Pilot Road 4

[Deleted member 5383]

The Bridgestone BT023 that came on my NC did surprisingly well for longevity and were pretty damn good on pavement. The Avon Trailriders I replaced them with surpass them in road feel, perhaps in handling, good on tar snakes which my area is infested with. The grip on wet pavement is superior, and also on gravel and hardpack. Don't know about longevity yet but if they even come close it's been worth it. I'd definitely look at the upper-tier Bridgestones based on the BT023 -- hard to complain about that for a stock tire. Right now though, I'm intrigued by the Avon TrekRider rear as initial reports indicate it is a great wet and dry pavement tire but also steps up the off-pavement game. Maybe it'll join or surpass the Mitas E-07 in the ranks of superior 50/50 tires that don't need to be changed out so often.

 

[dduelin]

Did you have them at max psi? My front and back are at 42 psi anything close to mid 30's and I had a similar feeling above 40 and its much better

That stands to reason but no, low or lowered tire pressure is not the reason. My experience was over tens of thousands of miles on multiple sets and various tire pressures on two different bikes. Through a couple of relationships with a tire distributor and a Honda dealer Bridgestone asked me to beta test on the ST1300 a pair of 023s before they were released in the US. I recorded tire pressures and kept notes and impressions on a form BS provided me. The dealer pulled a set of low mileage Pilot Road 2s off and installed the 023s for my review. After the review the dealer spooned the Michelins back on and I continued the review. This experience helped me be more objective about performance and disciplined about tire pressures.

A year or so later by happenstance I put a PR2 behind a PR3 front on the ST. I did like this combination and it did cure the instability noted. The 2s were out of production though and impossible to find fresh examples. Later on the '12 NC I tried the combo of a 3 front and a Pilot Power rear which worked quite well. The Power is a soft compound sport bike tire though that doesn't last very long and I had to baby gin the rain. These combos lead me to believe however that it is the profile and construction of PR rear tires that cause the trait I dislike.

 

[rippin209]

Sounds like you've put a lot more thought and experience into it then I have dduelin.

 

[potter0o]

Like always, great comments on this post. Like most situations there are different tires suited for different situations and riding styles. If I were riding in the dirt or riding only in fair weather I would have different tires options. Makes sense that a riding looking for more performance would be looking for something that hits that spot. Variety...the spice of life

 

[GregC]

Ordered the rear PR4 on Saturday evening and it got here yesterday. Nice.


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[dduelin]

Orders the rear PR4 on Saturday evening and it got here yesterday. Nice.


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Tell Bibendum hello for me.

 

[SergeantChuck]

Like always, great comments on this post. Like most situations there are different tires suited for different situations and riding styles. If I were riding in the dirt or riding only in fair weather I would have different tires options. Makes sense that a riding looking for more performance would be looking for something that hits that spot. Variety...the spice of life

I think your comments are the best way to explain it. No two people are going to have the same feeling about what is best or why they like something better. This is why I said it is best for everyone to form there own opinion. There are people out there making tires decisions based solely on price because they just can't afford a more expensive tire and there is nothing wrong with that because they are still riding. Everyone has different reasons for why they buy what they buy.

I have only tried three different tires on the NC so my experience is limited. My limited experience tells me to stick with the PR4 because it is what I like.

 

[GregC]

Tell Bibendum hello for me.

Every time I look in the mirror [emoji6]


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