Michelin Road 5 end of life review

[Blackbird]

In a radical move by actually making a post about motorcycles, I'm about to fit new tyres to my Duke 790. The existing Michelin Road 5's have lasted for a shade over 10,000 km and for anyone who is remotely interested, here's an end of life review: http://geoffjames.blogspot.com/2021/...fe-review.html . There are lots of excellent sport touring tyres on the market but there seems to be a marked difference between how long they last and how well they retain their profile.

As you were...... back to slagging off Jacinda and spreading Covid conspiracy theories

Cheers,

Geoff

[Hoonicorn]

I have noticed a lot of new street bikes are coming with Michelin Road Pilot 5s - Honda, Yamaha, Triumph (Trident) to name a few. Maybe manufacturers finally realised that a lot of their customers just swapped out the budget stock ones ASAP and they weren't really saving customer's any money by being cheap? (looking at you KTM)

The tire deformations are a little concerning though as most bikes don't have a lot of shock adjustment to counter that. With NZ weather being dampish (wet AF) the Metzler Roadtec 01s may be a good tire for our weather conditions as well.

[caspernz]

Slagging Jacinda off will continue apace now level 4 will last another week up in Aucks

Quite odd to get a tyre review from you Geoff...even if the summation of your review is near identical to mine. The change from PR4 to Road 5 is quite a step towards the sporty end of the spectrum I reckon. Michelin have the balance between wear & grip in a zone where I'm happy enough to stay with them as well

[Blackbird]

I have noticed a lot of new street bikes are coming with Michelin Road Pilot 5s - Honda, Yamaha, Triumph (Trident) to name a few. Maybe manufacturers finally realised that a lot of their customers just swapped out the budget stock ones ASAP and they weren't really saving customer's any money by being cheap? (looking at you KTM)

The tire deformations are a little concerning though as most bikes don't have a lot of shock adjustment to counter that. With NZ weather being dampish (wet AF) the Metzler Roadtec 01s may be a good tire for our weather conditions as well.

Thanks Hoonicorn. The Roadtec 01 was an excellent all round tyre. The only negative is that it didn't hold the front tyre profile on my bike particularly well but that's not really knocking it. It's worth mentioning that when I had the Blackbird, fitting a top of the line Penske shock and quality fork internals was a real winnner. Apart from vastly improved handling, rear tyre life increased by nearly 2000 km.

Slagging Jacinda off will continue apace now level 4 will last another week up in Aucks

Quite odd to get a tyre review from you Geoff...even if the summation of your review is near identical to mine. The change from PR4 to Road 5 is quite a step towards the sporty end of the spectrum I reckon. Michelin have the balance between wear & grip in a zone where I'm happy enough to stay with them as well

Thanks Rob, that's what happens when I have a couple of spare hours and I'm sick of gardening . You're spot on with your comments and I'm surprised just how well the soft compound on the 5's stands up to a bit of abuse!

[Gremlin]

I have noticed a lot of new street bikes are coming with Michelin Road Pilot 5s - Honda, Yamaha, Triumph (Trident) to name a few. Maybe manufacturers finally realised that a lot of their customers just swapped out the budget stock ones ASAP and they weren't really saving customer's any money by being cheap? (looking at you KTM)

I'd mostly doubt it. Nothing else manufacturers do really scream "we're totally focused on you". OEM tyres are different to retail ones, often with less rubber (cheaper) and making sure they perform well for reviewers (hence often being stickier).

Tyre manufacturers submit tenders to produce thousands of tyres for the production run etc... cost is a major influence.

[SaferRides]

In a radical move by actually making a post about motorcycles, I'm about to fit new tyres to my Duke 790. The existing Michelin Road 5's have lasted for a shade over 10,000 km and for anyone who is remotely interested, here's an end of life review: http://geoffjames.blogspot.com/2021/...fe-review.html . There are lots of excellent sport touring tyres on the market but there seems to be a marked difference between how long they last and how well they retain their profile.

As you were...... back to slagging off Jacinda and spreading Covid conspiracy theories

Cheers,

Geoff

Thanks Geoff, good to see both a new topic and one on motorbikes!

