Tire safety?

[Coyote Chris]

On the VFR FB page, a guy posted a thread about how he loved the Mich R5s but he was getting lots of punctures in the wide grooves and was switching brands. Others said the R5s were soft.


I didnt think alot about this but as I had a used R5, three new ones, and a used Bridgestone front and two Bridgestones that were wearing like Iron on my XT, I decided to investigate. I would have to say that MAYBE he had a point. The R5s are clearly more plyable and do have those big grooves. While I havent had a flat with a PR4 or R5, and like the tires, I am wondering if YOU think he may have a point.

 

[NewTo700V]

It could be coincidence, but I'd have to concur. My last Road 5 had three plugs before I installed a Bridgestone T30. The Road 5 before that one was disposed of with tons of tread left because of an odd shaped puncture. Tossing a low mileage $250 tire was a hard pill to swallow.

I switched all bikes to closeout T30s, they've been incredibly reliable and at only $100 for a 180/55-17 I can't complain. The cross country trip I did in 2020, and the one I just did on the NT, no issues on those. I just got my first puncture in one that I can recall, but too be fair to the tire it was a massive trailer hitch latch pin. I had to double stack rope plugs to get it to seal enough to get me home.

 

[junglejim]

I ran T30s on my NT and found them to be a very good value but not the best tire. The Michelins (PR4 and PR5s) are softer and give me a better ride and more grip. The T30 are more harsh riding and don't have the great grip of Michelins. The T30 are definitely harder to mount than Michelins because they are noticeably stiffer. I've mounted tractor tires that were easier. Mileage from the T30 was about the same as from the Michelins. All-in-all I wouldn't doubt at all that the T30 are more robust. But I just put a new PR5 on my Tiger.

I've always mounted my own tires and find that it requires a lot of patience, lube, and time to mount them on alloy rims by hand. The one dealer/shop in Duluth wants me to bring in a wheel on one day and pick it up the next day just for mounting one tire. That means a 50-mile drive X 4 and pay him $50 + MN and Duluth sales tax, shop supplies, and tire disposal fee. Usually about $70. Ridiculous!!!! I haven't checked but I bet the Harley shop is cheaper.

 

[Warren]

I am not sure what the grooves have to do with susceptibility to a puncture. I would think a nail or screw is going to give you a puncture no matter it’s entry point. I ran PR3 and PR4’s for most of the nine years commuting on my NT and never did have a puncture. Just lucky I guess.

 

[ST1100Y]

I am not sure what the grooves have to do with susceptibility to a puncture.

The theory is that the front tire is picking the object up, throwing it in front of the rear thread surface... in just the right angle...

Years ago a friend had some Metzeler on his ST1100... carcass and thread layers were so thin, he suffered multiple punctures just by grid splinters(!)... a can of tire foam and he made it back home across Europe...

 

[Phil Tarman]

I had fairly new PR4s on Dudley when I swapped it for Horse. Frosty had about 7K miles on the tires on Horse and the dealer gave me a new set of PR4s. I had a set of PR5s on Dudley before the PR4s that were on when I traded bikes. It seemed to me that the 5s squared off a bit faster than the 4s had.

 

[DirtFlier]

My NT currently has a Michelin Road 5 on the rear but it's starting to look a little thin and I notice that some riders have griped about the relatively short life of the Road 5 so I decided to look for a PR4 which I had previously and it performed nicely and yielded good mileage.

This morning, I found a PR4 in the correct size at an internet seller called "2Wheel.com" for the bargain price of $157.95 + tax, with free shipping so jumped on it immediately!

Phil - for the 5 series, Michelin dropped "Pilot" from the name so it's just a Road 5. Up to the 4 series, they were all called Pilot Road.

 

[DirtFlier]

As regards alleged rapid wear on the Road 5s, it's purely a gut level feeling.

The rear Road 5 on my NT has under 4k miles and it looks pretty thin at this point where previous Michelin Pilot Road hardly showed any wear at roughly the same mileage. I didn't take any measurements of thread depth so my glancing at the tire is purely unscientific!

 

[RedNigel]

I quit the Michelins after one set of PR3s
I'm a Dunlop RoadSmart man now

 

[Coyote Chris]

I put R5 GTs on the FJR before Frosty and I took our epic Utah trip. They are wearing very well BUT after watching a long drawn out YOUtube vid on tire pressure, I decided to set my tires at 4 psi over factory settings. The bike will go to Reno and back this year at least. If I keep the bike after a couple of years, not sure what tires I would buy.