Preliminary Report on Pirelli MT66 ROUTE tires

[V7Goose]

NOTE: This first post in the thread has been changed by me for reasons explained below. If you have already read it, read it again - it is very different now. Positive review of the MT66 tires.

 

First, just a little background for those who don't already know about me - I am a complete fan of Avon Venom tyres for the RSV. I have done a LOT of testing various tires, new and worn, and shorter suspension links to raise the rear of the bike; you can find a lot of this info if you search for some of my oldest posts.

 

Now even though I love the Venom tyres, I just can't resist testing other options, especially when there is a cheaper price involved! I put a brand new set of Pirelli MT 66 ROUTE tires on QuickSilver (my 05 RSV) last summer, then proceeded to crash the bike on my way out of town that night when the slick new tires broke loose in a surprise curve! Busted me up enough that I couldn't ride for about four months, and didn't do much good for QuickSilver either. Well, she's back on the road again, and I've already learned a few things about these tires. I think I like them.

 

The load range on the rear tire is less than with an Avon Venom - only 74H. That is the same as the stock tires, so no problem there, but I would prefer to have the higher load rating as a margin of safety. When I first mounted them last summer, I didn't notice anything specific about them - they seemed to handle fine for the one short test ride, and then for the thirty miles or so before I went down. But most of that was on the freeway, so not much of a handling test. At this point, let me note that I had Leveling Links on the 05 then to raise the rear of the bike, and as I have previously written in great detail, raising the rear greatly improves the slow speed handling, making even the horrible stock Brickstone tires feel reasonable.

 

Well, after the crash, I bought an 07 RSV and switched the leveling links to it while the 05 just sat and waited for me to fix it up. I finally got most of the repairs done and have started riding QuickSilver again (so far WITHOUT the leveling links), and I am happy to report that these Pirelli tires make the bike with stock suspension feel light and agile. Slow speed handling my be as good as the Avons, but I still have more testing to do. I cannot yet report on speed handling on the curvy roads. I have compared the width and profile (shape of the curved surface) with my brother's Dunlop 404s, and the front tire is almost identical. MUCH narrower and more curved than a Brickstone in the same stock size of 150/80-16. I'll report on the comparison with the Avon Venom soon.

 

I'll also be covering a couple of thousand miles on them in the next week or so, so I'll be able to give y'all a full report on them soon. In the mean time, the prices look good compared to the Avon Venoms, and they seem seem pretty good, so if you have to order tires before I can complete the testing, you might want to consider the Pirellis if you are tight on money..

Goose

Edited May 10, 2008 by V7Goose
MAJOR corrections to my first report - tires seem good

[GigaWhiskey]

Hey Goose, that was an interesting read and kewl on the tags. I have Pirelli Routes on mine (MKI) and they seem fine, at least to me. This is my second set of tires on her and I cannot even remember what the other ones were. I can't remember the ride on them cause I trailered it to a guy to get it running for me (It sat for years), there I got the Routes.

 

If I see ya on the 21st, you will see them.

[midnightventure]

Pirrelli and Metzeler are the same company. If you call Metzeler customer service it is answered Pirrelli and then they transfer you to a Metzeler rep.

[V7Goose]

OK all, if you read my first report in this thread that said the MT66 Pirelli tires made the RSV fell nasty, go back and re-read it - I have changed it a lot, and here is why:

 

When I started riding the 05 after repairs from my accident last summer, the first thing I did was check the tire pressures and put them right. After all, the bike had just been siting from August to April! After a couple of days riding, the bike began to feel heavy; I rechecked everything and the front tire was a little low, so I pumped it back up. The next day, the handling was terrible, and I made my first post warning about how bad these tires seemed to be - I was WRONG. Long story, but the problem turned out to be that I got a bunch of sand in one spot on the tire bead when my front tire hit the curb and I high-sided in my accident last summer. The tire held air fine for months, but I guess when I started to ride it, the tire flexing allowed the sand to work down into the bead more and started it leaking. Soooo, when I said the bike handled bad with these tires, it turned out to be with very low front tire pressure! Today I pulled that tire, cleaned the bead well, and all seems great again.

