Michelin Pilot Road 4's just fitted

Just had the original Metzelers swapped out for Michelin Pilot Road 4's

The Metzelers were on the GRiSO when i bought it with 3000 miles on it and the rear had started to flatten off.

I wasn't impressed with the handling and was looking to play around with the suspension settings.

All i can say is i didn't realize how bad the Metzelers were affecting the handling, with the RP4's now fitted it just rolls into the bends like i always hoped it would.

The whole bike just wants to drop into the turns now where as before i felt i was 'pushing' it to get it over

I've only done 70 miles on them since yesterday so it may be a bit early to start singing their praises but its transformed the handling.

Yes, I have them on the Sport and they grip well in the wet too and give good mileage.

All I can say about dropping into turns is mine improved with a little treatment of or the rear with:  [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

That and greasing the headset really sped up steering.

I was over the moon when i got the GRiSO but when i rode it away from the garage with the new tyres fitted and hit the first bend I was grinning from ear to ear

Durn you.  

Well I already have my next set of Metzlers sitting in the garage.  I figure I have another couple thousand miles left on the present Metzlers.  

Still 11,000+ miles is good wear even if I do ride like an old man which I am.  

Next year I'll have to try the Pilot 4 roads.

n-f, you and I need to be careful before we get consigned to the loony bin.
I understand the shaving of the ridge on each side to keep your smooth transition in leaning,
but like my plastic wheels, your cheese greater photo's will wear thin around here.(no pun intended)

Yes the Metzlers were rubbish, i fitted Diablo/Angel combo and the difference is fantastic, everyone races about the Michelin, but like most things in life, i have had a couple of bad experiences with Michelin so may not try them, but good to hear they work well

Yea it was a bit of a leap for me as i had a bad experience with the Power 2ct's on a BMW R1200s where they de-laminated and bubbled up and have avoided Michelin's since.
but i have been hearing great things about the Road 4's and thought i would give em a try

supersubby wrote:

Yea it was a bit of a leap for me as i had a bad experience with the Power 2ct's on a BMW R1200s where they de-laminated and bubbled up and have avoided Michelin's since.
but i have been hearing great things about the Road 4's and thought i would give em a try

Yes you are right i might have to give them another go

I have found the GT version of the Road Pilot 4's to be perfect on my 850 GRiSO. They grip as well as the regular 4's but are less prone to cupping on the shoulders. Best tyres I have ever had.

Has anyone had a heads up experience with the PR 4's versus the Angel GT's?
The more I read about both of them, the less that seems to separate them in terms of rider preference.
Even the price point at Canadian Motorcycle is almost a dead heat.

I can tell you soon. The Original tyres (Roadsmart 2) were very good but the rear tyre only last 7000km (Italian roadtrip ).
I changed the rear to an Angel GT and honestly,... I didn't get the same good feeling I had with the Roadsmart.
Now the front tyre is completely worn and I flattened the rear tyre so much with (too many) highway kilometers that I need them to change. Otherwise I could get a 3000-4000km more out of the rear tyre.

I wil get a pair of PR4's on it today. So within a few weeks I can give you a review of it.

So far te tyres last (1st April '15 - now):

Front: Roadsmart 2: 18000km
Rear: Roadsmart 2: 7400km
Rear: Angel GT: 11600km but not entirely worn. Could make a 15000km with it if less highway.

I burn through about 1 1/2 sets of tires per year (have 120,000 GRiSO Kms on so far). I have used Battleaxs, Roadsmarts, Michelin Pilot Road 2s and 3s, Angels Both ST and GT and Metzlers. Worst tires by far were the Metzlers my GRiSO 1100 came with, slippery in the dry and downright scary in the wet. Turfed them at 2000 kms before I killed myself. Average performers were the Road Smarts, the Pilot Road 2s and the Battleaxs. The Angel STs were better, but my fav is the Angel GT. Right now I have a Pilot Road 3 on the front with a Angel GT on back.  
So to put perspective on it, most of the modern sport touring tires on a hot dry day will stick to the road with brisk cornering no problem (except those Metzlers). The better tires stick like baby shit to a blanket.  When the weather is cold or the roads are wet is what separates the 'butt clenchers' from the 'so what's the big deal' tires. I ride a fair amount in those conditions and the tires on my fav list perform far and above the others. For example right now with the Pilot 3 on front and the Angel GT on back on a wet twisty road I notice that they both have about the same limit cornering limits but the Pilot goes from grip to feeling like loose sand whereas the Angel just starts to feel a little squirmy. I can apply power to the Angel and it will give me a nice controlled power slide  but the Pilot 3 jut slides with no road feel. Me no likee. I should say that I do ride fairly hard and most of my riding buddies fall back when it is wet so you may not be pushing it to the limits I do.

Somethings gives me the feeling you're not an average rider

My first impression with the PR4 is good. 200km on it now, mostly in the rain. I haven't pushed it to to the limit for that reason.

It is interesting that some people get far more mileage out of their front than the rear, for me it is the opposite, I burn up the front before the rear. For some reason it is always the left side of the front tire. The centre will still have meat but the side about halfway over goes bald.

Sure you're not part fiddler crab?

You would think with a wear pattern like that I ride around in left hand circles. It could be ... my mind says right, go right, right you idiot and my body goes left. Could be it be the first documented case of riding dyslexia? Or Fiddler crab syndrome?

Guys, just to clarify, when you refer to the Metzelers, are you talking the Z8 Interact, or earlier versions? My '14 GRiSO came with the Metzeler Z8s and with those still on the bike, I don't have any method of comparison. Thanks.

Mine had an earlier Metzler version.
Here is a rating of sport touring tires that originated from Motorrad in Germany. The Z8 seems to be above average.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Frypan, thanks for the above comparison chart, interesting
Question, for an old fart pensioner who does not push his bike at all and avoids the wet it appears the Bridgestone is the way to go, price excellent and performance pretty good.
What ya recon ?
Ciao

I'm always a bit skeptical about tyre comparison ratings. Too many variables in type of bike and riding style. Regardless, my experience with Metzeler's is enough to never buy another set, even if the Z8 rates highly.

I'm with Mark on this but I'm more like...fuck reviews. lol
I'll never use Metzelers and it doesn't matter a jolt what some bloke writes about it.
What matters is MY experience with MY riding style and on MY bike with MY weight. And The Metzeler simply sucks.

I tried a Pirelli Diablo once because it was on sale at the local motorcycle parts supplier...Ouch! Bad move there, what a POS tire it was and it stayed on the bike only for a day (one single ride, approx. 300 miles). Worst tire for me so far...
I don't know if any of you guys have had experience with that tire but it can't be that great.

Thanks guys
Anyone tried the Shinco's ?

After reading some of the comments about the Metzelers, I feel more justified in my quezzy feeling
that sometimes arose into a corner, that feeling that the tire may not hold that line. I had nothing to compare it to, so wasn't sure what the deal with it was. I did sort through a lot of commentary, and the PR 4's and Angel GT's seemed to be the choices I felt most comfortable with. There is a tire guy at Revzilla , Lemmy,
that seems to know what he's talking about, and after he told me I was lucky to have the GRiSO and that that's the bike he covets, I felt he had good sense and great taste! So I pulled the trigger on a pair of Pirelli Angel GT's. In the end it came down to this. Both the Michelin and Pirelli are great tires, but for different reasons. The Pirelli is better for the twisties and the highway, and the Michelin is better in wet conditions and has more longevity. That's my summation from all the stuff I read, anyway. Do with it what you want!  

Metzeler can suck my balls. I hate those tires.