[Review] Michelin PR3

[banjoboy]

This is a very helpful and occasionally cost saving forum. I had PR3s mounted on my NT today ((17,000 miles) and ordered them through the dealer and asked if he could come close to the price I found here on the site from the superstore. He lowered his price to $300 for the set, plus tax and mounting. This was probably about $100 saved. I guess that helped when the mounting fee was $131. For those DIYers here, this give you some idea of how much you save when mounting your own tires. I don't have the skills or the inclination to do this, but it's good info to know. Also had the oil changed ($61) and I'm good to go. I plan on a 1000 mile trip down the Washington and Oregon coast next weekend if the weather holds. It has been truly beautiful out here for a very long time.

Terry

 

[Chucksklrst]

Been running PR3's on my ST1300 for about a couple of years or so now and really like the handling on that heavy bike. Just put a PR3 on the back of my NT700, Still running an Avon Storm II on the front, until it wears out. Then a front PR3 is going to go on there also. I got 9500 miles out of the rear Storm with about another 500 or so left. I imagine that I should get more out of the PR3 on the NT. Been getting 9500 out of a rear PR3 on the ST1300.

 

[rbw]

the PR3 tyre certainly gave me more confidence,can not remember how long they lasted on the cb750,but there going on my nt700 without any doubts.

 

[Woodaddict]

My PR3 rear tire looks like yours! The harder center compound is showing a flatter area and the sides show more wear as the softer area's. You can see right at the bottom of tire @ concrete the not smooth transition of wear.

 

[Pick]

Rick, do you mean +/- 2 PSI of Honda's suggested pressure, or Michelin's? Or are they the same? Just curious.... I always try to keep mine with 1 or 2 PSI of the maximum on the sidewall, thinking that I will get more miles out of the tire that way.

 

[RedLdr1]

Tire manufactures are only required to list the Maximum Air Pressure on the tires sidewall as part of the DOT information. Most Tire Manufactures recommend using the inflation information the vehicle manufactures recommend, I know Michelin does, I'm looking at their tires in another Tab... I suspect Product Liability issues keep the tire manufacturer from making any specific recommendations...

 

[EX Winger]

If I were riding the big dance on NT I would go with pr3, one good thing in your favor, you will be pretty close to home at the end so even if they are toast at that point you should be able to limp home on them., 11,00 , even 12,000 you should be in good shape if you maintain your riding style and don't get heavy handed during the Western portion of your ride.

 

[Chucksklrst]

I am going to get close to 12k on the rear PR3 of my ST1300 This time. A 700lb bike and 125 HP. Maybe I am getting older and just not as aggressive with the right wrist as much. I have a PR3 on the back of my NT700 now for the first time. I hope I get as good as I am on the ST1300.

 

[Phil Tarman]

I replaced my tires with a new set of PR3s today. The front tire was a PR3 that that 17,125 miles on it. It still had tread, but not much. The rear was a Dunlop Roadsmart 2 that had 8950 miles. It had replaced a PR3 that I'd found a nail in the morning of the day I left to try a Bun Burner Gold on the way to the National Rally in Spearfish last summer. I didn't get the BBG, but the Stop & Go plug I used lasted for 1500 miles. The morning after I got to Spearfish, Rick and I and somebody else (was it you, Tim?) went looking for a PR3 for Rick. We couldn't find one, so instead we got breakfast and when we came out my rear tire was flat. There was no sign that a plug had ever been in the hole and we couldn't get one to stay in the tire. We got some gummy worms from K-Mart and they worked to get me back to the campground, but wouldn't completely seal the leak.

I ended up finding the only 150/70x17 in South Dakota (well, maybe not, but the only one I could find) at the Honda dealer in Rapid City.

The Roadsmart 2 was OK, but it was really squared off. I had planned on riding it to Texas at the beginning of May and then replacing it with the PR3 before we headed out on the Epic Road in July.

I'm pretty confident that you'll get close to 15,000 out of the rear PR3.

It's the only tire in my experience that will get you that kind of mileage on an NT.

