Oldschool
Moderator
The start of this riding season was preceeded by a tire change. I was able to get 2 seasons and 18150 km. from my Pilot Roads (Michellin). I really enjoyed those tires but felt they were a bit to hard for the type of cornering that I like to do. I do a lot of touring and was loath to sacrifice the spectacular mileage that I acheived. I did a lot of research including listening to members on this Forum regarding tires. One of the things that I like about the Pilot Roads was it's excellent wet performance. The profile of the Roads is what I would describe as round, without the pronounced center peak of some tires. This gives the tire a neutral handling character without a quick "dive in" in the corners but still being "light" and easy to flick back and forth. Except at extreme lean angles the Pilot Roads were very confidence inspiring and the best mileage tires I have used. I was able to get right out to the side wall of the tire when they were hot but had a few scary moments on cold roads with the edges slipping. These are not track tires.
This time around I went with the Pilot Road 2CTs. They have a slightly different tread design, both front and back from the Pilot Roads. The center part of the tire is the same compound and the profile is the same. Only the outer 1/3 of the tire is the softer compound. I could feel a slight difference in cornering on the cold, dusty roads that we have up here this time of year. I have yet to ride in the rain and will report back when I do.
The Pilot Road 2CTs have exactly the same handling characteristics as the Originals, and even on the cold early season roads have better cornering grip. As time and mileage passes I will add my thoughts as to how much better they really are in that respect. Time will also tell if they are as durable as the originals. If you don't play street racer very often, do a lot of miles, and value and longevity are important, I so far recommend these tires
120/70/17
rear installed just before start of season
190/50/17
front tread detail
This time around I went with the Pilot Road 2CTs. They have a slightly different tread design, both front and back from the Pilot Roads. The center part of the tire is the same compound and the profile is the same. Only the outer 1/3 of the tire is the softer compound. I could feel a slight difference in cornering on the cold, dusty roads that we have up here this time of year. I have yet to ride in the rain and will report back when I do.
The Pilot Road 2CTs have exactly the same handling characteristics as the Originals, and even on the cold early season roads have better cornering grip. As time and mileage passes I will add my thoughts as to how much better they really are in that respect. Time will also tell if they are as durable as the originals. If you don't play street racer very often, do a lot of miles, and value and longevity are important, I so far recommend these tires
120/70/17
rear installed just before start of season
190/50/17
front tread detail
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