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http://www.michelinmotorcycle.com/index.cfm?event=pilotroad2
Basically, there are three road tires Michelin makes for sportbikes, and sport touring bikes:
1. Pilot Power - A uniform medium compound tire that is used by many if not most riders on this site. Sometimes used as a de-facto "standard" when comparing other road sport tires.
2. Pilot Power 2CT - A version of the Pilot Power with a similar profile, but a different tread pattern and a softer compound rubber on the sides, for improved cornering grip. Many people here run this tire as well.
2. Pilot Road 2 - A version of the PP 2CT that is identical in profile and appearance, except it has the standard Pilot Power medium compound rubber on the sides, and a harder compound rubber center. This tire is primarily intended for heavier sport touring bikes, however, it is, for all intents and purposes, like a standard Pilot Power in terms of cornering performance and it is available in standard sportbike tire sizes. Some sportbike riders are even using this tire on the track with good success.
I run standard Pilot Powers on my gsxr 750, with a mix of commute, aggressive twisty riding, and track. I've been running Pilot Road 2's on my BMW 1200RT, with a mix of commute, aggressive twisty riding, and yes it's been to the track once. The 1200RT is close enough in performance to that of a sportbike to be a good comparison. My first and current set has approximately 12,000 miles on it.
Observations:
I cannot outride this tire on the street, nor can I outride it on the track either, but the RT's cornering clearance and linked brakes do place a bit of a limitation. Initially, when new the handling is a bit squirrely in a straight line, similar to that of a new standard PP before it is scrubbed in. It's ready for aggressive riding with about 20 miles of riding. The previous set of tires I had on the bike were Continental Road Attacks, which I thought were fine tires. But even turns where I had a slight wheel slip with the Conti RA's were rock solid with this tire. The profile is sharp, and turn in is quick.
This tire seems to like higher pressures, at least with this bike and rider combination. I run 38 F 42 R on the street (yes, BMW's recommendation, it is a heavy bike) and about 34 F 34 R seemed to work well on the track for me. So far, at 12,000 miles, it hasn't begun to form much of a noticeable flat spot on the rear. I got 10,000 out of the OEM set of Road Attacks, and this will go at least to 15,000 if not longer.
I haven't tried this tire yet on the gsxr, but I may well just put a set on next go around. I'm pretty confident that I'm not going to be able to outride this tire on the street either, on the gsxr (how many of us can, on modern road sport tires? Not too many, and I think many of our more experienced track riders will attest to that.)
I would not hesitate to recommend this tire for someone that does primarily street riding, particularly long trips and commutes, and is looking for a longer lasting alternative than some of the standard tire choices that are available. The only reservation I might have about it is straight line wet-weather traction when mounted on a sportbike, since it does have a harder compound center and it is intended primarily for bikes pushing 500+ pounds of dry weight. That said, other BMW riders that have used this tire say it has excellent wet weather traction compared with other similar sport-touring tires.
Basically, there are three road tires Michelin makes for sportbikes, and sport touring bikes:
1. Pilot Power - A uniform medium compound tire that is used by many if not most riders on this site. Sometimes used as a de-facto "standard" when comparing other road sport tires.
2. Pilot Power 2CT - A version of the Pilot Power with a similar profile, but a different tread pattern and a softer compound rubber on the sides, for improved cornering grip. Many people here run this tire as well.
2. Pilot Road 2 - A version of the PP 2CT that is identical in profile and appearance, except it has the standard Pilot Power medium compound rubber on the sides, and a harder compound rubber center. This tire is primarily intended for heavier sport touring bikes, however, it is, for all intents and purposes, like a standard Pilot Power in terms of cornering performance and it is available in standard sportbike tire sizes. Some sportbike riders are even using this tire on the track with good success.
I run standard Pilot Powers on my gsxr 750, with a mix of commute, aggressive twisty riding, and track. I've been running Pilot Road 2's on my BMW 1200RT, with a mix of commute, aggressive twisty riding, and yes it's been to the track once. The 1200RT is close enough in performance to that of a sportbike to be a good comparison. My first and current set has approximately 12,000 miles on it.
Observations:
I cannot outride this tire on the street, nor can I outride it on the track either, but the RT's cornering clearance and linked brakes do place a bit of a limitation. Initially, when new the handling is a bit squirrely in a straight line, similar to that of a new standard PP before it is scrubbed in. It's ready for aggressive riding with about 20 miles of riding. The previous set of tires I had on the bike were Continental Road Attacks, which I thought were fine tires. But even turns where I had a slight wheel slip with the Conti RA's were rock solid with this tire. The profile is sharp, and turn in is quick.
This tire seems to like higher pressures, at least with this bike and rider combination. I run 38 F 42 R on the street (yes, BMW's recommendation, it is a heavy bike) and about 34 F 34 R seemed to work well on the track for me. So far, at 12,000 miles, it hasn't begun to form much of a noticeable flat spot on the rear. I got 10,000 out of the OEM set of Road Attacks, and this will go at least to 15,000 if not longer.
I haven't tried this tire yet on the gsxr, but I may well just put a set on next go around. I'm pretty confident that I'm not going to be able to outride this tire on the street either, on the gsxr (how many of us can, on modern road sport tires? Not too many, and I think many of our more experienced track riders will attest to that.)
I would not hesitate to recommend this tire for someone that does primarily street riding, particularly long trips and commutes, and is looking for a longer lasting alternative than some of the standard tire choices that are available. The only reservation I might have about it is straight line wet-weather traction when mounted on a sportbike, since it does have a harder compound center and it is intended primarily for bikes pushing 500+ pounds of dry weight. That said, other BMW riders that have used this tire say it has excellent wet weather traction compared with other similar sport-touring tires.
