Tire mileage

[Ballerman]

What kind of mileage should I expect from a set of Michelin Pilots on an R1200RT, always properly inflated, about 75% one-up riding, 25% one-up with luggage?

 

What is the minimum amount of tread in mm or inches?

 

At what point in the tread wear does traction begin to suffer?

 

Thanks!

[Selden]

I'm afraid the only answer to this question is "Your mileage may vary." What you get is what you get, and varies widely depending on local road surfaces and riding style.

[Ballerman]

Thanks. Can you comment on other two questions?

[bmweerman]

Answer to second question...rule of thumb 1/32" or aprox. 0.8 mm.

 

That may be subject to some controversy, personally though I would not go below 1 mm, as some recent personal experience has taught me

 

As to your third question...I am curious about that myself.

[Skywagon]

Can only give you my experience on 1150RT. Always 1 up. Run at 38 front 40 rear. Mostly out of town country road riding. 25% spirited. My last set had 10k and 2+mm when I changed them to go on a 5000 mile trip and didn't want to change on the road. I can't honestly say I felt any grip change wet or dry from 1 mile to 10k miles...and as they say ymmv

 

[Selden]

As tires wear, the handling changes. Typically, fresh tires require very little turn in effort, but this increases as they wear. Running higher inflation pressures may reduce cupping. I ran a set once until the front had serious cupping, and the rear was nearly treadless in the middle -- handling became truly twitchy. I thought my shocks were gone, but as soon as I put on new tires, it felt much better. The problem is that changes in handling usually slip up on you over a period of time; it's not until you fit a new set of tires that you notice how truly bad the old ones were. I realize this doesn't answer the question of at what point does traction begin to suffer, but it's essentially an unanswerable question, and varies from tire to tire.

[Catbird]

I realize that this is obvious, but if you do most of your riding on straight highways (like I do) then the center tread area will wear quickly while the outside tread may look relatively new.

 

While I find the "twisties" great fun, I just don't get a lot of opportunity for them.

[Beemer_Nancy]

I just took mine off at 6500 miles and replaced them with PR2s in prep for a trip. I plan on using them again, they have plenty of tread left. YMMV.

[Alan D]

I realize that this is obvious, but if you do most of your riding on straight highways (like I do) then the center tread area will wear quickly while the outside tread may look relatively new.

 

While I find the "twisties" great fun, I just don't get a lot of opportunity for them.

 

And that is supposed to be the advantage of Pilot Road 2's and Roadsmarts. A harder compound in the middle of the tire and softer on the sides.

Good Luck

[grbrown]

And that is supposed to be the advantage of Pilot Road 2's and Roadsmarts. A harder compound in the middle of the tire and softer on the sides.

Good Luck

 

I asked the Avon engineers at a bike show about dual compound tyres and this feature. They smiled politely and explained they design their tyres so they don't need to use them!

 

Going back to the original questions, I rarely allow my tyres to go below about 1mm, because I find their grip starts going off well before that, probably around 2mm. Also that last bit of tread seems to disappear more quickly than the earlier!

[Lone_RT_rider]

I asked the Avon engineers at a bike show about dual compound tyres and this feature. They smiled politely and explained they design their tyres so they don't need to use them!

 

Sure they do! That's why I got 3,500 miles out of my last Avon 55 Storm on my R1200RT (at recommended tire pressure). I have been a long time fan of Avons and ran them religiously on my R1100RT and R1100S. After going through one that quickly on the new R12RT, I will not be back. I have almost 3K on a set of PR2's and am very pleased so far with every aspect of them.

 

Shawn

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Just one man's perspective and I don't even ride a BMW anymore.

 

I fitted a pair of the new PR2's to my Triumph Sprint ST at 8400 miles. I'm at about 20.4K now and they are just starting to show a bit of deterioration. A slight cupping on the front and a slight flat section on the rear. They have changed in contour over that time but it has been pretty subtle. Tires, both front and rear, are a little more rounded than they were when new. They don't really square off like tires of yore. Tread depth on the rear tire, which is the most worn, is around 2.5 mm at the center. I plan on changing them in another 1 or 2K miles. It will depend more on dealer availability and where in the country I am at the time I need new ones. I will certainly replace with same again.

[CoarsegoldKid]

What kind of mileage should I expect ...

At what point in the tread wear does traction begin to suffer?

I'm afraid I'm the wrong guy to answer Q1.

As for Q3 if the road surface is dry and the profile is not square and tread depth is very minimal they will probably still hold the road. That said, "you can get more prints out of your toner cartridge if you shake it some but your life isn't riding on it". If the wear bars are indicating change. Change.

[bmw_rider]

your mileage may vary when compared to anything anyone posts here. If your looking for a range that's one thing, but one can't rely on getting what another rider says is their minimum or maximum. Too many variables to make that inference. Load, tire presssure, road surfaces, etc.

[Roamer]

Here in the UK, the legal limit for motorcycle tyre tread depth is 1.0mm (Most depth wear indicator bars on motorbike tyres are 0.8mm - below the legal limit! A lot of people say you should change at 2mm.

 

It can sometimes be hard to judge how worn a tyre is (how many points do you measure?) and most people would err on the side of caution. Also it is amazing how quickly the last millimetre seems to wear off! This catches people out for instance if they start a long holiday trip with tyres that "look as if they will make it" and subsequently finish the trip worried that they won't make it.

 

I got 8,000 miles out of the rear first time round (then punctured the new one after only 250 miles!) The front I changed early so can't really give you a realistic figure apart from guessing at 10,000.

 

I can say that you don't notice the drop off in all round feel and handling as the tyres wear. What you do notice is a big difference when you do fit new tyres! Like a different bike!