Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Pilot Power Pure

Yesterday I went and got some brand new tyres fitted for this weekends coming ride. The old set of Michelin Pilot Power would not make another road trip. I have used the pilot powers for the last 6 years and were very happy with them especially in the wet. They seem to have exceptional wet weather grip for a motorcycle tyre.

After a quick phone around for price and availability I couldn't get some pilot powers cheaply, one store had the Pilot Power Pure which is Michelin next generation sports tyre. The price was good at around $389 fitted for the set compared with some other quotes i got. They are also 2CT dual compound as well so they have a harder centre and soft compound on the sides for better corner grip. I must say I've never been interested in getting 10,000+kms out of a tyre as I'd much prefer to have the maximum grip possible as this is the only thing you have on the road that will save your bacon. I'd feel bad if I put on cheapskate tyres and something went wrong. I usually get around 5000 out of a rear but just change both at once anyway. I think its a bit of false economy to try and put a new back tyre on with a worn front. It just feels kind wrong.

Oh and before you say anything Flyboy no smart ass remarks about how big the chicken strips are on my tyre. It hasn't been lent over on yet OK. Its been from the shop to home, less than 5kms.
Starting kilometers is 52,432 so I'll be interested if I get more or less km's than the last set. I'll post up a review of these after a decent ride.

Michelin marketing bollocks

9 comments:

  1. Wasn't going to say anything....as a bloke of your age is lucky to be riding a bike, let alone leaning it over ;) Happy birthday little bro!

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  2. I had a Pilot Pure (I don't think it was a Pilot POWER Pure though)on the front of my VFR800 a few years ago and it went from being a great tyre to being badly cupped in about 2,000kms. I suspect that there was nothing wrong with the tyre per se, just the wrong choice for a heavy bike like the VFR was.

    Since then I've used Pilot Road 2CT and been very happy with them, but clearly the ZX14 is a very different beast from the R1! All up I've bought three sets from a place in the USA and had a pair delivered to my door for the cost of one rear here! I just get a local mechanic to fit them which he's OK with.

    Like you I get a set at a time, even though I wear out the rear faster than the front. I can't believe it but my current PR2CT's have around 9,000 kms on them, but just about need replacing, especially as it's winter now. A mate of mine told me that good suspension has a bit more to do with getting good tyre life than most people give credit to.

    Anyway, I like reading about different rider's experiences with different types of tyres, but then again, I actually like oil threads on forums as well!

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  3. Wow only 2000km and out of a front to! Thats pretty average on a road tyre. The michelins seem to wear well and 9000 out of a set is more than i've ever seen. The best is about 5500 and the worst was 2500.

    Hey jules what is the oil you use on your chain and where do you get it from. I know geoff put you onto it. I'd like to try it out.

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  4. I actually rode on it for longer than 2,000 kms, but hated every minute of it. My mate Marty runs a Power on the front and a Road 2CT on the rear of his ZX9R and loves that combo.

    Chain lube - it is DU PONT Teflon Multi-Use Dry, Wax Lubricant. I get it at Repco and bought up a few cans when it was on special. When Geoff talked about it a lot of people in the USA had been using it and were happy with it.

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  5. Baby's got new shoes. Me thinks you'll have fun getting rid of the new chicken strips.

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    1. Lets hope so. I can't wait for the weekend now. We have an overnighter coming up.

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  6. I actually rode on it for longer than 2,000 kms, but hated every minute of it. My mate Marty runs a Power on the front and a Road 2CT on the rear of his ZX9R and loves that combo.

    Chain lube - it is DU PONT Teflon Multi-Use Dry, Wax Lubricant. I get it at Repco and bought up a few cans when it was on special. When Geoff talked about it a lot of people in the USA had been using it and were happy with it.

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  7. For interest sake, there's a pic about halfway down this page

    http://tarsnakes.com.au/gallery/

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