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Michelin Pilot Road II vs. Pirelli Angel ST
Published July 13, 2011 | 
I’ve gone through my first rear Pirelli Angel ST tire this week, and I can now report that, compared to the Michelin Pilot Road, the Angel ST just doesn’t get it done.
First off, the mileage was terrible. My last mileage on a Pilot Road II rear tire was 6,800 miles when I replaced it with this set of Angels. I burned through the Angel rear tire in 5,700 miles. The Michelin is a few bucks more than the Pirelli, but the extra 1,100 miles in wear more than compensates for the slightly greater cost.
In addition, the Angels, while acceptably grippy, and with better wet-weather traction, detracted slightly from the handling of the bike. Certainly, the Angel ST provides much better handling than the leaden Bridgestone BT-021 OEM tires. Sadly, it also provides noticeably less sharper handling than the Pilot Road II. Granted, this may not be true for all makes of motorcycle, but it is certainly true of the FJR1300.
The Michelin Pilot Road II is hands down the winner in comparison to both the ANgel ST and the BT-021. It transforms the handling of the FJR, making it noticeably more responsive and easier to steer just with body movement. The extra mileage over both the other two tires also makes it a better value.
Unfortunately, my front tire is still good, so I had to match up the rear with another Angel. Next, time, however, I’m getting the Pilot Road II, and I’m sticking with them. The only reason I got the Angels in the first place was that the shop was out of stock on the PRII. if that happens again, I will go to another shop that does have them.
I’m sold on the Michelin Pilot Road II.
Michelin Pilot Road 2 Tire Review
Published March 8, 2010 | This weekend, I took the FJR in for its 24,000 mile service, and while I was there, decided to try a new set of tires. I’ve heard lots of good things about the Michelin Pilot Road 2CT tire, but the price was a bit offputting. So I’ve been on Bridgestone BT021s since I bought it. North County House of Motorcycles has a good deal on the PR2s, however, so, I decided to try them out. I’ve only put about 100 miles on them since I picked the bike up Saturday evening, but I have to say…wow!
The difference in handling was immediately noticeable. With the BT021s, the FJR had to be pushed a fair amount to drop into a turn. Steady as a rock once you found your angle, but a little effort was needed. Not so with the PR2s. Simply moving your upper body, and shifting on the seat is enough to initiate the lean. In fact, it falls in so easily, I still haven’t gotten used to it.
What really saurpises me is how grippy they are, though. As I was riding back home, I was racing against an incoming rainstorm…and I lost. About 10 miles from the house, riding down Highway 78 in San Marcos, I got hammered with a downpour. I never got the feeling that I was anything less than firmly planted, even with less than 10 miles on the new tires. Indeed, at one point, a car in front of me slammed on his brakes, and I applied mine firmly–fortunately, I was hanging back far enough so that I didn’t have to panic stop–and the tires performed flawlessly.
So far, I haven’t pushed it really hard, even on the curvy route I take to and from work, but the Pilot road 2 has so far exceeded my expectations. I’ve been told the BT021 is a grippier, sportier tire, so we’ll see how the PR2 works when I start to really blaze through the valley road, but so far, I’m very impressed and pleased with the Michelins.