Best All Around Tire For The RT

[Doctor T]

Original Road6GT's on my 2023 RT got 18,000Km before the flattened profile was starting to noticeably affect cornering. Tread was still ok as I do a significant proportion of riding in twisties so helps the tyres wear more evenly - up to a point. I liked the feel of the R6GT as neutral and predictable. I am not a peg scraping type of guy.

Dealer suggested trying Pirelli Angel GT2 which I did. They didn't feel as neutral as the R6GT and had slight centreline movement which felt odd. Then went on a Long tour (16,000km) with mainly straight highway running, and carrying about 30Kg of luggage. After 11,000Km when I reached Perth I had to change them as the profile was too flat- tread still fine. Dealer there suggested Bridgestone T32GT as being slightly stiffer.

After 6,000Km return trip the T32GT's are holding their profile well, both front and back, and plenty of tread. They feel similarly neutral to the Road6.

They are all good tyres. I think the Michelins might be slightly better for wear and neutral feeling. Don't think I would go with Pirelli again. My riding buddy had Pirelli's on his KTM 1290 and the rear tyre fractured suddenly 300Km west of Mt Isa in nowhere land. On replacing, the tyre dealer in Mt Isa noted there seemed to be a defect in the belting visible from the inside. Maybe just bad luck, but our opinions are based on our experiences. Hallelujah for tyre pressure warning system which went off before the tyre was completely flat. That stretch of Barkley Highway in NT is 130Km/hr limit.

The front tread design of Pirelli Angel GT2 with the center tramlines is terrible. That's why I stuck with the GT1. the handling is very neutral. Hence why I bought 2 GT1 front tyres. I won't be moving to the MK2.

[Jggpossum]

Thanks for the comment on the centreline tread pattern in the pirelli Angels. From the moment I saw the front tyre for the first time I thought it was an inappropriate pattern and makes sense it would tend to tram line the bike. That’s what I noticed on first ride and never got used to it.

[Doctor T]

I remember a lot of tyres from the 80-90s using tramlines in their design. Heard many people complain about weaving caused by the front tyre.
Over 45 years of riding I find the GT1 the best tyre for dry and wet weather handling. before the GT I fitted a pair of Metz 01 which I thought were good but didn't last long. The GT1 is miles better. So far I've covered 7000 miles on them with out any squaring off. Should get another 4000 miles out of them.

[Steve398]

Personally I preferred the Michelin 5GT which I found a softer ride, but next time I’ll try the Bridgestone T32GT which get good reviews and are cheaper than the 6GT’s.

[Panman40]

Personally I preferred the Michelin 5GT which I found a softer ride, but next time I’ll try the Bridgestone T32GT which get good reviews and are cheaper than the 6GT’s.

The 6GT does seem to give a hard ride Steve but I’ve not had road5’s so can’t compare. After having 16 years on uneven Bridgestone tyre wear on the ST1300 I’d be looking to keep away from them myself.
I’m not sure how some folks are getting these huge miles out of a set of tyres!.

[Steve398]

I get the bike serviced and put a new set of tyres on every year before our annual Greek trip, so I couldn’t honestly say what mileage I’m getting other than I do about 6k a year, and the tyres are nowhere near worn out when they’re replaced.

However I do find the 6GT’s a very hard ride, so perhaps I could move on to a softer, more compliant tyre. I’ve enjoyed Continentals and Pirelli Angel GT’s in the past…