Ducati Monster Forum

Well, I need to start planning for new tires.

My S4RS has the factory Michelin Pilot Powers.  They're great and all, but evidently they wear quickly.

Given that I'm really not very aggressive in the corners (a little bit, but I'm sure I'm not coming anywhere near to using much of the current tire's capability) I would love some suggestions for replacement tires that wear a bit longer, but still have a bit of stickiness.  Oh, and reasonable cost is always good.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

There's this thread about tire ratings (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=2444.0) in the tech section of the forum and try the 'search' and you'll find threads about tires.

Personally I run Pilot Road 2ct and I'm pretty happy with the grip they offer. I can't talk about life, since I've only had them for a season (about 2k), however they seem fine so far.

I have Road 2cts on my KTM and like them a lot. I have a couple friends with Pirelli Angels and they really like them as well. I'm probably going to get those next. Both have plenty of traction for street riding, and very good wet traction.

Any sport touring tire will probably work for you though.

I went from Pilot Power to Pilot Road 2CT for that exact reason.  The tire life is noticebally longer.  My riding skill is nowhere near some of you so the tire grip doesn't impact my "aggressive canyon carving".  I did notice that the Road 2CT takes longer to warm up.  The shape of the tire is slightly different so leaning over felt a little weird at first.  Got used to it after a few rides.

I suggest round ones.   ;D

I've run Michelin Pilot Road/Road 2CT on both my bikes for many miles.  They are fantastic tires.  On the Bandit (which I use for touring, commuting and fun), gets about 10,000 miles from a rear and more from a front.

My Pilot Power 2CTs seem to last about 2k for a front and MAYBE that for a rear.  The moral of the story is don't get Pilot Powers if you're looking for mileage.   ;D

I did get more than that from a set of Pirelli Diablo Rossos, but not much more.....nearly 3K.

I put the Pirelli Angels on the 900 and am very impressed.  I've had Michellin 2CT and Pilot Powers both of which I personally did not like.  I have the Diablo Rosso on the S4R and feel much more secure, although I know I'm sacrificing mileage it's a peace of mind thing.  I will give two thumbs up for the Angels though, they haven't slipped yet.

another vote for the road 2ct. i just put a second set on my s2r1000 last summer. got about twice the mileage that i was getting with the powers (over 6k vs. around 3k.)

Dissenter's voice:

Continental Road Attack. Because of their profile, it seems like the farther you lean them over, the more "stuck" they are. They're definitely tall/narrow, that is, they "fall" into a corner well, but once in the corner, they're ridiculously stable. They also last quite a while. My RA rear lasted me a little over 6,000 miles and still had some tread left. It was fairly "squared off" by the time I replaced it, but that is largely my own fault for substituting the "thumb check" for a legitimate "tire pressure check w/gauge."

Okay, okay, so they've got a "funny" tread pattern. Big whoop. When I got mine it was less $$ INSTALLED than a Michelin 2CT outright purchase.

My SMT came with Conti Road Attacks. I couldn't wait to get them off as I hated the feel, especially in the wet. Got about 4K out of the rear before it was done.

Tire feel is personal though...

Road 2ct REALLY improved both ride and handling on mine.

+1 Road 2ct.

+1 thumbs up on the Angel ST.

Been using it on my daily commute for the past 3000km, seems like they'll probably be good for 10k under my normal riding. I feel more confident on it compared to my previous set of tires (BT016), especially in the wet. Rode in heavy rain a few times, once thru a 6 inch puddle at maybe 50kmh, no major drama, nice deep fat grooves till the edges to channel water away. Managed to finally get to the edges on a recent trackday to Sepang. A do-it-all tire for a do-it-all bike.

