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tire opinions

  1. #1
    First name on the shit list.... SVRACER01's Avatar
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    tire opinions

    the KTM needs some new sneakers. when i bought the bike it had a fairly new Avon Distanzia on the rear and an almost spent battleaxe on the front. well now the front is done and so is the rear. ive put 3.5k miles on it already. my original plan was to match the rear with a front Distanzia but since the rear wore out so fast now im thinking...not so much. come to find out, the Distanzia only comes in a 160 in supermoto compound, which is pretty soft. ive checked out similar style tires from the usual suspects (dunlop,metzler,michelin,conti,pirelli,bridgestone) but no one seems to make that style tire in a 120/160 combo (well, except Avon but im changing a tire every 4k miles)
    im enjoying my dirt road adventures lately and will most likely continue to do so. im leaning towards the Michelin Pilot Road 3 Trail ( http://www.michelinmotorcycle.com/in...ilotroad3trial ) anyone tried these or maybe have a suggestions/opinions on something ive overlooked?

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  2. #2
    Lifer
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    Re: tire opinions

    I just mounted Pilot Road 3's up on my V-Strom. Looks like the big difference between the regular PR3's and the Trails is the distribution of the split compound. Tread cut looks the same. My experience might translate.

    I am no tire expert, so I have a hard time giving you detailed pros/cons. But so far I like them.

    That said I have a very hard street/tour bias and do hard commuting miles on my bike. Lately I too have been enjoying those dirt roads, but that terrain is 2nd priority for me.

    PR3's are good on pavement, with one caveat that I'll get into in a moment. They are okay on well graded dirt. And serviceable on looser stuff. They are not so hot in mud, which I found out the hard way last weekend. They spin very easily while they don't clump much and seem to clean okay, they do not grip much in the mud either.

    I came from the factory Bridgestone Battle Wings, which I wore the crap out of. But I think the Battle Wings were better off pavement. At least marginally.

    Basically they kinda do what you would probably expect by looking at the tread pattern; roads first, everything else second.

    The one gotcha with the PR3's is the handling is just a bit off. I feel like they fall into corners a bit faster and require more effort at the bars to stand upright on exit. I am hoping I just get used to it, but I do feel the Bridgestones were easier to ride. A couple times it has caught me off guard and I have wound up way off my line.

    If these PR3's go for 15k miles or something like some suggest, my cheap ass will overlook some handling oddness.

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  3. #3
    First name on the shit list.... SVRACER01's Avatar
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    Re: tire opinions

    thanks for the input bubba. like i said, ideally i would like a similar tread type as the distanzias (90%on-10%off) im willing to possibly do a 150 on the rear but getting a matching front is tough. pirelli scorpion trail comes in a 120/160 combo but i dont know anything about them, like how well they wear. and Conti has the TrailAttack in a 120/150 combo, but again. no idea on performance or wear

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  4. #4
    Lifer
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    Re: tire opinions

    I did not know the distanzias were a 90/10 tire. Like I said, I'm no tire expert; I don't know most of the options. 90/10 is about what I would call the PR3's. I bet they are comparable.

    Pilot Roads are supposed to wear like iron. I'd be really disappointed if I don't see at least 10k out of these things.

    I thought I read somewhere that the trails were intended for heavier bikes like the BMW 1200GS.

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  5. #5
    BMW track whore e30addict's Avatar
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    Re: tire opinions

    Quote Originally Posted by nhbubba View Post
    The one gotcha with the PR3's is the handling is just a bit off. I feel like they fall into corners a bit faster and require more effort at the bars to stand upright on exit.
    This is a problem why? I love it when you can just fall into a corner instead of horse the bike over

    Quote Originally Posted by nhbubba View Post

    Pilot Roads are supposed to wear like iron. I'd be really disappointed if I don't see at least 10k out of these things.

    I thought I read somewhere that the trails were intended for heavier bikes like the BMW 1200GS.
    So putting trails on a lighter bike should make them last even longer

    I was getting 8k out of PR2's on the 650. I bet you can get 10k out of them easy as long as the center doesn't wear out too fast, which is where the trails would really help you out more on your commute.

