I have the Road 6 on my Bandit 1250. I had Road 5 before this. It's hard to believe but I instantly found the 6 a better tire. More neutral, instant grip and now that I have about 6K on them, the 6 wears better. It was a smart move by Michelin to separate the large rain grooves from the small ones. This minimizes tire role so you get lest cupping. I am very happy so far. Like I said, I currently have 6K not hem but they are only about 1/2 worn. Based on the mileage Revzilla is stating for the Road 5, I have only seen about 1/2 to less mileage (average about 5-8K). So far the Road 6 has proven to be very grippy in the dry and WET and is holding up better than the Road 5. Very impressed.
You instantly found the 6 better than the 5 because you replaced a worn tyre with a new one. If the improvement in every new model was indeed as significant as they claim, we would by now have tyres that would climb on vertical ice. I can't help noticing that every new model is perfect until the next one appears and then all the faults of the previous one magically appear just to make a note that they have been fixed 🙂
They're probably made in Europe (Spain I think). Compared to Dunlop over here they're a steal 😂 research prices and several sources when deciding. In Portugal they're priced below average and are the best!
Maybe on the roads you ride. Where I ride the roads are so damned abrasive that I get nothing more than 5500 miles out of any motorcycle tire on any displacement bike on any street riding style. In that regard the Road 6's are one of the worst tires. (Great for safe rain riding, though.) I'm still in the process of figuring out the best bang for the buck tire. This season with Roadtec 01 SE.
The wet weather grip might also save you from a nasty crash. Only have experienced road 5 but that tire had better grip in wet then my previous budget tyres had in the dry.
how do you like roadtec 01 se? I’m currently on almost completely worn out road 5 and considering the tires that you have and also roadsmart 4, m9rr, and maybe pirelli rosso 4 (they all about same price $360 for my bike) I mostly ride to straight highways so center wears the most but I also want to start riding twisty roads (far from my home) and couple trackdays to improve my skills if it matters my bike is ninja 650
Vouching for the Road 6's and their light off-roadability lol. I was in the twisties this weekend, somehow missed the road signage indicating the end of pavement and went 30+ MPH on to a declining dirt road on my Z900RS. The tires didn't slip, slowed down and helped my U-Turn from a decline to incline. Scary stuff, the OEM tires would've lost traction for sure.
Even the road 5 isn't useless on dirt, I hit a "pavement ends" at about 50mph on my Versys on Road 5s and it handled it just fine, stable enough that I was cruising at 40mph on that dirt road just fine (to be fair it was a very nicely hardpacked dirt road)
On my XSR700 with road 5's I ran some dirt alleys at a pretty good rate of speed 30+ mph and thru even muddy puddles and the tires had surprising grip for being offroad.
@@mrvwbug4423 gotcha, it's an incremental update so same performance from both tires but impressive that these tires can handle a decent clip of dirt road beyond the Oh Shit I'm on Dirt Roads now lol. Maybe I'll lower the air on em and do a light dirt trail.
The Pirelli Scorpion Rally front tire, with the Bridgestone Battle Battlax AX41 in the rear is one of my very favorite off-road ADV tire combos. I think the Pirelli front is one of the best choices on the market right now, and the Bridgestone rear actually has better lateral stability than the Pirelli...
As an organization we try to shy away from recommending mixing and matching tire brands for street use... However, what you outlined is my personal favorite combo as well. That's what I'm currently running on my personal 890.
I’ve run the TKC80 front and AX41 or Motoz RallZ rear as my favorite. AX41 rear is my favorite except for mileage. Excited to give the Pirelli front a try.
might have to try this combo. it’s almost time to replace the stock tire on my 18 street scrambler. may also just go matching pirelli since i don’t get off-road much
Thank you for the guide. Another category that would be very helpful would be "Best BUDGET Motorcycle Tires" , A lot of riders are short on money or just cheapskates but still enjoy riding. When I was young and broke I held off on new tires for my old CB360T a bit too long. The rear blew while in traffic on a California freeway at over 60 mph. There are times where having "pretty good" newer tires on a bike are better than holding out until you can afford "great tires. In my case, the rear started swinging to the side and it was everything I could do to slow down and get to the side of the road without crashing. I was gripping the tank so tightly with my knees that I was surprised I hadn't dented it! Thanks
@@16driver16 That is a lesson I learned as I grew older (the incident was over 30 years ago). At the time, I was young, inexperienced and living paycheck to paycheck. The motorcycle was my sole source of transportation because I couldn't afford a car. I could only afford the cheapest tire that would fit the rim.
