No worries Richard! I found other info saying the same but i always thought 5 years tops! A mate of mine had a beautiful 1st generation YPVS which he trashed because of old tyres!! Its not worth it.
Hi Richard, I am in a similar situation to the one you found yourself at the start of the year. I bought a really pristine '95 900 Daytona with 2 "new" tyres and a spare rear still in its wrapper. The bike has been magnificently preserved for years in a heated bubble. The tyres look great but they are all 13 years old. I am not going to risk it as all the web advice is "Never beyond 10 years, even if stored correctly". My question is how did you get on with the Michelin PR3's? I was looking at PR4 GT's for what will be lots of motorway riding, the trouble is I haven't got an inkling of the quality of modern bike tyres.
Hi Paul, there are modern tyres which have a "dual compound" - harder in the middle, softer on the edges - specifically designed for the longer distances motorway riders do.
Paul, I've been running PR4 trails on my Tiger800, the 'trail' variant is to fit the Tiger800, I'd have thought the standard PR4s would right for you, GTs are for the heaviest road going bikes. The other sports touring tyre I'd consider is Bridgestone T30, haven't tried them myself but I know riders who have and they're very highly rated.
Thanks to both you and BigLad for answering. The bike is currently fitted with Battlax 020's and I used to have those on a Sprint I had 10 years ago. I believe that the T30 is the 020, 5 generations on. They are certainly much cheaper than the Michelins with the Avon Storm 3D X-M coming in at about half way between the two. Even though it's supposed to be a Sports Tourer (which it isn't!) I won't be ear'oling it round fast bends because of my advancing years .... and the cost of plastic. My eldest son goes on and on about the PR4's on his bloody Ninja and how I should pay a bit extra for the best. The trouble is that the day always comes when you have to lean it right over and THAT'S the day when you want the grip. I know that the Battlax is a goodun on the old triples but I wondered if the Pilot R4 is worth an extra £50 for the pair. Thanks for your replies fellas. Regards Paul
I had Pilot road 3's on my Speed Triple and the wife has them on her Street Triple; they are a fantastic tyre. They are superb in the wet and I've never felt them 'let go'. Interestingly I had a slightly strange wear pattern on the front tyre with the outer edges wearing out before the center and both front and rear needed changing at the same time. I've since bought a 2015 Kawasaki Versys 1000 and I've now fitted Pilot Road 4's. These have a slightly different pattern to the 3's with less Snipes in certain places, think this is supposed to help stop the slightly odd wear patterns of the 3's when used hard on heavier bikes. So far the PR4's are holding up well and feel just as planted when riding in the wet. My bike is 250KG's and Michelin still do not recommend fitting the PR4 GTs. The GT's are supposed to be fitted to the large heavy bikes 270KG + that are being used two up and loaded. The PR4's have stiffer side walls and may feel too firm on lighter bikes.
If it helps, I've got Avon Storm Ultras on my Trident 900. They are lasting very well and there is little or no chicken strip on the rear tyre. Good grip wet or dry!
Thanks to both you and Richard H Steve. Tyres are so important and any assessment of them is always going to be subjective. Most of us don't get to ride the same bike with different tyres until we change them so it's hard to make a judgment on how they compare. The memory of the offgoing tyre when it was new is not so fresh. It would really be a help if we could share experiences in a central file, within the forum, on all those things which are after market variables, tyres, brake pads, batteries, etc. even fuel. How do you do that though? Still, I'm very grateful for the helpful comments already made. Regards to both, Paul
