C650GT tires - thoughts
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LongRanger
New member
Michelin Pilot Road 4’s on my ‘19 C650GT. It’s too early to tell how well they’ll hold up, but if the PR4’s on my R1200RT are any indication, I’d expect to see 8,000-10,000 miles out of them.
Minister of Etc
Member
Currently running -- Pirelli Diablo Rosso.
Have run 2 sets of these so far -- 1 set on my 2014 for 5,000 miles before it was stolen, and one set on my current 2016, with around 7k miles on them so far.
The set on my 2014 bike replaced a set of Bridgestone Battlax tires that were 1-2 years old, and the set on the 2016 replaced the OEM Metzler FreelFree rubber that shipped with them -- so those were ~5 years old at time of replacement.
I prefer my Diablo Rosso experience to either the Bridgestones or the Metzler -- however fair or unfair the comparison is, especially when replacing 5-year-old rubber. So far, my current set of Pirelli are holding up great, with me putting ~400 miles a week on the bike. I expect to get 10,000 miles out of them, as LongRanger does with his Michelin Road Pilots.
To echo LongRanger, I also like Michelin's Pilot series. I swore by their Pilot Road 3's on a previous scooter I had. I might run Michelins again in the future, but I keep finding these Pirelli for under $300 a set, while the Road Pilot 4's are about $100 more expensive each time I've shopped.
What's more important IMO is knowing which tires you *won't* use.
Have run 2 sets of these so far -- 1 set on my 2014 for 5,000 miles before it was stolen, and one set on my current 2016, with around 7k miles on them so far.
The set on my 2014 bike replaced a set of Bridgestone Battlax tires that were 1-2 years old, and the set on the 2016 replaced the OEM Metzler FreelFree rubber that shipped with them -- so those were ~5 years old at time of replacement.
I prefer my Diablo Rosso experience to either the Bridgestones or the Metzler -- however fair or unfair the comparison is, especially when replacing 5-year-old rubber. So far, my current set of Pirelli are holding up great, with me putting ~400 miles a week on the bike. I expect to get 10,000 miles out of them, as LongRanger does with his Michelin Road Pilots.
To echo LongRanger, I also like Michelin's Pilot series. I swore by their Pilot Road 3's on a previous scooter I had. I might run Michelins again in the future, but I keep finding these Pirelli for under $300 a set, while the Road Pilot 4's are about $100 more expensive each time I've shopped.
What's more important IMO is knowing which tires you *won't* use.
Delray
Well-known member
Shinko's are a nice combination of performance + price.
Shinko SR567 (front) and SR568 (rear) are roughly $50 and $70. I have them delivered to my house, then take the tire off the bike and bring it to a dealer. They put the new tire on the rim and balance for $35. I take the tire home and put it back on the bike. Total cost for a tire change is $85 (front) to $105 (rear).
For me, Shinko's hug the road, they're great in rain, currently at 6,000 miles front and rear with lots of miles left. However, I've read great reviews of Diablo's and wonder if the higher price improves the ride that much (I'm a slow and steady rider in no danger of scraping my center stand or sullying my chicken strips).
I know a Corbin seat is nearly $1,000 for the GT and I haven't purchased one, but having owned four Corbins, I believe 100% one would be worth the money.
Shinko SR567 (front) and SR568 (rear) are roughly $50 and $70. I have them delivered to my house, then take the tire off the bike and bring it to a dealer. They put the new tire on the rim and balance for $35. I take the tire home and put it back on the bike. Total cost for a tire change is $85 (front) to $105 (rear).
For me, Shinko's hug the road, they're great in rain, currently at 6,000 miles front and rear with lots of miles left. However, I've read great reviews of Diablo's and wonder if the higher price improves the ride that much (I'm a slow and steady rider in no danger of scraping my center stand or sullying my chicken strips).
I know a Corbin seat is nearly $1,000 for the GT and I haven't purchased one, but having owned four Corbins, I believe 100% one would be worth the money.
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Minister of Etc
Member
There you are, showing off that great big toolbox of yours again...
