We had no experience removing the tires on this particular bike, but it was a simple matter of loosening the rear axle nuts and chain tensioner, pulling out the axle and removing the rear tire (with the bike held up by a jack under the engine, of course).

Removing the front wheel is, interestingly enough, very similar to the process for removing the front wheel of the old BMW R65; loosen the two pinch bolts on either side, loosen the axle nut on the left-hand side, pull out the axle and you're done.

The Tachyon balancer is a joy to use, and the Michelins, as expected, didn't need much weight to balance (although we should have checked the balance of the wheels without the tires first, which would have provided a more accurate indication of the balance of the tires alone). We got them to within a couple of grams (less than 1/8 of an ounce), which is good enough in my book.

I'm not as fussy about tire tread patterns as others, but I will say that the Michelin Pilot Road 2 pattern looks more modern and aggressive than the Pirelli Diablos. I have come to the (unsupported by fact) conclusion that tread patterns must be more for show than go, because you would think that by now the manufacturers would have discovered a particular tread pattern that provided optimum performance.

But since every tread pattern I've ever seen on both motorcycles and cars is different, I can only conclude that it doesn't make much difference -- although I'm sure the manufacturers would disagree, as their new and fancy tread pattern is the most visible distinguishing characteristic of the tire that makes their tire different -- and better -- than the rest. Right?

►Riding Impressions

My feeling is that it takes at least 1,000 miles to really develop a good understanding of a new set of motorcycle tires and how they perform after they're fully broken in and under a variety of conditions and heat cycles. So I'll add my impressions to this list as I get more experience with the Michelins.

Michelin Pilot Road 2 with sprue nubs from tire mold Same tire with sprue nubs removed.

250+ Miles: A strange thing happened on the way to 300 miles! As I've reported below, the Michelin Pilot Road 2 tires just didn't seem to be providing the grip and confidence I expected. Then it all suddenly came together a couple of days ago...

The weather had finally warmed up to the nice and sunny 70-degrees that it should be in late May. I was riding around, just enjoying the day, and ended up turning on to an old paved back country road I had nearly forgotten. As soon as made the turn, I discovered that the roads maintenance crew had, for some reason, decided to cover the entire paved road with a layer of "bluestone".

This is a small sharp stone used in the mixture with asphalt, and sometimes laid down on a soft tar road to create a quick and cheap surface, but this is the first time I've seen it used on what used to be a slightly rough but serviceable paved road.

Page 3 of 8 :: First | Last :: Prev | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 | Next