[Mr_Ed]

Maybe I'm not phrasing my search properly, but I'm having no luck.

I mounted a set of Bridgestones on each bike recently, and had the devil of the time with them. I don't remember them being so hard to get started, but then I've never been this old and weak before. I've run Bridgestones almost exclusively on this bike and liked them, but I just don't want to have to fight another set on it.

I have mounted one set of PR4s to see if they'd last longer -- they didn't. The front fell on so easy I thought for a moment I'd gotten an 18" tire It was the easiest tire to mount that I remember.

I have mounted one set of Dunlop RoadSmart IIIs. I did like those. I actually liked them better than the Bridgestones, but they didn't last as well, and I don't remember them being much easier to mount.

So what do you use that you're happy with, and how hard are they to mount.

 

[Haynes]

Mr_Ed:

To answer your question, I am currently running PR4GTs and I found the rear fairly difficult to mount. I suppose there are many opinions on which tire is the most difficult or most easy to mount. The Mitas E07 tires on my ADV bike were the toughest tires I ever mounted.

My advice to you is to warm the tire and to use a proper tire lube to mount (and dismount) it. Unless I'm changing a tire on a sunny day in July I put the tire in a garbage bag and run a hairdryer on low speed inside the bag while I'm removing the wheel from the bike. For lube I use Ruglyde from NAPA: slipperier than snot in ice.

Hope this helps.

Haynes

 

[Intuit]

Look at how this guy mounts his tires...
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...28B7FA73655D63FB48C428B7FA73655D&&FORM=VRDGAR
...uses a bunch of zip-ties.

.

 

[sparkie]

I mount my own tires and can confirm that the Bridgestones are very hard to mount. I like them, currently running the T31 non GT version. They have a very stiff sidewall compared to the PR4. The Bridgestones wear well and feel great in the corners when dragging pegs. I tried to mount a T30 GT rear tire and gave up, had to take it to the dealer to finish. In comparison the PR4 tires are much easier to get mounted but I don't like how soft they feel on the FJR. I'm using a No Mar tire machine.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

I find Michelin pilot
Road 4GT and road 5GT tires to be the best of the best. They are quite easy to mount.

Maybe I'm not phrasing my search properly, but I'm having no luck.

I mounted a set of Bridgestones on each bike recently, and had the devil of the time with them. I don't remember them being so hard to get started, but then I've never been this old and weak before. I've run Bridgestones almost exclusively on this bike and liked them, but I just don't want to have to fight another set on it.

I have mounted one set of PR4s to see if they'd last longer -- they didn't. The front fell on so easy I thought for a moment I'd gotten an 18" tire It was the easiest tire to mount that I remember.

I have mounted one set of Dunlop RoadSmart IIIs. I did like those. I actually liked them better than the Bridgestones, but they didn't last as well, and I don't remember them being much easier to mount.

So what do you use that you're happy with, and how hard are they to mount.

 

[rbentnail]

Michelin Pilot Power 2CT. Fairly easy to mount.

 

[JJDBA]

+1 on "For lube I use Ruglyde from NAPA". I have a gallon which might be a lifetime supply.

I use a harbour freight tire change with the MC attachment. I also have done several of the upgrades that can be found online to improve that unit.
Aside from having to store the tire changer, it's great and has paid for itself several times.

 

[Mr_Ed]

Mr_Ed:

To answer your question, I am currently running PR4GTs and I found the rear fairly difficult to mount. I suppose there are many opinions on which tire is the most difficult or most easy to mount. The Mitas E07 tires on my ADV bike were the toughest tires I ever mounted.

My advice to you is to warm the tire and to use a proper tire lube to mount (and dismount) it. Unless I'm changing a tire on a sunny day in July I put the tire in a garbage bag and run a hairdryer on low speed inside the bag while I'm removing the wheel from the bike. For lube I use Ruglyde from NAPA: slipperier than snot in ice.

Hope this helps.

Haynes

Two points you make do make sense. I mounted the tires a couple of days ago on a cool winter day. I also have used NoMar grease in the past, but I've run out and used a soap / water solution. That may be why this set was so danged hard. But the last few Bridgestones I've mounted have been very tough. Not so long ago I could push the first side over the rim without tools -- no more. Ruglyde, huh? I'll check into that.

Look at how this guy mounts his tires...
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...28B7FA73655D63FB48C428B7FA73655D&&FORM=VRDGAR
...uses a bunch of zip-ties.

.

I've tried the zip tie method and it beat me. LOL Maybe I was doing it wrong.

I mount my own tires and can confirm that the Bridgestones are very hard to mount. I like them, currently running the T31 non GT version. They have a very stiff sidewall compared to the PR4. The Bridgestones wear well and feel great in the corners when dragging pegs. I tried to mount a T30 GT rear tire and gave up, had to take it to the dealer to finish. In comparison the PR4 tires are much easier to get mounted but I don't like how soft they feel on the FJR. I'm using a No Mar tire machine.

I'm using an old Harbor Freight machine with a Mojolever. It's worked well until recently. I wasn't exactly happy with the PR4 either. I was riding much more spiritedly then, though. I'm old and slow now, so maybe they'd be OK.

I find Michelin pilot
Road 4GT and road 5GT tires to be the best of the best. They are quite easy to mount.

See answer to Sparkie above I did run one set of 4Gts reasoning that if they lasted longer it'd be OK to pay a lot more. But they didn't. Just checking prices here this morning they PR5s appears to be about $100 higher than the Bridgestones. I suppose I could afford it, but it'd hurt my feelings .. LOL

Michelin Pilot Power 2CT. Fairly easy to mount.

