ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Energica => Topic started by: chisquare on June 25, 2025, 06:57:59 PM
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I had the Pirelli Diablo Rosso III on my Energica SS9+RS replaced with Michelin Road 6 tires. The result was a very pleasant surprise: despite the bike’s weight, it now rides with remarkable agility and neutrality, while still feeling very stable. When braking in corners, there's hardly any tendency to stand up. Of course, part of the improvement is due to the fact that the Diablo Rossos had only 2 mm of tread left—handling often deteriorates with worn tires, especially with the Diablo Rosso III. Still, the pairing of the SS9 with the Road 6 feels outstanding regardless. It rides as if it had lost 50 kg.
The Road 5 and Road 6 have received mixed reviews, partly because of their distinctive negative tread pattern and high silica content. One might expect both to negatively impact longevity. However, in the case of the Road 6, its durability is reportedly high—according to tests by, among others, the German magazine Motorrad. I'm curious to see how this plays out on the SS9 and how it feels once the tires are worn.
Which tire do you prefer on the SS9 or the Ribelle?
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Pierlli's always performed poorly for me. people get sucked in by a name and blindly believe it's the only tire anyone with a brain should buy!!
they also falsely convince themselves that if there a problem it MUST be them, because, afterall they are on pirelli's, what could go wrong??!?!?!?
At the end of the day, most the hype put aside, what may work great for you, doesn't work well for me. You have to see what feels the best and performs the best for YOU. I don't like the high silica bla bla, well at 165 mph it might be a problem for you, but at 135 which is more my speed range, it works, you honestly have to see what works for you with your style and skillset. Bikes are different, riders are different.
Personally i like the continental road attack 2 on my bike. they handle great on the street, and yes, even on the street give you that little warning if you are pushing things too hard, and when it's track time, just let a little air out, take a warmup lap or 2 and it's game on.
that's another nice thing about electric bikes, you can not only feel your grip but hear it as well, so i know when the tire isn't right, and i can hear when she's doing her job, or ,oops, i better do another half lap or so warm up that was a lil tricky back there.
I had a set of michelin on at one time and they were really decent tires too, good handling and grip...not the best suited for my track stuff but worked great in the street.
Play around and see what works for you, and when you find a decent tire, go with it. it doesn't matter what *I* think about your tire, or what *he* said about it, YOU are the one riding it and dealing with it. It needs to work for YOU
Aaron
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I have now 20.000 km on a pair of Michelin Road 6 GT. Now they need to be replaced (markers reached). I used to manage 14.000 km on Pirelli Angel GT (2).
The Pirellis cornered very spectacular when new (bike fell into the corner), but in the end they alwayse were annoynig to drive. The Michelins are very driveable till the end.
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Running Road 6 GT’s on my FJR1300 and love them. Ran Road 6’s on my SS9 and loved those, Conti Road Attack 3’s on my Ducati Multistrada and adored them (probably my favorite overall). The only tires that I’ve chosen myself that I didn’t love were Pirelli Angel GT 2’s on my FZ6R. They had this horrible tendency to follow grooves in the road, which made it feel like the front end was unstable. I was a fairly new rider, and the stress from wondering if the bike was about to do something crazy might have taken years off my life.
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@SBK74
20,000 km – calling that impressive would be a huge understatement. I didn’t even get 4,000 km out of my set of Diablo Rosso III. Interestingly, the rear tire still had more tread left than the front, despite the insane torque and riding with regen on the second-highest level. I’m genuinely curious to see how the Road 6 (non-GT) will perform over time.
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Just finished 2400 mile trip on a new set of Road 6's. Great tire. It lets the Experia do its thing anonymously. I did not think I needed the GT version, as I was told they are for heavier cruisers.
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I‘m now on Pirelli Angel GT2 since 4000km - in the beginning they were great but are now loosing the nimble handling.
Before I had Conti Road Attack 4 - for me the best tires when new but they degraded most noticeable. And they provide the best control when doing more aggressive cornering, even in wet conditions.
Before that it was the OEM Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2. Good overall, but also they were loosing the nimble feeling and I had to push the bike into corners more.
