Worthless V100 tire thread

[Florida lime]

I'm curious on your decision to go for the GT version of the Road Attack 4 vs the standard version. I've gone back and forth on this decision several times with my Motus...while I've settled on the GT versions (the Motus weighs more than the V100)), I'm not really sure it is needed since I never ride two up.

It  is a borderline case, with no definitive weight callout. My weight of 210 pounds, and the fact that my wife is a frequent passenger led me to my choice. (The V100S is my wife's favorite for longer rides.)
Hard to say at this point if my choice is the right one, but the ride yesterday says it was a good one.

 

[Vagrant]

I used a Gt on one of my bikes for no good reason other than to try it. Exact same tire in a non Gt had been on before. No noticeable difference of any kind including mileage. Mileage was what I was hoping for!

 

[dsw]

Makes sense, thanks! I'll get a new set of tires before a long trip in late May/early July. Since I am strictly one-up riding these days, I'll probably go with the standard Road Attack 4...unless the GT is cheaper, then I will go with that ;-).

 

[Guzzifly]

Glad I found this thread, I too have scraped the header shields and was told to add pre-load.....which I did but I had some weird feelings on these tires too. These OEM tires are not that great, at least to me. I know tires are a personal thing but I've already at 500miles, ordered some Pilot Road 5's. I had them on an R1 a few years ago and they just work in all sorts of conditions and more importantly, on crapy dusty roads as well. Anyways......damn to those Pirelli Angels, just awful!

 

[Billy Button]

After a certain point ("sometimes related to specific uses / roads) - I find tyres are about "taste".

My personal taste is almost always met by Metzeler on bikes - I tend to prioritise a very consistent "feel" across the tyre (from lean to upright to lean) over absolute stickiness, and Metzelers give me that feel*. Otherwise, I will pay for a short-life sticky tyre over a long-life tyre ... not just for safety, because I find long-life tyres scallop out long before their long life arrives (please excuse the awful puns, I'm sipping a delightful red wine).

Sidebar: I am in love with Pirelli Scooter Angels on my two Vespas ... but that's about their very stiff sidewalls, which aren't as relevant to road bikes.

I'm truly and happily surprised by how much I like the Pirelli Angel GTs on the Mandello. I thought I'd swap them out in 1000 km, but not so. I will go to Metzeler Roadtecs at my first tyre change, but so far I am very happy with the way Angel GTs suit the Mandello on a wide variety of roads ... even occasional gravel.

One thing: every so often, it feels like that 190 Angel GT rear steps out about 100mm (4") on a sharp direction change. I have absolutely no idea what creates this impression, or if it's real, but I currently think it's a quirk of the Angel GTs.

* Oh, and I just hate Michelins - for reasons that (mostly) defy rationality. They just feel squidgy to me, even though I realise it may be no more than my over-active imagination.

 

[MG_Rider]

Billy,
Years ago I rode a Ducati Paso (the full bodywork model) for a while, it came with early generation radial tires that felt like I was loosing the front when tipping in smartly. It was the tire carcass moving laterally to pick up the cornering loads on the sidewalls. Bugged the hell out of me, being used to bias ply tires, That might be part of what you feel. Most of that is designed out of modern radials.

If its happening when you roll transition a full left to right, part of that is the upside down pendulum effect which unloads the tires as the c.g. is swung up away from the tarmac then swung down into the next transition. Also can happen during hard trail braking into a turn.

 

[WynnD]

You guys ride so much harder than I do. I've got 6500 miles on mine and the original tires might be half worn. I don't know yet, but I'm not tossing expensive tires away without wearing them out first.

 

[Vagrant]

You best be sitting down when you price tires now. Worse yet there's no inventory. A Road smart 3 I paid $120 for last August is $167 now!

 

[MG_Rider]

Good tires on good bikes is my drug of choice, less side effects, so long as I keep the bike rubber side down.

 

[Florida lime]

You best be sitting down when you price tires now. Worse yet there's no inventory. A Road smart 3 I paid $120 for last August is $167 now!