@@jfess1911 if you knew the tire was worn and you couldn't afford a new one, why didn't you ride slower and leave early? I do that even in a car with a single questionable tire
@@16driver16 The tires had a little tread left and this was California in the summer, so rain was not really an issue. They did not look too bad to me, and I had spent most of my savings just buying the motorcycle. In the 1980's (pre internet) info about tire life was not readily available like it is today. It is difficult to explain to younger people how different the world was back then. In addition, I was young and stupid. As far as slowing down, driving slowly on a California 6-lane freeway is not really an option. I also did not know the area, so I was unfamiliar with the backroads. In the days before Google Maps, it was very easy to get lost.
@J Fess I'm not that much younger I lived without internet being common also, just less time. I could easily tell on the 1970 Honda ct90 I rode back then when they were bald and I thought of it as a game to see how many miles I could get out of the tires, because it wasn't fast enough to be a problem. Idk why you'd ride a motorcycle on the California freeway at all
@@Neltheros Theyre difinitly street focused tires, but they do provide a noticeable increase in grip off road. I've found for loose gravel they make a large improvement in stability over typical street rubber. But, they do that while having more than enough grip on the pavement to drag peg. As for wet weather performance, they kick ass.
I use pirelli angel st since 2019 on kawasaki ninja 650r. Best quality for the price. I'm picking my 4th set tomorrow, I make 10-12k km on them every season.
I don't know who's grandma was riding the triumph that got 18K miles out of the road 5, but I've been getting 10K and change. but they are the best tire out there! I'll still buy them.
That'd be me. 2016 Street Tiple Rx commuter bike - 2 hour commute, ~40 miles each way, 95% highway, 9 months out of the year until salt/snow came. Retired the set at ~17,5k miles for a new set of Roads. If someone's grandma rides like I ride, I'd love to meet em ha.
@@patrickmchugh8039 thanks for the info Patrick :). I know my year around commute In and out of DC (45 miles each way) is difficult at best, sometimes brutal, and I may just be hard on rear tires. I definitely test the anti locks on my versys on a regular basis-unfortunately:). Thanks for the feedback. And my comment was good natured at heart. Hope you took it that way.
@@1Bigduff Oh yeah you are all good, tires are the most YMMV type of product out there. So many variables an opinions, but all we can do is explain ours and vote that way. I used to have the PR4s on my Honda 599 in DC years and years ago. I'd avoid the commute and just ride around the mall at night though since drivers there are nuts. Philly isn't much better though tbh. 🤙
I found the Bridgestone battlax adventure cross ax41 rear tire to be lacking grip on road, off road it was a fantastic tire. I agree with Bridgestone that it'd a 60/40 not a 50/50
@@fallinginthed33p Don't use me for recommendations. I had a pair of Shinko 705s on. They worked pretty well but I think a chunk of balance weights fell off the back and wrecked the rear, so I replaced it. Still have the 705 up front. They do OK off road, but I go off road so infrequently and basically never into sand or gravel, I decided I can go more road focused. The 705 on the rear, besides the balance issue, did seem to be getting torn up a bit early, I only had 4000 miles on and I think in another 2000 I'd have had to replace it anyway. I usually get more like 10000 from a rear.
I am a Motoz GPS rear and ADV front. For my ADV tire choice. Massive amounts of life, still good on the dirt, and road, and better than the K60 in wet.
id opt for michelling power 5 over thee road 6. They didnt just change the middle compound on the new road tyre but they also changed the profile giving it a flatter curve and made the thread go all the way to the egde. If u want a well handling tyre get the power5. more stable in the corners.
You're gonna go through about 4 power 5 rears for every road 6 rear. If you're going 10/10ths in the canyons the road 6 probably isn't what you'd be riding anyway, you'd probably be on a track day tire. But around here in Colorado, the power 5 is a popular choice with the fast bois in the canyons if they aren't on Q3s (and replacing said Q3s about every other weekend)
Maybe someday some one will make a tire for the TW200. I know its only been around for 36 years and there are so few in use but it sure would be nice to have more than one damn choice for off road.
