Michelin Pilot Activ and Pirelli Sport Demon

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Solina Dave
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Michelin Pilot Activ and Pirelli Sport Demon

#1

Post by Solina Dave »

Has anyone had experience running either of these tires. If so, how do they handle in different situations, and what kind of mileage were you getting? Would you buy them again?
My '78 GL1000 takes a 19" tire on the front. A 100/90-19 is the only width available in both of these tires. Would anyone have a problem running a100 mm tire as opposed to a110 mm tires? I've almost always used a 110 mm tire.

Thanks..........Dave
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ritalz
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Re: Michelin Pilot Activ and Pirelli Sport Demon

#2

Post by ritalz »

I run Pirelli Routes on my 85 and have no complaints. Mileage is 7 to 10k depending on conditions. Have bought two sets so yes I would buy again.
Al

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JSBail
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Re: Michelin Pilot Activ and Pirelli Sport Demon

#3

Post by JSBail »

I have the Pirelli Sport Demons on my 77 cb750 super sport and for the most part I'm happy with them however I'm not so sure they would be my tire of choice for my 83 1100. They grip well when you really want to lean into a corner and haven't had a problem with them in the rain but I'm not sure they have the mileage desired for a GL. With a lot of 2 up riding and not a whole lot of curves around here to make use of the side treads I may have gotten 6k on the rear tire before having to replace it on the 750.
Scott
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Re: Michelin Pilot Activ and Pirelli Sport Demon

#4

Post by Solina Dave »

JSBail wrote:I have the Pirelli Sport Demons on my 77 cb750 super sport and for the most part I'm happy with them however I'm not so sure they would be my tire of choice for my 83 1100. They grip well when you really want to lean into a corner and haven't had a problem with them in the rain but I'm not sure they have the mileage desired for a GL. With a lot of 2 up riding and not a whole lot of curves around here to make use of the side treads I may have gotten 6k on the rear tire before having to replace it on the 750.
Thanks Scott, that's very interesting. They do look like a tire possibly more suited to a sport bike, like your 750, rather than a touring bike. Your '83 and my '78 would be similar touring bikes. I'm not a very aggressive rider, and so I don't wear down the side tread nearly as quickly as the centre tread. Straightline mileage is important for me
I've been seeing relatively good reviews for the Shinko 230 Tour Masters. They may be a tire more to my needs. The mileage on those tires appears to be in the 8k to 10k range and at a considerably lower price. Up here in Canada, with the inflation rate a factor, a pair of Pirelli tires after taxes, is $156.00 more than the Shinkos. That's fairly significant. Also, for what it's worth, the Shinko tire is available in a 110 mm width.

Thanks again........ anim-cheers1 Dave
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Re: Michelin Pilot Activ and Pirelli Sport Demon

#5

Post by Sagebrush »

I use rear Michelin Pilot Activ on the front of my wife's 1800 trike. If I use the stock front tire, no matter which brand, I am only able to get about 7k miles from them. With the Pilot Activ I'm able to get close to 20k. Of course the tire looks like heck because of the heavy cupping due to the trike application but the resistance to wear is tremendous. I have no experience with them on a two wheeled bike.
Dean Spalding
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JSBail
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Re: Michelin Pilot Activ and Pirelli Sport Demon

#6

Post by JSBail »

Solina Dave wrote: I've been seeing relatively good reviews for the Shinko 230 Tour Masters. They may be a tire more to my needs. The mileage on those tires appears to be in the 8k to 10k range and at a considerably lower price.
Oddly enough the Shinko Tour Master was my tire of choice for my 1100 mainly because they were inexpensive. At that time I had already put plenty of money into my GL just to get it road worthy and didn't have much money to play with to get a "better" set of tires. I can't say how well they handle compared to other tires because so far they're the only tires I've had on my GL and anything was better than the dry rotted Bridgestones that were previously on it but I don't have any complaints about them. The 8 to 10k mileage sounds about right, I probably could've gotten through the rest of the summer on the rear tire on mine if I kept all my riding here but we took the GL on a road trip to Tennessee earlier this summer and I wanted tires with good tread to avoid any possible hydroplaning in case we got caught in rain, the rear still had some tread left and not quite down to its wear bars BUT thin enough that hydroplaning could be an issue so it got replaced by another Tour Master just to be safe.
Scott
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5speed
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Re: Michelin Pilot Activ and Pirelli Sport Demon

#7

Post by 5speed »

I have the pilots on my 76..unfortunately I haven't put enough miles on it to determine how they wear.
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Re: Michelin Pilot Activ and Pirelli Sport Demon

#8

Post by gary496 »

I have tourmaster 230 on the front and rear of my 78 GL. At 5k these tires look great. I estimate I will get well over 10k on these tires. Have ridden in the rain with no problems, that said, I'm not real agressive rider. I will buy them again.

gary
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Solina Dave
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Re: Michelin Pilot Activ and Pirelli Sport Demon

#9

Post by Solina Dave »

gary496 wrote:I have tourmaster 230 on the front and rear of my 78 GL. At 5k these tires look great. I estimate I will get well over 10k on these tires. Have ridden in the rain with no problems, that said, I'm not real agressive rider. I will buy them again.

gary
Thanks Gary, that's encouraging. We have identical bikes and similar riding styles. The Shinkos are moving up the list fast.
I priced them against Michelin, Bridgestone, Avon, and Pirelli, and found them to be, by Canadian prices, 30% to 42% less expensive. I think, in a lot of cases, one is paying a premium for a well known name.

anim-cheers1 ......Dave
"ASSUME NOTHING"

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Re: Michelin Pilot Activ and Pirelli Sport Demon

#10

Post by bstuebing »

I put a Kenda Kruz on the rear of my '85 GL1200. It holds air much better than the Dunlop with a deck screw in the tread that it replaced. Not sure on how long it'll last . It is a lot quieter than the worn Dunlop and feels more secure while leaned over.
Brian
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