[arfingdog]

I was fooled by that too, TundraGreen. I had been watching the wear indicators but the center kind of snuck up on me and suddenly I could see a bit of cord in the seam. I guess I can't really complain as that was at 11,500 miles.

 

[Panzermann]

I thought that cord stuff was the wear indicator :grin2:

 

[Mick]

Only if it forms a complete circle:grin2:

 

[TomCT]

Rode to work today and noticed a nail in my tire. The Metzler Z8's have been fine, but I am thinking about a switch to PR4's based on other's comments and to just try something new. If anyone can chime in that has done this swtich , comments would be appreciated.

Followup on my April post above. The Z8's were replaced with PR4's and now have almost 900 miles on them. I had previously thought the R1200R was the perfect bike, but I guess I was wrong because now the bike is even better that it was. For my riding, which is mostly winding, country roads, the tires grip and lean much better. I had been thinking it would be hard to tell the difference based on how conservatively I ride, but wow, there is a very big improvement. Between the tires and MAX BMW doing the 6,000 mile service with a software update and adjusting the Shift Assist, I feel like I have a new bike. And this new one is perfect.

 

[mikeS]

Hey TomCT,

Did you fit PR4 GTs or standard?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TomCT]

Hey TomCT,

Did you fit PR4 GTs or standard?

Standard

 

[mikeS]

I have fitted 2 sets of GTs (on my Camhead) but often wondered if the standard would be a better choice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[1ozflyer]

I used to ride Z8 then changed to Angel GTs and no my second set of Pilot Road 4.
My impression is that the Angel is more sporty than the Z8 but considerable harder on on bad roads. The Road 4 is not as sporty into a corner as the Angel GT but much more comfortable for sport touring and great on gravel for a sport touring Tyre.

 

[jrsbike]

TomCT: MAX put PR4s on my R1200S and and they worked well with the aggressive riding I did on that bike. I was very happy to have them when caught out in the Canadian Maritimes during heavy downpours. Now I have a low mileage 2015 R1200R with the Z8s and they are OK but I look forward to getting the PR4s on when the time comes. I'll be curious to see how the bike feels after MAX does my 6K check up. My real agony is with the run-flats that came on my BMW X5. God they are terrible! Harsh and stiff. Can't wait to get conventionals on.
(I'll gladly buy a spare.)

 

[sturgeon]

Try Metzeler Roadtec 01's. Just as good, if not better, than PR4's.

 

[Remy]

Metzeler Roadtec 01

My 2015 R1200RS came with Metzeler Roadtec Z8 tires. I take about 18,000 km, and I was really happy about driving with these tires.
New I replace it with the Metzeler Roadtec 01 and take about 2'800 km in three weeks.
The profile looks a little strange but never I add so good tires. Big advantage about the Z8, tested on many road conditions.
I could only suggest it to all BMW R1200R(S) drivers.

 

[arfingdog]

Remy, Bishop, an occasional contributor here, recently changed to Metzeler 01 tires and, like you, he loves them. I might go with 01s with my next set.

 

[Steve Neet]

I just took off the stock Bridgestone tires from my R12R with 5000 miles on them. Serious tread left but the handling had gone away at about 4000 miles. I went with the new Dunlop Roadsmart III. I did a lot of research and I was seriously thinking about the Michelin PR 4's. A company down in Texas put a set on four R1200RT and got 10,000 miles out of the rear and 20,000 out of the front. I've run Dunlops on my RoadKing since new and decided to give the American made tire a shot at it. Since installing the Dunlops I've noticed that it takes a lot less input to turn the bike, grip is great although I have not pushed them to hard since they are new. Testing showed that they have better wet traction than Michelins...We'll see this winter. A few things about tires and sport touring bikes...they usually wear out pretty fast...if you put on a set you don't like...no worries...they usually wear out pretty fast.

 

[Pete4638]

Most of us don't change tires until they are worn out, which makes any new tire appear to be magic in comparison. When discussing traction, very few riders are pushing their tires to the point to where they are drifting in corners or riding to the point where the tire loses grip with the road, at least on dry road surfaces. What most of us do notice as a tire wear out is the change in tire profile that can make cornering feel less controlled and precise than when the tire was new.

I had two sets of Z8's, which I thought performed well, but tread life was limited to around 8,500 miles. I replaced them with the newer Roadtec 01, which appears to be a good tire, though I have not had them on long enough to comment on tread life.

I met a rider who has Avon Storm 3d X-M tires on his R1200R. He said that they are fantastic touring tires and that he can easily get 16k miles out of them. This fellow rides about 24K miles per year, all over the US and Canada and he said that he would never go back to Z8's or PR4's.