Not sure who your Road 5 users are, but I've never gotten more than 7500 out of a rear Road 5. On a Versys 650 with a fair amount of canyon riding, but wear has generally been even without the center going flat, center and sides are usually on the wear bars at the same time. Cupping can be an issue if you ride twisties a lot
Before buying my current scrambler, i've had a gs500e, a bandit 600 and a cb650f. I haven't tried the new road 6 (nor will I, as i only use 50/50 tires now). I've had roadsmarts, diablo IV, pr3, pr4 and road 5 (which were short lived because of a puncture), then I've tried the roadtecs 01, I went through 3 sets of these, before changing to m9rr. As stated above, i havent tried the R6's, but of all the tires i had, the metzelers were heaps ahead. I ride over 20k kms per year, in hot weather and sometimes through storms. I'm not sponsored, in my experience there is no better sports-touring tire.
I’ve just done 2700km of off-road on the GS Safari and I got a full week on the Metzler Karoo 4 fitted to my 1250GSA, big improvement over the Karoo 3 and very good performance
Just got a Road 6 on the rear of my 390 Duke. Will change the front over in a month or two since they didnt have it in stock and my front still has a little life left in it. Feels pretty good so far.
I like how every tire is different then last year (kind of exept the Road 6), even though there are noe new models😉. I guess we know what's left in storage😂😂
A lot has changed in the past 5-7 months since this was filmed. Back then, it was just a recall / warranty swap out - Conti then decided to discontinue them. Unfortunate since it was so popular, but their decision to make as a company.
How do you like the setup? We have a few riders running the same pairing and can usually get a race or 2 out of the VE-33S before needing to swap it out.
I use battle axe T31 tyres on my bike. Rarely go off road, i normally get about 10,000 - 12,000 miles out the rear, i like them even though i get loads of people telling me theyre shite, once worn in i can bank so hard i get my knee down on my versys 650 and still have confidence that i can line it back up. Only time ive had a issue is turning so sharp that ive actually gone off the edge of the wheel and bike started falling over, but pushed my knee into floor to get it back on the tyre and carried on like it was nothing. Upset at moment though, wheel bearings have gone lol so cant ride it.
I do have to question you on the Pirelli Rally... Many people I've spoken to who used these off-road all had the same complaint. In muddy conditions, as there is no tread block to stop it, these tyres will slide sideways. Difficult when manoeuvring around mud holes and wet clay off-camber surfaces. Otherwise, a great tyre, but I do think there are better tyres than this. 👍 P.s. I have previously used Michelin Anakee Adventure (awesome tyres) and now trying the Motoz Adventure and Rallyz.
Came here to say this. Off road the AX41 destroys it. Not sure what surface Revzilla are riding on but on British green lanes they’re useless. I actually loved them on road though. So not sure they’re the best off road adventure tyre you can buy.
Hey all, A few points: 1. To Kattrap's comment: This is where I was going to start. There has been a lot of confusion, even amongst our staff as to the Pirelli Scorpion Rally vs the Scorpion Rally STRs. The later being a much more "street focused" tire. Look at the tire in this video, it's pretty much a dirt bike front. Which takes us to our second problem... 2. Even if you pick a proper Scorpion Rally tire, Pirelli now offers different tread patterns depending on the size tire you pick, something that came to light AFTER this was filmed. So, there is the potential, Paul, that you tried the a proper Pirelli Scorpion Rally (non-STR version) and didn't like it on something like a BMW R1250GS. But the one I was referring to was aimed at bikes with a 90/90-21 inch front, if you look at the tread pattern shown in the video, it's essentially a dirt bike tire. 3. To KTM 1090 - The AX41 is my top recommended pick right now for the majority of riders looking to ride on/off road with the same tire. It does a little of everything well, I've probably got 15,000 miles on those tires between my personal bikes (KTM 1090 Adv R, KTM 890 Adv R Rally) as well as bikes like the Yamaha Tenere 700 and the Triumph Tiger 900 Rally. They're more affordable than the TKC80 and perform as good if not better in certain areas. That being said, if you compare them to something like the Pirelli Scorpion Rally (not the Rally STR), the Pirelli offers much more in the way of off-road bite, especially out of the front, than the AX41. 4. As to terrain that I've personally ridden a variety of these tires and more: My regular weekend spot is the New Jersey Pine Barrens (so deep sand, swamp mud, roots, and slick conditions), Mojave Desert, Moroccan Desert, Bald Eagle State forest in PA a few times a year (Rocks, mud, roots, climbs), the Black Hills (rocks, roots, deep mud, steep hill climbs), along with countless other back roads, highways, and off-road adventures.... 5. I love all of the dialogue and feedback, and like we talked about in the video, yours are the voices and opinions I love to hear from. That being said, let's just make sure we're discussing the same tires, and if we are... well, then it's all good feedback for consideration.
