At 6567 miles on my three month old 09 C14, I installed Michelin Pilot Road 2s and after a 200 miles test ride all I can say is that the PR2's are fantastic. After reading the posts about the OEM tires I still waited until the front was well worn. I should not have waited so long. If you are even thinking about replacing the OEM's, don't wait. Bite the bullet and get it done, the improvement in ride handling is well worth the cost.
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Tires PR2s Don't Wait
- Thread starter ramrider
- Start date
I've run a few sets of Pirelli diablo Strada's. Then the PR2's, and now back to the Pirelli's with the new Angel ST. All I can say is that I loved the Strada's, but they wore faster than I would like. I tryed the PR2's and found that the rear stepped out on me a lot. I feel that they don't inspire the grip and confidence that the pirellis do. But they wear good. I removed the PR2's before they needed to be replaced and installed the Angel ST's on the bike. The bike is back to handling like a dream. I actually like my bike again. I just hope the mileage has improved quite a bit as I've heard on this newer tire. Bionic Bob COG & AMA member First C14 CDA member #0220 08 C14,03 Mean Streak, & 86 C10
It's time for tires for my '09....I have 11,500 on the factory set. Looking at the post's here, it seems the Michelin or Pirrelli's would be a good option, leaning toward the Pirrelli's I think for the handling/performance versus the wear. Couple questions: Where do you recomend purchasing them Where to have them installed What would be a fair price ? Dave
I shop around every time I buy tires since deals and process change. I normally by over the Internet. I look at total price to my door. Then I decide. But if it's only a matter of a few dollars. I'll support people that I've had a good past business dealings. I normally mount them at my buddies house. He has all the goodies. A lift, tire changer and balancer. I do the work and it costs me nothing. I should buy my own equipment. They pay for themselves in no time. These last tires, I bought from the dealer. It costs me a little more for the tires. But since they were removing the tires for new TPS sensors, tire mounting was totally free. A little planning helps! 
Bionic Bob COG & AMA member First C14 CDA member #0220 08 C14,03 Mean Streak, & 86 C10
Bionic Bob COG & AMA member First C14 CDA member #0220 08 C14,03 Mean Streak, & 86 C10
I went with Shinko 05 front and rear. $240 installed at my dealer. Great tires with excellent handling and ride quality. Better than stock anyway which wore poorly on the edges and rode rough. The front stocker especially wore poorly on the edges. I keep 42 in both. The Shinko 05 tires appear to wear two rears to one front. For the price and the performance, I'm keeping um! UP
a set of angels installed balanced $386 that included state tax etc and that was at my local kawa dealer first impression with tyre,i was being pushed around more in a cross wind compared to the oem, but had a better all round feel to them ,trying to work a good pressure for these tyres,seems like everyone says 42 all round and change the settings on the spring preloads cog#9178
just put 400 miles on my new angels over the weekend what a difference they make, its like riding a different bike it grips better in the turns and just feels right when riding this bike, the oem am sure was put on with cost as the major reason, had just under 4000 on the orig lets see how the angels do for wear but at the same time am sure the pr2s do as well, if its a brand you like install them thank you cog#9178
I have 6100 miles on the stockers and they are wearing okay. The rear has some life left as does the front, but the front is doing it's usualy cupping and funny wearing. I purchased a set of new BT-023's to give them a try. I will let you know how they work. I liked the handling of the 21's just not the low mileage. I will be putting another 1500 miles on the bike over the next 4 days and will probably change them out when I get back. Tom
Tom, I'm so disappointed in you. How could you waste your money on more Bridgestones? Pirelli, Pireelli, Pirelli! Way better grip and better wear too! But of course my front Bridgestone was toast at 4,000 miles! Bob Bionic Bob COG & AMA member First C14 CDA member #0220 08 C14,03 Mean Streak, & 86 C10
I had to try them. If they are just as bad, I will write a nasty article to Rider mag! They recommended them, of course that was when there were in Japan being hosted by Bridgestone1 Anyway, I will let you know how it goes. My front is toast now at 7400 miles. Now I just need to find a 22MM hex socket to take the front wheel off and save some $$ on the tire swap.
Anyway, I will let you know how it goes. My front is toast now at 7400 miles. Now I just need to find a 22MM hex socket to take the front wheel off and save some $$ on the tire swap.If you have a bimmer motorad dealer nearby, they may have the hex driver as they use the same size. I followed a suggestion from a friend who suggested I buy a metric bolt with a 22mm head. I took a scale with me to the store and measured the head of various metric bolts until I found the 22mm head. I use two nuts to lock onto the tread so I could drive the bolt. Works like a charm
emorrisette
Tricycle
Ok many of you have had the PR2 and Pirelli for awhile. Would you post your mileage on the tires and mire of your thoughts? I'm getting close to needing stock tires replaced. Two months and 3300 miles on my new 2009 c14 and I have wore the centers out. Are the tires that have better life when it comes to highway driving. You know east coast style tires.
