Dunlop q's vs michelin pilot powers report

Burger King

breakin' the law
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A couple of weeks ago I put on a new set of Dunlop Qualifiers on my busa and headed to the mountains. I rode the Cherahola, the Dragon and the Blueridge as well as the Skyway in Virginia and came back through the West Virginia mountains. All in all it was a 3K trip. The rear Q was showing cords when I got home. The Dunlops never slipped once for some very aggressive mountain twisties. With temps nearing the upper 90's and some near 100 mph 10 mile interstate blasts the Q's felt like hot glue when touched by the hand. I was very happy with them.

The next set was Pilot Powers. As soon as I got on the bike and hit the road (not literally) I noticed a big difference in the way they felt. It was like I was on skates. The turn in was so much quicker it was almost unnerving. I was a little apprehensive at first but knew from past experience that all tires have their own "feel" so I just needed to get use to them. I saddled up again for a 4 day ride to the mountains. Cherahola, Dragon, Blueridge and a very fun peg dragging stretch of hwy 74A with some local Asheville sportbike riders.
Again, the biggest difference I noticied between the Q's and the PP's was the PP's very quick turn ins. The Q's were lethargic in comparison. The next difference was the PP's gave more feedback in that I could feel all the subtle (and not so subtle) changes in the road surface. Both tire brands were very confidence inspiring. Never a hint of losing grip on a heavy, power hungry beast.
At least for me, I think the PP's will be the tire to beat for aggressive twisties on the busa.
 
From what I've read PP last longer than Q. That and the quicker turn in make me a PP fan also.
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I use a 180/55, so there's even quicker turn in
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This trip I only logged 1,400K so I have a ways to go before I know what kind of mileage I get. So far they look great.
 
Thanks for the tire comparison. I have not personally tried the Qualifiers myself but have heard nothing but rave reviews about them. A short time back Jinkster tried out a set of Qualifiers and was hooked. He was a die hard Pilot Power guy and according to him the Qualifier is leaps and bounds ahead of the PP's.

I did try out a set of PP's on my gixxer and wasn't thrilled at all. I found them to be quite squirmy on hard braking and with that soft flexible casing, I couldn't feel anything on the road. I felt like I was riding on big balloons. They did have good grip but that was the only thing I could brag about on them. I enjoy spending time on the rear tire and found the PP's to be the worst of the bunch for sustained wheelies. I disliked them so much, I took them off and gave them away after two weeks. That was my only set of PP's I'll ever own.

I much prefer a tire with a stiff sidewall for performance. I think the PP would be a great tire for cruising. Ride like a Cadilac Eldorado, smooth as silk.

One other thing on the PP's. I've seen several bikes all wadded up with PP's. The story is, they grip well but when they decide to turn loose, they let go without warning?
 
TufBusa...id take that advice with a grain of salt regarding the PPs, my buddy Mike (ZXMurphy) runs the PPs on his ZX10R with no problems, in fact he likes them...though it is summer time so perhaps that has something to do with it.

Although your thoughts on the casing being soft is enough for me to stay away from them...I like my BT015s so I am sticking with them for now... though I might try the M3 or Qualifiers myself next.
 
............One other thing on the PP's. I've seen several bikes all wadded up with PP's. The story is, they grip well but when they decide to turn loose, they let go without warning?
Don't know whether that is true or not but that is the same thing that was said 15 years ago.....way back when I was doing some club racing. Might have more to do with twisting the wrist instead.
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Installed a PP on the rear for my Montana trip and after 3,700 miles I couldn't be happier. It performed well under all conditions including crossing Oregon at twice the speed limit along with all the corners Montana, Oregon and Idaho have to offer.
 
I've been running Pilot Powers for the last 2 twisty rides in the WV mountains. I'll be switching to the Dunlop Q's next week. I will give my own comparison review after I get them in the twisties. Standby.
 
I've been running Pilot Powers for the last 2 twisty rides in the WV mountains. I'll be switching to the Dunlop Q's next week. I will give my own comparison review after I get them in the twisties. Standby.
Be careful in WV. There were a lot of little pebbles/rocks in almost every corner I came through in the mountains.
 
Q's felt like hot glue when touched by the hand[/QUOTE]
Oh yeah. They even accumulate little bits of the road
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TufBusa...id take that advice with a grain of salt regarding the PPs, my buddy Mike (ZXMurphy) runs the PPs on his ZX10R with no problems, in fact he likes them...though it is summer time so perhaps that has something to do with it.

Although your thoughts on the casing being soft is enough for me to stay away from them...I like my BT015s so I am sticking with them for now...  though I might try the M3 or Qualifiers myself next.
Hey BV, be sure to let us know what you think of the Qualifiers? I'd like to try a set but right now I have Dunlop Sportmax GP's on my gixxer and I'm quite impressed. Talk about a confidence builder! I went through a number of BT014's and loved them. But these Sportmax tires are a step up in my opinion. My son gave me a set to try and I'm enjoying them. They are a little stiff for every day use but sure does give great feal for the road.

The PP is a good tire, I'm not condeming it by any means. Personally, I want a tire that will spin up coming out of a corner without lighting up. I also want one that I can push the front without it turning loose. If you also like those characteristics, I think one would be wise to go with something other than PP's. Pirelli's are probably the best tire for feel of the track I've ever been on. These Sportmax's are so planted, I haven't had them spin at all or get front end drift? I don't know how they will act once they break traction?
 
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