Author Topic: Michelin Road 6 (Read 8270 times)

The Doctor 46 · « **on:** March 15, 2022, 14:43:44 »

I have just booked my bike in (2012 650 VStrom) for two new tyres,Mitchelin Road 6. The last time I ran Mitchelin was Pilot Road on a BMW 1150 GSA and they were great tyres. The Road 6 is said to be a big improvement to the last generation of the tyre which was the Road 5.

Well if everything I have read about the Road 6 is true, it should grip like glue, wet or dry and last longer. We'll see. £340 fitted, ride in ride out. That's by far the most I have ever spent on two tyres so I hope I get good mileage from them, 50,000 miles maybe.

......... Not really.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Mr Nick · « **Reply #1 on:** March 15, 2022, 15:20:54 »

Every new version is vaunted as such an improvement over the old that we must be at the stage of having tyres that are impossible to prise from the tarmac under any conditions, yet last for the whole life of the bike....

kwackboy · « **Reply #2 on:** March 15, 2022, 17:10:05 »

Agreed, it's all spin in order to justify a new model tyre.

I sell pilot 6's , the take up is slower than slow due to the cost, they are, in my opinion, too expensive.

There's no doubt as to how good they are but are they (for big tourers and sports bikes) good enough at nearly £400

We talk to our rep often and he bullshits like a politician but as we are Michelin dealers we are encouraged to sell them.

For info , there's a fitting campaign which refunds the customer up to £30 running right now .

porter · « **Reply #3 on:** March 15, 2022, 17:33:03 »

The pilot 5's where supposed to be an improvement over the 4's but I can feel no difference in grip really but they last 1000 miles less so not an improvement for me anyways.

The Doctor 46 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 15, 2022, 19:04:48 »

Kwackboy. Thank you for the advise on the £30 back. The garage had already told me about it over the phone. I do agree that they are ridiculously expensive and also that they can't keep getting better but almost everything is advertised as better every year.

As I mentioned, I used Mitchelin Pilot Road many years ago. They were such an improvement on what ever I had fitted at the time (can't remember now) that I recommended them to my friends. They seemed to grip almost as good in the wet as dry and lasted well.

I really want 100% road tyres but the size (especially the front) makes them hard to find. I hope these are at least as good as I remember the Pilot Roads being. If they are not, I will go for cheap tyres next time and ride much slower.

I road over Dartmoor last night (yes it was very dark) and found my speed was limited by my headlight not my tyres. I will have a look at it tomorrow as it seems to be pointing a little high (even though the MOT pass shows it is not) as it lights up the trees more than the road on main beam?

I'll let you all know what I think of the new tyres soon.

Steve T · « **Reply #5 on:** March 15, 2022, 19:27:06 »

I started using Pilot Roads way back on my 1st Fazer 600. Even got to use PR2s on the same bike and I really liked them . . . so much so that at the end of last year I bought a pair too replace the rubber on my NC750X. Yes, they still make PR2s - mine where moulded in the 33rd week of last year.
As they are an older model of tyre, they don't demand the silly money that the latest ones do.

Steve T

kwackboy · « **Reply #6 on:** March 15, 2022, 19:44:08 »

Road 2's are a great tyre .

porter · « **Reply #7 on:** March 15, 2022, 20:17:47 »

I just bought a road 2 as well to fit on the rear of my 1000 and match to a road 5 trail front. I can't get more than 4k miles from a 5 but I wasn't as lucky as Steve T, my road 2 was made in 2012! It'll be done by the years end so it's going on.

rikpward · « **Reply #8 on:** March 19, 2022, 18:10:48 »

I am still a fan of the PR3. I thought the PR4 went backwards. The P5 was a slight improvement on the PR3, but not much. Regardless of the model number, these Michlens are still prone to punctures compared with other brands due to how thin they are.

kwackboy · « **Reply #9 on:** March 19, 2022, 18:22:37 »

They are not thin, just a softer carcass than most tyres.

Michelins have to be run at slightly more PSI/bar, this make them less prone to punctures.

rikpward · « **Reply #10 on:** March 19, 2022, 18:25:51 »

I think that's what I meant. I have been told this by two separate sources who fit tyres. But one thing that never got answered, which perhaps you know the answer to? If the Michelin is softer, how can they produce more miles than many of the competitors? I can easily get 15k out of the rear PRs? Is it magic?

kwackboy · « **Reply #11 on:** March 19, 2022, 18:35:18 »

Yes, agreed....

Michelin do have the ability to last a decent amount of miles.

I don't have a definitive answer but the compounds are something special.

The above words were from my Michelin rep when I asked him the same question.

The Doctor 46 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 19, 2022, 20:14:58 »

I have used 33 psi front and 36 psi rear (no pillion and panniers left in the garage, almost always) since I bought my 650. I forgot to ask the tyre fitter what pressure he had put in when fitted. Would you recommend a higher pressure with Road 6 ?

kwackboy · « **Reply #13 on:** March 19, 2022, 21:31:43 »

Good question, the 6's haven't been out long enough for any Feedback as yet but, I'd treat them the same as it's predecessors.

porter · « **Reply #14 on:** March 19, 2022, 21:33:37 »

15k miles on a rear, wow. I've never got any more that 5k miles from any Michelin pilot road of any number. I've a 5 road trail on at the minute that will be lucky to see 4k.

kwackboy · « **Reply #15 on:** March 19, 2022, 21:36:49 »

The road 5 trail is softer than the normal road 5, Its an identical looking tyre, just different compounds.
The latter should last a little longer .

porter · « **Reply #16 on:** March 20, 2022, 09:51:27 »

I had the standard road 5 before this trail one and it didn't make it to 5k miles either.
If you ride like me, dry weather only, use the torque hard and enjoy corners there not a long lasting tyre and I don't see the 6 being any better.
Just got an older pilot road 2 for the rear, we'll see how that lasts.

Rusty Nuts · « **Reply #17 on:** March 20, 2022, 10:07:32 »

4.5k to 5.5k on 4s and 5s for me. A d that was on the mighty glee, not the 1000.

mr_diver · « **Reply #18 on:** March 20, 2022, 19:53:51 »

Various customers I used to deal with said they noticed no discernable difference in grip between the 4's and 5's
But were getting 5-6k per rear on the 4's and 4-4.5k with the 5'. And the 5's looked shredded, the 4's were just well worn.

Haven't used Michelin since 2016 when I put a pair of Anakee 2' on the varadero after they were discontinued. Don't think I'd bother as there a cheaper eaqually capable tyres out there that seem to be lasting longer these days.

UK_Vstrom650 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 20, 2022, 21:07:27 »

19,000 out of my Dunlop Roadsmart 3s, though that rear tyre stood up on its own when it was finally removed. That was replaced with Road 5s which was very weird as the tyres were round so the bike was a bit wobbly to begin with...
to be honest I've never noticed a difference with any of the tyres I've used, OEM, Anakee 3s (front and rear wore at the same time), Pilot Road 4s, Dunlop Roadsmart 3s and now Road Pilot 5s.
I'd have put the Dunlops on again but they were close to £300 where the 5s were £240.