@@SpurgeonDunbar it’s not the front tire in question here, it’s the rear. The fact that all the tread blocks are in line side to side makes them more prone to slip sideways in muddy off camber situations versus a tire with more “checkerboard “ style stud pattern. Also, these are based on individual experiences and preferences and riding style so everyone is going to have varying opinions.
Have you checked your tire pressures or suspension settings? Most riders are getting north of at least 10-12K mileage out of these tires so it sounds like you might be fighting another issue here.
@@RevZilla Religious on my tire pressures, suspension is as dialed in as they will get with stock equipment because I'm pretty heavy. I got similar miles on my Versys 1000 but they got replaced due to horrendous cupping, on a MT-10 now. It still cups a tiny bit but it's even enough that I can ride them down to the wear bars without issue. Got any recommendations for suspension upgrades?
Is there a real benefit to a trailattack over a road 6 for light off-roading? Everyone seems to talk about aggressive looking tread patterns for that ADV bike look, without mentioning performance.
Great video. How ever I will say while the perreli scorpion rally does preform very well all around it punctured very quickly for me on rock trails. It was mounted on a loaded pan America so it was under weight but it’s the only tire ice punctured and not had something in the tire.
Excellent tires for grip and also breeds confidence. Had two punctures around the center of the tire on separate occasions.. Switched to Dunlop Q3 plus tire, save $100.
Michelin Road 6 on a Suzuki GSX1250FA here .. exactly 10,000km so far of mixed riding, and the rear has worn off by aprox. 40% .. expecting to get 20,000km or 12,000miles out of it before new tyres are due. In PSI I run r42/f36 .. only occasionally with a pillion needless to say, I'll buy the same again.
How do people get that many miles out of a Michelin Road 5, it's far beyond me. I ride stock pressures and spirited (no track days or really street racing). But I'm always down to the wear indicators after 4-5k miles. on a BMW F800r, which is by no means a powerhouse. Granted I'm a bigger dude, but never have a pillion and rarely carry luggage.
This. I have the same issue and can never get beyond 4-5k+ miles out of Road5/6 tires even running 40-42 psi in rear usually. I'm now testing some Dunlop Roadsmart 4 and loving them so far in the wet and dry, and with 2k+ miles they still have a lot of tread depth left so they look promising on life.
I'm not a fan of the Michelin Road series. Yes, they last a long time, but for me, the tires wore oddly which made the bike handle poorly ... so while the tread might have 2-3000+ more miles to go, the handling was so bad I wanted to change them. I moved to Dunlop RoadSmart 4 tires and these are WAY better. I would say the first 2500 miles the tires perform about the same. But as the miles rack up the RoadSmart 4 tires keep performing excellently. With Michelin Roads, around the 5000 mile mark, their performance was really bad (in my experience), my current set of RoadSmart 4 tires have 6500 miles on them and handling is still excellent, tread wear is even and consistent. And I do keep close watch on my tire pressures
How dare you not agree with the road series. Cancelled. Just kidding but they do have a seriously twisted cult following. I also dislike the Roads. I’m really impressed with continental Road Attacks
I've had a pair of Metzeler Road 01 , on my 600 Hornet , and they were beast - on corners , on heavy rain ... i even sold the bike with them after 16000 km , and the new owner is astonished about the tyre handling . Now i have 1000 cc naked bike , i put Metzeler Road 01 SE , and after 11000 km they are still performing great ... the point is that i am not sure how @RevZilla are creatig those guides , as on the market are more than 5 good competitors in every segment - street, offroad etc. , so guys - just do your own research hehe
2018 R1200RT, I got 12k miles out of the Road 6 GT. At $550 for a new set of the Michelins this year, I've gone to the Dunlop Roadsmart IV as my next set. More than $100 cheaper for the pair AND a $100 rebate? Seems worth a try to me.
I have Roadsmart 4s on my GSXS-1000GT+ and love them so far. They are pretty good in the dry and wet and even at fairly spirited paces once you get tire pressures right.
