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Metzeler Roadtec 01 SE vs Michelin Road 5 (F800GT)

31654 Views 59 Replies 17 Participants Last post by  Tris1993, 
T
Hi All,

As per the title I'm on on the hunt for my next pair of shoes.....
I really want to keep this thread only to these two types of tyre and not expand to further options.
I've ridden with many brands and styles of tyres over many different bikes over many years in lots of different weather including commuting in snow thus I'm pretty well versed but trying to establish my best choice from these two; Metzeler Roadtec 01 SE & Michelin Road 5

Stock Z8's I thought were "ok" but only did about 1500 miles on them as the first owner scrubbed most of them off (6K) before I got my mitt's on the bike.
Replaced with Pirelli Angel GT2's as I loved the original Angels on my old CBF500 commuter, as they griped like glue right to the edges and we're great in wet/dry hot/cold ect.... and got great millage - However the GT2's seemed the total opposite, I've had a few "bum twitches" on these (one that I'm convinced if it wasn't for the TC I'd be a goner), Now the rear is square as a car tyre now after only 4000 miles (looked shit at 2000), the front is cupped like a decent bra and now handles like a Sherman tank post-battle.... they need to go... [:(!]

Never had a bad Michelin or Metzeller, so wanting to return to one of these but as we all know good tyres are not cheap (especially the Michelins) and want to make the right choice.

A friend of mine has both currently, however has only done a couple of hundred miles on each and on different bikes so he cant really give me a long term (or fair) review of either.
Metzellers fitted to a Honda Hornet 900
Road 5's fitted to a Honda CB500F

He rates the grip of both of them but says the Metzelers feel "sportier", my concern with this is (like with the GT2's) is they will "flat off" quickly and leave me with shitty handling whereas if the Road 5's are a bit more "Neutral" although they may not be as sporty they will stand the test of time and stay fairly consistent though out their life.

Last Michelins I had were the PR2's some years ago and I remember them being great and lasting an eternity and I road them in all weathers and also on the very aggressive side at times without them skipping a beat. However, I'm currently leaning towards the Metzellers as the Michelins costing £260>270ish I'm not sure if the extra money will be worth it...

I ride a mix of enthusiastic evening runs & 2 up rides out but at least 50% of my miles come from touring (avoiding highway/motorway as much as possible) but loaded up with panniers and top box in addition to my 120kg of muscle and dick... [sure]
Obviously neither is a bad tyre from what I've seen (but the GT2's shouldn't have been either!) but want to make the right choice

Really I want somebody with equal experience of both to let me know their thoughts.

Key Points;
- Wear consistency / profile change
- Tyre feel
- Millage (I know this is a bit subjective, but if the same person got 5000 out of one & 8000 out of the other it gives an indicator on longevity)
- wet/cold weather performance
- which would you buy again / recommend

Appreciate this can be a bit like talking politics or religion....[lol]

Thanks!!
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N4HHE
kickstandsup said:
It is important to note that all the Road 5s I've had are the "standard" carcass NOT the "GT" version, which is designed for heavier machines and will be noticeably stiffer.
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Marketed toward heavier machines. If you like a stiffer tire then the GT is available. However the T30/T31 not-GT is stiffer than a PR4GT.

Load rating of GT and non-GT is identical.
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N4HHE
DJ123 said:
Ride every road in the both directions. Problem solved.
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Always return to the same place. Doesn't help.
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R
Ten bucks says most rides you do start at home and end at home.[:D]
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kickstandsup
N4HHE said:
Marketed toward heavier machines. If you like a stiffer tire then the GT is available. However the T30/T31 not-GT is stiffer than a PR4GT.

Load rating of GT and non-GT is identical.
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Yeah, no. Designed THEN marketed for heavier machines. If you like it, great. Fred Flintstone seemed to like concrete wheels. I find the standard Road 5 just a tad stiffer than the Conti RA3, but it is very, very slight.
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Panuno
Definitely stiffer, and heavier. Dealer mistakenly fitted a set of Road 5 GTs to my loose wheels last year, before I took them back and got the standard Road 5s fitted. I weighed both sets, and the GT is heavier by 0.9kg (2lbs) on the back, and 0.5kg (1.1lbs) on the front.
And FWIW I *really* like the grip of the Road 5s, though prior to that I loved the 2 sets of PR4s I had on there before, which gave amazingly good mileage and superb grip when doing a couple of 2-3000 mile tours through European Alpine passes. Some taken at silly speeds...
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D
N4HHE said:
Always return to the same place. Doesn't help.
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So the road is only 1 way then . . . . .
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R
My bike came with Road 5 GTs mounted and it's only 490lbs. I swapped to regular Road 5s after wearing out the original tires and the change was immediately apparent, they are much more comfortable that the GT variant.
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kickstandsup
rcb78 said:
My bike came with Road 5 GTs mounted and it's only 490lbs. I swapped to regular Road 5s after wearing out the original tires and the change was immediately apparent, they are much more comfortable that the GT variant.
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Yes, I really do not understand why BMW fitted the GT version to the F900XR.
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N4HHE
kickstandsup said:
Yeah, no. Designed THEN marketed for heavier machines. If you like it, great. Fred Flintstone seemed to like concrete wheels. I find the standard Road 5 just a tad stiffer than the Conti RA3, but it is very, very slight.
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That is not how things work in industry. Engineering does not get to design a new product until Marketing funds it. Marketing said they wanted the Road 5 to be the best rain tire in its class.

