountain riding
 
I see nothing on the Pirelli angels on here. What do people think of those?  I have them on my bike right now. Have about 7000 miles on them and they are just now starting to flatten out because of highway miles.  They are a lot heavier tire than the PR2 but they are just as sticky.

Anyone else want to chime in??
 
Well this is a thread on the PR3. But I think the Angel is an awesome tire. I now have the PR3 and I agree with the test. The PR3 is probably the best tire I've used in the wet. The PR2 and Angel were both very good in the wet. But the PR3 is better.
The PR3 is very good in the dry also. Although mine is still fairly new and I'll wait until I wear these quite a bit more before I decide whether or not I use these again or something else (to try). I want to see what kind of wear I get out of them, as well as how they work as they age.
The Pirelli Angel is still a better tire for dry grip and confidence inspiring. They roll into a corner better IMO. So the Angels are still my favorite tire in the dry, by quite a bit. But I will say that these PR3's so far seem very good in the dry as well, being new.
So like I said. I'll have to wear these PR3's quite a bit more before I make final judgements. But right now the PR3's are a very good tire that so far I like a lot. I guess it depends on whether or not they continue to wear and handle good through out their life span.  The Angels are the better tire in the dry. The PR3's are better in the wet. But both are excellent IMO so far in my PR3 testing.
The PR3's are so much better than what I experienced on the PR2, that I wouldn't even consider the PR2. The PR2 wore slightly better than the Angel. That's the only thing their better than the Angel at. I found the PR2 to be less than stellar and not even in the same league as the PR3 and Angel!
 
I opted for the 3's on my 08 C14. Previously I ran the 2's. Mounted em up and headed to the Dragons Tail. Tires finally came in around the middle of the Charahala. I find them very gippy, maybe more so than the 2's.  Scraped the pegs a number of times on the Skyway. I hadn't done that since the the set of Powers I ran for a short time...dahu dahu.
Got caught in a downpour on the way back. Impressed with the channeling. B-law was behind me in his vette, said he has never seen a motorcycle tire channel water and leave tracks in the rain like that. I found the 2's giving up around 10g to my liking anyway. Dry  grip was ok around those miles but wet grip was a less than I care for.  Thanks to Fred for the tutorial on the tire change. The TLC the dealer hadn't been showing to lubes for the bearings, axles was an eye opener. If you ride in wet at all, checking those items are crucial IMHO. 
 
My take on what I have read here and elsewhere is that the 880 offers the most tire tread life, but the PR3 is the best all around for dry and wet handling, as well as tread life when not considering the 880. I have been happy with wet and dry grip with the 023's but not so much with the tread life of the rear tire. These are sport TOURING bikes, and we really need a tire that can handle 10,000 miles, as I may do that in one month during the summer. This 4,000, 5,000, and 6,000 miles and tires being toast at those miles is ridiculous to say the least. YMMV
 
Not necessarily. Nobody yet has really gone through a full set of PR3's. So the wear and handling in time is not really known yet. And let me make this clear. I do not find them to be the best overall tire (yet). The Angel St is still a better performer in the dry. They just don't tend to wear as long as the PR2's. If the PR3's don't wear and handle good as well. Then they become less valuable. But like I did say, the PR3's are the best I've used in the wet. And they started off well. But time will tell!    ;)


bygdawg said:
My take on what I have read here and elsewhere is that the 880 offers the most tire tread life, but the PR3 is the best all around for dry and wet handling, as well as tread life when not considering the 880. I have been happy with wet and dry grip with the 023's but not so much with the tread life of the rear tire. These are sport TOURING bikes, and we really need a tire that can handle 10,000 miles, as I may do that in one month during the summer. This 4,000, 5,000, and 6,000 miles and tires being toast at those miles is ridiculous to say the least. YMMV
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Thanks for the update. The local stealer tried to sell me on a set of Avon Storm Ultra 2's today. What is your take on them over the PR3?
 
bygdawg said:
Thanks for the update. The local stealer tried to sell me on a set of Avon Storm Ultra 2's today. What is your take on them over the PR3?
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I haven't tried the Ultra's as of yet. I have always had good luck with Avon's on my C10. But have not used them on the C14 or FJR. I have mostly heard good about them. But I can remember one or two people that did have an issue with them that they didn't like. One was an actual tire problem. But like any tire, you can have at least one person with a problem, but might not effect the rest of them.
Then come the probelm that I like the Angels so much, it's hard to try other tires. I'm more amazed that I even tried the PR3 after my experience with the PR2's!  :))  But like I said, so far I do like them. But we'll see how they do over time!
 
Do you guys think it would be problematic to run a Storm 2 rear with a new 023 front? I usually run tires in pairs, but I just put this 023 on a few weekends back while at the Dragon.
 
I like to run in sets. But there is no reason that you can't run different tires. Many people do it without any probalms. There are even the guys who use a car tire on the rear and a rear tire on the front. No I'm not kidding!  :)) But I wouldn't re comend doing that!  I personally am a stay with matched set motorcycle tire on my bikes kind of guy though!
 
FOr a long time my favorite stock sized C-10 combo was a Michelin Macadam100X rear with a Pilot Road (the original, not a 2 or a 3) on the front.  I'd destroy the Mac 100X in about 5-6k miles and the Roadie front would easily go 13k, but was pretty badly worn funny (cupping amongst other things) by 10k so I would trash it about then and replace.  Not at all a matching set, but both radials and both Michelins.  But I'm not sure that really matters all that much as I've also run the PR front with a bias Pirelli Demon rear, and a Demon front with an Avon Azaro rear, and an Azaro rear with Storm front (I don't care what Avon says, this is a technological mis-match if ever there was one... just happens to be a well working mismatched set IMHO).

So as for mis-matching, sometimes it works great... sometimes perhaps not so much.  THat said I too like to keep matched sets on mainly because I expect them to work well together and I don;t get into any guessing as to what's going on.
 
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