Michelin Pilot Road 3s...I joined the club

Xyzzy_imp said:

Pterodactyl_imp said:

redbirds_imp said:

My dealer was enthusiastic at the idea of going up one size on the front and rear PR3's. All I know is that my CB handles and rides better on the new tires and I would never go back to the original Bridgestones.

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I'll endorse that 'Birds. My PR3s are at the end of their (long) life and the new tyres will be PR3s.

Cheers

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Please post pictures of how they wore out. Is the wear uniform or are they scalloped or lumpy?

Thanks!

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Please post pictures of how they wore out. Is the wear uniform or are they scalloped or lumpy?

Thanks!
Willdo. I am away from my bike at the moment but will post ASAP. My impression is not scalloped or lumpy, just worn. I have done around 20,000kms on them. A good life but, I must admit, they could have been changed earlier. Have a look when I post photos.

Cheers

Wait a minute, I have posted photos. See post: Post #30

Just curious:

For those of you with PR3s, how much better are they in the rain than the OEM tires? 10%? 25%?

I'm going to get PR3s no matter what. I just want to know how much better they are. I think the OEM tires are a bit sketchy in the rain so any improvement will be a plus.

I ride like a wuss in the rain, slower and straighter up, so I'm no judge on that.

I've ridden in rain with the PR3's a few times now and I would not guess as to a percentage how much better they are but I felt far more confident on them. Their tread design is very similar to race rain tires. I believe I am the only forum member that went up one size to a 120 PR3 on the front. The CB still turns in well on this slightly wider tire but the main advantage is on the soft dirt-sand road leading to my house. Tends to ride better on the soft stuff without "knifing" into the sand. I can find no fault whatever with the PR3.

19.72% better rear. 22.81% better front.

Seriously though, I love the softer carcass of the PR3s. The Bridgies felt like rocks over sudden jolts. I also feel like turn in is a tad slower too but very stable in corners and more forgiving of mid-corner line changes. I haven't ridden much in the wet but it's nice to know they have that focus.

Xyzzy_imp said:

Just curious:

For those of you with PR3s, how much better are they in the rain than the OEM tires? 10%? 25%?

I'm going to get PR3s no matter what. I just want to know how much better they are. I think the OEM tires are a bit sketchy in the rain so any improvement will be a plus.

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I don't get a ton of rain in Souther California, but not having a car I rode in every single drop we got with the PR3 this past year, plus any road trips up north. They were much much much more confidence inspiring than my stock Dunlops. I take it easier in the rain obviously, but no slips, slides, or anything thing else unexpected where I had a couple little moments on the Dunlops that didn't inspire confidence.

Thanks for the info!

I have ~2500 miles on my CB (all in the last month) and I can't wait for the tires to wear out. I ride very smooth so tires last pretty long for me, though.

I am so very close to buying a No-Mar tire changer. The last tire I had replaced the guy gouged the rim really bad. I went to the effort to remove the old tire myself, and I even took off the rotors and still it got damaged. I guess I have to do it myself if I want it done right. Maybe the tire changer will pay for itself in the long run.

I have some time to consider the 110 versus the 120 front. I would love to know if the 120 maintained it's width once mounted. Somewhere on the forum someone linked to an article about 120 front tires on a Concours and how the 120 didn't maintain the right profile/width/whatever when mounted. I do like the idea of a slightly wider tire. My CB drops into turns spookily fast with the narrow OEM rubber. I wouldn't mind a slightly slower response.

Edit: http://cog-online.org/clubportal/clubstatic.cfm?clubID=1328&pubmenuoptID=34855

DAC_imp said:

19.72% better rear. 22.81% better front.

Seriously though, I love the softer carcass of the PR3s. The Bridgies felt like rocks over sudden jolts. I also feel like turn in is a tad slower too but very stable in corners and more forgiving of mid-corner line changes. I haven't ridden much in the wet but it's nice to know they have that focus.

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Like the great Winston Churchill, "I only believe statistics I have doctored myself".

However, that aside, in wet weather I have confidence that the PR3s are a good tyre and perform well within my wet weather envelope. As far as how good they are in the wet there are many reviews and comparisons published on the web. Below, for what it's worth, is a quote from AMCN, an Australian motorcycle magazine.

