Michelin Pilot Power warning!

[SimJen]

Proper tyres are designed and made in Germany or Japan.

I wouldn't trust any frog- or spaghetti-eating tyre manufacturers with my motorcycle's traction and my life.

No way, no how.

Metzeler fanboy forever!



Edit: Contis are aiight, too. Go the GP4000s!

Metzeler are part of Pirelli or the other way around.....Pirelli being "Italian spaghetti eaters"!

There are just a few too many dodgy stories surrounding Pilot Powers for me to feel completely comfortable riding on them.

I don't buy the squid party line that they're hella awesome. It's not an issue of how well they work when they're still doing what they're designed to do; it's an issue of how likely they are to randomly fail and behave outside their intended design parameters, and once one has heard enough stories from enough different sources, one tends to get twitchy.

People who moan on the internet are always heard above the many thousands of happy users!
I've had Michelins all my riding life: Roads, Sports, Pilot Race, Pilot Powers etc. Never a problem with any of them. I've tried other tires, Bridgestones (slap happy), Metzellers (funny handling) etc, these failings aren't indicative of the brands though, just my experiences on the type of bike I had at the time.
Dig deep enough and the dirt will always come out no matter what the product!

[Cr1MiNaL]

Proper tyres are designed and made in Germany or Japan.

I wouldn't trust any frog- or spaghetti-eating tyre manufacturers with my motorcycle's traction and my life.

No way, no how.

I understand your point of view and appreciate your opinion, but the way in which that was worded is sadly discerning mate. Why and how do the food people consume correlate to their abilities as good workmen I cannot understand.

[jrandom]

Why and how do the food people consume correlate to their abilities as good workmen I cannot understand.

[vindaloo joke goes here]

[Cr1MiNaL]

Ummmm yummy !

[onearmedbandit]

I'm a fan of Michelin rubber, never had any dramas with my Pilot Powers or Races. If they were so bad then why do they come so heavily recommended by numerous testers the world throughout? Surely they are not all on Michelins payroll.

[Cr1MiNaL]

I like sleeping with my bike too... jus cant figure out how to seduce her into bed yet.

[onearmedbandit]

There are just a few too many dodgy stories surrounding Pilot Powers for me to feel completely comfortable riding on them.

I don't buy the squid party line that they're hella awesome. It's not an issue of how well they work when they're still doing what they're designed to do; it's an issue of how likely they are to randomly fail and behave outside their intended design parameters, and once one has heard enough stories from enough different sources, one tends to get twitchy.

Ahhh, the same could be said about GSXR's frames snapping though...

[jrandom]

Ahhh, the same could be said about GSXR's frames snapping though...

Why do you think I'm sticking with a sturdy old SRAD?

I occasionally wake up from nightmares of riding a K6

Oh, no, hang on, that would be the wet dreams...

Yes, good point.

[simonnn]

The line you mention is a static discharge line.
With silicum based compounds a discharge point is neccessary.
It will have no effect on the handling.
Powers have been on the market several years and there has not been a single structural failure to my knowedge.
Race Riders have lapped Puke on standard R1`s in 60 seconds with standard powers.
Me and my mates have been using for 2 years and found them to be the best allround tyre for wear and traction.
As for your Moto GP comments I suggest you log onto the Moto GP site and
get a few more correct facts.

[onearmedbandit]

Not going to argue with that. Not that I would anyway, having used PP's myself for the last two years.

[Sidewinder]

Gidday,

I was out riding the SV yesterday and it just wasn't handling right.

I was beginning to wonder if the front tyre had lost some air pressure (I had checked the pressures at the beginning of the ride, like I do everytime I go out on the bike), so I stopped in Helensville and had a look

WHAT I FOUND REALLY CONCERNED ME

There is a faint line around the entire circumference of the front tyre, just off the centre line, and the tyre is slightly raised when you rub your finger over it from side to side!!!!!!!

A VERY slow ride back home followed and I will be going into the dealer that I purchased the tyre from to see what they think.

The tyre is about 1/3 worn, and I am more of a cruiser on the roads so it hasn't been punished in any way.

The tyre is a Pilot Power 120/70 ZR17 Made in Spain

Here is a photo of the tyre and the line, a couple of mm from the arrow, note the way that the line moves around the tread showing that this is not the result of something scoring the tyre.



I strongly recommend, that in light of the failures that Michelin has been having with both road tyres and the high profile Rossi MotoGP front tyre problem, that all Michelin users check your tyres immediatley.

I'll keep you posted with the response of the tyre shop and Michelin.

Cheers

how much would you sell this to me for?

[homer]

i have pilot road on my 1200 am wouldnt buy one again i dont like the feel of 2 different tyres going from cnr to cnr they have a line in them as well but not as notice able as yours

[steveb64]

The line you mention is a static discharge line.
With silicum based compounds a discharge point is neccessary.
It will have no effect on the handling.
Powers have been on the market several years and there has not been a single structural failure to my knowedge.

Static discharge line? That got my curiosity bump working... so I did some searches on "static discharge lines". Found this bit, about forecourt fires (caused by static discharge)...

This second path is from the car body via the tyres to the dissipative forecourt area.
As a consequence, the tyres are to have a sufficiently low leakage resistance. This is the case for the old tyres filled with soot, but not for some silica tyres produced around 1993.
However, after the tyre manufacturers have realised this recommendation, silica filled tyres as are now available are usually sufficiently dissipative. Due to the conductive dirt on our streets (salt, minerals and soot), the tyres of 1993, if still in use, now usually are sufficiently dissipative.


Also found this, from Dunlop, about their Dunlop Sport SP 01 CAR tyres:

n addition a so-called BasePen is integrated in the silica tread. At its base, this ring of a conventional soot mixture just a few millimetres wide that runs round the centre of the tread is linked with the base layer of the two-layer tread, which contains no silica. Functioning as a conductor, it ensures a reliable discharge of static electricity and thereby protects both passengers and vehicle electronics from electromagnetic effects.


But damn me - I couldn't find ANYTHING about static discharge lines on motorcycle tyres. I did find lots about Michelin failures - including this photo: Err bugger - it wouldn't paste - OK This link to a forum thread...
http://sportsbiker.co.uk/forums/perm...howThread.aspx

...which has a photo of the tyre which sparked the recall.

Now, I'm NOT a Michelin hater - In fact I have been running them on the Ducati since I bought it - Hi Sports and Hi Sport race compounds once the original shite M58's needed replacing - but have switched to Pirelli Diablos (currently on second rear, just fitted second new front) - which I've fallen in love with. The previous front was a Diablo Corsa, which worked well for me until 2/3 worn, and I started getting some nasty front end slides - culminating in dropping it in the wet at Taupo having a gentle ride around... so back to a regular Diablo, as they are recommended as being a much better wet tyre...

The big difference I found between the Michelins and the Diablos - the chicken strip on the side became a LOT narrower with the Diablos, and I started grinding bits of exhaust on the road... The Michelins (sorry, can't comment on the Pilots) always felt a little vague in the front - though the difference between the OEM tyres and the Hi Sports was like going from touring tyres to slicks! ... and they saved my arse once, when I went into a corner WAY too fast, discovered it was a decreasing radius, and all I could do was lay it over (on a seal surface that was all ripped up and missing bits of the top layer - just like on NZ roads - but I was in the UK at the time) - and just sailed around the corner with left boot zizzing along the road surface (still on peg!). Not even a twitch.