My resume: Every tire is degrading. Some worse. Some less. Whenever I have replaced ANY tire, it always felt to me like I am riding a different bike because I slowly get used to the changing behavior of the tire in it‘s life time. I swapped the last tires (Scorpion Trail 2 and Conti RA4) after ca. 1/3 of the expected lifetime when looking at the rubber left.
On my BMWR1250GS I was riding the new Scorpion Trail 3 and I‘m amazed how nimble they are. But I sold the bike then the tire was just 2000km, so no idea how they degrade.
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I have used the Michelin Road 5 before on my Ribelle and found that they developed a flat spot in the center a lot more than the Pirelli's did. The Pirelli's kept a rounded profile better than the Michelins did and I have since gone back to using them. But I am just commuting on them and not doing track riding like Aaron and others.
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Just for info: Currently there is a 30 Euro cashback promotion for the Michelin Road 6 that can be used even retroactively if you have a receipt dated earlier than March 15th.
The promotion is ending August 31th.
Having reached the 80,000 km with my Ribelle now, I am on my 10th set of tyres.
Currently having the Pirelli Diablo Rosso 4 and I will need a new set soon (now 4,500 km). The higher price compared to the DR3 is not justified because they are neither better nor lasting longer acc. to my experience.
Most sets were the DR3 and I am happy with them but I have to add that I am a dry weather rider. They work totally OK for me and I think they deliver the best bang for the buck.
Tried Mitas Sport Force Plus once, they are nice and inexpensive but they have to be broken in cautiously because they felt unusually slippery when new. I did not use them again, because they only lasted 4,500 km and I don't like to visit the tyre dealer so often.
The Conti Road Attack I tried once, but started bad when I fell down while leaving the tyre dealer. IDK why the traction control did not help, maybe there was an oil slick, but I never built up a good enough trust level with that tyre. They lasted 6,000 km though. What irked me is, that the profile on the side shoulders of the back tire began to develop serious bulges on the edges and I wrote Conti to ask about this. Their answer was that this is normal and does not affect performance. Whatever, as already mentioned I never felt really comfortable with that tyre and most probably will not ride that again.
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I have stuck with Bridgestone for most of my bikes. S22's for the sport bikes and T32s for the SS9. I have no complaints.
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The Conti Road Attack I tried once, but started bad when I fell down while leaving the tyre dealer. IDK why the traction control did not help, maybe there was an oil slick, but I never built up a good enough trust level with that tyre.
Bummer. And I thought that the Conti RA series is the only one on the market that comes pre-roughed—to prevent exactly what has happened to you.
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Whenever I have replaced ANY tire, it always felt to me like I am riding a different bike because I slowly get used to the changing behavior of the tire in it‘s life time.
Good point. Still, some of the perceived contrasts when changing tire brands and/or models feel more pronounced.
The wide variation in preferences for the same bike clearly demonstrates that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t hold.
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@SBK74
20,000 km – calling that impressive would be a huge understatement. I didn’t even get 4,000 km out of my set of Diablo Rosso III. Interestingly, the rear tire still had more tread left than the front, despite the insane torque and riding with regen on the second-highest level. I’m genuinely curious to see how the Road 6 (non-GT) will perform over time.
I had a set of Road 6 that lasted 16,600km, then a set of 6GT that lasted 17,600km, current set 6GT is 20,600km. First 2 sets still thread left, current sent in the wear markers.
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I have stuck with Bridgestone for most of my bikes. S22's for the sport bikes and T32s for the SS9. I have no complaints.
Agree 100%
S22 is the best value hypersport tire out there for sure.
https://www.bridgestone.com/products/motorcycle_tires/products/detail/pr153
I am obsessive about finding the best tires. Always looking for the perfect combination of grip, weight and feel.
Longevity is always inversely proportional to grip, by definition.
The S22 is currently the best choice for a balance of grip, performance/handling, and value.
If you ride in a sporting manner, no Hypersport tire will last more than 2-3K miles.
If you commute, for sure a touring tire is the way to go so you can get many thousand miles more wear off of them, but you will trade that off for decreased grip and cornering performance.
