Michelin Commander III / Bridgestone BT-046 for ST1100

BT 046 sounds like a better tire that the OE 547
BT46: the new standard for vintage sport and touring motorcycles
The Battlax BT46 is set to replace the iconic Battlax BT-45. Since its introduction 22 years ago, the Battlax BT-45 has been the go-to tire for touring. Now, Bridgestone has upgraded this design with modern technology.
Wet performance has been upgraded from the BT-45,with no impact on the predecessor's wellknown dry handling performance and wear resistance.
 
First impressions - wet riding. I did about 270 miles in the wet today with temps in the mid fifties (F). The tires were very confidence-inspiring in the wet. I am a little bit surprised that the Commander III did as well as it did, since it looks to be nearly devoid of tread. But somehow, it stuck well. It has been raining solidly at home while I was away in Alabama for a few days and the dirt road to my gravel driveway was a bog.. While my driveway is nicely graded and graveled, the county government seems satisfied to toss a rock into the mud every fifteen feet or so. The Commander III rear tire was a pitiful thing in the muck. I don't think @ST1100Y will be a bit surprised, and frankly, I wasn't either. But it was really, really bad in the muck. I've ridden the Haul Road to Deadhorse, Alaska on Metzeler ME880's in the rain and they did ok. I would still be paddling along the Haul Road trying to get out with the Commander. Obviously, not what the tires were made for, but sometimes you get somewhere you don't want to be and have to proceed anyway. This happens to be the last half mile of my trip home. Thankfully, the road doesn't get waterlogged like this frequently.

Don't try this with a Michelin Commander III...

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I mounted a Commander III Cruiser on the rear of my ST11 today. Well, I pulled the wheel and had a guy mount it for me. He said it was a pretty stiff sidewall and took some pressure to get the beads to seat. No miles on it yet, so we'll see how it goes. I got about 19k miles out of the Commander II I took off, and it wore very well. FWIW, I use 2 oz. of Counteract beads in my rear tires. The CIII is not a cheap tire... ~$230. I'll need at least 25K out of it to make it worthwhile over the CII.
 
beemerphile said:
How do you feed the beads in, do you have a funnel that fits the valve stem?

Lee
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The guy that mounts my tire puts them in before he sets the tire bead. He also gets the old ones out of the old tire. I give him a baggie with the measured 2 oz for the new tire and he puts the old beads back in the baggie, as many as he can get anyway. I've tried doing it through the valve... let's just say it was a pain and it took a while. Don't plan on doing it that way again.
 
beemerphile said:
How do you feed the beads in, do you have a funnel that fits the valve stem?
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The kits I get have a tube that fits on the bead container's nozzle ... then remove the valve stem's core ... then push the other end of the feed tube over the valve stem, then turn the bead container upside down and the beads flow in. I've never had an issue with the beads flowing in.
 
caldercay said:
The kits I get have a tube that fits on the bead container's nozzle ... then remove the valve stem's core ... then push the other end of the feed tube over the valve stem, then turn the bead container upside down and the beads flow in. I've never had an issue with the beads flowing in.
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You must have gotten the DeLuxe model. Mine from Amazon came 3 oz. in a folded over baggie like a small stash of dope.
 
beemerphile said:
Mine from Amazon came 3 oz.
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I never buy from Amazon... if you do, pay close attention who the vendor is.
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Just because some product is listed on Amazon, doesn't mean it's fulfilled by them - could be some questionable vendor.
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Same goes for eBay, but even worse there ...
 
caldercay said:
I never buy from Amazon... if you do, pay close attention who the vendor is.
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Just because some product is listed on Amazon, doesn't mean it's fulfilled by them - could be some questionable vendor.
Click to expand...
Oh, I know all the ways to get screwed over by Amazon.
 
Weird side note: the dealer who sold us my GF's NT700 installed a Bridgestone Battle Wing 502 on the rear...
By it's thread pattern I'd rather place it on a dual sport (like TransAlp or Crosstourer) but the tire works pretty well on dry and wet, she even uses it all the way to the edges on dry roads...

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Not much off-road use yet, but I'd expect it to be quite grippy... ;)
 
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