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

[Marc_imp]

Great information in this thread. First post and new owner. Just purchase a 2013 CB1100 ABS which had a BT54 on the rear and a Heideneau K65 on the front. Both with dates codes from 2012. Your comments have been very helpful in narrowing down my tire choices.

I had the MPR3's on my past Versys and did like them very much. As you have all stated, I can find the rears, but as you have stated, I can't find the MPR3's fronts in a close to suitable size for the CB1100. Just ordered the Metzeler Z8's as my choice seemed limited to the BT54's or Z8's.

Marc
Metcalfe, ON
2016 CRF250L
2012 F650GS

 

[peterbaron]

Great information in this thread. First post and new owner. Just purchase a 2013 CB1100 ABS which had a BT54 on the rear and a Heideneau K65 on the front. Both with dates codes from 2012. Your comments have been very helpful in narrowing down my tire choices.

I had the MPR3's on my past Versys and did like them very much. As you have all stated, I can find the rears, but as you have stated, I can't find the MPR3's fronts in a close to suitable size for the CB1100. Just ordered the Metzeler Z8's as my choice seemed limited to the BT54's or Z8's.

Marc
Metcalfe, ON
2016 CRF250L
2012 F650GS

2012 tires are most likely history, but UV is the tire killer, especially performance tires.
Originally , I had BT54's = like yours, and I replaced them with Michelin PR3 =:heart: with one size up, F120 and R160 = perfect handling & cornering in ALL weather conditions, including heavy rain!!. Now, after 30Km these are almost gone and I am thinking of another set of Michelin, whatever will be available on the market.
You will get a lot of feedback and opinions from different members...so wait and see what suits you best.

Cheers and hope to :biker: with you one day

pb

 

[flynrider]

Installed a new PR3 rear today. The old one had a nail in it. I was thinking about plugging it (it was in the center of the tread), but the tire already had 15K miles on it. It could have gone another 3K-4K, but I figured it didn't owe me anything. Plus, it was starting to get a bit squared off from all of the highway time I put on it last summer.

When talking to my tire guy, he said that the PR3s are currently available. I guess that Michelin's claim that they were quitting production last year wasn't exactly accurate. The catalog says current sizes in 18" are only the 120/70 and the 160/60.

 

[Cormanus]

Great information in this thread. First post and new owner. Just purchase a 2013 CB1100 ABS which had a BT54 on the rear and a Heideneau K65 on the front. Both with dates codes from 2012. Your comments have been very helpful in narrowing down my tire choices.

I had the MPR3's on my past Versys and did like them very much. As you have all stated, I can find the rears, but as you have stated, I can't find the MPR3's fronts in a close to suitable size for the CB1100. Just ordered the Metzeler Z8's as my choice seemed limited to the BT54's or Z8's.

Marc
Metcalfe, ON
2016 CRF250L
2012 F650GS

2012 tires are most likely history, but UV is the tire killer, especially performance tires.
Originally , I had BT54's = like yours, and I replaced them with Michelin PR3 =:heart: with one size up, F120 and R160 = perfect handling & cornering in ALL weather conditions, including heavy rain!!. Now, after 30Km these are almost gone and I am thinking of another set of Michelin, whatever will be available on the market.
You will get a lot of feedback and opinions from different members...so wait and see what suits you best.

Cheers and hope to :biker: with you one day

pb

You got 30,000 kms out of your PR3s? Crickey that's good.

Installed a new PR3 rear today. The old one had a nail in it. I was thinking about plugging it (it was in the center of the tread), but the tire already had 15K miles on it. It could have gone another 3K-4K, but I figured it didn't owe me anything. Plus, it was starting to get a bit squared off from all of the highway time I put on it last summer.

When talking to my tire guy, he said that the PR3s are currently available. I guess that Michelin's claim that they were quitting production last year wasn't exactly accurate. The catalog says current sizes in 18" are only the 120/70 and the 160/60.

24,000 kms is pretty respectable too.

 

[peterbaron]

Great information in this thread. First post and new owner. Just purchase a 2013 CB1100 ABS which had a BT54 on the rear and a Heideneau K65 on the front. Both with dates codes from 2012. Your comments have been very helpful in narrowing down my tire choices.

I had the MPR3's on my past Versys and did like them very much. As you have all stated, I can find the rears, but as you have stated, I can't find the MPR3's fronts in a close to suitable size for the CB1100. Just ordered the Metzeler Z8's as my choice seemed limited to the BT54's or Z8's.

Marc
Metcalfe, ON
2016 CRF250L
2012 F650GS

2012 tires are most likely history, but UV is the tire killer, especially performance tires.
Originally , I had BT54's = like yours, and I replaced them with Michelin PR3 =:heart: with one size up, F120 and R160 = perfect handling & cornering in ALL weather conditions, including heavy rain!!. Now, after 30Km these are almost gone and I am thinking of another set of Michelin, whatever will be available on the market.
You will get a lot of feedback and opinions from different members...so wait and see what suits you best.

Cheers and hope to :biker: with you one day

pb

You got 30,000 kms out of your PR3s? Crickey that's good.

Installed a new PR3 rear today. The old one had a nail in it. I was thinking about plugging it (it was in the center of the tread), but the tire already had 15K miles on it. It could have gone another 3K-4K, but I figured it didn't owe me anything. Plus, it was starting to get a bit squared off from all of the highway time I put on it last summer.