Jesus, you must be drifting out of every corner.  I got about 4k out of the Power 2cts, but the grip is so worth the money.  I'm coming up on a new full set replacement this spring so I may go for the Road 2cts just to see what the hype is all about.  Word on the street is that if you're just going for the weekend backroads carving then the harder compound will suffice, but those of us who want the occasional track day want to to with the Power 2cts or the Pures (sorry, haven't researched many other brands lately).  If you consider yourself "middle of the pack" on the road, chances are you'll do fine with a little harder compound.  I've only been riding since 2008 however, so I'm willing to pay for that little bit of extra grip until I have enough miles under my belt to figure out what kind of tire is "sufficient" for road use.  Check out that link Pepe mentioned as well.  A lot of good review there.

Pilot Road 3 tires are coming out.  "The Pilot Road 3 tire features the latest-generation 2CT dual-compound technology, with a soft rubber compound on the tread shoulders and a wear-resistant compound down the middle, and all-new “XST” X-Sipe technology. The MICHELIN Pilot Road 3 tire goes on sale in January 2011."

Another vote here for Pilot Road 2CT.  I went through three sets of Powers on the rear...the first came on the bike, the second and third gave me pretty close to 3000 miles each  before I switched to the Roads.  I'm at 5000 and just about ready to replace it.  I was hoping for closer to 7000, but I switched to a 14 tooth sprocket a few months ago and it appears to have accelerated the wear.  Still run a Power on the front, should be good for 7-8K.

Was not aware of the new Road 3...could mean the 2 will be cheaper =)

That would be nice!  [thumbsup]

i had the non 2ct version of pilot roads on my 900. they lasted forever. unfortunately. fair grip, but no feedback.

motorcycle tires are not car tires.  they should be discarded due to age and/or irregular profile even if mileage isn't to the arbitrary figure in your head.


i had the pilot powers (non 2ct's again) before the pilot roads. Much better grip and feedback, better profile - but squared off quickly. Really only good for spirited twisties because of how quickly they squared up in the city. That, and I whacked the throttle open with reckless abandon which didn't help so much.


Currently on the bike: Pirelli supercorsas just to see what its like to have gobs of grip. The feedback and grip is incredible. Price is not.

Other tires to consider: Dunlop Q2's - I may grab a set of these next since I'm not interested in a more pedestrian tire choice on this bike.

On the other 900 in the garage, it will be wearing Road2/3's or Angel STs.  It came to me with metzlers, but pretty well worn, so I am changing tires before even venturing out on them.

Just finished mounting a set of Pures on the 800.  Saved 1/2+ lbs in the front and 1 lbs in the rear over the Pirelly Dragons.  No ride report yet, sorry.  These were 160/60 and 120/60 stock sizes.

Which 800?  My S2R 800 stock tire size is a 180/55-17 on the rear and 120/70-17 on the front.

2003 M800S.  The dual sided swingarm kind.  For us who can't tell right from left.  The Pures seem so light you may be able to save even more weight on your rear.

Did that bike not have a 5.5" rear?

Front is 3.5X17, Rear is 4.5X17.    [bang]

I have 4000+ on Dunlop sportmax's (sport touring) and still going strong. A lot of freeway riding.
The stock bridgestones went to 10k- could have gone farther, but they were getting ready to split.

I'm generally confused between the two - but I think there are the Pilot POWER 2 (Michelin loves to include verbage about 2CT technology in the description), and there is the Pilot ROAD 2CT.

Powers are the slightly stickier (or faster wearing anyway).

PR2CT is a very popular choice, no doubt the PR3 will be nice as well.

I change my own tires so I'm trying the math with a cheaper, faster wearing PP2.

You gotta factor in cost of mounting with tire purchase.

i think its the other way around (pilot road 2's and pilot power 2ct) but it matters not - if its a "2" or "2ct" (meaning the same thing: dual compound, harder in the middle, softer on the sides), and the road is the sport touring tire (whether a "2" or not) and the power is a street-sport tire (dual compound or not).

check out the michelin website to see how they rank the pilot power to the pilot one and pilot pure before evaluating it as a true supersport or hypersport tire, and in relation to the road/road2 models.

note: the road3 is not yet listed on the michelin website (though several places list online that it is currently available to buy)

I've been running the old-skool Pilot Roads and I like them. We've ridden together Nordog, and for my type of riding I've had no issues with traction or wear.  They are very round and provide very neutral steering inputs, unlike the PP that seem to "drop" into the turns.

