Tire size explained?

Hello,
Very new to the riding scene, never had to give much thought about tires until owning a bike... So I've been recommended the Michelin Pilot Road 2s and the reviews seem to back it pretty well. While ordering the tires, it gives me a list of sizes to choose from.

Michelin Pilot Road 2 Rear Tire - Street Bike - Motorcycle Superstore

Tire size is 180/55ZR17, I get that (180mm, 55%, speed rating Z, rim 17") but what does 75W mean? or 73W B? etc... is this the rubber hardness or compound number? currently have a very old and bald Battlax 73W on there but I just got the bike so I cant say what I think of it.

Anyway, new rider, dont think I'll be going too crazy this year, any recommendations other than the Road 2s?

Thanks
 
You can't go wrong with the Pilot Road 2... Dunlop has the RoadSmarts, which are also a good tire. I have Pirelli Angels on my FZ1 and like them so far. My dad is on his 2nd set of the Pilot Road 2 and loves them. Haven't heard how the newer Pilot Road 3 and RoadSmart2 tires are. You probably will save $$$ finding the PR2 or RoadSmarts over the newer versions.

The bike will probably feel a lot more responsive and lay into the turns better, after getting those worn out tires off.
 
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I've had Roadsmarts, and PR2. Liked them both equally and got great mileage out of them. I currently have the PR3's, and like the feel of them, don't know about mileage yet. :)


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Yeah, the shop I went to wants to charge $450~ for the set... curious how i can get them online for $340 and I bet thats still not the lowest they can be found for.

Thanks for the advice!
 
I had just recently bought mine via MotorcycleSuperstore.com. I found a local authorized installer from the site and they shipped the tires right to the installer. From there, you can just take the wheels down or the bike and they will put the new tires on... In Fresno/Clovis (CA) it ranged from $20 per tire with wheels removed to $40 per tire to take the wheels off the bike and change the tire. My tires were about $300 (online) + install at shop $80 = $380 total.
 
I've had Roadsmarts, and PR2. Liked them both equally and got great mileage out of them. I currently have the PR3's, and like the feel of them, don't know about mileage yet. :)


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Swapped my rear PR3 out at 5700, the front is still on. Now, have 8K on front and 2300 on rear with PR3's. Great shape and sticky, sticky. Terrific tyres. :)
 
tires

I now have 8500 miles on my Pilot Road 3's and they should go another 3-4000 miles. Great tire...good grip and long wear life. I will get another set when its time to replace them.
 
I run the Metzler Sporttec M3. I like how they make the bike feel, and they're priced reasonably well.
As someone who works in a tire shop that does a lot of high performance and specialty applications, I can tell you 2 things: Never buy a tire based solely on price, and the selecting the correct person to install your tires is as crucial as selecting the proper tire.
 
I bought a used ('06) FZ1 a couple of weeks ago and it has PR3's on it. I've only put a couple hundred miles on them myself but they appear to be exceptional in the wet (heavy fog made riding interesting last weekend) and fairly "sticky" on the dry.

Hey Sireal1 - That's outstanding longevity and I hope I do that well. Could it be the Houston roads????

D
 
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