I have zero shame about showing up with tires I bought elsewhere at BMW Motorrad. They mark up their parts, they know that I know it, and might even have to order my tires anyway. If I'll do it with a belt, and I did it with the LED bulbs I had them install, why not tires? I think they ended up doing my latest ones for "free," because I had other stuff done at the same time.
I do indeed drive like I stole it, but the majority of my mileage is back and forth from NYC to Virginia every week, so I could probably join you by low-rolling with Shinkos, Del, but I haven't screwed up the courage yet. Not a ton of sweepers on I-95, but when I do get to the country roads near the Blue Ridge, it's nice to feel confident enough to drag the feeler pegs when I want to.
I don't mind buying decent rubber, because my highway miles don't wear the tires as quickly as around-town riding will -- especially compared to NYC. Fewer potholes, less heat/cooling cycles on the rubber, as I tend to gravitate toward 100-120 mile ride portions between fill-ups of gas and coffee, versus the stop-and-go around town.
Basically, I like how the Pirelli tires communicate to me. I'm aware of bumps/road surface changes, but not overwhelmed, and they do it better than the Bridgestone and Metzler tires I've had on the same chassis -- again, for me. With no available adjustments in our forks/only preload for the rear, trusting my tires matters at speed.
Delray
Well-known member
"There you are, showing off that great big toolbox of yours again..."
Ha, it's pretty modest. But I am proud of the work. When I bought my first maxi-scooter on Christmas Eve, 2016 I had ZERO idea how to work on them. I took everything to dealers, paid $110 for an oil change, $550 for a belt change, $150 for brake pads and fluid, etc. I bought a Silver Wing for $1700 and spent HALF that on routine maintenance in the first month. It was insanity. That's when I began checking out forums like this, watching YouTube videos and buying service manuals.
"I like how the Pirelli tires communicate to me. I'm aware of bumps/road surface changes"
Good justification for buying great tires, thanks. I don't do many highway miles. It's more urban since I basically live in the sixth borough (South Florida).
Ha, it's pretty modest. But I am proud of the work. When I bought my first maxi-scooter on Christmas Eve, 2016 I had ZERO idea how to work on them. I took everything to dealers, paid $110 for an oil change, $550 for a belt change, $150 for brake pads and fluid, etc. I bought a Silver Wing for $1700 and spent HALF that on routine maintenance in the first month. It was insanity. That's when I began checking out forums like this, watching YouTube videos and buying service manuals.
"I like how the Pirelli tires communicate to me. I'm aware of bumps/road surface changes"
Good justification for buying great tires, thanks. I don't do many highway miles. It's more urban since I basically live in the sixth borough (South Florida).
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Minister of Etc
Member
I know we have 2 separate tire threads going right now, but I thought this is the place to put this -- at least for the US-based folk.
It appears that Michelin is running a motorcycle tire promotion this month -- according to the email I received from RevZilla.
The details are this (from the email, link to Michelin site in image):
I priced out a set of Road Pilot 4's for my Sport, and they come to about $215 after you receive a $60 rebate. I'm going to go ahead and buy a set, because I'm going to need fresh tires before the New Year, and they're about $40 cheaper than I can find a set of Pirelli Diablo Rosso right now.
So, if you want to experience good rubber at a (modest) discount -- this is a good time to roll out.
Or, if you're feeling more like Bridgestones they have a promotion through November 30th, but it doesn't look as aggressive as Michelin's.
It appears that Michelin is running a motorcycle tire promotion this month -- according to the email I received from RevZilla.
The details are this (from the email, link to Michelin site in image):
I priced out a set of Road Pilot 4's for my Sport, and they come to about $215 after you receive a $60 rebate. I'm going to go ahead and buy a set, because I'm going to need fresh tires before the New Year, and they're about $40 cheaper than I can find a set of Pirelli Diablo Rosso right now.
So, if you want to experience good rubber at a (modest) discount -- this is a good time to roll out.
Or, if you're feeling more like Bridgestones they have a promotion through November 30th, but it doesn't look as aggressive as Michelin's.