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Best tire for street riding and high mileaage

(I moved the thread into the Tire forum).

That's kind of like asking which is the best motorcycle. Hard to say without some qualifiers.

Is price no object?
Is long life more important than grip?

To answer the question requires more background on your expectations.

A typical answer, based on forum comments, would be the Michelin Pilot Road 4. A lot of folks like them, but they're not for everyone.
 
Thinking about going to "H" rates tires in the closest fitment. This is the first bike with Z rated tires. Rode for 44 years on H with no problem. Seems they will last a lot longer. Like rjarrell I'm not aggressive in corners. H tires work just fine in the rain.
 
You prefer long life over grip until your *** end catches up with the front. I thought the same until I put a Michelin Commander 2 on the rear. I think it's a 170/60-17.
I have over 8,000 miles on the rear now and it looks like it will go another 10,000 - 15,000 miles. The Commander 2 does miles in spades but I wouldn't trade one PR4 for a dozen Commander 2's if you ride in all weather.
Dry pavement is ok with Commander 2, but if you ride on wet pavement, you better be ready to have the rear slide around.
Being that I mostly commute with my bike, I thought I would like longevity instead of changing the rear every year. I was wrong after finding out what wet conditions had to offer. Having the tire break loose at 75 mph on a wet paint stripe while passing a cage will get some strange looks.
I'll keep this tire on for now because I know what to expect and to keep my Angel on guard.
I have a set of 705's waiting, but may put on a set of PR4'S again because they work so good on wet pavement.
 
Ditto on the Michelin Pilot Road 4, great tire for wet, dual compounding design ensures longer life, and sticky corners on dry. stops on a dime on the wet, and if you ask me the most frightening thing is the painted white stop bar on the wet road (hmmm they put it right where you are trying to stop....)

so unless you live in the desert where it never rains....(we know it rains often in St. Pete)...you never know when you will be caught in a sudden downpour or even riding through the puddles left over after the rain event.

I have 5k on my set, look like new, i'd recommend them to anyone who wants control on wet pavement.
 
670cc said:
In what way? Longevity like the op is seaking?
Click to expand...
Moastly in grip (rain) and price, because its the second time i have equiped diferent motorcycle ( NC700S & NC700D ) but only in the past 5 month...

Piteira
 
Michelin PR4 here as well. Grip through different surfaces (pavement) has been superb and feels great, even hitting Tail of the Dragon in the rain (not on purpose). I have put about 4k miles so far, and barely showing wear compared to my previous tires (ContiMotion, which werent bad...)

I have Michelin tires on my car as well, and will always have Michelins on my car. You just cannot go wrong with them.

Considering tires are the ONLY safety feature of a vehicle that actually touch the road surface, spend a little extra - your life depends on it.
 
turbodieseli4i6 said:
You prefer long life over grip until your *** end catches up with the front. I thought the same until I put a Michelin Commander 2 on the rear. I think it's a 170/60-17.
I have over 8,000 miles on the rear now and it looks like it will go another 10,000 - 15,000 miles. The Commander 2 does miles in spades but I wouldn't trade one PR4 for a dozen Commander 2's if you ride in all weather.
Dry pavement is ok with Commander 2, but if you ride on wet pavement, you better be ready to have the rear slide around.
Being that I mostly commute with my bike, I thought I would like longevity instead of changing the rear every year. I was wrong after finding out what wet conditions had to offer. Having the tire break loose at 75 mph on a wet paint stripe while passing a cage will get some strange looks.
I'll keep this tire on for now because I know what to expect and to keep my Angel on guard.
I have a set of 705's waiting, but may put on a set of PR4'S again because they work so good on wet pavement.
Click to expand...
Well put. We really only need traction when we need it. As long as a tire gives decent mileage I'm going to favor handling, communication, feedback over outright durability. The Commander II is a bias ply tire and will not give the feel and traction of a radial tire. My dissatisfaction with Pilot Roads is that I only really like them in the wet. I ride pretty much independent of the weather like you do and am in rain often but not enough to deal with them in the dry. To be fair I haven't tried the 4s but nothing I've heard or read suggests they are any different than the previous three models. I liked the combo of a PR3 front and a different Michelin rear (PR2 or Pilot Power) but they are too expensive for me to experiment with 4s. I like the Bridgestone T30s.
 
The BT016's are a little stickier for great mileage. The PR4 are the cream of the crop but I'm not getting the mileage I was hoping, I might go back to the Dunlop Roadsmart 2 because I feel they offer a greater compromise for the riding I do. Not too much rain around my parts and when it did the Dunlop handled it well enough.
 
I find prices on line, then I go to the dealer and ask for a price match, then they put them on for a better price than when I buy the tires elsewhere. I also found out that the installation is the same whether I bring them the wheels or they take them off for me.
 
Honestly I couldn't tell the difference between the PR3 or PR4. They may not ride any different from the 2 for all I know.
I liked the OEM Bridgestone BT-023 on dry pavement.Wet pavement not so much.
 
rjarrell said:
Thanks for all the replies. It looks like the MICHELIN PILOT ROAD 4 is the tire to get
Click to expand...

I only have experience with the PR-4 and BT-023 when it comes to the NCX. The PR-4s are so good I cannot let myself try anything else. I thought about and almost pulled the trigger on the Conti Motions but the old saying "go with what you know" keeps running through my head and I know these PR-4s are some damn good tires in any road condition for a commuter. I ride year round here in Arkansas.

I'm on my third rear PR-4. I got 14K out of the first one. It had a nice bald strip down the center but it was not at a dangerous point. I got 13.5K out of the second rear and only changed it because I was doing the front too! Mileage will be different for everyone but I ride on some pretty crappy roads that are not well maintained. I use my bike almost exclusively for commuting.

I think you'll enjoy the PR-4s. There are some good deals out there. I think someone quoted $296 for the set a while back. I got my last set for $303 with free shipping.
 
I got right at 12,000 miles on my rear Bridgestone BT-023. The front BT-023 held up until about 14,000 miles. I bought a set of Contimotions for the front and back. I've got almost 4,000 miles on the rear and 2,000 on the front. I try not to ride in the rain, so I can't really attest to their wet weather prowess, but they seem to be holding up well enough for commuting and some mildly spirited twisty riding. The price was right too.
 
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