My long, two week trip to Laguna Seca this year (DL1000 Vstrom) will not involve any off-road riding. So I am considering buying a set of Michelin PR 3 Trails, thinking they will outlast and outperform the Anakee 2's. There is no way I will buy another K60 Heidenau since last year (Dempster Hwy) where it was like tying a brick to my back wheel for 12000 klms. I am thinking I could get similar mileage (packing for camping) and way better performance out of the PR 3 Trails. If anyone has experience with these tires, I would appreciate feedback. Thanks.
dilrod, I have the PR3s on my 2012 DL650. The rear lasted about 15,000 miles. Not quite to the wear bars but close and had other work to get done so decided to get a new rear tire. I have about 20K miles on the front and there is still a lot of wear left before getting to the wear bars. Once you start getting close to the wear bars you do get some strange wear patterns. I don't have pictures and hard to describe. Doesn't seem to effect handling though. The PR3s with the dual compound do not get squared off as bad as other tires I have seen. They are definitly designed around riding in wet conditions. Overall no complaints with them and will continue to buy them.
Thanks for the response. I was just wondering how many of those miles were while touring, with a load on? Thanks.
....only a few hundred miles so far, but these are the best feeling tires I have ever had on this bike. This thing rails. Perfect ride, handling, turn-in, just spectacularly great feel from these tire.
PR3's in 18"/19" on my KTM 950A. Best street tires I've tried so far, and definitely the mileage kings (don't know how many yet, and I switch wheelsets back and forth, so it's hard to tell). Really nice feel, amazing wet performance. Not made to be a dirt tire at all, though I've done plenty of gravel/dirt road miles on them. . . . . they're fine for it, just like most street tires, just avoid mud.
dilrod, Actually most of my miles on my DL650 are with a load on. I work near Southern Pines, NC but make frequent trips to the Balimore area for work. Unless there are concerns about snow or ice I will ride the V-Strom instead of driving my truck or flying. Usually go there for a week at a time so basically a weeks worth of cloths, two laptops, bike gear to cover travel conditions etc. Not sure how many pounds but top box and side cases are generally full. I actually picked up my Strom a year ago today and have almost 30K miles on it. Probaby 80% of those miles are from the NC to Baltimore area trips I have made. Pretty easy to rack up 900-1000 miles total for a week when I go up there. The heaviest loads are probably when I get groceries but the mileage isn't enough to matter.
I put a set on my wee late last summer before my cross country trip. Had 7000+ miles on them when I sold the bike and they looked great. Worked fantastic in the twisty bits and held up well to long slab stretches. Most of the miles were fully loaded for touring and I am no lightweight or grandpa on the throttle. I would think at least another 5k miles at least on the rear probably twice that on the front. The are now my 1st choice for a road touring tire.
Many thanks to those who have replied so far. It seems to me that the PR3 Trail choice is a no-brainer over the Anakee 2s for road-only travel. I have yet to hear from someone who has used the tires on a single extended, long tour, however, Also, it seems that the real riders out there are mostly on the Suzuki Wee Strom. I would like to hear from someone on a fully-loaded GS or GSA. I know that most of those riders rarely leave the tarmac.Ha Ha
I have a set on my 2000 R1150GS, about 4K miles on them so far, and they work really well in the rain, tested that this weekend again. Would highly recommend.
Got a Trail on the front and a regular PR3 on the back of my Adventure. Awesome grip, though the tread life in the rear is terrible. I might get 6,000 miles out of it.
I didn't realize Michelin made a non-Trail Pilot Road 3 in a 150/70/17 size. The only PR3s I can find for my DL1000 are "Trail" designated for heavier "Adventure" bikes (90% road/ 10% off-road).
Thanks to all who replied in helping me make an informed decesion. The most impressive experience related (Replies #2 & 6) was ULTRANR's whose 15000 miles on the rear doubled my best ever on adventure tires. I will buy the PR 3 Trails and relay back my experience on this thread. If I can make this year on those tires (projected 20,000 kms) I'll be elated.
PR3's are the best road tire I've had so far on the beast. The 19" front limits available "street" tires. But what kind of magic air are you guys using to get 15K from a tire? This was the rear at just over 4000 miles. Loved every one of them! That's about what I get from a Tourance or a Battlewing but it didn't square off and get weird feeling for the last 1000 miles like the others! This tire also saw some dirt including a trip to the racetrack in Death Valley, though it was nearly new then. Great tires for 95% road use with the occasional dirt road adventure. When it looks like this at the end, I feel like I got what I paid for :)
I just changed my toasted P3T rear on my DL650 at 22,500km(15000mi) and that was with lots of abuse, I let some smoke fly ocassionaly. The front has a few more Ks to go and I will try the new P4 when I change it out. The grip these tires develope on a wet road is mind blowing. Michelin P3s enables you to push hard and long no matter how ugly the conditions.:eek1 Micheline quality is without comprimise.
So with the new Pilot Road 4's they don't offer a non-trail version for 19inch front. Is it ok to get a trail front and a regular rear?
I just did exactly that. I wanted the tread compound makeup of the standard version on the rear. Just put them on the other night and haven't got to try them out yet
Here is the tread compound difference vs a trail version I actually tried to order pr3 but no go. They were out of the 19" front and said they were being discontinued.
2013 Tenere, I weigh 325, bike loaded down with Nelson Rigg saddlebags full, Nelson Rigg large tankbag full, new Trail 3's with 100 mile of footdragging twisties to test grip. I set out on a 7200 mile ride, about 600 miles aday. They handled awesome in the Pilot Road fashion and lasted me 7500 miles before the rear woudn't pass inspection, the front maybe having 1000 miles left. According to Michelin, the new 4's will provide 20% better mileage, that'll give me 9000. Sure, I'd love to get more mileage, but my weight and the superslab riding seem to be against it.
