Tyres

[KobayashiMaru86]

Had Michelin Road 5's for a few sets on the Street Triple RS and with the front needing a new one I'm thinking of trying something else. Only thing I've not liked about them was I've had 3 punctures on the rear in the last year or so but could just be bad luck. I commute, less so now in heavy rain as I have a car again but I'd like something that could handle a wet road. With Summer coming I could try a Pilot Power for the front and see how it goes but are there other things to consider?

[Krikkit]

Is there anything (other than punctures) that the Road 5 didn't do well that you want? If you're not wanting the last ounce of power I'd usually say Michelin Road somethings (depending what number they're on)

[KTMsm]

Personally on the road - I just buy whichever main brand I can find on offer - they are all fine IME

[trickywoo]

I’ve heard a lot of the Michelin road series attracting punctures.

Could be other factors of course other than the tyre itself.

Metzeler 01 are the nearest like for like.

Could try Pirelli angel gt.

After that you are in to Rosso 3 and Bridgestone s22 etc.

[Bob_Defly]

trickywoo said:

I’ve heard a lot of the Michelin road series attracting punctures.

How would it do that?

[SteveKTMer]

https://www.metzeler.com/en-gb/catalogue/product/s...

I love these, warm up very quickly, great in the wet, on my KTM they feel just firm enough whilst remaining plush and smooth and in a fast bend they are rock stable with masses of grip.

[Brewsters]

Having had the Pirelli angel gts on my old KTM1290GT, I’d avoid. They were horrendous. Each to their own but you can’t go wrong with any Michelins. Tyres very personal but I’m happiest on dunlops or Michelins.

Maxxis and avons are said to be fine- depends how hard you ride?

[Cylon2007]

I'd stick with the Roads, have used them on my 675r - 765rs and now Ninja 1000sx and they just do the job well. Never found them to be puncture prone more than any other tyre. Had Angel GTs on my 1050 Tiger Sport and they were horrible and didn't last well.

I have also tried Conti Road Attacks, but not for a long time, but they gripped well and felt good.

[Biker9090]

Personally I've found the angel gt2 to be superb in any weather. They also seem to withstand squaring off far longer than Michelin and don't track the ruts in the road. Warm up very quickly as well. Never ever let go on me yet.

[DanGibsonRacing]

I also have Road 5s on my 765 RS. If I am honest, I think they give as much grip as you could need on the road and also stand up to the odd track day. However, I don't commute and avoid the rain, so curious to try something on the even sportier side.

Bridgestone S22, Michelin Power, Pirelli Rosso all seem to be the next step up.

[Mach]

Just for balance I never had any issues with Angel Gt's on my Multistrada either.

Did a rapid paced tour in Spain last year with S1000XR and 1290GT all on different tyres and they didn't put a foot wrong.

[black-k1]

KTMsm said:

Personally on the road - I just buy whichever main brand I can find on offer - they are all fine IME

This - mainly!

It's hard to find a bad tyre if you stick to the main manufacturers but there are small differences from one to another.

I found the RoadTec SE01s to "feel" slightly better than the Road 5s and to turn in quicker. They lasted about 1000 miles less though. The Road 6s I have on now feel slightly better still and look like they'll last as long as the Road 5s. The best of both worlds?

All that said, the differences are minimal and would not stop me buying a Road 5.

[SteveKTMer]

black-k1 said:

All that said, the differences are minimal and would not stop me buying a Road 5.

I've found that although levels of grip are probably similar in road use, there is a big difference in the way they feel. The M9RR is the ideal for me being plush and supportive, Michelin feel too squashy, Roadtec 01 too hard, Angel GT too hard and quite harsh with it, but the Roadtec is on version 2 as is the Angel GT so they might have improved.

I don't think longevity is really important, not when riding in UK/Europe as you can always find a tyre shop and reading PH the longevity from each doesn't seem to vary much, the biggest factor in longevity is how people ride and where. In Spain and France last year riding in 40C temperatures and 46C coming into Carcassonne and up to Gap, my rear tyre looked quite tired compared to previous years.

[KTMsm]

SteveKTMer said:

I've found that although levels of grip are probably similar in road use, there is a big difference in the way they feel. The M9RR is the ideal for me being plush and supportive, Michelin feel too squashy, Roadtec 01 too hard, Angel GT too hard and quite harsh with it, but the Roadtec is on version 2 as is the Angel GT so they might have improved.

Have you played with tyre pressures between the makes ?

[SteveKTMer]

KTMsm said:

SteveKTMer said:

I've found that although levels of grip are probably similar in road use, there is a big difference in the way they feel. The M9RR is the ideal for me being plush and supportive, Michelin feel too squashy, Roadtec 01 too hard, Angel GT too hard and quite harsh with it, but the Roadtec is on version 2 as is the Angel GT so they might have improved.

Have you played with tyre pressures between the makes ?

No, I stuck to the KTM recommended pressures except when it was very hot and obviously reduced the pressure a bit then when cold to compensate for the increase from heat.

[Biker9090]

Brewsters said:

Having had the Pirelli angel gts on my old KTM1290GT, I’d avoid. They were horrendous.

What was wrong with them out of interest?