 

I'm sorry for any confusion, and I am especially sorry for badmouthing a tire that might not deserve it! I just now have a bit over 100 miles on these Pirelli MT66 tires, so I can start riding them with less worry of another slide-out. I'll update y'all when I can definitively say more. Ride safe,

Goose

[GigaWhiskey]

:sign woo hoo:

 

Hey Goose,

 

Thanks for the updated review! I definitely feel much better now! If you want to check them out on a 1st gen for review, c'mon over. Offer is still on the table.

 

Looking forward to your Full Review when you return!

[beyeker]

I put the Route 66 tires on a Royal Star several years ago. The mileage wasn't very good. I went back to Dunlops.

[Blackjack]

I have the Pirelli MT66 Routes on my '04 Silverado, and love them! They ride and handle very, very well in both wet and dry riding circumstances. Keep in mind, however, the V-Star is a much lighter bike than the Venture...

 

Terry

[Eck]

Goose,

If they made wide white walls, I would give them a try..

[Bones]

I have the MT66 tires on my RSTD. 7,000 miles so far and they are doing very well. I took a couple 2k trips on them last summer and with the bike fully loaded they performed fantastic.

 

I traveled nearly a full day in a heavy rainshower on the interstate on one of those trips and moved along at 75 mph and never felt unstable.

 

I will be staying with these tires and at the price it seems they are hard to beat.

 

 

The real question will be milage. I expect 12,000 for the back. We shall see.

[Ferrantelli]

I have the MT66 tires on my RSTD. 7,000 miles so far and they are doing very well. I took a couple 2k trips on them last summer and with the bike fully loaded they performed fantastic.

 

I traveled nearly a full day in a heavy rainshower on the interstate on one of those trips and moved along at 75 mph and never felt unstable.

 

I will be staying with these tires and at the price it seems they are hard to beat.

 

 

The real question will be milage. I expect 12,000 for the back. We shall see.

 

 

Only 12,000, I expect twice that on any rear street tire and a little more on the front. I have 10,500 on my Dunlops, and expect nothing less than double that.

[V7Goose]

OK, I have close to 1,500 miles on my MT66 tires now, so here is an update on them.

 

First, I had them significantly over inflated for a few hundred miles - not on purpose, just on dumbness! I have always run Avon Venom rear tires at 48 lbs. I tried them at max pressure of 50 lbs once and did not like the way the bike felt - kinda squirrelly and jumpy in rough corners. Dropping them to anything below 48 lbs completely solved that. Well, the MT66 rear tire has a lower load rating than the Venom (74 vs. 81), and when I was setting up the bike after all the repairs this spring, I guess I just automatically set the tires to the same pressure I always use on Venoms. On the way down to the Texas Hill Country last week we had a lot of cross wind, and the bike felt a lot like it had the one time I ran Avon Venoms at max pressure. That should have been a clue for me to check the pressure right then. The next day, after riding the first of the Three Sisters, I was still not very impressed with the handling, and I finally decided to check the pressure when we filled up in Leakey. The pressure was right up where I had set it, but this time I got smart enough to double check the sidewall - Oooops, max pressure on the 150/80-15 74H MT66 tire is only 42 lbs! Once I dropped the rear tire to 42 lbs., the bike handled like a dream again for the rest of the trip.

 

One negative side affect of dropping the pressure was increased road noise from the tires. This noise is not bad, and certainly not related to wear at this point. In fact, I don't hear it at all when running at highway speeds with my visor closed, but it is noticeable at 50 - 60 MPH with the visor open and no music playing. These tires have a fairly aggressive tread, and they do make more noise than Avon Venoms.