You will probably get better mileage out of the PR2's. I don't know what I would have gotten out of them since I removed them at about 6K (before they were worn out). I went back to Pirelli which have much better grip and would probably be replaced for me at 6K also. The difference for me was that I wear out the Pirelli and have sure footed confidence till the end. With the Pr2's, I never had confidence in cornering and would have the rear step out on me constantly unprovoked. I removed my Pr2's early because of it. But just because I didn't find the PR2's acceptable, doesn't mean that wouldn't either. Bionic Bob COG & AMA member First C14 CDA member #0220 08 C14,03 Mean Streak, & 86 C10
emorrisette
Tricycle
Thanks for the updates on your tire status. So, I bought the tread depth guage cause Lincolns head maybe a quick indicator but I wanted exact readings. Do you riders find that your front tire wears faster than the rear tire? Or is this a driving style that causes this to happen? Ninty percent of the time I am upright. Not very many twisties on the capitol beltway. Front tire currently reads 3mm and the rear reads 6.5mm. The C14 owners manual stated minimum is 1mm for the front and 2mm or 3mm for the rear depending on if you go over 80 mph. The wear bar on the tire is 2mm high. Should I replace the just the front tire when I get to the wear bar or 1mm left or should I replace both tires? Should you always replace both tires at the same time? They are not manufatured at the same time. Please remember this is my first street motorcycle. I'm used to little dirt bikes with mega tread compared to these smooth street tires with little tiny grooves. Eric
I'm not nearly as versed in tire knowlege as others, but when I had the orrig Bridgestones swapped for some Angels, I was told the front will wear faster than the rear because of the weight distribution being more forward. He also pointed out how the left side of the rear tire wore more than the right side because of the drive shaft delivering power on that side. It was rather a minor ammount of wear relative to the overall condition, but an interesting side note! Proper inflation is paramount I learned as well.....just say'n.
Riding on my third pair of PR-2's. These tires stick fine all the way to dragging the pegs and last for 10,000 miles. Keep the pressures at or above 42 psi and ride them long and hard.
I've now got 9,700 miles on the PR2's and they look very good. Both tires are showing a uniform wear pattern across the tread surface. Front tire measures 2.5mm (0.101" actual) on center line and the rear measures 3.4 mm (0.135" actual) near center so I think I've got a number of miles to go. I run the tires with enough pressure to eliminate scalloping. If I see a hint of scalloping appear either side of the contact patch on the centerline, I add a pound of air then check the tire after the next ride.
I've found that a small change of tire pressure effects the handling. When inflated to the pressures I like, the tires feel great. Last week I got a little lazy checking the cold tire pressures as the ambient air temperature dropped to the mid 40F's. The handling suffered with a loss of confidence on turn in when the TPMS showed 2 psi less than my normal. I added air to the pressures I use and the confidence returned.
I've found that a small change of tire pressure effects the handling. When inflated to the pressures I like, the tires feel great. Last week I got a little lazy checking the cold tire pressures as the ambient air temperature dropped to the mid 40F's. The handling suffered with a loss of confidence on turn in when the TPMS showed 2 psi less than my normal. I added air to the pressures I use and the confidence returned.
Any information I've seen from Kawi indicates that all factory settings for the C14 are for a 150lb rider. I don't know about you, but I don't meet that weight. In addition I'm not sure what their standard riding conditions are, I only know how I ride so I've made some changes in the setup of my '09 C14. I've set both front and rear springs and shocks to about 2/3 hard. Here's the info I used for tire pressure.
Awhile back I saw some information provided by Nick at RMCG - Cycle Parts and Accessories. He said their tire vendor gave him a formula to use and this, according to the vendor, was the most accurate way to determine the correct tire pressure in MC tires.
According to Nick, this is what the vendor told him. Check the air pressure in your tires when the tires are cold. Ride the bike at highway speed for 20 minutes or so to get them to operating temp, pull over and recheck the pressure. If the hot pressure is more than 5 pounds above the cold pressure the tire is under inflated, building heat and adding pressure. If the hot pressure is 5 pounds or less above the cold pressure the tire is properly inflated. If the hot pressure is close to or the same as the cold pressure, the tire is over inflated.
Yes, this is hard work and most of us won't perform this before or during every ride. But if you can rely on a formula and you check it a few times in varying conditions of ambient temperature, loaded / unloaded, two up or whatever scenario you find yourself riding, you should be able to get an average cold pressure that you can use for your varying riding conditions.
