Dunlop Roadsmart III vs. Michelin Pilot Road 4GT Longevity Report - Moto Mouth Moshe #55 

You COMPLETELY blew me away with your review. After watching this I would take the time to listen to anything you had to say 👍👍

Thanks Moshe! I put RS3’s on my 2009 R1200RT and got their rebate as well...I’m very happy with them. Ride safe!

I only have came a cross this channel few minutes ago, and I must say - what a nice and refreshing thing to watch - you sir have a new fan. :) Greetings from Serbia :)

I'm going to put a set on my GS1200 this Wednesday. Watching this review confirmed my choice was a good one. Thank you for the clear analysis.

This is one of the best tire comparison reviews that I’ve ever seen, you need to be doing this kind of thing for a living

this review was totally perfect. all data was completely unbiased and was exactly what I was looking for. thank you!

Moto, loved it! FJR1300 will get the tires next. Used a front once and was happy. Hats off to your clear, quick to the point, scientific presentation.

First time I've heard, "Thus, it is reasonable to surmise" on a biker vid. Great long-term comparison and logical approach (and no fluff). Great vid, thanks Moshe!

Good review Moshe. Two sets of Dunlop Road Smart 3's this year and 2 sets Michelin Pilot Road 4GT's in the last 12 months on each of my my BMW motorcycles (2004 R1150RT & 2011 R1200RT) Performance was similar and no set of tires lasted beyond 9,000 miles. As you say, "a fools errand." Congrats on your results and thanks for your review.

Im going to need a magazine to pay to you and send you tires all the time so you can keep posting videos like this. This is awesome.

GREAT, Moshe! Well done.. I've run the Dunlop RS III's on my 2 bikes : one is a Sport-modded Bandit 1200, the other an '06 SV1000S V-twin. The RS III's gave me 6000-6300 miles from each bike- not shabby because both are Torque Mountains and most other tires haven't come close to that. I do 40% mountain roads and 60% Commuting Touring, and I enjoy an occasional Wheelie. The Bandit LOVES the RS III handling, like a Hi Sport tire; the SV... LIKES them but would prefer something a tad stickier, (if I indulged it - $$$). PS-- The older Roadsmart TWO's are solidly credible... I used a set on the Bandit last Summer on a ride from NY to Denver to Houston and back... 6000 miles... and the old RS 2's did great (although we sanded the squared corners a little in Texas). The RS 2's are a GREAT VALUE for a long road burn, and keep their handling

Thanks for your review, i never knew tyre technology had become so complicated.

Well I watched this video last year and I now have 11k on my road smart 3s and I ride a c14, very happy with them!

I went through 2 ST1100's both > 100K miles. and am now on an FJR 1300ES. Even back in the day I always seemed to get more miles out of Dunlop tires and they didn't hit the wallet too bad. Went with the Pilot Road 4's and it just didn't give me the mileage for the extra bucks. Excellent Video. Should have stuck with Dunlops!!

Great review, my friend

Feeling good about my order for a pair of RS3 today! Going on a Honda NC700 with just over 5,000 miles on it. Factory Dunlop is toast in the front, rear could go a little longer, but I'll feel better with all new rubber as a second year rider.

Ty for the video and it was very information and help me make a decision

Nice review mate. Currently running Dunlop Roadsmart 3's on my Suzuki GSX-S1000 and they've handled everything I've thrown at them. Sports, touring, commuting, wet weather and scratching. Not a single moment to speak of. My rear is at about 11,600km and still has about 3mm of tread left in the centre. Reckon it might be good for about another 4,000km. Will wait and see :)

That rear Michelin 4GT would definatley go for at least 3000miles!!! My Front Continental lasted for 19100km, vs Rears which lasted Continental 9800km and Pirelli Diablo II 9300. Now I have a set of Dunlop SS Mk3. Let's see how it goes... I'm an easy rider on an R1. Thanks for the review mate...

Well done sir!

Thank you, great review.

Thanks for the excellent review. My RT commute in SF bay area is 112 miles 4 days a week. Just bought a 2022 Kawasaki Z900 abs that I am turning into a very fun commute bike. Am investigating best distance commute tires. Roadsmart 3's fill the bill very well. Always been a Michelin fan, but the Dunlops last longer + are significantly cheaper. Thanks again for the video review.