Had Engineering "invented" the "heavier machine GT concept" then Engineering would have made a tire with a greater load rating. Tire industry does just that for cars and trucks. A 2nd generation Prius wears 185/65-15 tires with 88 load rating. 86 is the common load rating in that size but a Prius weighs more than most using that size.

R5, R5GT, PR4, PR4GT, Roadsmart 3, T31, and T31GT all have exactly the same load rating for the same size tire. Curiously Dunlop does not play the GT game. Roadsmart 3 is as stiff as a T31, stiffer than R5GT or PR4GT.

GT is a marketing concept to F.U.D. you away from brands who do not have GT variants. Every model of tire has its own district properties. GT tells you something about the difference between a Road 5 and Road 5 GT but nothing about the differences between Michelin, Bridgestone, and/or Dunlop.

If you would like to experience a very un-stiff tire then I recommend Metzeler Z6. Not much thicker than a bicycle tire. This is the only tire I have been concerned about getting punctured by gravel. My first and last Z6 rear picked up a staple near its end at 3500 miles. Cords tore when I inserted sticky string plugs. Got home 35 miles watching tire deflate via TPMS. It would not have made 4,000 miles without the puncture.
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kickstandsup
Omfg.
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R
10 years ago I was riding on the Metzeler of the day. At Deming NM right on sundown I was shocked to see the metal shining brightly through the now gone rubber all around the center of the tire. The tire seemed fine back at the last fuel stop.
Needing to be back in LA the next morning I opted to ride on. All through the night I alternated sides every 10 miles: hanging as far off the left as possible cranking the bars the wrong way with hanging as far off the right as possible cranking on the bars the wrong way.

I made it to LA with no appreciable extra wear having ridden over 700 miles without sitting on the seat. I swore never to use a Metzeler with that sipeless center ever again.
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N4HHE
kickstandsup said:
It's the crown in the road that does that. Ship your bike to the UK for a while...
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Road is not crowned anything as severe as the wear I get on the left.
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N4HHE
kickstandsup said:
Yes, I really do not understand why BMW fitted the GT version to the F900XR.
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Germans do whatever the heck they want. Somebody decided they liked the way that particular model tire in GT rode.

"GT" is a marketing hook not a tire performance specification. A Michelin PR4GT is flimsier than a Bridgestone T30 or T31, or Dunlop Roadsmart 3.

A PR4GT is stiffer than a PR4. A T31GT is stiffer than a T31. That is all GT means.
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O
N4HHE said:
I wish someone would make a tire with extra tread on the left! I don't know where I find all the left turns to wear my tires out. Usually left side bald just before center. But right is less than half worn. Was questioned for shouting with glee pushing in a long fast right turn, "Right side rubber is free!"
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Could that be a suspension issue? If the fork was not damping equally, might the abrasion be different from side to side?
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N4HHE
Oleran said:
Could that be a suspension issue? If the fork was not damping equally, might the abrasion be different from side to side?
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Good guess but same either way when fork has rebound on one side, compression in other as when both have compression and rebound.

Everyone I ride with has same issue, BMW, FJR, Honda.
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ccwatchmaker
Depending on where you are riding. In riding on city streets, left turns are always at a wider radius than right turns. Very likely, one rides the left turns faster and at a greater lean angle than right turns. Similarly, out on narrow country roads, riding on the right side of the road will mean that when taking tight curves, generally those to the left will be at a wider radius than those on the right, just because of your position on the road, so again, more speed and greater lean angle. Obviously, on multi-lane highways, the curves are so gentle that the direction makes little difference.
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N4HHE
Good point! Left turns will be longer than right. We don’t have to lean farther to the left to ride longer distances on the left wearing the left faster.
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R
kickstandsup said:
It's the crown in the road that does that. Ship your bike to the UK for a while...
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Correct.

https://ridermagazine.com/2018/04/30/how-crowned-roads-affect-motorcycle-handling/

Kickstandup, on a similar but different topic, just remember that many American riders not only don't understand countersteering, they actively dispute it. Any discussion of physics, mechanics or science generally is out of the reach of the 45% of the population that voted for Trump.
Automotive tire Tire Helmet Vehicle Automotive design
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N4HHE
RidaMile said:
Correct.

https://ridermagazine.com/2018/04/30/how-crowned-roads-affect-motorcycle-handling/

Kickstandup, on a similar but different topic, just remember that many American riders not only don't understand countersteering, they actively dispute it. Any discussion of physics, mechanics or science generally is out of the reach of the 45% of the population that voted for Trump.
View attachment 372337
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Not only do most riders not understand countersteering, most motorcycle journalists don't understand it either but have learned to not dare question the orthodoxy.

The writer knows how to shape words into pretty sentences but is mistaken in believing his writing proves his misbegotten point.

If my tire wore just barely off-center more than on-center I would cede to his claimed cause. Pavement camber standard for heavy rain is 2%, which is 1.15°. My chicken strips are equally small on left and right negating the author's claim of camber providing banking reducing the angle of lean. My peak side wear occurs at 15° to 20°.
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Daboo
Came across this the other day, and it seems appropriate for the whole tire wear discussion.

Cartoon Facial expression Vertebrate White Organ
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