To prove or disprove this formula here's some info that had been found at "Dan’s Motorcycle Tires and Tubes."
“With the tire cold, take the tire pressure. Now ride for 15 minutes or so at freeway speed. Stop and take the pressure again. If the pressure has gone up more than three PSI the tire pressure is too low. This allows the tire to heat up too much, raising its pressure. If it's the same, the tire pressure is too high. It's not allowing the tire to warm up right. If it's hot pressure is three PSI higher than its cold pressure, the cold pressure is correct. The tire is the correct temperature and all is right with the world!”
Awhile back I saw some information provided by Nick at RMCG - Cycle Parts and Accessories. He said their tire vendor gave him a formula to use and this, according to the vendor, was the most accurate way to determine the correct tire pressure in MC tires.
According to Nick, this is what the vendor told him. Check the air pressure in your tires when the tires are cold. Ride the bike at highway speed for 20 minutes or so to get them to operating temp, pull over and recheck the pressure. If the hot pressure is more than 5 pounds above the cold pressure the tire is under inflated, building heat and adding pressure. If the hot pressure is 5 pounds or less above the cold pressure the tire is properly inflated. If the hot pressure is close to or the same as the cold pressure, the tire is over inflated.
Yes, this is hard work and most of us won't perform this before or during every ride. But if you can rely on a formula and you check it a few times in varying conditions of ambient temperature, loaded / unloaded, two up or whatever scenario you find yourself riding, you should be able to get an average cold pressure that you can use for your varying riding conditions.
To prove or disprove this formula here's some info that had been found at "Dan’s Motorcycle Tires and Tubes."
“With the tire cold, take the tire pressure. Now ride for 15 minutes or so at freeway speed. Stop and take the pressure again. If the pressure has gone up more than three PSI the tire pressure is too low. This allows the tire to heat up too much, raising its pressure. If it's the same, the tire pressure is too high. It's not allowing the tire to warm up right. If it's hot pressure is three PSI higher than its cold pressure, the cold pressure is correct. The tire is the correct temperature and all is right with the world!”
RAMrider said:
IMHO there are far too many variables involved for this method to be reliable. Tire construction, compound, vehicle weight, speed, type of road surface, ambiant temperature, load on the Motorcycle, weight of the motorcycle, etc. etc. etc.
Best just to rely on checking them in an ambiant temperature state and adjust as needed...the next day. 8)
rob.leopold
Training Wheels
BBAR said:I tryed the PR2's and found that the rear stepped out on me a lot.
Bionic Bob COG & AMA member First C14 CDA member #0220 08 C14,03 Mean Streak, & 86 C10
Dang Bob,
If you can go hard enough to make the PR2s step out, I hope I never have to try to keep up with you on a ride......
dbharr
Big Wheel
Wow you guys did great on your factory tires, I got to 3,000 miles and my front was shot to hell I just put a set of pr2 on for 339.00 installed. I think on line is the way to go but I needed them now because I ride every day. I hope to do better with this set than the factory tires and yes they sucked, noticed in the first 6' the difference in the pr2s. Wow.
I just put a set of pr2 on for 339.00 installed. I think on line is the way to go but I needed them now because I ride every day. I hope to do better with this set than the factory tires and yes they sucked, noticed in the first 6' the difference in the pr2s. Wow. I only got 3400 out of stockers. I am on my second pair of PR2's. My first set lasted almost 12000 miles. There was a lot of superslab on that set though. Back and forth from Atlanta to Myrtle Beach and Atlanta to St Augustine. I did hit the Dragon and area roads for 6 days when they were fresh though.
I got 3400 out of my stock stones which I didn't really mind. They had an irritating tendency to require constant input at the bars to hold a line but seemed to stick okay and were predictable when they let go. I should have replaced them sooner than I did given the condition of the front.
I've ridden a grand total of 5 miles on the PR2's I bought and can concur they are vastly superior to the Bridgestones. The bike feels lighter and holds a line without effort. Word to the wise, pull your stock tires off before you leave the dealer and put PR2's PR3's Pirelli Angels or Conti road attack 2's or ANYTHING other than the stones on. Then go home and put the stones on Craigslist or e-bay to recoup some of the cost. Your dealer may even buy them back from you for a fair price. Just do it.
I've ridden a grand total of 5 miles on the PR2's I bought and can concur they are vastly superior to the Bridgestones. The bike feels lighter and holds a line without effort. Word to the wise, pull your stock tires off before you leave the dealer and put PR2's PR3's Pirelli Angels or Conti road attack 2's or ANYTHING other than the stones on. Then go home and put the stones on Craigslist or e-bay to recoup some of the cost. Your dealer may even buy them back from you for a fair price. Just do it.