Thanks great video

I am not surprised. I have been on Dunlops, Michelin and Pirelli. Dunlop Roadsmart 3 might be my next tires 🙂

Only dude that really explained his mileage his wear his experience on said tires...!!! Cannot fault this guy.!!

Thank you sir👍🏿👍🏿

Tnx for this video 😉🤗

nice. somebody that actually thinks about how he calculates the diffrent mileages between tires Commuting the same route all the time makes this pretty much the best real world "lab test"-like conditions

Thanx for the vid .Personally today I find that there's not really a bad tyre ,just diffrent characteristics when in use on diffrent machines with various riders along with personal choice and brand loyalty .I've been a Michelin man since the inception of the PR range until a few years ago and before that Dunlop and Avon .These have been across a wide range of bikes also .Also feel from recent experience that the cross over/trail tyres 10% trail types are actually acceptable to use on st machines .My conclusions from my 50years of riding are now Avon for best ware rate but tend to be more expensive , but better on heavy machines including customs .Michelin have been great on everything I've fitted them to but the let down had been mileage and I've never seen more than 4500 out of a rear and 6000 out of a front on any machine .Pirelli great grip but poor resistance to punctures with lower mileage than Michelin but superior dry grip .metzler great tyres once warm but for me a lack of feel ,road tec 01 and the new 9rr offer the best st and s tyre mileage verses cost .Bridgestone A41 s used a few times now certainly better mileage than the rest basically an adventure patterned T31 st tyre .maxxis at tyres great value 3rd of the cost of the other main brands but they were out quickly .Dunlop rs 3s are going to be my next choice of tyre based on all the good reviews I've heard from fellow riders and the net .I stopped using Dunlop for one reason only and that was the way the tyres would ware ,which causes strange handling characteristics .This was mostly on the fronts and led to me changing them well before the tred was worn .I am hoping that they give me a bit more rear grip over the A41s .

Here's an actual test with valid sample sizes, eliminating as many possible variables as possible, being a daily commuter. Curious now how the Dunlop Road Smart 4s compare. Or even Continental Road Attack 4's.

Well done, thx

I got about 5000 miles out of a set of Angel GT's. Very disappointed. Had RS3 put on end of last season, hopefully I'll get more miles. Handling feels great.

I've decided to throw some RSIII's on my GSXR1000 K2. It eats tires for breakfast and I can't keep up with it- I must get more mileage than pure sport tires can offer. Too many highway miles lately. Hope I don't regret the purchase.

AMAZING review.. been contemplating between the MIchelin Road 4 and Dunlop Roadsmart 3 and all i could find was features.. cost difference etc.. you NAILED it with the actual mileage figures. I have a ninja 400 (track focused to an extent) and was looking at the Dunlop RS 3 for street riding (grip and longer mileage being key). I ride sane but am into cornering considerably (max lean angles). RS3 has these water channels engraved twards the side walls as well. Can you help me with your inputs about the corenring grip on them (wet vs dry)? will be very helpful. Thanks.

As an aggressive rider on a heavier bike, I don’t see anywhere near the numbers some people are on ST tires. Road 3, 4, 5. Burn through them fast with my Honda VFR 1200F

מרתק

21,000 miles on a front pilot 2. 07 Gsxr 600. Includes a trip from Albuquerque to North Florida to Roanoke and back to Florida.

Nice review, ATM I'm torn between choosing a sport tour tyr, or trail one like A41 from bridgestone for example. Doesnt that 10% offroad capability help with sand or other nasty stuff on the road ?

I absolutely LOVE the grip of both Bridgestone T32 and Dunlop RoadSmart 4 I mean both tires really stick and handle well on the Tracer 8 GT but both return awful longevity! I got only 2500 to wearbar on rear of BStone and only 3200 for the Dunlop, Expensive tires for so few miles I think next time I might save cash and buy RS 3 instead of 4 on the rear I dont know how the hell you guys get the milage you do it blow my mind Note I run manual spec 36/42 psi I am paying over 600 installed and balanced

Thank you brother about time we get some good reviews. Halleljauh!!! I live in jersey and it's so hard to find good reviews on motorcycle tires everybody seems like they are getting paid to speak for Dunlop tires or these tires companies to try to sell tires. I get it, but track riding is al they do that's not a real world accurate review. This is real brother thank you!!! comming from Central South Jersey. How did the Dunlop tires feel in the corners I have just purchased a 2008 Yamaha FZ1. I keep hearing get the perelli angel gt tires. I dont know iam looking at all my options.