Quote:...... Michelin Pilot Road 3, is by far Australia’s top selling motorcycle tyre, and is, in fact, the biggest selling motorcycle tyre in the world. Michelin Pilot Road 3 brought unprecedented levels of wet weather performance and also introducd ‘siping’ to mainstream motorcycle tyre production. The wet weather performance advancement is completely unequivocal. Anybody that has ridden treacherous conditions on Pilot Road 3 will vouch for their amazing wet weather performance. I even rode in snowy conditions on Pilot Road 3 and felt safe doing so.

Not only is it the tread pattern in these tyres that helps to displace water, but also functional polymers in the rubber compound that have a chemically charged reaction with water, actually repelling water through a chemical reaction, effectively cutting straight through water film to the road surface below. Across their motorcycle and car tyre research departments Michelin have 1300 people working on compounds alone to come up with formulations like these.
There was a good comparison published, that I can't quickly locate now, with comparible products from Pirelli and other major manufacturers. In dry conditions the PR3s were not the top rated tyre in all respects but in the wet tests were outstanding.

Cheers

DAC_imp said:

19.72% better rear. 22.81% better front.

Seriously though, I love the softer carcass of the PR3s. The Bridgies felt like rocks over sudden jolts. I also feel like turn in is a tad slower too but very stable in corners and more forgiving of mid-corner line changes. I haven't ridden much in the wet but it's nice to know they have that focus.

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Someone once told me that, if you must make something up, always do it to decimal places. No-one will ever question it.

Hence I believed you DAC.

So a page or so back I posted about how I wanted to replace my Bridgestones with the RP3's and my dealer would not install the rear tire. So I figured lawyer, liability, insurance crap etc. Too many knowledgeable folks on here been using them with no issues I'm gonna get a set and have someone else install them. Went on Motorcycle Superstore for a list of installers in my area. (Louisville Ky.) Started calling around and could not find a shop that will install the rear. Wow! I guess if I want the RP3's I'm gonna have to travel to find an Installer. Do any of you guys live close to Louisville Ky.? and if so who did your install?
Guess I could buy a No Mar and do it myself. Could use it for my dual sport bike tires too instead of spooning them on. The No Mar is not really in the budget right now.
I did find a shop that would install the Michelin Commander 2 on the rear because it is only 10 over (150 wide) This really is becoming a PIA. Hate to go back to the Bridge. Any comments on the Commander 2?

When I get a tire installed, I usually just bring the wheel in. Nobody ever asks what bike it is for.

The Michelin Commander 2s are bias ply tires. I'd prefer to stick with radials, since that's what came on the bike. That said, I've never used the Commander 2s.

If I were to go bias, I'd probably go with Bridgestone BT45s. They've worked superbly on my CB750 and they're available in the exact size as the CB11's stock tires. 110/80-18 and 140/70-18

The PR3 club is getting quite exclusive, at least here on OZ. On placing an order today for replacement of my worn PR3s I was told that I could have a rear tyre that was in stock at another dealer, but the front was not available. I asked how long the wait would be for an order. The reply, "Not available, as in PR3s are no longer being distributed by Michelin Australia". Interesting, but surely not I thought. I then went to the Michelin Australia website to find that for the PR3s size availability and other information has been removed.

Unless I can find a set, front and rear, in stock outside of Sydney I will have to look at another tyre choice. Not good as I really did like those PR3s.

Cheers

PR4 available?


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Pterodactyl, you might want to see if Pirelli Angel GT tires (tyres) are available in the sizes you need. They are here in the states in the 110 80 r18 front and the 160 60 R18 rear. I have not used these, but the reviews on them say they are good.

Elipten_imp said:

PR4 available?


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No 18" option for PR4.

Ptero.. Can you guys order from Amazon? They are listed at Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Ptero, do you have any idea what it would cost to ship the PR3's from the US. I'm sure it would be costly. The US Michelin site still lists them last time I looked.

I just called my supplier SPORTTOUR INC and they said they could probably ship one to Australia but shipping costs would be ridiculous.

Redbird_imp said:

Pterodactyl, you might want to see if Pirelli Angel GT tires (tyres) are available in the sizes you need. They are here in the states in the 110 80 r18 front and the 160 60 R18 rear. I have not used these, but the reviews on them say they are good.

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They're a bit cheaper too. Might save you a lobster or two mate!

I have found that in Japan you can get both the Bridgestone T30 and the Dunlop RoadSmart III for the CB1100 with a 140 rear. Nothing like that in Europe, so I am currently checking with Mr. T if he can get e the T30s sent here.