WANTED: touring / sport touring tire recommendations that yield +8K miles

[cdc]

Specifically, I ride a BMW K1300GT. During 24K miles I've had 2 sets (not always change at the same time) of Pirelli Angel GT2s and 3 sets of Michelin Pilot Road 4GTs. Best front tire mileage was 7500 and best rear was 5700.

- Like most, I romp on the throttle from time-time but easily +80% of the time it's more sedate, highway tour riding.
- I use engine braking more often than not.
- Never carried a passenger and regularly packed gear is probably 25lb or less; never exceeded 50lb for a short trip from the store. I weigh 210lb.
- I'm no where close to pushing the limits of this bike but want tires that provide confidence if I lean over a bit more.

So please tell me, who makes the proverbial magic bullet?

I always get close to 9k on the rear. Don’t ride hard and always check the tire pressure before riding.

 

[just Curtis]

I always get close to 9k on the rear. Don’t ride hard and always check the tire pressure before riding.

The original question was, what sport/touring tires do you use?

 

[cdc]

The original question was, what sport/touring tires do you use?

Pilot Road 4.

 

[jkelley82]

Dunlop roadsmart 3. They feel great in the corners, get great mileage and cost quite a bit less than most other brands

 

[Head Case]

Got close to 7k on my Bridgestone Excedra 704 and it looks like it’s got a lot still in it. My guess is it will go over 10k. We ride 2up on a goldwing and do mostly backcountry roads and interstate.

 

[Cycledelic Relic]

How much life do I get from my tire choice??

Well....Im still here

I may not get 10K outta rear tires...more like 6K...mabe 7K. But at $80-100 cost ...for a quality brand like Metz or some Stones Im ok with it.
Michelins are generally more $$$ but now & then I can find one $$

The paved goatpaths I ride....on & off the throttle & brakes....prob have sumthin ta do with tire life on my bikes.

 

[Randyjaco]

Road 5's for me
Now Road 6's

 

[just Curtis]

As a reminder I'm on a 2009 BMW K13GT which I've ridden 48K miles. My best results are (high / low miles):

Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT
Front = 7568 / 1917 (belt separation?)
Rear = 5670 / 3138

Pirelli Angel GT II (1 set only)
Front = 7520
Rear = 5732

Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart III
Front = 5020 / 4520 (the former still on bike with ??? miles remaining)
Rear = 5625 / 3470

Have you looked at the Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart III? These supposedly get well over 10k miles. I have them in my K1600GT and they handle quite well in my opinion. Haven't had long enough to give a mileage estimate yet.

My buddy had pretty good results from the Pirelli Angel GT II. You just have to get the one spec’d for heavier bikes

But in another thread I just learned of these A-spec GT2s which are easy to find on Dennis Kirk yet buried on Pirelli's site. Maybe they are the "blackwall" tires, IDK.
Just wondering if anyone gets "outstanding" mileage out of these tires.

I believe my riding style is still accurately described in post #1.

 

[SilverBullet]

...
Today I ordered the Dunlop from Cycle Gear so I'll be putting off trying Darkside hopefully for 10K miles or more.

Before you buy your next set research these.
Michelin Commander 2
No personal experience but have read of people getting 20K+ miles from them. Most popular for cruisers so not sure if they come in your size.

 

[just Curtis]

Before you buy your next set research these.
Michelin Commander 2
No personal experience but have read of people getting 20K+ miles from them. Most popular for cruisers so not sure if they come in your size.

Why you wanna put a Harley tire on my Beemer? Lol
Mileage reviews are mostly +10K but alas, no exact size for my bike. Thanks anywho.

 

[Cycledelic Relic]

Tire wear has a lot ta do with the type of road surface you ride on....

CHIP SEAL EATS TIRES

 

[veriest1]

CHIP SEAL EATS TIRES

A diet of mostly chip seal destroyed the Pirelli Angle GT II rear tire on my FJR 1300 in about 7000 miles. There's still life on it but I'm kicking them to the curb because I don't like how the rear handles.

I got some Michillin Battle Ax T32 tires on sale last winter and they're going on soon.

 

[just Curtis]

Bridgestone makes the Battlax line. Let us know how they perform.

I mounted a set of Metzeler Roadtec Z8 Interacts, 1st ride today. I believe after 50K miles, this is only the 2nd time both shoes replaced at once.

 

[Boulder Ed]

Have you looked at the Dunlop E4 (do they make it in your size)?
More of a touring tire, but still sporty enough for me.
I got 11,000 miles out of my E4 rear tire on my GL1500, and I like to ride hard, and I am at the weight limit of my bike pretty much all the time since I am so fat. My front E4 is @ 13,000 miles with a few thousand left on it.

And as mentioned, darkside may be an option. I have seen a video of I believe it was a K1300 with a car tire on the back on a track, and you could not tell by they way they were riding that it was a car tire.
It does handle a little different, but not something that you can't get used to.
But darkside is a whole other topic to be honest.

oops, it was a K1600:

one would never put a car tire on a K1300. There are no good options for high mileage on sport bikes like these. Most of the time it is impossible to find the higher mileage type tires typically reserved for cruisers and such in the wheel size on bikes like the K1200/K1300 series. The tires companies know better than to offer it, cause somebody would surely risk dragging a knee on their 12k mile touring tires

 

[just Curtis]

I mounted a set of Metzeler Roadtec Z8 Interacts, 1st ride today. I believe after 50K miles, this is only the 2nd time both shoes replaced at once.

I mounted the rear tire (42 psi) Monday and rode for 20 miles to confirm the balance; I didn't want 2 new tires / variables at once. No new vibration so all is well.

I mounted the front tire (36 psi) Tuesday but the test ride was today. Checking pressure this morning the front was GTG but the rear was at just 13 psi. Turns out there were a couple adjacent leaks at the bead, something I've never encountered before. During this process is when I noticed the bulge in the picture. Long story short, I placed a few layers of Teflon tape between tire and rim and eventually it sealed.

For a German ST bike, I've always been disappointed in how squirrelly the ride can be in turbulence but today was worse by far. Wobbly at times, but not speed wobble scary. I pulled over about 80 miles in and the front pressure was 40 and the rear 49. I dropped them to spec and it seemed to get better but I also slowed down for the remainder of the ride. I'll call Dennis Kirk tomorrow and hopefully they will have a positive response on replacing the rear tire.

 

[c_m_shooter]

Specifically, I ride a BMW K1300GT. During 24K miles I've had 2 sets (not always change at the same time) of Pirelli Angel GT2s and 3 sets of Michelin Pilot Road 4GTs. Best front tire mileage was 7500 and best rear was 5700.

- Like most, I romp on the throttle from time-time but easily +80% of the time it's more sedate, highway tour riding.
- I use engine braking more often than not.
- Never carried a passenger and regularly packed gear is probably 25lb or less; never exceeded 50lb for a short trip from the store. I weigh 210lb.
- I'm no where close to pushing the limits of this bike but want tires that provide confidence if I lean over a bit more.

So please tell me, who makes the proverbial magic bullet?

I was on the search for such a tire for years. Then I bought a Z900RS. The oem tires are Dunlop sportmax tires, I had no issues with the stock set. Wet traction was good, mileage was average. The best part is they are only $100 each. Is it worth paying more than double the money for an extra 1k miles?