Hmm this has sort of convinced me to switch however what's the wet weather performance like? I was under the assumption that's one of the main reasons to get Michelins over other brands

I just purchased a set of the dunlop roadsmart 3s for my ninja 1000abs today after watching this. The bridgestone battle ax tires didn't even last 5k miles. Hopefully these double that at least and I would be happy

So the RS were quieter and rode better? I think I’ll put these on my GS for the next set, as the Anakees are overkill for the street and are loud as hell

did you have a chance to test/compare Michelin PR5GT?

I noticed that the front and rear Michelin PR4 tires are mounted different direction. The front looks correct. Also comparing how better pattern front tire has. I therefore think the back tire is mounted wrong which indicate more tire wear

I'm a Dunlop man, so naturally I enjoyed the video. Wonder how the edge grip compares?

My rs3s handled great on my k1600gtl, but were toast in just 3000 miles. Was really disappointed with the short life.

Is the choice for sport-touring riders, indeed, a clear one? Boy we sure have a nice array of options nowadays and the one-ups-manship competition between tire makers seems to keep things interesting. I enjoyed the outcome of this review, as I prefer Dunlop over Michelin but for a different reason. When riding hard on the throttle, Michelin PR4 GT tires feel "greasy" to me; I feel the rear step out in corners and they are the ONLY tires that have ever actuated my traction control during hard straight line acceleration from a stop. That is to say, these tires slip under hard acceleration. They may be top notch in the rain but other brands like Dunlop as well as Bridgestone, Metzeler, and Pirelli offer more "sport" in the sport-touring equation.

Exc review!

Hi Moshe, Can you tell me if the mileage is combined front and rear, e.g 13000 miles, 7k front 6 k rear. Generally I only get 7 to 8k rear and maybe 7k front. I mainly commute and then weekend's away. I am using bridgestone T30 at the moment and then moving to T31. Thank you, you're vlogs are good and very informative straight to the point. Thanks again.

I have just worn out the Michelin PR4 GT's that came on my used R1200RT - I got about 10,000 miles out of the pair and the front is worn to the point it handles badly. The front has a flat middle and very angular sides.....when you are leaned over in a corner the angular tread cross section makes steering around the curve very inconsistent with lots of steering corrections mid corner. The Michelin PR5GT's on my F800GT lasted about 8,000 miles for the front and 9,000 miles on the rear. My replacement tires on both bikes are Continental Road Attack 3GT......so far I like them so much better than the Michelins (I have about 5,000 miles on them ). I believe that tire mileage can very an incredible amount as a result of the pavement type (and how aggressively you ride). I noticed in your video the tire surface is very smooth and almost polished - which tells me your commute must be on very smooth pavement. I have ridden in areas of Arkansas and Texas where the paving is a very rough tar and chip (chip seal), and the tire surface looks like suede after a few days of riding.......the sharp edges of the stone are cutting away at the rubber surface, and a thousand miles of riding in Arkansas seems to be equivalent to riding 3 or 4 thousand miles at my home in Kentucky. If I stayed away from my yearly rides in Arkansas and Texas I could get far more than the 8 or 9 thousand miles that currently seems to be my normal.

You never cease to amaze Triple M. Thank you! Now how’s the 2016 RT holding up? Looks like you have it looking clean and tight with Clearwater’s lighting the way. Are you considering another BMW?

