Pilot Road 2 vs. Dunlop Roadsmart?

[Paul-from-VA]

Has anyone had experience with both of these tires, preferably on the same bike? The Roadsmarts on my R12 are about shot with only 5000 miles and I was considering replacing them with Pilot Road 2's. I absolutely love the bike on the Roadsmarts and disliked it with the original MEZ6, ok I'm probably a Dunlop kinda guy. This is really subjective but if someone would like to offer an opinion on handling and mileage between these two I would really appreciate it.

The Guzzi is fast eating up it's M3 Sportec so I guess I'm looking at 2 sets. Is it just me....or are the tire manufacturers just making us hurt. I swear, I used to ride the R100RS across the country 2up with luggage, do a bunch of touring at either end and have plenty of tread on a Dunlop or Conti and never be concerned about a new tire. Now it seems I can't plan a trip without considering a tire mid-trip or make sure I put on a new set just as I pull out of the driveway. I know....some will say ohhh sooo much more grip, better tire.....bull says I, same person riding the same kind of bikes (R100RS, ST1100, Concours, FJ1100 many others) and never had problems with sliding. Rant off.

Anyway, if you have something to offer, thank you so much.

[mogu83]

Paul,
I like my Pilot Road 2s but have no info on the Dunlop Roadsmarts. The last set on Dunlops I liked were K70s.

The real reason I answered was to ask you if you were at the Virginia Guzzi rally a few weeks ago.

Harry

[Bill Stevenson]

The PR2s will slow down the steering response making the bike more stable but less maneuverable as compared to the Dunlops. The PR2s will last close to twice as long assuming same rider and habits.

Bill

[Paul-from-VA]

Thanks for the answer, guess I knew it was probably a question without an answer from the git. Think I'll just pull the trigger on 2 sets of Pilot Road 2's. I've been doing this so long that slower steering sure won't bother me and since I've never used a Michelin bike tire I guess it's time I tried some.

No I did not make it to the Virginia Rally, had family commitments in NE PA, and unfortunately have more there this weekend and next so I'll get to miss the TN Rally also , oh well....at least I got in some good riding going to PA.

[LumpyCam]

I only have experience with the Pilot Road 2, but they have been great tires. I ride in snow/rain/sun and they've always been stable. This weekend I crossed 17,000km on the original tires and just started to hit the wear indicators. I ride 2-up a lot and am pretty aggressive on the throttle.

[deilenberger]

No I did not make it to the Virginia Rally, had family commitments in NE PA, and unfortunately have more there this weekend and next so I'll get to miss the TN Rally also , oh well....at least I got in some good riding going to PA.

Always the RA Rally in West Virginia.. week after the MOA rally (I'm doing both, and wandering aimlessly between the two..

[Trout]

I just removed a set of RoadSmarts a couple months ago and spooned on a set of PR2's. I liked the Smarts just fine. I have about 2500 on the PR2's so far, and based on current measurements I expect them to last a little longer than the Dunlops. I honestly can't really tell a difference in feel and handling (comparing new tires to new tires, of course). The Dunlops went south in the handling department near the end of tread life, but that's expected.

Between these two, for me, it comes down to price and tread life. I like them both and I'll get another set based on mileage results and current price. You won't go wrong with either.

[lewellen]

The PR2s will slow down the steering response making the bike more stable but less maneuverable as compared to the Dunlops. The PR2s will last close to twice as long assuming same rider and habits.

Bill

I only got around 7k miles from the OEM Pilot Road 2's on my R1200R, and I'm a far from aggressive rider.

FWIW, I've replaced them with Metzeler Z6s; so far, to me, they feel a lot better than PRs ever did.

Good roads,

- Lewellen

[lewellen]

Between these two, for me, it comes down to price and tread life. I like them both and I'll get another set based on mileage results and current price. You won't go wrong with either.

I don't know.

I realize that MC tires have more insurance costs built in by the manufacturer, and that they have such great grip, etc.

But $0.10 / mile (or thereabouts) seems a little high to me.