Huh. I'd assumed the Pilot Powers were sport bike tires. How do they wear? I got 9600 miles out of my last set of T30GTs and still had 1/32 to the wear bars. I know comparing personal mileages of two people with different riding styles and locales is worthless. But have you found they last as well as other tires you've used?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for all the feedback. Lots to think about. I'm set for tires for the near future, but I hope to get enough riding in this year to need another set soon.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Pr4gts are the longest lasting tires I’ve found, that still grip well in aggressive mountain riding. 5GT’s don’t last quite as long but handle even better.

I mount both by hand. No machine, no heat, just spoon them on with a little bit of lube and a little cursing.

 

[Mr_Ed]

+1 on "For lube I use Ruglyde from NAPA". I have a gallon which might be a lifetime supply.

I use a harbour freight tire change with the MC attachment. I also have done several of the upgrades that can be found online to improve that unit.
Aside from having to store the tire changer, it's great and has paid for itself several times.

I store it in a corner and mount it on a 4 x 4 piece of heavy plywood for use. This time, though, I nearly tore it out of the plywood. LOL

I use a Mojolever and a NoMar Yellow Thing. I pad the hooks with strips of plastic cut from milk cartons and run a strap around one spoke of the wheel and machine to keep it from turning. We've mounted a bunch of tires on it, and it's long, since paid for itself.

My brother-in-law brought a trailer tire over the other day and we mounted that for him. I think he and a friend had been fighting it for a couple of days with tire irons. :laugh:

 

[RaYzerman]

Bridgestones have stiff sidewalls. One should inflate PR4's to 40-42 if you feel side wall is flexing, or you can go with GT spec if you're willing to spend the money.
Definitely warm up any tire.... I put them out in the sun when I can, or use my electric tire warmers.
My lube is RuGlyde, soap and water will dry up too fast. Don't forget to lube the valley of your wheel as well as the rims, it does help.

 

[Mr_Ed]

Pr4gts are the longest lasting tires I've found, that still grip well in aggressive mountain riding. 5GT's don't last quite as long but handle even better.

I mount both by hand. No machine, no heat, just spoon them on with a little bit of lube and a little cursing.

I live in Arkansas, and when I tried the PR4s I was riding quite spiritedly on the fun, abrasive Arkansas twisties. I'm not much calmer having realized I could actually get hurt :surprise:, so maybe they'd do better for me now.

Thanks for the feedback. When it comes time I'll add them back to my consider list.

 

[Liquidsilver]

Hey Ed, I just got done with my Bridgestone experiment. (T31s) You know how I ride. I would say I saved about 40% on the price over the latest Michelin Road 5s which was nice. But I would also say I got about 60% of the wear I get from the Michelins.

The last pair of T31s were dispatched in two trips to nothing but the finest Arkansas chip-seal roads, 9 from Melbourne, 123 all the way, PMR repeatedly, etc. I had them bald even on the edges in 1900 miles. I believe the Road5s would have been about 2400 with such treatment.

I found the performance of both, and almost any sport touring tire, to be virtually the same.

Road5s, like most Michelins, slide on pretty effortlessly on my NoMar machine. The T31s were a b!tch! I tried warming them and I still had to break out my 'evil irons' and rim protectors to get them on the Kwacky rims. I've had the same experience with some Dunlops and Pirellis. I have trouble believing any front tire will significantly outlast the last few generations of Michelin PRs or Road5s...

... but as for me and my knuckles, I'm back to the Michelins.

 

[Mr_Ed]

Hey Ed, I just got done with my Bridgestone experiment. (T31s) You know how I ride. I would say I saved about 40% on the price over the latest Michelin Road 5s which was nice. But I would also say I got about 60% of the wear I get from the Michelins.

The last pair of T31s were dispatched in two trips to nothing but the finest Arkansas chip-seal roads, 9 from Melbourne, 123 all the way, PMR repeatedly, etc. I had them bald even on the edges in 1900 miles. I believe the Road5s would have been about 2400 with such treatment.

I found the performance of both, and almost any sport touring tire, to be virtually the same.

Road5s, like most Michelins, slide on pretty effortlessly on my NoMar machine. The T31s were a b!tch! I tried warming them and I still had to break out my 'evil irons' and rim protectors to get them on the Kwacky rims. I've had the same experience with some Dunlops and Pirellis. I have trouble believing any front tire will significantly outlast the last few generations of Michelin PRs or Road5s...

... but as for me and my knuckles, I'm back to the Michelins.

I remember you!

Interesting that the Michelins last so much longer than the Bridgestones for you. I only tried one set of PR4s many moons ago, but they made about the same mileage as the Bridgestones that came off.

I've slowed down a bunch and am traveling more now. I'll consider another set next time and see.

 

[rbentnail]

Huh. I'd assumed the Pilot Powers were sport bike tires. How do they wear? I got 9600 miles out of my last set of T30GTs and still had 1/32 to the wear bars. I know comparing personal mileages of two people with different riding styles and locales is worthless. But have you found they last as well as other tires you've used?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for all the feedback. Lots to think about. I'm set for tires for the near future, but I hope to get enough riding in this year to need another set soon.

Many of the Pilot Power series are softer compounds but not all of them. I find the PP2CT fits my riding style and locations pretty well. I get 8-10k miles from them, both front & rear. Significantly better center tread longevity than most bike tires for commuting, slabbing and coastal riding. Softer sides for funner stuff. I find them infinitely more confidence inspiring than the Pilot Road series, especially the PR2 & 4 ones. I've tried maybe a dozen different tires and almost stopped switching around when I found these. I've tried only one other tire since and it was just a different Pilot Power tire. I came back to the 2CT. Middle of the road pricing but can be had for >$100 front & >$140 rear with a little searching.