Always a compromise in engineering...
My absolute favorite tire, but not a great value due to cost, is the Power GP. That is a luxury I somtimes engage. The S22 is pretty close, so I don't feel bad if I don't spend the extra coin on the Power GP.
https://www.motodracing.com/michelin-power-gp-tires
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ANY new tire may be a bit more slippery when it is brand spanking new. it's got the mold release chemicals on it still, so you should take it a little bit easier on them, for say 50 miles of normal riding or a few laps on the race track, to get them broke in, that crap wore off the tire. This goes for all brands. When you are trying a new brand of tire you should go easier anyways because it IS diferent, you don't know how it is going to work for YOU. A brand new tire from the dealer is going to also be cold, no heat built up in it yet, that's not helpful either.
Ive seen this on the track, guy puts a new set of tires on, goes hauling ass out of the paddock, only to end up in the grass at turn 1, BRO, no you can't do that with new tires, you KNOW better!
Lonvevity, on a track weekend, forget it, ill burn a set in 150 miles. regular riding, ehh. they last me maybe 5 to 6k. Road conditions affect this too, if you got shitty rough roads, that eats tires too vs nice new smooth paved ones.
One thing I do want to point out to everyone, don't just look at the tread, that can be very misleading. Again, depending on your riding style, the sides in front are much more critical. My front tires can look great if you are looking at the tread, but look at the corner / edges and it's got a valley you can stick your pinky in and cords showing. You really need to look at the entire tire, and one thing i have noticed on my trailer, and while i am not sure if this pulls over to bike tires too but it wouldn't hurt to check anyways, the valvestems. They dry rot, sometimes in as little as a year. Especially in more tropical climates where the sun and uv are beating down on them hard all day, that'll tear rubber up.
Aaron
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I'm riding with Dunlop Roadsmart 3 on the Experia and Road 5 on my SS9. They feel about the same and for the ~$120 difference, I'll happily stick with the Roadsmart series. My experia is getting somewhat close to needing a tire change, and it will probably be getting the Roadsmart 4 for the small difference in price. A long while back I remember doing an extensive comparison between the all weather tires between all the brands and that's what I ended up at.
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I'm riding with Dunlop Roadsmart 3 on the Experia and Road 5 on my SS9. They feel about the same and for the ~$120 difference, I'll happily stick with the Roadsmart series. My experia is getting somewhat close to needing a tire change, and it will probably be getting the Roadsmart 4 for the small difference in price. A long while back I remember doing an extensive comparison between the all weather tires between all the brands and that's what I ended up at.
I had Roadsmart 4's on my BMW S1000XR, the rear was good but I didn't like the front, it cupped badly after ~3000km. I've been running Bridgestone S23's on my Experia for the last 7-8000km....they are very good.... but were done by 7k km, very soft and very good in the twisty stuff.
I've just fitted a set of Continental Road Attack 3's to the Experia...which I find to be excellent "all round" tyres. I now do a lot of straight line commuting to work, ~110km a day, so the sportier tyres are a bit of a waste for my use.
Smithy.
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I have 4000 miles on a set of T32r GT's on my Experia. Maybe 1/3 worn, still pretty round. I got 7500 on the stock tires. I think these will well outdo the originals. They feel great and work for my commuting.
https://www.bridgestonemotorcycletires.com/en-us/product-results/battlax-sport-touring-t32#
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I have 4000 miles on a set of T32r GT's on my Experia. Maybe 1/3 worn, still pretty round. I got 7500 on the stock tires. I think these will well outdo the originals. They feel great and work for my commuting.
https://www.bridgestonemotorcycletires.com/en-us/product-results/battlax-sport-touring-t32#
I found the original Pirelli Scorpion II's were horrible, very hard and I never trusted them in faster higher lean angle corners, I never did like them and had 20mm "chicken strips"...took them off after just 2500km, they were still like new....As soon as I fitted the Bridgestone S23's I was able to get right to the edge of the tyre without the ar$e puckering moments around corners. ;)
The Experia handles extremely well considering it's size and 260kg weight...it's no proper sport bike but for an upright, heavy machine, it's pretty good IMHO.
