..... just bought a set of power road 5 tires. I understand the gt are constructed slightly differently to handle weight of larger touring bikes.

....

It's probably just me being confused but do you have that right?.... "power road 5"?

I can never figure out Michelin with their Pilot/Power/Road designation/models.

 

Sorry, but i think the standard model used to carry the “power” in the name. So yes, road 5 vs road 5 gt

 

There is the Pilot Road series and the different Pilot Power series. I have run both, they are significantly different. You need to make sure what you got.

To the question- is the weight rating on the sidewall suitable for your need?

 

For our bikes, especially 2-up, you will want to use the "GT" versions.

Having said that, the 5 is gonna be just fine, but it Will wear out way quicker than the GT version.

 

They wont be dangerous, just about every Michelin tire anywhere in the Road 5/6, Road GT 5/6, Power 5 tires, etc. range are all the same rating of 58W for the front 120/70/R17 and of 73W for the rear 180/55R17.

The GTs have a stiffer sidewall and will handle a bit different, and as stated may last longer, but yours are perfectly fine to use.

 

The non-GT spec version will be fine, if not ideal for your conditions. Next time, get the Pilot Road 4 GT, or the Dunlop Roadsmart 4.

 

These days it would be the Michelin Road 6 GT I think.

Seems like the Angel GT, Road 6, and RoadSmart 4 go in that order from least easily leaned, neutral, to almost feeling like the bike is unhappy holding a straight line. My only experience on an FJR1300 is with Angel GT tires and my bike does take progressively more effort to lean the bike further, which honestly feels odd coming from a much heavier bike with a relatively flat 205 rear car tire that was so much more eager to lean in deep. I can see how the Angel GT tires would be comforting if you are afraid of leaning the bike very far, but I am definitely still getting used to how resistant they feel.

Everything I have read says the Road 6s have the best wet weather grip, still not 100% sure if that is factual or just good marketing from Michelin. I haven't seen much in the way of relative wear life tests out of these tires, I keep hearing the Michelins last a long time, but again, that might be just good advertising.

 

Michelin dropped the "Pilot" part of the "Road" tire designation a few years ago during the transition from the "4" generation to the "5".
So you have Road 5, Road 5 GT, Road 6, Road 6 GT.
In the words of the old service manager here at our (good) local dealer, FJRs eat front tires like M&Ms. My 45,000 miles of experience with my FJR certainly agrees with that.
I have stuck hard with GTs. My current front tire is a Road 5GT, because when I came in for a new one, they didn't have the Road 6GT on hand and I was hoping to leave on a nice trip very shortly.
The trip didn't happen but the 5GT's still on there.
Assuming I'm able to keep riding the bike this year, it will get the 6GT. Less of an M&M to the always-hungry FJR, I will hope.
My only other experiences were with the brand-new Dunlop Roadsmart IIIs that it came with. The only good thing I will say about those is that I never had a flat on them in the very brief time I tolerated them.
I think I went maybe 4,000 miles before having them tossed in favor of the Road 5GTs. Weird wear pattern that happened really fast, and weirder handling feel. I was sure FJRs handled better than mine did, and that was true- the thing is truly awesome on Road 5GTs
To the Pirelli Angel GTs, I had the Angel GT2 version installed on a project Ducati ST2 a few years ago and they were so excellent I had a set put on my 5th gen VFR. They were truly wonderful, there, too. Really consistent, rolled in utterly perfectly, wore slowly and without going odd-shaped, and really good in the rain; I was actually surprised at that rain thing.
But Pirelli discontinued selling the Angel GT2 in North America under somewhat mysterious circumstances when I went back for more (mine had gone well past 11,000 miles on the VFR and were still not badly out-of-shape with good tread depth left). I wrote to Pirelli USA and got an odd reply that they could not discuss the reason for the discontinuance, and that I should get plain Angel GTs instead.

 

Looks like the GT2s had center grooves for dealing with rain. America has a lot of grooved roads that those types of lf center grooves tend to track unpleasantly, and not many Americans ride in inclement weather. Wouldn't surprise me of Pirelli pulled the GT2s for the American maket because they were a downgrade for most of us.