 

The MT66 tires are also significantly taller than new Avon Venoms in stock size. I use a maintenance stand when washing my bike, and with the Leveling Links on my bike, new Avon Venoms both just barely touch the driveway - I can easily turn either tire by just lightly lifting up on the fender. Not with the Pirelli MT66s! On the same maintenance stand, both tires are now FIRMLY stuck to the driveway, and lifting up very hard on the fender just barely allows me to turn either tire. This is not a bad thing, of course, just something to be aware of if you happen to be too short for the bike already!

 

Over all, I still like the Pirelli MT66 tires. Of course I have a lot more miles to put on them before I will know how they wear or if they start making noise in corners like Brickstones do. But at this point, considering how much cheaper the MT66 tires are than Avon Venoms, I'd buy them again if I needed to save a few bucks. Only time will tell how long they last, so I'll report back periodically as I wear them down. Ride Safe,

Goose

[GigaWhiskey]

:clap2::clap2:

[Ponch]

Hay Goose, If the tires are taller, how does the speedometer read now? Higher? lower? I've been looking for a tire or a fix to put the Venture speedo right. Mine reads five over all the time.

 

Regards, Ponch

[Gearhead]

Only 12,000, I expect twice that on any rear street tire and a little more on the front.

 

 

That's some pretty stiff expectations. The only tires I've done even close to that well with were Dunlop E2's on my Virago, much lighter at 550 lbs. I got 23,000 front and rear from that set, and have close to that now on another E2. Nothing else out there that I've tried or heard of even comes close, except maybe the new E3.

 

Also on the Virago, I ran a set of MT66's and got 17k front, 13k rear.

 

On the Venture, I have an E3 on the rear which is still looking pretty decent at 16,000 miles. I have a MT66 on the front which, with 11,000 miles, still has some to give. It's always hard to guess accurately, but I'd say the rear will reach at least 20k, and the front should make 15k.

 

Jeremy

[V7Goose]

Hay Goose, If the tires are taller, how does the speedometer read now? Higher? lower? I've been looking for a tire or a fix to put the Venture speedo right. Mine reads five over all the time.

 

Regards, Ponch

Every Venture I have checked is optimistic on the speedo, generally by an average of 9% when checked with a GPS unit. I have never seen one that was high by a fixed amount at any speed. Anyway, these tires aren't so much bigger to make a significant difference in the actual speed - checked against a GPS mine was still 9% high this week (indicated 84 MPH = actual 76 MPH). I always just figure it at 10% and automatically calculate the difference (5=50, 66=60, 77=70, etc.). It used to bother me, but now I actually like it. Sounds a bit strange, but it is all in the mental suggestive impact. I like to push the speed a bit, and even though I KNOW an indicated 80 is actually about 72 and therefore perfectly safe legally at our normal 70 MPH speed limit, just seeing the speedo indicating 80 makes me much less likely to push it higher!

Goose

 

BTW - on the bikes I have checked, the ODOMETER is much closer to actual than the speedometer.

[Ferrantelli]

That's some pretty stiff expectations. The only tires I've done even close to that well with were Dunlop E2's on my Virago, much lighter at 550 lbs. I got 23,000 front and rear from that set, and have close to that now on another E2. Nothing else out there that I've tried or heard of even comes close, except maybe the new E3.

 

Also on the Virago, I ran a set of MT66's and got 17k front, 13k rear.

 

On the Venture, I have an E3 on the rear which is still looking pretty decent at 16,000 miles. I have a MT66 on the front which, with 11,000 miles, still has some to give. It's always hard to guess accurately, but I'd say the rear will reach at least 20k, and the front should make 15k.

 

Jeremy

It may very well be. This is my first Venture, it came with Dunlops and with 10,738 miles on them I am hoping they make it to at least 20,000. On my previous bike a Kawasaki Vulcan 800 with OEM Bridgstones I was able to get 25,000 out of the rear and 27,000 out of the front. I replaced them with Metzler's and sold the bike with 49K and the tire still had some more miles to give. However from everything I read on this site when it is time to change the Dunlops on my Venture, I do not know what to get. Maybe by then Dunlop will have the Roadsmart MT-Multi-Tread available in sizes for the Venture.

