Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT

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Hi,


Have a St1300 which i have replaced the tyres with the above tyres front and rear. have done just over 9,500 miles on them. Have had a puncture in that time that i have plugged and got the local garage to patch from the inside.

Over the course of the mileage though i have noticed that the grooves that come from the centre of the tyre to the outside seems too get a bit flappy and lift up.

Has anyone else had this happen with these tyres?


Many Thanks


Lee
 

Bones

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Re: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Gt thread

Lee, I'm on an R1200RT these days (had an ST1300 for 12 years) and I'm having the tire wear experience you describe. With 7k miles, the PR4GT's on my RT feel "lumpy" when the bike is leaned into a turn and man, do they howl like big truck tires! I am fastidious about tire pressure, for whatever that's worth, and I tend to ride enthusiastically (just for fun, no commuting). There's a bit of wear left in the rubber, perhaps another 1,000 miles, but I won't be replacing them with more PR4GT's. I'm putting a set of Metzeler Roadtec 01's on my RT before I leave for a trip soon.
 
OP
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Re: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Gt thread

The St1300 is my first bike, So i'm still getting to know the bike and leaning more about it every day. Passed my test last July and have covered just over 15,000 miles since. The bike felt great when i put the tyres on and to be fair feels fine when the road is dry, But in the wet it just doesn't fill me with confidence.

Just been out to try and get a photo of the tyre and you can't see the lip on it at all, but you can feel the edge of the groove and its flappy. I check the pressures every week and run them on 42psi thats recommended, but i did put 1/2 psi in when i did a road trip to the South of France.

Out for a ride tomorrow with friends so will see how it goes and maybe look to get another and see how it goes from there.


Many Thanks
 

SupraSabre

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Re: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Gt thread

My first set of PR4s lasted right at 9,000 miles. I'll probably see the same with the next two sets (I have them on both the 2010 & 2012). I'm okay with 9k, and I have been using only PRs now since I replaced my original tires on each of the bikes (2005, 2010 & 2012) with PRs long before the original tires wore out. I just never liked the lean angle feel of the OEM tires.
 
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Re: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Gt thread

Ever had anything happen with the thread lifting at the grooves Suprasabre?


Many Thanks

Lee
 
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Re: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Gt thread

Put my firs set of GT PR4's on a couple of day's ago.
Hope to get some good mileage out of them.
michelin PR4 GT front.JPGmichelin PR4 GT rear.JPG
 
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Re: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Gt thread

Hope you don't mind ST-Traveler, I've copied one of your photos that you have just uploaded so that i could explain a little better to other people.



Have marked a red line on the attached photo where i seem to get the rubber raising on the edges here.


Anyone else had this?


Many Thanks

Lee
 

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ST Gui

240Robert
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Re: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Gt thread

Is the OP talking about the tire tread cupping or is this something more serious?
 

Slydynbye

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Re: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Gt thread

I think Feathering on that edge could mean you are braking hard into corners. Any confessions?:D
 

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Fortunet 1

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Re: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Gt thread

Are you a "leadfoot" on acceleration? My tires were wearing a similar type of description on the first couple of tires after I bought my bike. I just couldn't keep my hand off the accelerator. lol
Not that much of a hot rodder anymore and the thin "flap" thing never re appeared. Just a thought??
 

dduelin

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Re: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Gt thread

Pilot Roads from the first gen to the present 4 often present lumpy uneven wear, feathered edges, noise, etc. Some folks love them but many of us choose other tires and it's good to have choices. I moved off Michelins to Bridgestones and currently run the T30 GT on my ST. This tire generally does not last as long as the PRs but for me it handles more crisply and wears symmetrically to the end.
 

ibike2havefun

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Re: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Gt thread

More "data": photos of the Michelin PRx GTs (x = I don't recall whether they are 3s or 4s) @ 8,000 miles.

Riding habits: always solo, 90% not a lot of load other than the rider (c. 255 lbs when geared up), not aggressive on throttle or brakes. I tend to favor engine braking and light rear brake to using the front brake when making routine stops; in corners it's more front than rear but not testing the limits of adhesion or handling. Always keep the cold pressure to 42psi +/1 0.5. Rear suspension preload somewhere in the middle of the range although truth to tell I don't know exactly where, nor have I ever had it apart to check the fluid level. (I keep meaning to do that and it keeps not happening. If it ain't obviously broken... )

Guessing I have maybe 2K miles left on the rear and twice that on the front. I do not see any evidence of the feathering or "lifting" the OP was asking about.

Front:


Rear:
 

ToddC

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Re: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Gt thread

It happens to my tires from aggressive cornering and acceleration. Just a price we pay for having fun!!!!!

ToddC
 
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Re: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Gt thread

Are you a "leadfoot" on acceleration? My tires were wearing a similar type of description on the first couple of tires after I bought my bike. I just couldn't keep my hand off the accelerator. lol
Not that much of a hot rodder anymore and the thin "flap" thing never re appeared. Just a thought??

looks like this could be it...... Been out for a ride with friends and after coming back and checking the tyre it's starting to do it again. After a week commuting and the tyre looks fine until now.
 

Fortunet 1

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Re: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Gt thread

It happens to my tires from aggressive cornering and acceleration. Just a price we pay for having fun!!!!!

ToddC
That affirms what I had posted...... I wonder what the throttle hand of the OP has to say?
 
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Re: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Gt thread

Is the OP talking about the tire tread cupping or is this something more serious?

I'm trying to get an idea as to weather there is something wrong with the bike that i need to investigate or weather other people experience the same thing that i'm experiencing with the tyres cupping up on the edges of the groove.


Many Thanks


Lee
 
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Re: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Gt thread

Are you a "leadfoot" on acceleration? My tires were wearing a similar type of description on the first couple of tires after I bought my bike. I just couldn't keep my hand off the accelerator. lol
Not that much of a hot rodder anymore and the thin "flap" thing never re appeared. Just a thought??

Leadfoot it one of my Nicknames :lol:
 
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