I have seen some Road 5 rears on powerful bikes such as the Blackbird and Tuono with very worn rear shoulders. But the owners were still very happy with them.

I am a recent convert to sport touring tyres after fitting a set of Pilot Road 4 to the R1 for a South Island trip last summer. To my surprise, they improved the handling, with the bike feeling more stable at high lean angles, but still responding quickly to steering inputs. There is less grip if you push them too far, with the centre compound on the rear a bit lacking when pushed hard.

They are great on wet roads, but the biggest improvement over sports tyres is the consistent grip on the poor road surfaces. They have also made winter riding more enjoyable, especially in cold, wet conditions. They do slide of course on metal patches and cow shit, but there is never any drama.

Wear has been good, almost time for replacement at 11,000 km. But they have kept their profile, including the front which is only just starting to develop a flat spot on the right shoulder. I will probably replace them with the Road 5, but overall they are the best tyres I have used for our road and weather conditions.

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[Blackbird]

Thanks Geoff, good to see both a new topic and one on motorbikes!

I have seen some Road 5 rears on powerful bikes such as the Blackbird and Tuono with very worn rear shoulders. But the owners were still very happy with them.

I am a recent convert to sport touring tyres after fitting a set of Pilot Road 4 to the R1 for a South Island trip last summer. To my surprise, they improved the handling, with the bike feeling more stable at high lean angles, but still responding quickly to steering inputs. There is less grip if you push them too far, with the centre compound on the rear a bit lacking when pushed hard.

They are great on wet roads, but the biggest improvement over sports tyres is the consistent grip on the poor road surfaces. They have also made winter riding more enjoyable, especially in cold, wet conditions. They do slide of course on metal patches and cow shit, but there is never any drama.

Wear has been good, almost time for replacement at 11,000 km. But they have kept their profile, including the front which is only just starting to develop a flat spot on the right shoulder. I will probably replace them with the Road 5, but overall they are the best tyres I have used for our road and weather conditions.

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Thank you! I've had both PR3's and 4's on bikes in the past and found them to be pretty good too. My only grumble was 3's on the Blackbird as it was a heavy mother and tended to push the front end. The narrow spacing of the sipes on the front meant that under certain conditions, it felt a bit "squirmy", but not worryingly so. Dredging what's left of my memory, I think that the spacing between sipes was increased to counter that issue on the 4's. I did a trackday at Hampton Downs on the GSX-S 1000 which was fitted at that time with new PR4's and they stood up remarkably well. They went a bit blue towards the edges and melted a bit of rubber but there was plenty of grip.

[caspernz]

I am a recent convert to sport touring tyres

This is a fairly common theme among sports bike riders.

The gap between grip & wear comparing sport and sport/touring tyres has been shrinking for some time.
Now I'd go as far as to suggest that, at least in the case of Michelin, and from personal experience...the Power 5 is at least as capable in the wet as the Road 5.
The wear equation is a funny one, the Power 5 seems to last longer than Pilot Power 3 yet the Road 5 is done before the Pilot Road 4, everything else being equal. Is that a bad thing? Heck no, but the difference between a sport tyre and a sport/touring tyre is not like it was 10+ years ago.

Simple reality is a sporty bike used on the road can get better value (as well as safety) from of a sport touring tyre rather than a sports tyre

[SaferRides]

This is a fairly common theme among sports bike riders.

The gap between grip & wear comparing sport and sport/touring tyres has been shrinking for some time.
Now I'd go as far as to suggest that, at least in the case of Michelin, and from personal experience...the Power 5 is at least as capable in the wet as the Road 5.
The wear equation is a funny one, the Power 5 seems to last longer than Pilot Power 3 yet the Road 5 is done before the Pilot Road 4, everything else being equal. Is that a bad thing? Heck no, but the difference between a sport tyre and a sport/touring tyre is not like it was 10+ years ago.

Simple reality is a sporty bike used on the road can get better value (as well as safety) from of a sport touring tyre rather than a sports tyre

I'd be interested in your comments on the Power 5 compared to the Road 5, as that is another option.

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[roogazza]

Stuck a set of Road 4's on the 1400 , brilliant !

Better wear is a big plus after years of sport tyres.