Smithy.
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a am half tempted one day to take my experia to the track one day, if i ever get it back, just to see how it would handle. with it's lower cog itd bob more like a top id think. agreed it's really nice handling on the road but how about on tight corners, thatd be interesting to see, would have to take the bags off tho so you are not dragging them into corners.
aaron
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Yeah, I wish the Experia had a 21" front wheel like my '81 g/s. I always felt I could ride that as fast as I possibly could with confidence.
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a am half tempted one day to take my experia to the track one day, if i ever get it back, just to see how it would handle. with it's lower cog itd bob more like a top id think. agreed it's really nice handling on the road but how about on tight corners, thatd be interesting to see, would have to take the bags off tho so you are not dragging them into corners. aaron
Aaron....What tyres would you have on it for a track day..?? The Pirelli Scorpion II's are not really that sort of tyre.
Smithy.
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smithy, good question. ill probably stick some conti road attack 2's on it.
i choose those for my other bikes because they work well on the road, and on the track you CAN run them w/o warmers on, (not slicks obviously) with a warmup lap and a half or so if needed. some days like winter it's cold as shit or rainy days when there is a bit of water, not enough for rain tires but enough to make warmers about useless after a lap, they run really good too. granted you tone way back during rainy days, unless you have rain tires of, but still they handle well in all weather really.
yah those pirelli's that come with them, are pretty garbagy imo. ive had nothing but grief with those tires. i see why they went with pirelli, the whole italian thing, but there are much better tires out there. Especially for jennings fl, that track just destroy's pirelli's, they just are not made for it.
IF i run it on the track, that'll be an interesting run for sure as it absolutely does handle much different. i callit my weeble bike, it wobbles but hopefdully doesn't fall down !! but we do know better. :D IF i did give it a romp id probably go a lot easier on it than the race bike and not ride it like i stole it, the brakes / suspension just is not up for that kind of riding, plus there are no more parts left for it if i do lay her down, no fixing on her.
now that im talking on it, yah it'd be real interesting to see how it does handle on a corner.
it's not the same world ,but there is a guy who mx'd his out totally, i wonder what he found out on that? speaking od mx, that kid Aiden, who died the other day, that's so sad.
aaron
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Speaking from a little experience, the pegs and front suspension are the limiting factor on the track. There's a whole world of dive under braking, with the pegs limiting the lean angle well before tyres reach their edge
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Wow, you really manged to get the pegs sliding on the ground? :o :o :o
I never got that far on the track and still nearly pi**ed my pants. Still, the Pirelli DR3 showed wear up to the edge. IDK if they are good when forced more.
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I also believe that the centre stand on the CE04 is the limiting lean factor with Michelin Road 4s.. Once you've had a stack with neither bike nor rider damaged you start to feel immortal (in a controlled environment, I would never push that hard on the road).
Both corner pretty spectacularly well considering they were never anticipated to be pushed hard, with both just pushing wide predictably rather than sliding out
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Took the experia to a tight technical track, absolutely roasted my pirelli supercorsas in about 2 days of b-group pace and scraped the pegs a few times.
These heavy bikes with lots of torque are death to soft tires when ridden in anger.
Can't imagine the EVA/EGO/SS9 would be any nicer to tires ;D
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@Silentpea
no, the big bikes are NOT friendly at all to softer tires. i'll roast my rear in about 2 days, front on the 3rd day on the track.
front tire it's not the threads but the sides you sacrifice, you'll have the huge canyon with the threads showing in the gully in extreme cases. yah a face plant waiting to happen.
Attached is a picture of a tire that i ran a bit longer than i should have, but to give you an example of front tire wear. notice the symmetry side to side is gone, there is a huge ledge there and like a canyon you can rest your finger in, the tread looks pretty good still !! besides for a few track boogers i picked up it looks pretty good still right? nope, this tire will face plant you if you push it into a turn, there's no more contact area left, hence the carve out there, so traction surface is severely compromised, you dive in and it'll slide right out. These are conti attack 2's this i believe will be a medium tire, they ran out of the softer ones. As by design though, this tire was giving me plenty of warning that it was no longer good, the conti's are very good at that, they'll start chirping you or giving you 'wiggles' to let you know 'hey, doofus, that's ENOUGH', before they let out on you, unless you just totally push it beyond of course.