Hmm. Your results with your RT vary from mine with my FJR to a fair degree. I got my FJR used from a good dealer bearing the Roadsmart 3s. In the distant past, I was a Dunlop user but fell away from the brand in favor of others. These were my first Dunlops in quite some time. At first, the Roadsmarts seemed quite good, with responsive steering especially at low and medium speeds, which went along well with the FJR's reputation for light steering relative to its mass. The RS3s wore very quickly for me, to where the front end became annoyingly twitchy at only 5000 miles. While the wear bars weren't reached, I finally got so annoyed with the steering I mounted the Pilot Road 4 GTs. Initially, I was a bit disappointed with the slower steering of the PR4s but as the miles went by, the tires held their consistent characteristics much better. Only as they passed 10,000 miles did I first notice any deterioration. Not being one to leave tires on a bike until the wear bars go flush, I changed the PR4s for a new set of the same just before 11,000 (and a longish trip coming up). This second set is still doing fine at about 7-8K, just beginning to make a light howl while leaned over, as so many tires do when they are in the last third of their service life. In short, my Roadsmart 3/FJR1300 experience was quite different. How much that goes to the motorcycles' design and characteristics would be hard to say. Thank you for the review and too bad about MCN!

Its amazing how much those variables really do make all the difference. I would probably stuggle to even get 5k out of the same rear you got 13k out of. Also how many people really swap tires as a set everytime? I know I only do this every other time since my rear last half as long as a front regardless of the tire. Ive put 10k miles on my 2022 mt09 and had to swap the rear twice and the front once so far. I commute, ride hard and sometimes ride with a passenger got 4-5k out of the stock battlax s22 rear. Then swapped to a contimotion and sturggled to get 3k from a rear. The conti font is still going strong with 2500 on it. I got I about 7k out of the s22 front. Every time I have belt showing smack dab down the middle of thw rears while it looks like the sides could go another 2k miles. I usually run at higher psi's like 36f 42r because of the passenger weight could over airing the rear be why the center goes so much faster? Will airing them down even outthe rear wear?

16k miles is insane!

I'm about to put new tires on my 2015 RT and have stuck with the PR4's and was curious if you are still running the Roadsmarts. Im thinking of trying the RS 4's. Your thoughts, thanks

A lot of uneven wear is the fault of badly set up suspension, people think a stiff setup is best but for the road this will chop away your tyre and cause feathering

have you tried the pr5gt? i have a 2018 concourse 14, i have heard great things about the dunlops! i have pr5 on my aprilia futura, but with my heavy weight c14 the gts would be best or the dunlops.

My only gripe is that a puncture could not be repaired with modern tyres, I remember in my 1150rt repairing the back tyre with a plug and it was good until the tyre worn out, PR4GT cannot be repaired even with a mushroom as the carcass is made in a way that it cannot be repaired, are they too thin?

I truly think the Michelin road tires, are for lighter bikes. Sport bikes and naked bikes. The power road “GT” are good for bikes up to 600lbs. Over that and I think you’re looking at a different tire. My Honda VFR1200F is on the sport side of sport touring bike at 580lbs and the Pilot road 5 GT are the perfect match!

HIghway mileage def helps. PR4 and PR5 I got 6k miles on a Versys, back roads commuting.

I don't know why I bothered watching this 4 days AFTER I ordered my tires but I ordered RoadSmart 3s to replace a low mileage but 17 year old set of Bridgestones and looks like I should be satisfied.

Very informative. Thank you. Rslll it is.

i only got 5 thousand out of my road pilot 4 on an SV 650 very disappointed

verry difficult to undersand , match to fast

You mentioned you were a Michelin man...is that still the case?🙂

Update? Rs4?

-Scribed

I thinking to myself how he'll do they get these such high mileage out of a tyre . Then they show the Dunlop , that tyre Is stuffed and it been on way to long it Dangerous , what point of insurance On your bike 🏍 it Void , some of these Blokes tall though there hat , I ride a KawasakiZxr14r to powerfull bike To have Bold Tyres on !!

Good effort. I see at least two issues: 1. While you have reduced the geography and rider variables, watchers should be aware that the comparison only applies to one general model of bike. If you don't ride a late model BMW-RT, most bets are off. Tire life seems to vary greatly from bike model to bike model, due to weight, wheelbase, CG, and handling. For example, results for all of the GS's should be very different -- and not necessarily better. And bikes used not primarily for commuting may well have vastly different results. 2. I find your premise that 'riders generally replace tires in sets,' to be questionable. I know a bunch of riders and I know of almost no one who replaces tires in sets. My acquaintances and I replace tires when they need replacement, trying to find for example, a new rear tire replacement that will track well with a much longer lived front. Yours is still a good effort for commuters on RT's, and a data point to consider.

Wouldnt touch dunlop. Worst tyres out there.been burnt time and time again by dunlop..