[SBKen]

One of the most reluctant things I found when buying the Scrambler was the 18 inch Front tire. I like tire choices and found the size limiting. I want to ride my Scrambler to work and I can't let a little rain or cold weather slow me down. After sliding the rear on the brakes in the rain it was time for tires that actually stuck to the road. a set of Michelin Road 3's feel great and are nice and sticky on the pavement. Out with the old and in with the new.

 

[ELVISTO]

I'm surprised you didn't find them good enough in the rain Ken I've found them just great in the rain, 50% of my riding is done in the wet here in the UK
It'll be interesting to hear what you say regarding the new tyres

 

[tonyjuliano]

Yes, very surprising - as this tire was initially developed as a rain tire for racing applications.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[injidup]

Now you need to lower your front mudguard(fender)!
Is the new front tyre a lower profile than the Pirelli?

 

[El Toro]

I've had no issues in the dry, damp or downright flooded roads. In fact I think the tyres are great. I've been pleasantly surprised

 

[DaveInWoodland]

When the time comes I'm likely going to go for other designs as well since I don't anticipate much in the way of off road needs with the exception of a gravel/fire road here and there.

I will likely go with the new Pilot 4's since I had them on my last bike and I like the design and the tread life compared to most others.

 

[SBKen]

The stock tires are not my cup of tea. I've worked with many tires over the years. All tires have their strengths and weaknesses. My bike is not going off road. Also, I want the best tire so the bike will turn in and hold a line. I don't care about mileage. I've seen to many bikes crash because owners were trying to get miles out of their tires. Tires should be changed before they are worn out and as a set. Never mismatch or change just one. If you do then it's a gamble and that is a far greater expense than a set of tires.
So the Pirelli's gave me a big downhill slide in the rain. I also saw Ogre's tire wear at 2800 miles which were past the point where I would change tires. So the only way to know is to test them out.
The bike for the first time actually feels planted in the way that I prefer. Everyone knows I have suspension on my bike but for the first time I could feel the movement of the tire. I like the extra feedback. Some rider do not. The steering is quicker and more precise. The grip is far superior to OEM tires. All of a sudden it stopped raining and the sun came out but I've put many miles on Pilots in the rain and these should be great.

Oh and I know the fender gap is to great now. The new tire has a lower profile. Time for a new fender.

 

[Ogre]

..........................................................

Oh and I know the fender gap is to great now. The new tire has a lower profile. Time for a new fender.

HMMMMM.....did you go with a different sized tire?

I also put PR3's on, in the OEM size...If you can see a difference between the Pirelli & the Michelin as far as fender clearance, your eyes are better than mine.

 

[Ogre]

...................... I also saw Ogre's tire wear at 2800 miles which were past the point where I would change tires..........................................

...and here is what it looked like when I finally changed it @ 4219 miles...

If I had the bike @ home, I'd probably have put even more miles on it before changing it. If you look closely at how the OEM tread, you will see that even if you wear the "knobs" completely off of the Pirelilis, there is a deeper tread cut into the base rubber. The bike has ABS so braking is really not that much an issue.

An who cares if the center is worn down when you are in a corner??!!

 

[Let The Good Times Roll]

I didn't like the gap between the front fender and the tyre, so I lowered the fender.
I wanted to keep the Icon front fender because I wanted as much colour on the bike as possible ( I think there is too much black).
I may have posted this before on the other forum - sorry if I am repeating myself.
Let The good Times Roll - Ray.

 

[ELVISTO]

Like how you've lowered the fender, looks much better than standard, nice mod

 

[Ogre]

To my eyes, standard looks better. Lowered looks squished. Plus I may want clearance for some real knobbies next time. So no lowered fender for me.

But what really amazes me is the damn stickers on the frame....Ray obviously has a good eye for details but leaves those ugly stickers on?

Maybe removing the stickers will show even more "black" but sheesh...they really are not "colorful".