I've been using Roadsmart II for the last 3 years on my rear tyre. 12-13k miles on average for the rear and very good price. Roadsmart III and IV don't last that long, I've been told
I've used the Road variants since the pilot road 2. Never really felt like trying anything different because they always worked great. Adventure tires on the other hand, I've tried out probably 20 different variations over the last 15+ years and still haven't found one I love.
Like everything in life, it is subject to change and preference. The right tires are the ones that are rated for the bike and what you want to do. With the bike I have it is always hyper sport or track biased tires. Do not care if they don’t last very long. The grip and tire flex is what runs my decision. One other thing not mentioned. The tire is only as good as the suspension set up. Which plays into longevity and feed back. This is all real science and there are volumes of information to read.
The Cruisec front is avalable in radial "R" and belted, hence "B". Often in same size so you can choose your pick. Is there a diffetence in shock resilliance and being forgiving and smooth on the bumps of the road?
Why no love for the Angel GT II? I gave the Pilot Road 1-4 a solid try but found the fronts to compromise emergency breaking traction too much due to the x-swipe design, and the rear took a while to warm up to a comfortable grip level (in the rain even longer).
So there's 2 versions of the Michelin Commander III - Touring and Cruising. From what I've read elsewhere, the cruising version outperforms the Metzeler Cruistec in wet. Did you guys test both?
Why wasn't the shinko 705's a nomination? Granted I'm in snow and mud season but I don't think I could expect more grip on any other 50/50 in mud, snow or blacktop. About a thousand miles in on them & they still feel fresh.
2021 mt09 and only 5000 miles from road 6, got 6000 from angel gt. What pressures are you running to get 18000? I'm 55 years old and ride aggressive but not that aggressive. Can't justify price for the Michelins at all.
They actually said they got the 18k on the Road5's, and that the Road6's should be good for an extra 10% more than that. I've got 14,000 on my Road5's at the mo and they're still looking really good. Not sure they'll get to 18k but I gotta say they do seem to be pretty long-lasting.
@@SpottedCreeper I ran 2 sets of the r5's on a fz 09 and they lasted 13,000 kilometres (8000 miles) and currently on my second set of 6's on a fjr... first set lasted 15,000 kilometres (9000miles) only thing I can figure is you guys must ride like girls. LOL
i think motoz tractionator adventure is better as a battlax adventurecross by far. not that the bridgestone is bad. its just not as good / long upholding tough thy are a massive pain to get tough. motoz picked up faster as thy tought. i have driven the rallz for over 14 000 km before needing to change em. currently on the adventure and my front needs changing how ever rear is fine for now and thats after 14 000 km. my front is adventure version 1.0. dont know about the 2e version tough and no its not once in a time use. went over the Tet to Norway and back
I'm gonna try swapping from power 5 to road 5 this season. I love my power 5s but I am indeed getting ~2500 miles out of a rear, and I am not pushing hard enough on the street to warrant that extra % of grip in exchange for way fewer miles. Awesome tires though.
I have no idea how you’d manage to get 18k miles out of the Road 5 unless you ride like your grandma drives and/or have them on a light, lower powered bike. I managed 6k out of them and I thought I did well.
I got about 23k kilometres out of a set of tyres pilot road 4 on my MT07 and I was sliding around a little bit the weeks before and was about to get a new set, but got a nail in the rear.
I’m not sure how they claim these crazy high mileage’s. I am lucky to get 8 - 10,000kms out of any tire I’ve owned. I have a cb500f and usually I’m lucky if I make it through the season without a rear tire change.
These tests always ignore the 400-500cc performance dual sport market. All of the adventure tires shown seem to be centered around the heavy multi- cylinder adventure bikes.
i'm using those battlax ax41, i tried the STR and love them on the street but they are not that stable on the off road... the battlax ax41 even with over 3500 miles are holding up really good, the front is like at 70% ands the rear is past 50%... i will surely repeat.
I'm riding on Michelin Pilot Power 2CT. I think they're classed similarly to The Dunlop Q3+. Also dual compound softer sides, stiffer middle. They're less expensive than the Dunlops they list here. I haven't ridden on the Dunlops other than the O.E. Dunlop Qualifiers. But I've been pretty happy with my Michelins at a much lower cost.
I'm currently riding Michelin PP 2CT back and Q3+ front. I replaced Bridgestone S22 on the back. I found 2CT to be worse than S22, but it's around 3 pounds lighter. I will try Q3+ next on the back. S22 was pretty good, but it lasted only 3k miles.
