[Review] Michelin PR3

Any longevity reports other than Rick's 12,000 mile first set? I'm getting the PR3s that came today from Motorcycle Superstore mounted Friday unless snow keeps me from getting to Denver.
 
Phil,
With you puting the new PR3's now you should have them pretty well out in time to change them just before July trip.

Eldon
 
Phil Tarman said:
Any longevity reports other than Rick's 12,000 mile first set? I'm getting the PR3s that came today from Motorcycle Superstore mounted Friday unless snow keeps me from getting to Denver.
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I've got right at 5k on mine and though showing some definite center wear on the rear it is not nearly as much as the original Bridgestones at the same distance. There is slight flat spotting but cornering is still a lot smoother compared to the original Battleaxes.
 
vacanefan said:
* Front end wobble: With the OEM tires, even when new, if I loosened my grip on the bars greatly the front end would wobble. Slightly at first, then progressively worse until I would put light pressure back on the grips to stop the action.
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I came off the interstate the other day and was on a 55 mph side road. I had both hands off the handle bars and I was leaning forward a bit. I was just stretching for a quick second because I had been on the highway for about an hour. Well the front end started to wobble. I lean back and put my hands back on the handle bar and it quickly stopped. It's been many years since I rode a bike but I have never had this happen. Is this normal or should I be looking at getting the front wheel balanced?
 
rcase13 said:
I came off the interstate the other day and was on a 55 mph side road. I had both hands off the handle bars and I was leaning forward a bit. I was just stretching for a quick second because I had been on the highway for about an hour. Well the front end started to wobble. I lean back and put my hands back on the handle bar and it quickly stopped. It's been many years since I rode a bike but I have never had this happen. Is this normal or should I be looking at getting the front wheel balanced?
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I had the very same problem with my 1998 Pacific Coast. If I took both my hands off the bars, the front end would start to wobble. I had the head bearings checked and they were tight, within spec. The front OEM Dunlop 555 was cupping pretty badly so I bought new Metzler 880 tires, which seemed to help a lot, but the wobble never went away completely. Had to keep at least one hand on the bars.
I have not tried to take both hands off the bars on the NT yet, so not sure if it would wobble or not.

My son was stationed in Hawaii for awhile with the 25th Infantry Division. Bought a new BMW R1150R. Got a ticket from Hawaii State Police for having just one hand on the bars.
Could also get a ticket if you stood up off the seat!
 
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QUOTErcase13; I came off the interstate the other day and was on a 55 mph side road. I had both hands off the handle bars and I was leaning forward a bit. I was just stretching for a quick second because I had been on the highway for about an hour. Well the front end started to wobble.

I HAD SAME PROBLEM AS WELL WITH PC800. TOOK BOTH HANDS OFF TO ADJUST SOMETHING AND WOW GOT A SERIOUS WOBBLE. DIDN'T DO THAT AGAIN. SEEMED TO BE WORSE AS TIRES WORE DOWN. DIDN'T TRY THAT FEAT WITH NT YET. :doh1:
 
On my 1st Connie, I had that same deal. It started at around 30mph. As time went on, the onset of the wobble moved to higher speeds, finally up to around 50, then seemed to dampen down some below 30. Only happened when both hands were off the bar, so as the doctor told the guy who said, "Doc, it hurts when I do that," "Then don't do that;" so I quit taking both hands off the bar at speeds of 55 or less. But the more I thought about it, I knew that something wasn't right. In my case it was loose headset bearings.

But sometimes a front wobble can be caused by things not right in the back. Seems counter-intuitive, but bad swing-arm bearings, or bad rear wheel bearings can cause a front wheel wobble.

My first bet, though, would be loose headset bearings.
 
since i didn't know much about bikes when i got my NT, i assumed that wobble was just a fact of the bike given the shorter rake angle...compared to say a cruiser with the longer rake that keeps itself straight. but perhaps it's the bearings like phil said. is it worth mentioning to the dealer next time it's in for service do you think?

the wobble increases - after 2 seconds i feel like it would lay the bike down in short order. scared the heck out of me the first time i did it. so yeah....always at least one hand on the bars for me.
 
Rob said:
is it worth mentioning to the dealer next time it's in for service do you think?
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It's worth mentioning to the dealer now! I wouldn't wait until the next service unless that's coming up ihn the next couple of days. The wobble is not characteristic of the NT, even if you have a cupped front tire.
 
well, we just got snow with more on the forecast so the roads will stay messy for awhile so i won't be riding anytime soon it appears. i will plan on taking it in when weather permits. thank you for the information.
 
