Well I have now put over 3,000 miles on my new Michelin Road 5 tire.
Tis a 150/70ZR17(69W) rear tire run backwards on the front of my 2012 R3R.
I have finally found a tire as good and likely better than the Avon Azaro.
I love the twisties and at 72 years, I have yet to outgrow the extreme fun of greasing them as best I can. Although not the wild man I once was, there is still nothing better than cutting a fine fast line through a series of twisties!
Although impossible, I'm always in search for anything that can make my R3R handle more like a sport bike. After 62,000 miles and at least 13 tires, this Pilot5 tire is by far THE best I've ever run on my front wheel.
Ninety miles of glorious twisties, called the Coronado Trail (Hwy 191) between Morenci and Alpine, AZ, were my test track.
I found the wider aspect ratio of the 150/70 kept the same wheel diameter and circumference as the 140/75. It provided much improved cornering control and copious quantities of traction. This tire provided me additional ability and confidence to create even more lean angle than ever before on this motor.
I run Standard boards on my R3R which are an inch and a half higher and provide quite a bit more lean angle than the OEM pegs did.
While touching down and dragging my boards was fairly common before, this tire allowed me to confidently increase my lean angle (more with both with butt over the inside of the seat or not) and drag nearly all the way round with total control and confidence. I had to be sure to keep my feet max inboard, so as not to ruin my spendy Daytona yuppie riding boots.
Traction of this tire was so good (not even one slip - ever!) that for me, control was enhanced to the point that the flex of the boards allowed me to gauge just when the engine guards, engine case or kickstand frame bolt were about to drag.
If you enjoy the twisties even half as much as I, you will have the need to lower your front axle and raise your rear axle to improve rake and trail for better handling. To accomplish this, many of us do run the 140/75R17 front with the Exedra Max 240/55R16 rear for this purpose. This tire will noticeably further improve your cornering ability!!!
Michelin Road 5 Rear Motorcycle Tire
Thanks
@1olbull for this most excellent report! After reading your report a couple of times, and becoming inspired by your enthusiasm, I ordered a 150/70 Michelin Road 5 and installed it on the front of my Roadster. In short, it's my new favorite "front" tire!
When the original equipment Metzeler ME880 150/80 became well worn, I fitted a Michelin Commander II 140/75 which I liked a lot, for its quicker steering and good wet grip. Problem was it didn't last very long. Then I installed an Avon Cobra AV71 140/75, which always felt stiffer than the Michelin, with less road feel. By the time the Avon was 1/2 worn it had become "pointy" in profile, and had started to slide and twitch badly on wet tar snakes and other imperfections on cold wet roads. This is with the bike close to upright. It's a scary feeling and I totally lost confidence in it. The Road 5 provided a good excuse to remove the AV71 when it was 2/3 worn. Now I have tried the Road 5, the AV71 won't be going back on.
The Road 5 has really soft construction, and was the easiest tire I have installed for many years. I didn't weigh it, but it's definitely lighter than the Avon. The 150/70 Road 5 steers slower than the Avon and Michelin, which is not surprising, but still very nice, linear and intuitive. Grip in braking and cornering has been excellent. I have aimed the front wheel at all the wet tar snakes I can find, and I've felt absolutely no sliding, or even a twitch. Appearance wise, the 150/70 Road 5 looks really good and fills the mudguard a little better than a 140/75.
I should make it clear that I've only been using the Road 5 for the last 2 weeks, in winter, in NE Ohio. The temperature has ranged from 25 to 50 degrees F, with a mixture of wet roads, damp/greasy roads, and dry roads with salt residue. No footpeg scraping yet but I can't wait for that time to come!