Bridgestone, Dunlop, Michelin???

Fireman6615

Fireman6615

Registered
OK guys and gals here's my deal. I ride mostly in the mountains, flat roads to get there, and occasionally back and forth to work. The Bridgestone BT016's came on the Busa when I got it and they seemed to do quite well. Got about 6,000 miles out of a set. Switched to the Dunlop Q'2's because of all the great feedback that was given here, Couldn't tell much difference between them and the Bridgestone's, only problem is I got about 3,000 miles out of those. I've been looking at the Michelin Road 3's and thinking about giving those a try because of the longevity of the tire but don't want to sacrifice too much in grip when in the mountains. I ride pretty hard in the mountains but probably only about 80% of my skill level. I really don't think I'm riding hard enough to justify the cost and replacement of the Q'2's, but also scared to commit to the Michelin Road 3 because of the loss of grip that I've read about. Only thing left, I think, is to go back to the Bridgestone's unless anyone can offer some real experience with the Michelins or other options and can convince me to go that route. Thanks guys, opinions are always greatly appreciated.
 
Go with a mixed set for good grip and longevity:

Dunlop Q3 front/Roadsmart rear
Michelin Pp3 front/PR3 rear
Avon 3d Ultra Supersport front/Storm 2 Ultra rear(my personal choice)


452228379_295.jpeg

452228379_295.jpeg
 
Thanks Bret, I've been doing some reading on mixed sets, seems like most are running more of the Sport Tire on the front and the Sport Touring tire on the rear. I've never tried ANY of the Michelins, never really been a fan of those.
 
I ran a set of the PR2s on my Busa and they did well. Good miles and grip. Can't speak to the PR3s.
 
I have a Dunlop Sportmax GP front and Michelin Pilot Power rear and I hate this combo! I used to run Pilot Road tires on my other bikes and never had traction issues. I wasn't dragging knees with them, but awful close. The tires I have now are the ones that were on my 'Busa when I bought it. I can't pull power wheelies because it spins before the front tire comes up and I low sided a corner that any tire with even decent traction should have handled no problem. I'm planning on putting new tires on her in the spring so I too am curious what has worked good for everyone.
 
Gary,

I've been running the PR3's since the spring bash ( actually just before ) . I have not had any grip issues and it looks like they'll live up to the promise of 15K miles or better.

This set of tires were the cheapest tires I've ran. I may have got lucky :dunno:

The guy that put me on them runs harder than either of us.

I say give them a try.
 
Yea Robert I knew you had these tires and didn't know how hard you ran them. I don't run my tires completely to the edge, small "safety margin" is left for those just in case moments! I haven't really spoke with anyone that's run them in the mountains yet and I'd sure like to know how they hold up when diving in pretty hard. I know they don't compare to a true Sport Tire but if they held pretty good I'd give them a try.
 
Scar, he was with you at the fall bash :poke:

I've got about an 1/8 " chicken strip on the rear and 1/4" up front. No issues, super great in a pour down .
 
I have no experience on the PR3s other than watching a Busa shod with them slide in every corner. The bike was being pushed though.

I have do have experience with the Avon setup and can say without pause that they are good for all the lean angle a Busa has to offer.

It sounds like you will be good to go with any of them. Pick which tread patter you like and buy them:thumbsup:
 
It is necessary to understand corners before you can conquer corners. Same with tires, first you must understand tires before you can conquer tires! If the manufacturer has the term "Touring" attached to a tire it may work well for the advanced rider who's input at the controls are as smooth as silk but not recommended for the average guy who works all week and romps the mountain twisties on Sunday mornings. If a rider gets 10K+ miles on a tire and recommends it for aggressive riding, you can pretty much guess their level of twisty riding is low or they know you have been romping their daughter and would rather see your legs in casts.

The only difference in a sticky tire and touring tire is the sticky tire will allow you to make much bigger mistakes and stay on two wheels. So the moral of the story is: If you can consistantly ride smooth as warm butter on a regular basis while spankin the twisties or you never exceed the posted speed limits, then ride whatever you like. However, if your skills were among the upper tier you would already be educated in tire performance and wouldn't be asking for advise on tire choice. :dunno:
 
I have PR3s on the Busa and Avon Storm 2 Ultras on the FJR and I'm happy with both regarding the tread wear, performance & handling, especially in the rain but since I don't "consistantly ride smooth as warm butter on a regular basis while spankin the twisties" nor do I "never exceed the posted speed limits"... so I guess I don't have a clue what I'm talking about. I choose not to "conquer" anything - I choose to ride and enjoy every minute I can spend on 2 wheels including the mistakes I make and learn from.
 
