The first Pilot Road I ran, I ran out of desperation. The Metzeler Roadtec I was running looked to have another 1000 miles of life left. But because the Metz 's don't have tread cuts in the center of the tire, it was hard to say exactly how worn it was.
So, halfway between Salt Lake and Yellowstone National Park I notice that the rear tire had just about given up the ghost. 100 miles previous, the rear tire looked great; now, metal belts were exposed for almost 1/3 of the circumference of the rear tire. Cripes!
We happened to be only 50 miles or so from my Dads house, so we limped the bike back there, thinking I'd be able to remove the wheel myself and have better luck finding a suitable rear tire. We ended up traveling all the way back to Ogden before we found our first Sport Touring radial; in this case, a Michelin Pilot Road. Without hesitation, we'd mounted it up.
The second Pilot Road we ran, we ran out desperation. Two weeks later, just before we were to head to Yellowstone again, we came out into the garage and found a nail through the center of Kris Metzeler Roadtec. Crap! Again, the only tire I could find on such short notice was a Pilot Road.
However, the Pilot Road is an amazing tire! While it lacks a little bit of the Metzelers grip and handling, it does seem to last quite a bit longer. Kris managed to get about 6,000 miles out of her Pilot Road before we removed it, not because it worn out, but because we needed a newer tire for an upcoming road trip.
The rear tire is what makes the Pilot Roads special. They handle great. They seem to have a soft sidewall which is a trait that I like in a tire. They grip pretty darn good in the wet and even better in the dry. I even installed a set of Road on the Hawk and have done a couple track days on them. Under 80% riding they perform great, but push them a bit harder and they will start to overheat and get a little bit slippery. But that only tends to happen when pushing the tires really hard in a track environment. For everyday “spirited” riding they behave brilliantly.
Also, if you are into cool factor, Michelins tend to spec out a bit wider than the numbers on the sidewall would suggest. A 180 Michelin tends to appear to be as wide as a 190 Metzeler, for example. And while I dont necessarily care for the tread pattern on the Michi's, they become a big black blur when you are riding anyway.
My only real complaint with the Pilot Roads is the profile of the front tire. It is too round for my preference, which tends to slow steering quite a bit, making the three bikes I've installed the Roads on feel a bit lethargic. I also wish the compound on the front tire was a bit grippier. A good alternative that I've not tried yet, may be to install a Pilot Power on the front.
Overall, its no wonder the Pilot Roads are such a popular tire. I honestly like them much better than the now defunct Pilot Sport's. They tend to last around 5 to 6000 miles (depending on a myriad of conditions – actual mileage may vary) but they still have enough grip for the occasional track-days, as long as you are not out there going for glory. They handle well enough to be confidence inspiring, even in the wet, they are predictable, which is what you hope for in a set of tires. But to be honest, the one thing about the tire that makes it a bit more appealing to me, over the Metzeler, is the fact that I can clearly see when the tire is worn out.
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