Pilot Roads Opinions

[Mr.Black]

Update, Just turned 4000 miles on mine on the Bandit. Slight flat spot but nothing bad.

I'll probably put another set on in the fall. Or Spring if I can get mileage like I've read about

[tjhess74]

pr2's. good wet, good dry, good straight, good curvy.  ive got over 18k miles on my current set.  they are due for a change this weekend.  pricey at $300, but well worth it imo.

[maddjack]

I know I am pleasantly surprised with my PR2's ( I hated the original PR's).Great in wet ,excellent in dry as good as anything I have run on the Speed Triple.

[Baz]

I have about 3000 miles on a set of PR II's on the FJR. I will need serious convincing to buy anything else now.

[tigertom1965]

41/36 for tire pressures??  

Does the Multistrada require the front air pressures to be higher than the back tire pressures?

All my vehicles have required the fronts at a lower pressure than the rear.

I would think the front higher than the back would make the front end bounce all over the road and feel squirrely. Maybe that is the design with a Multistrada though.

Sounds funny to me.

[Emerson00]

Noob question:

I replaced my old bike's tires when I was just into the wear bars.

This bike's got it's original Pirelli tires. I'm into the wear bars, but keep wondering if it's wasteful to swap them out at wear bars when, maybe, there's another 3-500 miles in them? I'm commuting, and don't ride real aggressively... I also don't want to buy tires now and waste a few hundred miles.

Also, I'd like to buy them myself and save a LOT of money - the dealer wants $270+/- plus tax and $40-$60 to mount a PR2 rear only... online I can buy a set for $288 or better). Tips on finding someone to mount them?

[Rincewind]

Emerson - you can ride them as long as you want, but be advised that they will perform poorer and poorer in rainy conditions, and you may not be able to get the bike to pass inspection if it doesn't have adequate tread.

If you buy your tire through MSS (motorcycle superstore), they have a list of preferred installers - you can even have the tire delivered to them.  BUT your best bet is to buy some spoons and learn to change it yourself.

[Emerson00]

Thanks on all counts.

Installation... prices for install stands looks $$$. Interesting considering how much I'd save buying from mss, but not right now (I'm not immune to the recession).

When you say buy some spoons... any advice or recommendations on simpler effective means of installing tires w/o a big garage setup? I saw where I could buy tools, but... last time I changed tires myself it was at Sam's club 14 years ago in their "tire Department" with big equipment.

Again, thanks!

[Rincewind]

You don't need a big garage set-up.  I use a center stand.  Pull the tire, set it on (2) 2'x4's, lube around the rim with furniture polish.  Remove valve stem with valve-stem remover.  Use a long and short 2x4 to create a lever - put end of long 2x4 under a car, use short 2x4 end against tire to break the bead.  Support rim from below and use spoons to pry the tire off the rim, one side at a time.  Lube new tire with furniture polish, work it onto the rim on one side.  Insert Dyna Beads (dynamic balancers) into tire before working the other side of the tire onto the rim.  Re-insert valve stem.  Inflate till you hear the two pops of the bead being set.  Remount tire.  Done.

There are a number of good youtube videos on this method, and a webbikeworld article on the 2x4 bead-break method.  For the price of one tire installation by professional, I bought my spoons, rim guards, and valve-stem remover, from MSS.

[Emerson00]

I follow. Thank you.

Less expensive local shop wants $55/tire. Others are $85. I get that, they're giving prices to mount a tire they made nothing on. I'm going to look into your method. Considering the savings of buying a tire online, the cost of a few more tools (YEAH!) is acceptable, to say nothing of the ability to be just that little bit more self sufficient.

Re-using the stem is OK? I thought that was a bad idea... come to think of it the I think the Multi rims have hard stems (90* angles). I guess they stay anyway.

Dynabeads good enough, huh? I'm liking this independence (doing my valve check/adjust next weekend myself, too!).

[Rincewind]

I'm on my third set of tires using the Dynabeads - yes, they work fantastic, and I don't get uneven tire wear around the tire.

The stem stays where it's at - the valve stem is a little thing inside it that twists out.  Just be careful it doesn't go shooting across the garage once you unthread it (not a big deal).  

[bomber]

furniture polish? hmmmm -- never heard of that one -- sound great!

yet another motorcycling use for Lemon Pledge!

[Rincewind]

furniture polish? hmmmm -- never heard of that one -- sound great!

yet another motorcycling use for Lemon Pledge!

There are many other lubes available, of course, like dish soap and water, or armorall, etc.  Something that will dry after a short while, and not remain slippery.

One other thing Emerson - it's easier to get the lip of the tire over the rim if the opposite side of the tire lip is shoved up into the center of the rim as far as possible.  I try to do this by kneeling onto the side I'm not working on.  This gives you a few mm extra space at the opposite end, where you are working the lip with the spoons.

Good luck!

[bomber]

I've been using dish soap for years -- but the idea of my wheels smelling, you know, lemony fresh . . . .

[Emerson00]

maybe irrelevent... but at Sam's we used dish soap - Dawn, IIRC. The other guys told me it was because it cut grease. Then again, this was Sam's Club, and on at least 2 occasions cars that those guys changed tires on lost those wheels on the way home...

I don't think it was th Dawn, I think it was the "oh shit I didn't tighten that wheel's lugs!"

[bomber]

LOL -- no lugs on the Tiger, Bonnie or Buell, so I think I'm safe!

Thanks for the cautionary tale!