When I had the Concours C-10, I ran Goldwing 1500-sized bias-belted tires. The Dunlop Elite K491, the Metzler 880, and the Michelin Pilot GT all gave me 15-18,000 miles on the back and 20-24,000 on the front. But they didn't have anywhere near the grip that the PR3 did.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Wonder how they'll do on wet dirt?

 

[RedLdr1]

Wonder how they'll do on wet dirt?

"Wet Dirt" = Mud. :wink: The PR3 is a street tire so I'd be very careful how much "mud" I ran it in especially on a heavily loaded bike. You might want to experiment close to home before finding out the hard way in Canada or Alaska. At least then you'll have an idea of their limits and yours...

 

[vacanefan]

Just completed a 4891 mile trip on PR3's on my C14. The tires now have 6000 miles on them and are still ding very well. The bike was very heavily loaded with me, both panniers fully stuffed and a huge, heavy bag strapped on the back. The front tire still looks brand new. The back tire is starting to square off a bit, but a lot of tread left. I do tend to be quite heavy handed in acceleration. That, coupled with the weight of the bike and load it was carrying, should naturally lead to a lower rear tire life. I still expect to get at least 5000-6000 more miles out of the rear tire. Boy, the C14 can really pull hard in any gear and at any speed. A lot of tires would be toast under the conditions I put these PR3's through. I'm as impressed with the PR3's now as I was when I first started this thread when I mounted them on my former NT. Great handling tire, exceptional wet and dry traction and fantastic tread life.

--Jeff

 

[dryroad]

Hi Jeff, can you tell me a little more about that service plan?
I'm shocked at what it costs to keep good tires on the bike.

 

[Phil Tarman]

PR3s will reduce that cost. Especially on an NT vs a Concours 14 or an ST1300. I got almost a year out of my front PR3 in the 17,125 miles I rode on it.

MC tires have much more to do than car tires and they're doing it on a very small footprint, maybe 5-6" long and 1-2" wide.

Still, I wonder... I've got a set of Big O tires on my Buick Century that are approaching 80,000 miles and I'm thinking they've got at least another 40,000 miles in them. My wife has a Nissan Altima and her tires are at 53,000 miles and you can't see any significant wear on them yet.

 

[vacanefan]

Hi Jeff, can you tell me a little more about that service plan?
I'm shocked at what it costs to keep good tires on the bike.

When I purchased my NT, I also purchased a 3 year service plan from the local Honda dealer. It included all scheduled maintenance (valve adjustments, oil changes, etc) for the first three years, parts and labor. It also allowed for free tire mounting for three years. I believe I paid around $600 for the service plan and easily got 3-4 times that value back in saved service costs. I had the NT for just under 25,000 miles and never paid a service ticket. Not all dealers offer this, and some that do don't tell you about it unless you ask. They rely on people who buy the service plans to only put a couple thousand miles per year on their bikes. I'm sure they make money on the overall sales of service plans, but it was a great situation for me.

Hope this helps,
Jeff

 

[silverstrike]

Here are my PR3's after 6500 miles. I cant believe the miles others are getting!! I am often in search of twisties and if not on the gas...braking hard Just received a PR4 for the rear...hope it lasts longer:redface:

 

[Comanche]

Okay - the PR3s are phasing out, so this will be one of the last on the subject.

I just replaced my rear PR3 with a new PR4 this morning. I got 13,616 miles on them. I probably could have gotten a few hundred more miles, but needed to get the new PR4 on before Spearfish. Still have the newsih PR3 on the front.

If the PR4 is as advertised, I should get some really mileage from them.

 

[junglejim]

I'm now replacing my PR 3s with PR 4s. 13K on the rear and 15K on the front. They could go maybe another K, but I want to leave on a trip without worries and on new tires.

 

[RedNigel]

I have decided to not to even track the mileage on my tires anymore. It only provides heartache and I just wanna have fun.
Im just going to buy tires when I need them and enjoy the bike

my $.02

 

[Warren]

Kind of the same reason I quit checking my gas milage. At this point it is what it is so why fret about it.