Mounted the Michelin Road 5 Rear Motorcycle Tire 150/70ZR-17 (69W) (reversed orientation) yesterday and took her out for a spin on The Devils Whip (Hwy 80) in NC. Since the tires were new I didn't push it, but my first impression was
very good. It feels like the contact patch is bigger than the Dunlops I've been using. It may be a bit less "flicky," but seems more planted once you pick a line. The tread is massive, so expecting I'll get more than 4,500 miles before I can no longer trust it in the rain.
Jouneyman28778, I think you will find the Michelin Road 5 quite long lasting.
I find it confidence-inspiring in the wet and dry. It started with 4.6mm of tread, and after 10,000 miles it has 4.0mm of tread left at the thinnest points, just off center. That's more than a brand new Michelin Commander II has (3.6mm). Picture attached.
To give you a feel for how fast I wear out front tires (living here in flatland NE Ohio) compared to your much nicer roads in NC):
I got 8,000 miles out of the Commander 140/75. It started with 3.6mm of tread, was removed with 1.0mm remaining. It is a good rain tire, but not as good as the Road 5. It wasn't as good in the wet when it was well worn.
I got 7,000 miles out of a Cobra 140/75 before it got down to 2.6mm of tread. It started with 4.4mm. I removed it because I had totally lost confidence in the tire's wet grip, especially in cold weather.
I got 11,000 miles out of the original Metzeler ME880 150/80, removed with 1.0mm tread left, started with 5.5mm.