[Gearhead]

Wow, do you pop for the "iron-impregnated" model tire?

 

 

Jeremy

[stardbog]

How you guys make 20000 out of rear tire:detective:. I never was able to make close to 12 K:no-no-no:. Where is a trick ...SHARE PLEASE.

[Ferrantelli]

What do you think Gearhead should we tell them?

 

You know Ferrari does a better job of looking after their tires and use the softer ones for larger stints than Mercedes. Worn out tires has cost Mercedes dearly just ask Hamilton.

[V7Goose]

How you guys make 20000 out of rear tire:detective:. I never was able to make close to 12 K:no-no-no:. Where is a trick ...SHARE PLEASE.

Based on my experience, it seems unlikely they ever used 3rd, 4th or 5th gears. But I'll bet they are real safe riders! Ride anything slow and easy enough and it'll damn near last forever. I just can't do that. I ain't crazy, but I ain't boring either.

Goose

[Ferrantelli]

Based on my experience, it seems unlikely they ever used 3rd, 4th or 5th gears. But I'll bet they are real safe riders! Ride anything slow and easy enough and it'll damn near last forever. I just can't do that. I ain't crazy, but I ain't boring either.

Goose

Goose above you post that is me on the Dragon. I have scrapes on both of my floorboards and now on my right mufflers, and I do think I am a safe rider but I can hold my own.

[midnightventure]

The first rear tire after my crash lasted 15000 but I was riding pretty slow. Other than that its usually 8 to 12000 miles on a rear tire.

[V7Goose]

The first rear tire after my crash lasted 15000 but I was riding pretty slow. Other than that its usually 8 to 12000 miles on a rear tire.

There is nothing more true than the fact that tire mileage is more individualistic than just about anything else we could compare. I get about 14,000 out of a Venom rear tire, and 25,000 to 28,000 out of a Venom front. My stock Brickstone rear tire was toast in under 8,000 miles. My brother, with similar riding style, just replaced his stock Dunlop 404 at 11,000 miles. Those miles/tire seem to be in line with what is commonly reported here by others, but certainly not everyone. That doesn't make me better or worse than someone else, just more average. Anyone who is smoother on the clutch, easier on the throttle and brake, or rarely downshifts to slow down could likely get better tire mileage, but they would be less average. Nothing wrong with that, right? To those who can manage it, my congratulations. But I advise the "average" rider to not be fooled into thinking they should expect to match everything they read. ANYONE reporting more than 20,000 miles on a rear tire from a Royal Star Venture is reporting an extraordinarily unique situation. I think I envy them, but I may not want to be them. I'd have to know a lot more.

Goose

[Gearhead]

Based on my experience, it seems unlikely they ever used 3rd, 4th or 5th gears.

 

You mean it has 5 gears?????

 

Seriously, on a Dunlop E2 or E3 you can expect close to 20k in back in most cases. They wear that well.

 

Jeremy

[V7Goose]

Just thought I would keep this thread alive by posting another update on my riding experience with these tires. Still way too early to comment on how long they might last, but I am getting a lot of comparison between them and the Avons on my 07 RSV. I take the 07 out every couple of days instead of the 05 just to keep the battery topped up and let people see the For Sale sign on it. It has Avon tires that are about 3/4 worn - the rear is beginning to show a flattening profile across the center. The Pirellis on my 05 are still pretty new, with only about 1,600 miles on them.

 

Frankly, even though I still like the Pirelli MT66 tires, they are clearly not as good as the Avon Venoms. Considering the difference in wear, I would expect the Venoms to maybe feel worse, but every time I get on the 07 I am struck by the more certain positive feel. Maybe it is just that I am more used to them after riding many miles on several sets, but I doubt it. More to come ...

Goose