Mind you I'm not scratching like in the olden days,hardly get to edge of the tyres nowdays...
I did notice the different feel and warm up is faster with road 4's . maybe the side walls are stiffer ? But hey, wouldn't think twice about using them at a track day.

I would suggest most people don't need sport rubber ? Also some road surfaces rip the shit out of sport tyres here in NZ.

T

[sugilite:Me]

Great write up on the blog. I will look into a set when I finally run out of slicks to hand groove.

[Blackbird]

Great write up on the blog. I will look into a set when I finally run out of slicks to hand groove.

Thank you! Bloody hell, hand-grooving slicks I hope this is your hobby when it's pissing down outside, otherwise it's eating up valuable riding time

[sugilite:Me]

Thank you! Bloody hell, hand-grooving slicks I hope this is your hobby when it's pissing down outside, otherwise it's eating up valuable riding time

Hehe, no worries, I have it down to a fine art. I have a tyre grooving tool. The technique is hang them on a sturdy clothes rack t bar with tyre warmers on them, once they are warmed up, take warmers off, put them on another set, groove first set, groover goes through pre-warmed tyres like the proverbial hot knife through butter. I can do about 4 sets of tyres in an hour, so not too bad. Conversely I have a set of wof tyres that are more than 10 years old that never seem to wear out

[caspernz]

I'd be interested in your comments on the Power 5 compared to the Road 5, as that is another option.

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Power 5 for me is an experiment, as in I want to know how this tyre performs on my play time bike. Fair to say my yellow skoolbus eats tyres. Must admit the suspension has been upgraded, custom Nitron R3 at back plus forks worked over by Robert Taylor / KSS.
In the wet, the Power 5 can be made to spin up on corner exit, but that was me wanting to find traction limit. Ahead of Pilot Road 4 in that respect and equal to, if not slightly better than Road 5. Was aiming at a couple of track training days with Power 5 but between work and Covid...hasn't happened yet. Projected life is around 7000 km, compared with Pilot Power 3 doing around 6000 km.

The Road 5 is what I've got on my training bike (FJR1300), and for road riding the traction from this is plenty. Does ok on track. Get around 10,000 km from a set, with the front done before the rear. Edges on rear go first, must be that sedate cornering Unless I do lots of licence tests, then it will start to square off a touch.

So in essence, unless you're venturing to the track then Road 5 it is. Or for indulgence, or experiment if you like, run a set of Power 5 unless you're commuting on motorways then it's just a waste. All I can say is that the grip from the Power 5 is insane, go back 20 years and tyres that gripped like this would be toast in less than 1500 km and still suck in the wet...so yeah nowadays we're spoiled for tyre choice

[SaferRides]

Power 5 for me is an experiment, as in I want to know how this tyre performs on my play time bike. Fair to say my yellow skoolbus eats tyres. Must admit the suspension has been upgraded, custom Nitron R3 at back plus forks worked over by Robert Taylor / KSS.
In the wet, the Power 5 can be made to spin up on corner exit, but that was me wanting to find traction limit. Ahead of Pilot Road 4 in that respect and equal to, if not slightly better than Road 5. Was aiming at a couple of track training days with Power 5 but between work and Covid...hasn't happened yet. Projected life is around 7000 km, compared with Pilot Power 3 doing around 6000 km.

The Road 5 is what I've got on my training bike (FJR1300), and for road riding the traction from this is plenty. Does ok on track. Get around 10,000 km from a set, with the front done before the rear. Edges on rear go first, must be that sedate cornering Unless I do lots of licence tests, then it will start to square off a touch.

So in essence, unless you're venturing to the track then Road 5 it is. Or for indulgence, or experiment if you like, run a set of Power 5 unless you're commuting on motorways then it's just a waste. All I can say is that the grip from the Power 5 is insane, go back 20 years and tyres that gripped like this would be toast in less than 1500 km and still suck in the wet...so yeah nowadays we're spoiled for tyre choice

Thanks for that. 7,000 km from a sports tyre on a Busa is impressive, but as has been said, the lines are becoming quite blurred between sports and sport-touring tyres. I have heard great reports from others on the Power 5, so that may the one to go for if the the PR4s ever wear out.