Phil Tarman said:
Any longevity reports other than Rick's 12,000 mile first set? I'm getting the PR3s that came today from Motorcycle Superstore mounted Friday unless snow keeps me from getting to Denver.
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Phil, I have 8200 miles on my PR3s with many miles left on them. As you know, how many miles you will get out of tires depends a great deal on your riding style. I only got 7000 miles out of the stock Bridgestones. I think I'll get at least 12000 out of the PR3s. Right now, they are still in great shape and still handle very well. I would buy them again without hesitation.
 
Just ordered a set of BT-23's. They'll be installed next week. 8500 miles on the BT-20's. Hoping for 10-12 out of the 23's.
 
I put a set of Michelin Pilot Road 3s on Dudley today @ 36,700 miles. I'd gotten about 9500 miles out of the rear BT-023 and probably still have another 2-4,000 left on the front. I saved it for later use when I'm not quite ready to replace a rear but need to replace a front.

Three weeks ago, you may remember that I got caught by a blizzard in Limon, CO, 84 miles from home. My friend Tim, a Connie rider came out and rescued me with his MC trailer. Two weeks ago tomorrow a friend and I did a 209 mile ride up to Kimball and Sydney, NE, so he could go to Cabella's. A couple of days after that I noticed that my rear BT-023 was looking pretty thin and parked the bike till I could get new tires. It's about 75 miles from my house to my dealer's and when I got there this morning, my buddy the service manager who had sold me my 1st Connie back in '99, said, "Wow! You timed it about right on that rear tire." I walked around and looked and saw steel cord showing. If I had managed to ride that 84 miles between Limon and Fort Morgan, I probably would not have made it to Denver this morning.

Just as I got there and was checking in, an ST700 pulled into the parking lot. First one either the Service Manager or I had ever seen. Very nice looking bike! The rider was someone I'd seen before: your friend and mine Chuck (Chucksklrst on this Forum). He'd ridden over to have luch with me. Friend Tim got there in time for a little conversation, but missed lunch.

Just as we were ready to leave, Chuck realized that his heated gear controller wasn't working. After a few seconds of frustration, he realized that it helps to have the controller plugged into a power source. By the time I was ready to leave, it was snowing styrofoam-pellet-looking snow (does anybody know if that's called "grappel" or something like that? Seems like it is). I stopped for gas on the way out of town, rode out of the snow pretty quickly and then out of the headwind about 25 miles toward home.

I hate new tires. I've known several people who've dumped their bikes right after getting new tires. I've built the initial "slick" period up into something much worse than I think it really is. By the time I got home, I was more relaxed. Right now, all I can say about the PR3s is that they're round, black, and hold air for at least 75 miles.
 
Service manager said the techs were having a discussion about what correct tire pressure was. Neither of them had it right, Scott (the service manager) told them and, even though the front was at 35 and the rear at 43, told 'em to take it back in and get them set to 36 and 42. They did. It was good to see you, too.
 
Apparently they all went out and took a look at the ST700, as when I told the service manager you were coming to pick up your bike, he told me that I left my key in my bike, so they kept an eye on it for me. I thanked him and told him I always leave the key in it.
 
As an update to this post: I now have over 9500 miles on the PR3's and should get 12000 or more out of the rear tire and even more out of the front. The wear has been slow and uniform. This is a HUGE improvement from the 7000 miles I got out of the OEM Bridgestones when the rear tire was nearly bald and the front tire severely cupped and worn. I have been very happy with the PR3's from day one and will certainly replace them with the same.
Happy Riding
--Jeff
 
That's good to hear Jeff. I'm pushing 5,000 miles on my PR3s now and they aren't showing any wear yet.
 
oh this reminds me to update from my posts on page 4 about the wobble. it was nothing but the tires. the noise and wobble are because i apparently did a poor job of maintaining the proper pressure in them during the winter months (i rode in low 30's at the coldest). lesson learned. both the front and rear were cupped....mostly the front, and the rear was flattened a bit. this was with 7k miles on the originals.

so they were replaced with the PR3's and what a world of difference. no more wobble, no noise, and the handling is such a new feeling to me....the way the bike just smoothly rolls into leans is just fantastic. so now i check the tire pressure regularly as i want these to last. two new tires and paying for the install is ridiculously expensive in my opinion so i'd like to avoid having to do that again prematurely!

have 1k miles on the PR3's so far and i couldn't recommend them enough....the praise from the rest of you here made it an easy decision for me.
 
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