[ristretto_racer]

Hi everyone !

I recently bought a 890 R and i just love it
The stock Michelin tires are great for dry roads but not so much for winter rides when the road is cold and often wet.

I mostly ride on twisty roads and will do a couple trackdays in winter (i don't have any tire warmer). What tires would you recommend for riding in the twisties in winter and some occasional trackdays ?

I'm looking to optimize grip when it's between 0°C and 10°C (30°F - 50°F) and sometimes slightly wet.

I've have some good experience with Pirelli Diablo Rosso 3 in winter on my previous bike, i wanted to have your thoughts on tires you love for sport riding in winter.

What would you recommend ?

Thanks for your help !
Vincent

 

[ristretto_racer]

Also i was wondering if Sport-Touring tires (such as Pirelli Angel GT 2) would have a better grip in cold conditions since they are designed for this ?

 

[Geoff]

Also i was wondering if Sport-Touring tires (such as Pirelli Angel GT 2) would have a better grip in cold conditions since they are designed for this ?

Yes, that's what sport touring tyres are designed for. You have so many choices and it comes down to what suits your style as most of us run out of talent before reaching the limits of the tyre. In recent years, I've used the Roadtec 01, the T31 and Road 5 and I ride in all conditions.

They're all good tyres but my personal preference is for the Road 5. It has a sportier profile and the soft compound outer edges give great grip in the cooler wet conditions we get in NZ winters. They also keep their profile for longer than the other two brands I mentioned. Good luck with your choice!

 

[Thumper790]

Road 5

 

[fredaroony]

I have Rosso III on mine and they are brilliant. Very good tyres in the wet and cold but also great in hot weather

You could also try the M7RR or M9RR

 

[Squid]

Rosso 3's are fantastic. I was in the launch, it was pretty cold, like 4-5 degrees and slight drizzle. No warmers, third corner, knee down. I haven't tried Michelin Sport 5's, but I hear they're brilliant as well but not quite as sharp as Rossos.

 

[ristretto_racer]

Thanks everyone for your responses, that's very helpful !

It looks like Road 5, M9RR and Diablo Rosso 3 are good choices.

Out of these 3 i already know the Rosso 3 very well so i think i'll try something different this time. I really love sharp tires, switching from Rosso 2 to Rosso 3 for example was amazing, the shape of the tire is very different, it's so much easier to go from one side to the other with the Rosso 3.

I'm not sure how to decide between the two, which one has the sportier profile between the M9RR and Road 5 ? Do you see any major difference between them ?

 

[TachItUp]

I'm pretty sure the M9RR is a supersport tire. Check out the Conti RoadAttack 3 as well.

 

[Squid]

M9 is a sports tire, Road 5 is a sporty-ish touring tire

 

[Hawkerjet]

Don't leave out the Bridgestone S-22. I ride them year around hot and cold. Good grip everywhere.

 

[zimm]

I'm going Road 5's. I had Road 3's on my 990SMT and commuted year-round down to 20 degrees with no traction issues. I even rode home in snow flurries, being very very careful. Can't wait to try the 5's, just got them spooned on today.

 

[J D]

I’m curious ro here just how many miles you fellas get from your Mich Road 5’s, guessing it will be a lot! 10,000+ ?

 

[fredaroony]

Thanks everyone for your responses, that's very helpful !

It looks like Road 5, M9RR and Diablo Rosso 3 are good choices.

Out of these 3 i already know the Rosso 3 very well so i think i'll try something different this time. I really love sharp tires, switching from Rosso 2 to Rosso 3 for example was amazing, the shape of the tire is very different, it's so much easier to go from one side to the other with the Rosso 3.

I'm not sure how to decide between the two, which one has the sportier profile between the M9RR and Road 5 ? Do you see any major difference between them ?

The Road 5 is a good tyre but it's a sport touring tyre, the M9RR will have better performance on a bike like this.

 

[Geoff]

I’m curious ro here just how many miles you fellas get from your Mich Road 5’s, guessing it will be a lot! 10,000+ ?

Very much depends on what you use your bike for and the type of roads you travel on. My Road 5's are at 7000-odd km and profile and wear are both good. I don't commute and the roads where I ride are twisty, requiring a fair bit of countersteering which loads up the front. The front T31 I had before switching to the Road 5's was going out of shape at 6000 km and horribly out of shape at 8000 km when front and rear were both changed. No sign of the same issue on the 5. As long as I get around 10000 km from the 5's for the type of riding I do, that will be fine.

Incidentally, I had Road 5's on my GSX-S1000. They were great but I suffered a bad run of punctures. I wondered whether the carcass construction had anything to do with it but I'm now inclined to think it was sheer bad luck.

 

[Squid]

A lot of you guys seem to be mixing categories.

Sports tires:
Pirelli Diablo Rosso 3
Metzeler M9RR
Continental Sport Attack 4
Michelin Power 5
Bridgestone S22

Touring tires:
Pirelli Angel GT 2
Metzeler Roadtec 01
Continental Road Attack 3
Michelin Road 5
Bridgestone T31 (I think there's a T32 on the way)

 

[ristretto_racer]

Indeed !

i would prefer sports tires, among them the M9RR really advertise their behavior on cold and wet conditions which is exactly what i'm looking for
"
SPORTEC™ M9 RR performs optimally also at low temperature. The speed of warm up, allows you to confidently enjoy your first corner.
"

https://www.metzeler.com/en-ww/products/tyres/sportec-m9-rr

Is it just commercial bullshit ? or do you think they are more focused for this types of weather conditions than the others ?

 

[Squid]

I haven't tried the M9RR, but I went for a ride Italy in the autumn with friends. One of the guys had M9's on his 890 and had used M7's before. According to him the M9 wasn't as grippy in the cold as the M7 had been, but I don't know. Would seem like a weird development. Maybe it was just the astonishing torque of the 890 😂

EDIT: but then again, they don't always succeed with a 5/5. For instance Michelin's Power Pure was a huge letdown after Power 2.

 

[ristretto_racer]

great feedback thanks !

 

[Nwreed911]

I'd had great luck with the Road 5's on my MT-10 in the cold and wet riding year-round here in Seattle and just had them put on my new 890R as well. I can't recommend them enough.

 

[huntley]

@ristretto_racer have you been caught out in the wet or cold on the stock Michelin tires? If so how were they? Like you I plan to use the KTM for a lot of purposes.

I may even ride it to the track (it's only 30 minutes away) so I'd like a tire that does it all. I don't care about the longevity. I track my cars and do the same.