Aaron
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That is one f&%#ed tyre... are those the steel bands showing through on the edge?
Thats probably the advantage of street tyres on the track, while you don't have as much ultimate grip, they provide a hell of a lot of warning before they actually let go
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I had the Pirelli Diablo Rosso III on my Energica SS9+RS replaced with Michelin Road 6 tires. The result was a very pleasant surprise
Which tire do you prefer on the SS9 or the Ribelle?
Michelin's tire game is on point, although you pay a premium. They do a great job of balancing dry grip without sacrificing wet weather performance. I just realized all my vehicles are currently fitted with them:
Pilot sport 4s fitted to my Fiat 124, EGO runs Power cup 2's, F800gs has Anakee Roads even my mountain bike has wild-am2 rubber.
Took the experia to a tight technical track, absolutely roasted my pirelli supercorsas in about 2 days of b-group pace and scraped the pegs a few times.
These heavy bikes with lots of torque are death to soft tires when ridden in anger.
You 100% got your moneys worth from that tire! How did the Experia perform at the track? Photo of the rear?
It looks like your front tire might be getting a bit hot causing some tearing. You might want to bump the pressure 1-2 psi to see if that cleans up the wear. What are your cold/hot pressures?
I do not have a ton of experience with road tires at the track but I know they are designed to come up to temp quickly and work at a wider temp range vs slicks. However they do have a very short lifespan when being run above that temp range.
Don't have any photos of a front tire but here is a Dunlop R5 slick rear (26 psi hot) after 10 A+ pace laps (1:33) at Laguna.
(https://i.ibb.co/N64Wf060/IMG-2152.jpg) (https://ibb.co/N64Wf060)
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yes those are the steel bands coming through gratefuel. which is why i said, i ran it more than i should have been.
the continental tires are purposely designed to give you warning when you are pushing the limits of that they can do, they'll chirp you to let you know, hey, you are about to lose it, back down.
that tire i absolutely could feel the front end not wanting to grip right in tighter turns which is why i immediately changed it after i got in. i felt a bit of a slide on a tight turn 8 went, hmm that felt AND sounded... odd. looked and its like holy shit, yah it's time. t
o be fair, i was riding like i stole it that afternoon and was tearing the shit out of them on the hot track, in the hot florida summer sun. wear can come on pretty fast in those conditions, you look at a tire and go, yah, i can get One more session out of this one, get back in and it's holy shit, yah that one is toast!
that's one thing i love about electric bikes is you can hear your tires grip, and once you learn it, can hear a lot of what's going on under you.
aaron
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Just an update. I got the set of Michelin Power 6 for 470 Euro (including mounting them on the rims) but not included is the 30 Euro promo discount.
They work really fine for me and get my full recommendation. Most probably I will order another set before the promo ends on August 31st.
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it never hurts to have spare tires laying around, especially when you can get a deal on them.
not sure how they do it over there, but when buying multiple sets, make sure they don't try to dink you for multiple disposal fees too, since they are not disposing 2 sets. They'll try that fairly often in the states. bake it all in and pocket the money, then a year or whenever later when you bring in the tire for a change out, try to hit you for it again.
Aaron
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it never hurts to have spare tires laying around, especially when you can get a deal on them.
not sure how they do it over there, but when buying multiple sets, make sure they don't try to dink you for multiple disposal fees too, since they are not disposing 2 sets. They'll try that fairly often in the states. bake it all in and pocket the money, then a year or whenever later when you bring in the tire for a change out, try to hit you for it again.
Aaron
Agree...which is why I change my own tyres at home....I get the new tyres delivered to my house and dispose of the old ones myself....our local rubbish tip has a "tyre disposal" system, they are then recycled for use in road base etc...
Smithy.