 

[Let The Good Times Roll]

Ogre - your right - the photos are about 5 weeks old and the stickers now reside under my seat. Yes, they are ugly. I wonder what they are thinking when they put them there.
Maybe it goes something like this - we have designed a good looking bike, taken lots of care to put a quality paint job on the tank and fenders , painted the frame a nice black - then they stand back and look at their beautiful handiwork and one of them says to the other - all it needs now is some of these ugly fuckers and proceed to stick them all over the bike.
As far as the lowered fender needing clearance for nobblies - I will never take this bike off the bitumen and my next tyres will be road tyres. If you hear a blood curdling scream coming from the direction of Australia, that will be me getting caught in the rain and my bike just got wet for the first time.
Thanks again for you comments - let the good times roll - Ray.

 

[Ogre]

..............................................
I will likely go with the new Pilot 4's since I had them on my last bike and I like the design and the tread life compared to most others.

Pilot Road 3 front's are made in the stock size of 110/80 R18.

Pilot Road 4 front's are not made in 18 inch diameter.

For 18 in fronts, you will need to go with PR 4 GT's (which are made for heavier bikes-how that will affect things, I don't know).

{PR 4 GT's are sized 120/70 R18 vs. stock size of 110/80 R18}

You will also be changing the geometry of your bike slightly because of these changed dimensions:
(How that will affect things, I don't know.)

I read a lot of reviews, whilst I was searching for new sneakers for my bike...
This one below, that I found here:

Michelin Pilot Road 3 Front Tires - RevZilla

...stood out in my mind.

So far, I am very pleased with the PR 3's. They are outstanding in the wet. No problem on dry pavement and even handle dry dirt roads without complaints.

(I have not tried them in the mud...but I never tried the OEM Pirellis in the mud either.)

 

[Ogre]

On a recent trip, I crossed parts of Indiana and Ohio on 2-lane roads (avoiding highways).

I had a chance to ride several miles of dry dirt/gravel, well graded road. The PR3s felt fine @ 50 mph, which was as fast as I wanted to push it (being solo, in the middle of farm fields).

But the best fun on the trip, for me, was dodging scattered thunderstorms through wet roads along the Allegheny River.

These tires are, by far, the best rain tires that I've been on, ever, on any bike.

 

[tonyjuliano]

These tires are, by far, the best rain tires that I've been on, ever, on any bike.

The PR4's are even better in the rain - but unfortunately not available in "scrambler-sizing".

I use the PR4 GT's on my Buell - and they are excellent - but that's a much bigger bike.

I have a long history with the PR3's, and they are very good tires, but the front cups easily when ridden aggressively over time. The PR4's are a big improvement in this regard.

 

[Mike Westall]

...and here is what it looked like when I finally changed it @ 4219 miles...

If I had the bike @ home, I'd probably have put even more miles on it before changing it. If you look closely at how the OEM tread, you will see that even if you wear the "knobs" completely off of the Pirelilis, there is a deeper tread cut into the base rubber. The bike has ABS so braking is really not that much an issue.

An who cares if the center is worn down when you are in a corner??!!

...and here is what it looked like when I finally changed it @ 4219 miles...

If I had the bike @ home, I'd probably have put even more miles on it before changing it. If you look closely at how the OEM tread, you will see that even if you wear the "knobs" completely off of the Pirelilis, there is a deeper tread cut into the base rubber. The bike has ABS so braking is really not that much an issue.

An who cares if the center is worn down when you are in a corner??!!

Best to no hang your head over the double yellow into the lane of the oncoming dump truck! (We've all done it though).

 

[mr shifter]

On a recent trip, I crossed parts of Indiana and Ohio on 2-lane roads (avoiding highways).

I had a chance to ride several miles of dry dirt/gravel, well graded road. The PR3s felt fine @ 50 mph, which was as fast as I wanted to push it (being solo, in the middle of farm fields).

But the best fun on the trip, for me, was dodging scattered thunderstorms through wet roads along the Allegheny River.

These tires are, by far, the best rain tires that I've been on, ever, on any bike.

Could you please post a pic of the whole of the bike so as to get the feel for how it looks with more road based tyres.

Geoff

 

[Ogre]

Could you please post a pic of the whole of the bike so as to get the feel for how it looks with more road based tyres.

Geoff

Best to no hang your head over the double yellow into the lane of the oncoming dump truck! (We've all done it though).

Best to not make armchair judgments based on a singular perspective. (We've all done it though.)

I use delayed apex and can see my exit prior to committing...so no worries about dump trucks.

 

[Black dog]

Dunlop Roadsmart 3 excellent in the wet or dry don't go off road