Pete

Followup on my April post above. The Z8's were replaced with PR4's and now have almost 900 miles on them. I had previously thought the R1200R was the perfect bike, but I guess I was wrong because now the bike is even better that it was. For my riding, which is mostly winding, country roads, the tires grip and lean much better. I had been thinking it would be hard to tell the difference based on how conservatively I ride, but wow, there is a very big improvement. Between the tires and MAX BMW doing the 6,000 mile service with a software update and adjusting the Shift Assist, I feel like I have a new bike. And this new one is perfect.

 

[jrsbike]

Sorry to be off topic but how much did MAX charge for the 6K service? Mine is coming up.

 

[TomCT]

Sorry to be off topic but how much did MAX charge for the 6K service? Mine is coming up.

I don't recall offhand, but believe it was in the neighborhood of $200, but then I added a brake flush for over $100 more. Work done was excellent. They also did a software update and adjusted the shift assist. Very pleased with the result and they are a pleasure to deal with.

 

[davidji]

I had two sets of Z8's, which I thought performed well, but tread life was limited to around 8,500 miles. I replaced them with the newer Roadtec 01, which appears to be a good tire, though I have not had them on long enough to comment on tread life.
..
I met a rider who has Avon Storm 3d X-M tires on his R1200R. He said that they are fantastic touring tires and that he can easily get 16k miles out of them. This fellow rides about 24K miles per year, all over the US and Canada and he said that he would never go back to Z8's or PR4's.

I went through several Z8s on my Versys (3 rear, 2 front). I was really happy with that tire when it was new in 2012, until switching to the next latest and greatest sport touring tire from Pirelli/Metzeler. The Angel GT outlasted them on that bike and performed well for me on 3 different bikes. The Metzeler Roadtec 01 outlasted the Angel GT on my R1200R, and I was really happy with it. Despite thinking it was awesome, I replaced the rear with a Roadsmart 3: a new model, cost less, and I really liked the Roadsmart 2. I expect there are several awesome tire choices now.

Anyway if my results apply the Roadtec 01 should outlast the Z8.

My local tire shop didn't list the Avon Storm 3D XM. At the right price I might have been interested. It sounds like a great commuting and touring tire if its wet pavement performance is good.

I keep expecting a new sport touring tire from Pirelli: it seems like Pirellli/Metzeler alternates their sport touring tire releases between the two brands, and it's time for something new.

 

[esso_sa]

My bike came factory fitted with Metzeler Z8's. They lasted 13.000km, both the front and rear

Then I fitted Roadtec 01's, regular spec. Rear tyre lasted 12.000km before it reached wear markers, while the front still has some more meat left, probably for 3.000km more. I toured the Alps (total 22 passes) with pillion on board and full luggage (top case and side panniers, cca 40kg of luggage) so this definitely contributed to faster wear of the rear. Otherwise I believe it would last for 3000km more, same as I expect from the front tyre. I'm still riding on them, but slower since they tend to slip much more compared to when they were new.
Roadtec's are nice, but very noisy. When it comes to wet, they are the best tyres I ever rode on. When it comes to dry, rear tyre has some tendency to twist, pump and disturb the rear end of the bike in high lean angles.
I have one more set of Roadtec's 01, but this time with rear tyre in HWM spec, so next year we will see how that combo performs (if I don't sell the bike before I wear the down )

 

[TundraGreen]

Pretty soon I have to replace the Z8s that came with my bike, after about 20,000 km on both front and rear. The closest and best source of tires for me is a local dealer and when I was there a few weeks ago, they didn't have the Roadtec Z8s for both front and rear. I think they just had a rear. But instead, they wanted to sell me some Metzler Sportec M3s. I would be interested to hear comments on them.

 

[davidji]

My Z8's lasted for 13000 km and there was "meat" left for about 1000km more, but I decided to replace them with Roadtec's 01 which I, honestly, don't like.
I find them lazy when riding aggressively, especially when quickly throwing the bike from corner to corner, they are noisy and the rear doesn't like high lean angles combined with early acceleration - it starts to wobble, pump, which disturbs the rear end of a bike. For me, Z8's are better than R01's. I had no issues with them like I do with R01's

Have you tried different tire pressure? It sounds like it could be low to me. The only time I had any weird behavior from the R01 the rear pressure was low. Lower than I run, but not lower than what some use (2.3 bar 34 PSI if I recall. May have been slightly less). I added air and it was fine.