When talking to my tire guy, he said that the PR3s are currently available. I guess that Michelin's claim that they were quitting production last year wasn't exactly accurate. The catalog says current sizes in 18" are only the 120/70 and the 160/60.

24,000 kms is pretty respectable too.

You got 30,000 kms out of your PR3s? Crickey that's good.
.
YES, and would last another season but I need no risk when raining and being away 1-3 Km from my home... 3-5 PSI above specs at 20*C, also have F-120, R-160

pb

 

[DAC]

What do people think about the Pirelli Angel GT? I still have most of a season left in my PR3s but was just curious. I’ve heard good things about them from the sport touring crowd.

 

[Cormanus]

DAC, if I could not get the PR3s, I was thinking about the Angel GT. Pterodactyl is on to about his third set of them. While they don’t get the mileage I’ve got with the Michelins, he is very happy with them and would not, I think, go back. He reckoned the PR3 rear occasionally gave a little skip whereas the Pirellis are rock solid. He’s a better rider than me so I believe him. The front is the OEM size; the rear is 160.

 

[DAC]

Thanks Cormanus. Good input. If I were a higher mileage rider like another guy that lives in Ohio, the lower mileage life would be an issue. For me, 8 or 10 K miles would probably cover two seasons.

Would also like to stay stock width up front if possible.

And again, many on the local forum are giving the "rock solid" endorsement of the Angel GTs though the PR3 gets about the same love. The (very) occasional little skip for me usually is from road conditions. Or so I thought. Maybe not??

 

[Cormanus]

I don't know about the skip either, DAC. I have experienced it, but I'd also put it down to road conditions. If you want more information you could try sending a PM to Pterodactyl.

 

[DAC]

Definitely will do once I get closer to replacement time - probably toward the end of this riding season or early next one.

 

[the Ferret]

I'm about to replace the tires on my Ridgeline truck. They are original (Michelin's of course). They aren't near worn out, but they are 8 years old, have 45,000 miles on them and ride hard as a rock lol.

 

[dbarkdoll_imp]

Me too! :banana:

 

[redbirds_imp]

I'm about to replace the tires on my Ridgeline truck. They are original (Michelin's of course). They aren't near worn out, but they are 8 years old, have 45,000 miles on them and ride hard as a rock lol.

Just replaced the original B F Goodrich tires on my Nissan Frontier after 97K miles and they still had a legal level of tread left but were getting a bit "squirrely" on wet pavement. I'm amazed how long modern tires last. When I started driving in '64 a tire was doing well to last 20K miles. Motorcycle tires can't approach these figures but they're much better than in years past.

 

[peterbaron]

Me too! :banana:

PERFECT choice!!!

pb

 

[kennyw]

Wet tar stripes are the only thing I have found that causes the PR3 to slip.

 

[Cormanus]

Wet tar stripes are the only thing I have found that causes the PR3 to slip.

And hot ones when the goop is starting to get soft.

 

[ambbmw_imp]

Just bought my bike in December, a 2013 with 9000 miles. It had the original tires and they still had miles left on them. But since this thread is over 3 years old, it appeared I was late to the PR3 party and most of the party favors are gone.

I am sure I overpaid for the front tire from England, but it arrived in 3 days. Tire was reasonably priced but the $50 shipping hurt. Seems I am lucky to have found it, so I did not mind. Purchased the rear from Bike Bandit and mounted the 2 tires yesterday.

Mounting was easy with my No-mar. Remounting to the bike, the front was straight forward, but the rear was a bit fiddily. A second person would have helped. NOTE: I have the Yoshimura exhaust and have the bracket that has to be installed which lowers the up position of the center stand. I had plenty of clearance on the left side rear, but only about 1/4 an inch on the right side. It was easy to shave off 1/4 inch from the center stand, and it is completely unnoticeable.

Since I bought the bike, the weather in TN has been crap. Really cold, or snow, or rain, nothing like we are used to. Other than short rides, I really have little time on the bike. Today was sunny and though cold in the morning, reached 58°.

The tires, as new tires do, gave the bike a totally different feel. I loved it. Spent the first 40 miles scrubbing the tires. Heavy rains yesterday left surprises on the road, and as this was my first longer ride on the bike, I was still getting the feel of it.

I ride a 2015 BMW GS with ABS and my Honda does not have that feature. I must say, the brakes are "right there" and take little input for a response. As the temperature warmed, I gained confidence in the bike and pushed her a little harder. I really like the way the bike handles and the tires are smooth and planted in the curves.

I look forward to warmer weather and more saddle time to take this bike out and flick it around. The tires are a great choice and make this bike what I want it to be.

My only complaint is the hard feeling suspension. This could just be a point of reference thing, since the Beemer is so smooth in all conditions. Backed out the pre-load and rear shocks to try and soften a bit. I'm sure I will get used to it.

A+ on the tires. Hope they last since finding the front again may not happen again.

 

[the Ferret]

amb, take a 2x4 and cut it into a wedge, that way you can lift the wheel, slide the wedge under and it will hold it while you do the fiddly stuff with chain and axle when you are by yourself.

 

[Cormanus]

amb, looks like the PR3s are available again—I'm assuming that's what you've put on the bike. See Tire Options for our CB1100

 

[ambbmw_imp]

amb, take a 2x4 and cut it into a wedge, that way you can lift the wheel, slide the wedge under and it will hold it while you do the fiddly stuff with chain and axle when you are by yourself.

Thanks for the idea. Will do that.