Michelin Pilot Road 3
 

Anyone tried these on their X???? My OE Dragons are almost shot at the rear, & I need a decent long life tyre to get me through the winter. I think total cost for pair + fitting is getting on for �300, which seems a bit steep, especially with Xmas approaching......
I have thought of Distanzias or Dunlops also. Riding is mostly weekday commuting with weekend A & B road blasts. I'm middle aged, not that experienced, & don't do wheelies/knee down stuff.............
Bike magazine road test looked good.

in which case let me share with you some experience, especially with this


In the winter, your tyre will perform less effectivly when the ambient temp goes below 7c, the compound just doesn't work right, no matter what tread pattern you have.

So, to get you through the winter, safely with better grip you actually need a softer compound (winter tyres have different compound, but in the absence of winter tyres for bikes in this country, softer is the only real alternative), which unfortunatly gives shorter life!

However, depending on how you adjust your riding, you may well be OK with harder tyres as long as you consider that riding a harder tyre with less 'vigor' will mean the compound may not warm up enough to work to it's best ability.

Just a thought.

When it comes to dual compound tyres,well actually at risk of getting nerdy there are 3 compounds 1+2 on the front and 2+3 on the back,the two tyres that have steam rollered the sports touring market for big bikes are the Road Smart and the Mich Road02/3 range,both wear well in comparison with anything else,the Mich's do wear better but the Road Smarts turn at warp speed by comparison,on a big bike can be a bit of a frightener for the first few miles.

I have actually used both,out of choice I'd prefer Road Smarts,but oddly I have a 955 Triumph Tiger that I converted from a 19" front wheel to a 17" and I run Michs on it as they steer slower which is what I wanted,I'd love to try RS's on it but would be bonkers.

All of the above was put to good use when in 3500 miles I'd done 4 rears and 3 fronts using tyres that looked the part!!! on my XT,went to Road Smarts and and at long last some decent wear,but as I said earlier you will get more with the Mich's but there's a price to pay.

Now now!!!
As for the tyres: yeah, I'm only too aware about winter temp riding problems - the reason I thought of Pilot Road 3 was from reading reviews. I can't remember where, but someone has used these in low/winter temps, & apparently they worked better than expected. I guess they're a bit new to the market to get many recommendations....

There are plenty of postings on Mich 03's on big bike forums,they've been around for the best part of 12 months.

Had the Road 3s fitted on Saturday. Grip from the word go!! They didn't really even need scrubbing in - just felt planted from leaving the dealers. I have yet to test them in anger in the rain, but have already been impressed on the leaf-encrusted lane leading to my office: no 2nd gear wheel spins like the Dragons!! I will report back later regarding longevity etc. Watch this space.

You won't be back for a while then!!!

Well, I came back anyway.....
Just tested tyres in heavy rain with lots of puddles. Confidence is simply amazing: I would have aquaplaned into a hedge on other tyres - these are great!! So far so good - I think I have a really good winter tyre. Will be interesting to see how they behave in hot weather next year, although thats fairly rare in Britain!!

Update at 2.5k miles:
Tyres are fantastic. Warm up is almost instant. Tread depth has gone down to 5mm, so plenty of wear left. During recent warm March weather (equivalent to British summer!!), I did a twisty B road. Grip was awesome, but it felt like the rear was squirming around a bit. I think this is more due to the XT suspension, rather than the tyre. I upped the pressure to 32PSI front & 33 rear as I am about 93kg including gear/lid (too many pies...), & increased preload by 1 notch. Scalloping is quite evident on rear shoulder; I think this is a result of single cylinder drivetrain + my point & squirt ham fisted riding style.....
Whatever: I thouroughly recommend these tyres!!

Update at 4000 miles: both tyres suffering scalloping. Rear tyre quite badly saw-toothed. Still around 3mm tread at centre of rear tread!!! I think I will be on legal limit in around 750 miles time. Very impressed at longevity, but unconvinced about feel: perhaps this is more to do with the XT's slightly agricultural suspension....