190/50 or 109/55

[Sub2Bsain]

Good day everyone

This is my first post after following for some time.

On my bike I currently have Michelin road 5's. I am going to change to the road 6 next week.

What I am wondering what would the difference be if I changed to 55's from 50's? The store currently only has stock of the 55.

Why I am asking here is that i hope there are guys that have changed between the two and have real life experience to the question, Because its difficult to find proper info on the topic online.

Regards

 

[cannedSardina]

Here is my thought. The bike stock has 50s and was designed with 50s bc it is a sport tourer…with emphasis on the sport aspect thats why it has 190/50 tires. Now I have had 55 plenty of times and what you gain is cornering speed and agility. What you loose is lifespan. You may be able to get the miles you want out of a 55 however, the fall off in performance is more drastic (say at 8k miles) compared to a 50. Which will maintain its performance better toward the second half of its lifespan. From my experience the 50 is better cause it still gives you all the performance you need or can handle unless you take the bike to the track or you want use specifically for twisty. Hope that helps.

 

[Sub2Bsain]

Here is my thought. The bike stock has 50s and was designed with 50s bc it is a sport tourer…with emphasis on the sport aspect thats why it has 190/50 tires. Now I have had 55 plenty of times and what you gain is cornering speed and agility. What you loose is lifespan. You may be able to get the miles you want out of a 55 however, the fall off in performance is more drastic (say at 8k miles) compared to a 50. Which will maintain its performance better toward the second half of its lifespan. From my experience the 50 is better cause it still gives you all the performance you need or can handle unless you take the bike to the track or you want use specifically for twisty. Hope that helps.

HI

Thanks for taking the time.

What you are saying makes sense, thanks for that.

 

[jwarden]

I currently have a Road 6 190/55 with over 10K miles and still like it. I had 190/50 before and really can't tell the difference.