Tufbusa said:
It is necessary to understand corners before you can conquer corners. Same with tires, first you must understand tires before you can conquer tires! If the manufacturer has the term "Touring" attached to a tire it may work well for the advanced rider who's input at the controls are as smooth as silk but not recommended for the average guy who works all week and romps the mountain twisties on Sunday mornings. If a rider gets 10K+ miles on a tire and recommends it for aggressive riding, you can pretty much guess their level of twisty riding is low or they know you have been romping their daughter and would rather see your legs in casts.

The only difference in a sticky tire and touring tire is the sticky tire will allow you to make much bigger mistakes and stay on two wheels. So the moral of the story is: If you can consistantly ride smooth as warm butter on a regular basis while spankin the twisties or you never exceed the posted speed limits, then ride whatever you like. However, if your skills were among the upper tier you would already be educated in tire performance and wouldn't be asking for advise on tire choice. :dunno:
Click to expand...

Point taken and as you already know, I learned firsthand of what you speak.
 
I currently run Michelin. I have a pilot power 3 on the front and a pilot road 3 on the rear. I like them but I by no means can be called an aggressive corner guy on the street. I prefer to leave that on the track where it belongs
 
I am running Dunlop Q2 in the front, and Dunlop Roadsmart in the rear. Have 4500 miles on them already, looks like I will hit 6000 easy, with several WOT moments and some intense cornering. I wont say that the grip of the Roadsmarts is nearly what the Q2 was, but I will say it performs well in the rain, and has very reasonable grip. The trade off of slightly less grip (would still spin the wheel on the Q2s) definitely is worth the extra few thousand miles.

-THE MENACE
 
Tufbusa said:
It is necessary to understand corners before you can conquer corners. Same with tires, first you must understand tires before you can conquer tires! If the manufacturer has the term "Touring" attached to a tire it may work well for the advanced rider who's input at the controls are as smooth as silk but not recommended for the average guy who works all week and romps the mountain twisties on Sunday mornings. If a rider gets 10K+ miles on a tire and recommends it for aggressive riding, you can pretty much guess their level of twisty riding is low or they know you have been romping their daughter and would rather see your legs in casts.

The only difference in a sticky tire and touring tire is the sticky tire will allow you to make much bigger mistakes and stay on two wheels. So the moral of the story is: If you can consistantly ride smooth as warm butter on a regular basis while spankin the twisties or you never exceed the posted speed limits, then ride whatever you like. However, if your skills were among the upper tier you would already be educated in tire performance and wouldn't be asking for advise on tire choice. :dunno:
Click to expand...

Rude just rude, anyway the PR3 incorporates three different compounds. The center is somewhat hard for great mileage while riding down the interstate. As you work toward the outside of the tread it gets softer and grips pretty darn good. Not many folks push it to the edge on the streets because of other vehicles, guard rails, utility poles, trees, mailboxes, road debris, and the all time favorite loose gravel. Not to many folks out on the road running race tires, but then again, I've seen a lot of professionals, lowside, highside, and take a trip through the gravel / off course. But that's just me.
 
dadofthree said:
Rude just rude, anyway the PR3 incorporates three different compounds. The center is somewhat hard for great mileage while riding down the interstate. As you work toward the outside of the tread it gets softer and grips pretty darn good. Not many folks push it to the edge on the streets because of other vehicles, guard rails, utility poles, trees, mailboxes, road debris, and the all time favorite loose gravel. Not to many folks out on the road running race tires, but then again, I've seen a lot of professionals, lowside, highside, and take a trip through the gravel / off course. But that's just me.
Click to expand...

Not rude but unabashedly truthful!
 
You know, giving a good honest opinion is one thing, but you don't have to disrespect another member.

I'd like to know if Tuf has ever put miles on a set of PR3's on a Busa :poke:

Absolutely a lot of truth in what he said, but we're not talking single tread touring tires that get 25K miles.
 
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