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Michelin Pilot Street - The Stock Tire Thread

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#144 ·
VULGR said:
I had my first ride on these tires today... They are f***'n awful! 2 sessions at the track were 2 sessions too many on these tires. Really poor grip levels, not sticky at all (even when immediately off the track), would not hold or maintain any heat. Front and rear slipping frequently with very little warning.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I had my first experience pushing these tires on the street. I was taking a gradual right-hand sweeper fairly fast, hanging off the right-side of the bike, and the bike wouldn't hold the line for $h1t. I drifted out to the middle of the two lanes where things got even worse. I was leaned over a fair amount, and I was in the stripes/markers. It was one time I was thankful for the soft suspension, because I might have gone down with stiffer suspension. Needless to say, I found the limit of these stock Pilot Street tires! And yeah... they do SUCK. They are probably okay for commuting, and riding around town, but don't push them through any corners! They won't hold a line.
:|
 
#145 ·
CBRpilot said:
Yeah, I had my first experience pushing these tires on the street. I was taking a gradual right-hand sweeper fairly fast, hanging off the right-side of the bike, and the bike wouldn't hold the line for $h1t. I drifted out to the middle of the two lanes where things got even worse. I was leaned over a fair amount, and I was in the stripes/markers. It was one time I was thankful for the soft suspension, because I might have gone down with stiffer suspension. Needless to say, I found the limit of these stock Pilot Street tires! And yeah... they do SUCK. They are probably okay for commuting, and riding around town, but don't push them through any corners! They won't hold a line.
:|
Click to expand...

Agreed... They would be satisfactory (at best) for commuting and you'll get a lot of miles out of them
 
#147 ·
Preferred stock PSI?

Morning all!

So, I've had my R3 for about a month now. I've really only been making my short commute so I've only got about 150 miles on it.

I live outside of Cincinnati, OH and I've had pretty crappy weather since I've owned the bike. I have rode it in some light rain and 20 degree (F) weather and the tires seem OK. Needless to say I've not pushed the stock Michelin tires and they are only now getting scrubbed in to my liking.

I've been trying to keep the cold PSI around 30-31 front and 37-38 rear, because of the constant cold days here and the constant bleeding of pressure. As the weather improves around here my goal is to go from just using the bike for transportation and start to have some fun on it. I weigh about 255-260, so I'm sure I'm over 270 pounds when geared up. I'm going to keep the stock tires for a while, at least until I get my sport bike riding legs back. Assuming warmer weather, do you guys think the stock PSI of 29/36 is the best way to go?

Given my weight would dialing in some more pre-load help thing bike and tires feel a little better?

I've pretty much been away from bikes for a long time (especially sport bikes) so I'd appreciate any feedback.

Thanks, Giff
 
#148 ·
I watched another guy take the stock tires out on the track on Friday, he was fairly confident with them and said he'd done 500km on the street with them. His bike came back to the pits on a trailer (I did warn him)
 
#149 ·
VULGR said:
I watched another guy take the stock tires out on the track on Friday, he was fairly confident with them and said he'd done 500km on the street with them. His bike came back to the pits on a trailer (I did warn him)
Click to expand...
LESSON LEARNED. THE HARD WAY.

( The stock tires SUUUUUUUUUUUUCK. ) :mad:
 
#150 ·
Cornering is dangerous on stock tires. While I admit I'm a noob on the R3 I've ridden a few other bikes in the past and I just do not have the confidence to lean low on the R3. It just doesn't feel right. We''re not even talking high speeds.. even 20-25 mph cornering is hair raising!
I guess I better spring for that frame sliders ASAP! just in case.
 
#151 ·
NoobRider said:
Cornering is dangerous on stock tires. While I admit I'm a noob on the R3 I've ridden a few other bikes in the past and I just do not have the confidence to lean low on the R3. It just doesn't feel right. We''re not even talking high speeds.. even 20-25 mph cornering is hair raising!
I guess I better spring for that frame sliders ASAP! just in case.
Click to expand...
Save your money and put it towards some new tires. Good tires will give you confidence in the corners. Stock R3 tires are commuter tires.
 
#152 · (Edited)
NoobRider said:
Cornering is dangerous on stock tires. While I admit I'm a noob on the R3 I've ridden a few other bikes in the past and I just do not have the confidence to lean low on the R3. It just doesn't feel right. We''re not even talking high speeds.. even 20-25 mph cornering is hair raising!
I guess I better spring for that frame sliders ASAP! just in case.
Click to expand...
This bike does not come with "Race Tires" guys, what do you expect. If taking a turn at 25 mph bothers you I suggest you take more time learning instead of blaming it on the tires. They are great for what they are, don't compare them to racing tires. lol Yea they get a little squirrely coming out of turns but that makes it fun.
They are just fine for almost all street riding and turning up to 75% of racing capabilities. I def would not take them to the edge at max speed that's for sure.

Some riding on stock tires.
 
#153 ·
I'm not saying they should be as good as race tires. I really wouldn't be confident pushing these tires 40%
Most of the tires that people recommend aren't race tires either (DR2's, s21evo's etc).
I don't use race tires on my street bike and I don't expect touring tires to perform as well as super soft racing tires but I wouldn't trust the stock tires with my life in any situation.
 
#154 ·
After getting a lot of riding time and more experience with cornering, I've noticed these tires give me no confidence when I'm getting a lot of lean angle, but I do believe my size/weight does overwhelm these tires (6'0 - 195 lbs.) more than a smaller/skinnier rider. I just don't know if I should upgrade and waste tires with a lot of tread life left.
 
#156 · (Edited)
Noob rider here.. I don't know, these tires aren't all too bad. Have taken them in the rain, and in of course the dry. I've never felt like they'd slip out on me (during dry cornering of course lol). I wouldn't mind getting them again after these are out.
 
#159 ·
Do I need to change our the stock tires?

I've had my R3 for just over a year now and when I took it to my first track day at Cayuga Motorsports, I found that when down shifting, my rear tire would skid and hop, would that be the tires itself or a fault of mine?
 
#160 ·
Short answer is that it's your fault. Aggressive downshifts without proper rev matching will chirp your rear tire regardless of brand.

I don't doubt that the rear would slip through certain other somewhat "normal" conditions, but if it's happening specifically when downshifting, your are probably not rev matching your downshifts.
 
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