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[chisquare]

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?

[Specter]

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

[SBK74]

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.

[flynnstig82r]

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.

[chisquare]

@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.

[Commodore]

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.

[most]

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.

[ultrarnr]

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.

[jotjotde]

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.

[Dryer667]

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.

[chisquare]

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.

[chisquare]

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.

[SBK74]

@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.   

[Pard]

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

[Specter]

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