 

If memory serves, many complained of the poor tracking with the 2 grooves and they were discontinued.

 

Here, just to add to the mystery, is the response from Pirelli when asked about the discontinuance:

"Hi Bill,

Thank you for reaching out. The Angel GT 2 has been discontinued in the North American market. We are unfortunately unable to go into specifics on the discontinuation, but the Angel GT should be your best alternative product. If we can be of any further assistance, please let us know.

Thank you,
Pirelli Consumer Affairs"

Having better than 15,000 miles on the two sets on the VFR and ST2, I'd be pleased to have another on ol' Yellow.

 

A quick search shows them available in places they spell the word "tyre", but unavailable where it is spelled "tire".

ANGEL™ GT II - Motorcycle tyre | Pirelli

ANGEL™ GT II: the evolution of the PIRELLI ANGEL GT further develops the PIRELLI Gran Turismo concept

www.pirelli.com

Pirelli Angel GT 2 Motorcycle Tyres The Visor Shop.com

Pirelli Angel GT 2 Motorcycle Tyres THE SUCCESSOR OF THE BEST LONG-LASTING SPORT TOURING TYRE The evolution of the PIRELLI ANGEL™ GT further develops the PIRELLI Gran Turismo concept Top handling in line with Pirelli DNA added onto a new r .... $159.34.Free P & P Available.

www.thevisorshop.com

I saw a couple reviews mention the grooves were for increased water handling. I think it is likely Pirelli released the Angel GT2s globally then got a bunch of complaints from American consumers about them tracking funny on our grooved superslab freeways and since most Americans don't ride motorcycles in the rain the benefit wasn't there. Seems likely Pirelli just said "pull the GT2s and give them back the tires that arn't as good in the wet, the vast majority wont notice the difference anyway". I think it is likely this is why Pirelli is also not advertising the reason why they pulled the Angel GT2 tires in the USA; they dont want to say "We pulled them in the USA because most Americans are fair weather only pansy riders", nor do they want to lie, so they just don't give a reason.

This is all conjecture mind you, but it seems likely.

 

@scroy
3 years ago
I've read many reviews where the rider claims that on roads with rain grooves these tires are a nightmare, causing the bike to wobble. This is caused no doubt by the double center grooves on the front tire. The original GTs do not have these center grooves. It's been my experience that any tire with a center groove CV wobbles on highwatscwithcrain grooves. Pirelli goofed changing these.

@gregorytragitt2208
2 years ago

I have been an Angel GT fan and used them on 2 different motorcycles. I just replace a set of Pirelli Scorpion Trail II tires on my Ducati 1260 S Multistrada with Angel GT II. I was looking forward to these new tires. I got on a grooved interstate highway and my Ducati started to wobble which is totally uncharacteristic for this motorcycle. I figured it was just because they were new. I later got into some wind and the motorcycle also began to wobble. Until I switched tires the MS never ever experienced any slight wobble. 400 mi later I encountered grooved pavement again and the wobble returned. These tires should be discontinued. I have considered Michelin Road 5, but the Scorpions handled so well in the curves, on gravel and in the rain. I understand the Road 5 will not have the stability on gravel roads. I infrequently ride gravel roads, but when I do I want stability. I got 7000 mi out the the Scorpion Trail II rear tire and have never achieved that much mileage on a tire in my lifetime. The Scorpion Trail II gave me so much confidence with maximum lean angles. The Angell GT II only gave me 425 mi of life because they will be replaced on Saturday with Scorpion Trail II.

https://imp.i104546.net/c/404739/78...BhAoEiwArqlGPgWZGrkjyIYgBXWNtk48Df4qlfuFa0aKwC2DjolDjsiPBwyDDrWRARoCwywQAvD_BwE

Sort the reviews by lowest rating and flip through them, there is a whole lot of talk about them wandering, unstable, and wobbly.

So yea, I think those grooves are no good for Americans.