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  6. #6
    Lifer
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    Re: tire opinions

    I am having a hard time putting the handling thing into words. It is unsettling. Hoping it is just what I am accustomed to and I learn to live with it. But in the meantime the bike doesn't always do what I expect it to, a bad thing in my book.

    Either way the delta is worth mentioning.

    My point with the intended application is that maybe finding sizes for a KTM 690 is a problem for the trails, but not for the regular PR3's. Looks like the Trails only come in one size right now.

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  7. #7
    Lifer Chippertheripper's Avatar
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    Re: tire opinions

    Run the 150 distanzia in the regular compound.

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  8. #8
    First name on the shit list.... SVRACER01's Avatar
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    No 120 for the distanzias

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  9. #9
    Angry Gumball RandyO's Avatar
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    Re: tire opinions

    Quote Originally Posted by SVRACER01 View Post
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    No 120 for the distanzias
    ? 17"


    I ran the distanzia's 120/70-17F and 160/60-17R on my sV, I thought they sucked actually, good as a fairly sticky sport tire on pavement, didn't last any longer than Pirelli MTR60-Corsas, that are awesome in wet and a lot better on gravel than the distanzias

    imho, the distanzia's weren't any better on gravel than Azaro STs and only lasted as you say 4ką compared to 12k for Azaro STs (now Storm's I believe)

    tried Conti Trail Attacks once, ok, but again, no better on gravel than Azaro STs and lasted nowhere near as long, maybe 7k iirc

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  10. #10
    Back marker... jwm2k3's Avatar
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    Re: tire opinions

    Bubba, et al...The Michelins fall into the corner because of the v shape to it. The Bridgestones have more of a u shape. Its prevalent in almost all the Michelin tires. For sportbikes and those that wanna corner hard, this is a good thing.

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  11. #11
    Lifer
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    Re: tire opinions

    This is what I've heard. I believe this may be my first time experiencing it first hand. It is ... different. I actually think I prefer the U.. I am used to it.

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  12. #12
    Member rpiian's Avatar
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    Re: tire opinions

    Quote Originally Posted by nhbubba View Post
    Pilot Roads are supposed to wear like iron. I'd be really disappointed if I don't see at least 10k out of these things.
    Indeed. I have almost 6k miles on a 180 Pilot Road 2 rear with roughly 5/32in of tread left. (SV1000)
    I'm quite impressed as it has worn evenly and performed well. I only had a few pucker moments where the rear stepped out and that was when the tire was new. Maybe it had some mold release. I dunno.
    My previous rear tire was a Pilot Power, which became squared off from all the commuting I did during that time (4k miles), prompting me to buy the Road 2. Before that, a severely worn Michelin HPX from when I got the bike(<1k miles).

    Now I don't have a dirty bike, but I do spin the tire on local dirt roads and the Road 2 keeps me in a straight line. It's also a fantastic wet weather tire. Huge tread depths keep the water pumpin'!

    Oddly I run a Pilot Power 2CT up front and I find it to be a good combo.

    Lastly I would say I'm a semi-aggressive motorcyclist and I ride at the pace so I'm less apt to hurt myself. My choice of Michelin tires have suited me well. My 2 cents I guess.

    -Ian

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  13. #13
    First name on the shit list.... SVRACER01's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RandyO
    Quote Originally Posted by SVRACER01 View Post
    Wirelessly posted (HTC EVO "DROID" )

    No 120 for the distanzias
    ? 17"


    I ran the distanzia's 120/70-17F and 160/60-17R on my sV, I thought they sucked actually, good as a fairly sticky sport tire on pavement, didn't last any longer than Pirelli MTR60-Corsas, that are awesome in wet and a lot better on gravel than the distanzias

    imho, the distanzia's weren't any better on gravel than Azaro STs and only lasted as you say 4ką compared to 12k for Azaro STs (now Storm's I believe)

    tried Conti Trail Attacks once, ok, but again, no better on gravel than Azaro STs and lasted nowhere near as long, maybe 7k iirc
    That makes sense since the distanzias in a 120/160 combo only come in supermoto compound. That's why I said no 120 avail, I don't want to burn through them.

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    TRACKS:Firebird/NHMS/VIR/Calabogie/California Speedway/NJMP/MMC/NYST/Palmer/Thompson/Club Motorsports

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