Good roads,

- Lewellen

[deilenberger]

With > 5,000 miles on my PilotRoad-2's there has yet to be any squaring off of the rear. About this time on the Conti's I'd be using my belt sander to bust the corners off the tire, and might get another 1,000-1,500 miles from the rear tire. Harry Costello (HI Harry, sorry you didn't join us on the ride home from Westminster - but I think you'd be bored..) has over 10,000 on his - and it appeared to be good for another 1,000-2,000 miles to me when I looked at them last week.


On cost per mile - they are cheap since the tire lasts and still feels good when other tires start making me nervous. As far as handling - I've had Z6's on other bikes, and there is no comparison - even with 5,000 miles they give me more confidence than the Z6 did, not to mention you don't even notice rain/wet roads with them.

IMHO - an outstanding tire worth every cent they cost.

YMMV and probably will since everyone rides differently - but Harry is not a conservative rider - and how his looked with twice the miles mine have was really impressive.

[papasong]

FYI, the tires that came on my new R1200R are the Metzeler Roadtec Z6.
I was riding on Pilots on my F800ST, and I had no complaints about those.
It's still too early for me to tell what I think about the Metzelers.

[Trout]

Between these two, for me, it comes down to price and tread life. I like them both and I'll get another set based on mileage results and current price. You won't go wrong with either.

I don't know.

I realize that MC tires have more insurance costs built in by the manufacturer, and that they have such great grip, etc.

But $0.10 / mile (or thereabouts) seems a little high to me.

Good roads,

- Lewellen

Where did you come up with 10 cents per mile?

I got about 10000 out of the Roadsmarts, paid $252 shipped from swmototires, which would be about 2.5 cents per mile. I paid $270 for the PR2's (on sale at Cycle Gear), they have 2500 on them so far and I expect them to outlast the Dunlops. Check your math

[lewellen]

Between these two, for me, it comes down to price and tread life. I like them both and I'll get another set based on mileage results and current price. You won't go wrong with either.

I don't know.

I realize that MC tires have more insurance costs built in by the manufacturer, and that they have such great grip, etc.

But $0.10 / mile (or thereabouts) seems a little high to me.

Good roads,

- Lewellen

Where did you come up with 10 cents per mile?

I got about 10000 out of the Roadsmarts, paid $252 shipped from swmototires, which would be about 2.5 cents per mile. I paid $270 for the PR2's (on sale at Cycle Gear), they have 2500 on them so far and I expect them to outlast the Dunlops. Check your math

OEM tires (Pilot Sports) lasted me around 7k miles.

Replacement tires (Z6s) ran me around $650 including installation at the smiling local friendly dealer.

So, assuming they last no longer than the originals, that's close enough to $0.10 per mile, thankyouverymuch.

Good roads,

- Lewellen

[bobw]

WOW!!! $650.00 for tires? I will continue and have always supported my dealer and have no problem adding a few % to maintain the brick and morter, etc., but that is beyond gouging. The savings on one tire change would almost pay for a complete No-mar tire changing set up. If you don't enjoy working on the bike, I bet several area riders would be glad to do the labor if you provided the tire changer at a tech day, etc.

Safe travels!

[lewellen]

WOW!!! $650.00 for tires? I will continue and have always supported my dealer and have no problem adding a few % to maintain the brick and morter, etc., but that is beyond gouging. The savings on one tire change would almost pay for a complete No-mar tire changing set up. If you don't enjoy working on the bike, I bet several area riders would be glad to do the labor if you provided the tire changer at a tech day, etc.

Safe travels!

Yeah, tell me about it; and that was when the shop had the tires on sale...sort of.

Unfortunately, while I do enjoy working on my bike, as a result of several moves, the job (lots of travel), etc., I no longer have a full complement of shop equipment to do the work with, nor do I have nearly as much free time to work with. Sad to say, it's more effective for me to pay the extra $$ to get a shop to do the work; if I only have three weekend days per month available for riding, I'd rather only take up half of one getting the tires done, than a whole one if I do them. :-)

Re tech days, I've not found much of a beemer community in the Monterey Bay area ... but then, given the aforementioned travel, I've not done a lot of looking, either.

Good roads,

- Lewellen