I would have gone with the Road Smart IVs for my 1st (or 2nd) tire change, but not when I saw the prices. Almost as much as the Michelins.
They used to be much cheaper, and often had a rebate deal going on as well.

 

[Rampage]

I recently bought two sets of the Michelins, one for the v100 and another for a vfr. Coming off the perelli's after 7500 miles the michelins feel great. I hope they still feel as good by the 8k mile mark. The michelins especially the rear 190 was very pricey I think I paid around $290 where the 180 rear for the vfr was only $225.

 

[South Westerly]

I had a set of michelin RP6's on my previous bike and they were just about the most expensive tyres available. Were half as much again as my previous Metzlers. Typically I traded the bike with only about 2000 miles on them.

 

[Selkie]

All these posts on tire life and not one mention of what pressures you are running!
Makes me wonder........

 

[scottmastrocinque]

All these posts on tire life and not one mention of what pressures you are running!
Makes me wonder........

If you want to maximize performance, handling and longevity, you listen to Moto Guzzi. They built and tested the motorcycle after all.

You run the pressures listed in the Owners Manual and/or written on a sticker under the seat or on top on the rear fender under the seat.

 

[South Westerly]

I've always run my bikes tyres as close to the specified pressures by the bike manufacturer from cold. Given the V100S has a TPM it's interesting to see how the pressures change as the tyres warm up.

 

[scottmastrocinque]

Again, people want the world on a silver platter for €1.

TPM systems on motorcycles are mediocre at the very best and you all are not getting the intended purpose of its function for being there in the first place!

They are not the quality of those used in automotive applications at all. They are not scientific instruments designed to give you precise feedback of air/temperature readings across various ridung conditions!

Get a grip and please…

Come back to reality.

The only real benefit is this:

It was designed to provide an early alert to the operator, when you have picked up something in the tire which fails to instantly flatten the tire, but rather begins the process of a slow to medium leak.

They are designed to warn you of an impending flat tire!!!



This is the function of a TPM system.

This is also why it drives me crazy when people want GTM to sell a tool to “calibrate” the TPM system.

What the hell for?

Again, it’s not a scientific instrument that requires “calibration”.

 

[Selkie]

If you want to maximize performance, handling and longevity, you listen to Moto Guzzi. They built and tested the motorcycle after all.

You run the pressures listed in the Owners Manual and/or written on a sticker under the seat or on top on the rear fender under the seat.

Not if you want the bike to handle better, but then of course you loose some tread life as tire runs hotter at lower Temps.
I run mine right at the bottom of recommended pressures 33 front, 36 rear.

 

[scottmastrocinque]

Not if you want the bike to handle better, but then of course you loose some tread life as tire runs hotter at lower Temps.
I run mine right at the bottom of recommended pressures 33 front, 36 rear.

That is idiocy incarnate.

Given your “ bizarre logic” here of “want the bike to handle better”…

Are you actually trying to state with a straight face, that the manufacturer, who designed, built, and throughly tested your Moto Guzzi motorcycle, intentionally tells you to run a tire pressure that produces worse handling than is actually possible?

You are ridiculously stating that if one simply disregards Moto Guzzi, and listens to you, and lowers the pressures, the motorcycle will “handle better”.



Uh huh…

 

[South Westerly]

Good grief. I don't use it the way you describe at all. I use it as a warning system for an impending flat. I personally find it interesting to notice that the pressures do change as the day progresses. That's for my idle curiosity. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[scottmastrocinque]

Good grief. I don't use it the way you describe at all. I use it as a warning system for an impending flat. I personally find it interesting to notice that the pressures do change as the day progresses. That's for my idle curiosity. Nothing more, nothing less.

I wasn’t refrencing how you use it. I was speaking to the several posts in the forums where people want to “calibrate” it or complain because yesterday morning is was 32, then today 34, and tomorrow 35…

They completely miss the point of the system in the first place.

You obviously don’t.

I personally find it interesting to notice that the pressures do change as the day progresses. That's for my idle curiosity. Nothing more, nothing less.

Yes.

When subjected to heat, gasses expand. As they cool, gases contract.

Physics.