I would buy them again.

I <3 my pirelli diablo supercorsa pro's

 [laugh] Bad choice if wear is a consideration! Great track tires though.

Thanks, that sounds like what I'm looking for.  As you probably remember, my riding style is not very aggressive to begin with, so super sticky tires are not much of a priority for me.  Especially so now that I'm commuting to work daily on my bike; lots of straight line surface street riding there.

dude, you need some pilot roads or road 2's. i went to vegas and back on a pair and they looked quite fine afterwards.

That's the sense I got from your post.  I've used Competition Accessories for a number of years and I've had good dealings with them.

Pilot Roads from them are $218.98 shipped:

http://www.compacc.com/p/Michelin-Pilot-Road-Motorcycle-Tires-Z-Rated-Package-Specials (http://www.compacc.com/p/Michelin-Pilot-Road-Motorcycle-Tires-Z-Rated-Package-Specials)

I'm sure other places sell them for a similar price.

ProItalia in Glendale will mount/balance for $20 if you take just the wheels...this is per wheel.

GL!

$178.00 Shipped  Sale on most Michelins

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/28/396/10987/ITEM/Michelin-Pilot-Road-2-Rear-Tire.aspx?WT.ac=RichAutoComplete (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/28/396/10987/ITEM/Michelin-Pilot-Road-2-Rear-Tire.aspx?WT.ac=RichAutoComplete)

I just ordered front and rear Michelin Pilot Power 2CT Tires for a grand total of $221.98 including the ship.  Such a deal as the man said.

Single tire or the set?

I added set of Pilot Roads  (front and rear) and that comes up to:

$222.98

Unless you are using a discount code of sorts?

The link was for the previous quarry about the roads, I just bought a set of powers 2ct for the $221.00 with no discount.  The $178.00 was for a single roads.......Your deal sounds better yet for the roads.

IC - for a moment I thought the set was being sold for $178, I was ready to whip out my CC and place an order :-)

I also took advantage of the MCSS sale on the Pilot Road 2ct's and have them just about broken in I think.  I am not a terribly aggresive rider and was looking for some good mileage so these seemed like the best choice for me.  I just got off the road during a pretty good rain and was shocked at how good they felt.  Much better than the Diablo's they replaced.   [moto]

I got my Power 2CT's today and man are they sticky, can't wait to try them out. (Michigan crap)  I can tell I will get only one summer out of them being so soft but it is all a trade off.  I don't remember my roads being that sticky new.

Mmmmm.  Love me some Power 2cts.  They usually hang on way longer than I think I can :)

I put power 2ct's on my s4rs about a year ago.  They are lasting noticeably longer than the stock tires.  I thought they were good, but they must be really good with so many votes.

Why is everyone on here calling the Michelin Pilot Road 2's, Pilot Road 2CT's??

According to Michelin they are designated a Pilot Road 2... The only tire with a 2CT desigantion is the Pilot Power... Both are however a dual compound tire...

http://www.michelinmotorcycle.com/index.cfm?event=tirecatalog.view (http://www.michelinmotorcycle.com/index.cfm?event=tirecatalog.view)

Ha! Guilty as charged, I think I have it straight in my head. Ordering a pair PP2CT for the 620, from Derby Cycles, shipped for under $200. (120F/160R)

I've posted this elsewhere, but it will help

The Pilot Road come as original or 2, the 2 uses 2CT or dual compound technology but it's not part of the designation as in the Pilot Power.
The reasoning I see is that the Pilot Road and Pilot Road 2 are different tread patterns, thereby different models per se.
It would be redundant to say Pilot Road 2 2CT
The Pilot Power and Pilot Power 2CT are the same tread pattern, just different compound makeup

(http://www.michelinmotorcycle.com/img/sport_comparo_lg.jpg)

pilot powers depending on you ride. If you flog get the multi compound .Just regular road use pilot powers will work.Good and sticky good in the wet or dry. A good all around tire for sure. [thumbsup]