BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

slowvet wrote:Pilot Road 3 tyres. Air pressure at 42-40 rear, front.

Are these tyre pressures specific to PR3's.

Irrespective of the tyre manufacturer, I run the following pressures on a 2012 Twin Cam:-

Rider only, Front 32psi (2.2 Bar), Rear 36 psi (2.5 Bar)

Rider with passenger and/or luggage, Front 36 psi (2.5 bar), Rear 42 psi (2.9 Bar)

I've been running my P3's at 36/40 since I put them on 6000 miles ago and the tires are still holding up fine. This is the first time I've ever gotten over 5 or 6000 out of a tire. I'm 162 lbs and ride 1 up most of the time.


These aren't close to needing replacement! Very impressed

jhandfield wrote: For anyone still interested, I've had the bike for about a week and a half now and managed to put 175 miles on it thanks to a combination of stubbornness, the RT's awesome wind protection and comfort features in cold weather, and an innate resistance to cold thanks to my upbringing in Maine. Still loving the bike, getting used to how it rides now and loving how nimble it is, my heaviest bike by 200lbs but you'd never know it riding on it.

I have unfortunately had one problem pop up already, at least half the time when I try to start it the first press of the ignition will crank the engine but it won't turn over - the cylinders do fire, though they sound a little off in terms of timing. Letting off the switch for a second then hitting it a second time usually (but not always) results in the bike starting right up... Calling the dealer tomorrow to see what they have to say about that. I don't have an alarm on the bike, is there some sort of immobilizer on the bike even without it? Dealer never specified if the keys had chips in them or not.

Other than that, though, great ride! Snow in the forecast for tomorrow sadly, though a high of 51 forecast for Sunday so the season isn't over yet!

I got my 14RT back after the recall and exactly one week later the fuel pump went out.  It was fixed within 2-3 days and no problems since.  You are gonna love this bike.

Best,

This thread seems to be a mixture of themes - tyres and recall bikes.


I bought a recall 2014 LCRT.  It was a steal at the price I got it for (maybe that's why the people that sell them are called stealers!) and no way could I persuade myself to pay list for a different one just because it had 475 fewer miles on the clock.  It was immaculate when I collected it and it has behaved immaculately over the 1,500 miles I've put on it in the last six weeks. 


As for tyres and pressures, I've only ever taken manufacturer's (bike or tyre) recommendations as a guide.  Play around with them to see what happens and what works best for you and your style.  On the MTS, shod with PR3s, I ran them +4psi front and rear and the bike was transformed.

I had 50 miles more on mine and paid somewhat less than list. You have to take these opportunities in life when they come up.  I always set the tyre pressures for 2 up and forget about them. 

RTman10 wrote: I had 50 miles more on mine and paid somewhat less than list. You have to take these opportunities in life when they come up.  I always set the tyre pressures for 2 up and forget about them.

Great minds...

RTman10 wrote: I had 50 miles more on mine and paid somewhat less than list. You have to take these opportunities in life when they come up.  I always set the tyre pressures for 2 up and forget about them.

Yep,  same here....

stelyn wrote: Must have been running on the steel threads !!!      :not speak:

Dead.

jhandfield wrote: Well, today was the day! A balmy 37 °F when I left the dealer with my very own '14 in the ebony black paint. Had a very nice ride back south to the warmer climes (43 °F!) of home, between the heated grips, seat, and the size of the windshield I was amazingly comfortable (I wouldn't quite go so far as to say warm) even on the highway!

Naturally, the forecast for the next week is calling for a fair amount of rain and near-freezing temperatures (to be fair, it IS mid-to-late fall I suppose) but hopefully I can still sneak some riding in here and there. Being a bit behind the times on battery tech (last bike I kept over a winter used an old wet cell battery) should I plan to remove the battery from the bike while it sits in an unheated (not unheard of to drop below 0 °°F) garage over the winter, or is it fine to keep it in the bike out in the cold with a tender hooked to it?

:clap: :clap:  Well done... Beat me to it!

slowvet wrote:I got in touch with the original owner and he said those were the stock tires that came with the bike. He logged over 11,700 miles on them.

What make/version were the stock tyres, I'd have a guess at Metzeler Z6's.

David, I believe they were Bridgstones if I'm not mistaken.

Thanks, having checked my 2012 Bike, it's still on the original Bridgestone BT 021's, only done 3,000 miles.
(The tread pattern does look similar to that in your photo).

It will be interesting to see how they wear.

I had those 021's on mine for the first 6000. I never liked them, they were the slickest tires ive ever ridden on.
My 12 was totally transformed when I switched to the Michelin P3's.


Had I known how much better the bike would be with the Michelins I would have swapped tires much sooner, like when it was  brand new sooner! They are that good.

Looks like perhaps 2012 was the year of 021's.

Have use Factory Fit, Metzeler Z6's for the last 7 years & nearly 70,000 miles, couldn't complain.

Had to have a rear changed in Scotland & could only get a Michelin Pilot Road (Original), ended up with a matched pair when I got home.
They seemed to be wearing better than the Z6's before I Part Ex'd the Bike.

The tyre Dealer I use seems to like Michelins & would probably recommend PR3's next time, although I am tempted to go for PR4's (GT).

Bike Magazine (January 2014) printed the following article:-

NEW MICHELIN PILOT ROAD 4

"Michelin Pilot Road 3 is widely accepted as the grippiest and most confidence-inspiring tyre for wet weather.
It's only been available since 2011 but, keen to maintain their leading position, Michelin have updated the sports touring fitment for 2014.
Unsurprisingly tagged the Pilot Road 4, the new tyre retains the water-beating sipes (slim 'cuts' in the tread).
However, changes to the tread pattern and other small detail amendments are said to give even greater wet performance, especially under braking
- they claim the PR4 has a shorter stopping distance in dodgy conditions than any rival tyre.
Better still, the new tyre is said to have longer life - longevity is not a strong point of the current Pilot Road 3.
Standard fitment on the new BMW R1200RT, the PR4 is available in all common sizes from January.
It comes in three flavours: regular; GT (for touring bikes); and Trail (adventure bikes)."

Many RTs are now supplied with factory fit PR4s (GT) . Only ever heard good report on them although I prefer Z8s.(c) which are also factory fit.