Cupping
Back in July 2015 I bought my FRJ 1300 and after one year and 12300 Km I was experiencing a rather severe case of "cupping" of the front tire. Cupping is a deformation of the front tire, where the tire is deformed due to large amounts of pressure for short periods of time. Because the FJR1300 is heavy performance bike, it accelerates fast and breaking puts a lot of pressure on the front tire. After a while you will notice that some areas are higher or lower. And while driving you will feel a shaking sensation in the front tyre. The manufacturers create GT tyres that are build for heavy performance bikes (sport touring).Dunlop
Prior to the FJR1300 I owned a Yamaha XV1900 with Dunlop tires and the cupping became so bad that it was dangerous to ride between the cars during traffic jams. Below you see an image of the cupping on the Dunlop tyre after 15.000 Km.
With the FJR 1300 the cupping was not in the form of lower areas but as higher "islands" spread around the tyre. Although the tires were not completely worn I did have them replaced with a new set of tires.
But one thing was for sure, I did not want the same tires again.
I read various reviews and saw YouTube video's about GT tyres and at one point the Metzeler Roadtec Z8 was the ultimate GT tyre. Just out of curiosity I checked which tyres came with my FJR1300... Metzeler Roadtec Z8.
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| Metzeler Roadtec Z8 |
Michelin Road Pilot 4
The Michelin Road Pilot 4 tyre is very "neutral" in the corners, so you do not get the feeling that the motorcycle falls into a corner. The Z8 are less neutral, especially after 10.000 Km. The Michelin Road Pilot 4 remains neutral thru out its lifetime, even after 18.000 Km. |
| Michelin Road Pilot 4 |
With the Michelin Road Pilot 4 you get a lot more confidence while riding the same motorcycle. Besides cornering the motorcycle also feels extremely stable at very very very low speeds. Even when standing still for a few seconds I keep my feet on the pegs, balancing the motorcycle with ease.
Yes, it is true that the Michelin Road Pilot 4 is softer than the Metzeler Roadtec Z8 tyre. When braking at higher speeds (120Km/h) you will feel the front tyre being compressed together. The walls (sides) of the tyre are softer and deform when the weight of bike is pushing down on them. During one second you actually feel the front of the bike swaying ever so slightly.
But this softness of the tyre gives you the confidence while riding and absorbs a lot of the deformations off the road. Especially "longitudinal grooves" are almost unnoticeable with the Michelin Road Pilot 4 tyres while the Metzeler Roadtec Z8 dive into each groove making the entire bike sway back and forth.
Tip: you can not stop the swaying and you must just let it happen by easing the handlebars. Gripping the handlebars tightly will increase the waddle.
Because of its soft character and in order to really minimise the cupping, I increased the tire pressure to 3.0 bar for both the front and back tyre. In addition I also installed 2 Garmin Tyre Pressure Monitor System valves (TPMS) that I connected to my Garmin Zumo 345LM GPS.
And the new tyre for 2018 will be...
Although the Michelin Road Pilot 4 are still in good shape after 17.000 Km I will have them replaced with a new set of tyres during the next upcoming maintenance. I think that they can do another 3000 Km before the profile is worn down to the indicators. But with the winter coming, I prefer a new set of tyres.
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So I started my search (again) for the ultimate GT tyre.
My shortlist for 2018 is as follows:
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| Michelin Road Pilot 4 |
Michelin Road Pilot 4
Why change a winning team? I am very pleased with these tyres but they do seem to be a bit too soft for the Yamaha FJR1300. But I am impressed with the lack of cupping. To be honest, these are the first tyres that do not show any cupping what so ever. But you never know if there are even better tyres out there if you don't try them. So for 2018 I would prefer to try something else.
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| Metzeler Roadtec 01 |
Metzeler Roadtec 01?!?
Yes, despite my very bad experience with the Metzeler Roadtec Z8 I am impressed with the reviews of the Metzeler Roadtec 01. Especially the more firm tyre walls, new compound solutions with an improved (reduced) consumption. Will these tyre start cupping after 12.000 Km just like the Metzeler Roadtec Z8 or are they really better. And will they be a bit more firm than the Michelin Road Pilot 4? |
| Bridgestone T30GT |
Bridgestone T30GT
OK, this one is advised by MTS Verlinden because the Belgian motorcycle police wants no other tyre for their FJR 1300 motorcycles. And they happen to be a customer at MTS. Both Bart and David have a profound in-depth knowledge of Yamaha motorcycles so I believe them when they state that the Bridgestone T30GT are the tyres for the FJR 1300.But I first want to try the Metzeler Roadtec 01 in 2018 and in 2019 I will ask them to install the Bridgestone T30GT.
I am really curious about how they all compare.
Overview
I have created a short list with the tyres that I have tried so far.
The mileage indicates after how many kilometers the cupping manifested itself.
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