BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

JRD wrote: Thu Oct 30, 2025 5:54 pmI'd like to hear more from anyone who has used the Kendas as to any traction issues, etc.

This thread may be of interest to you, viewtopic.php?p=79349&hilit=kenda#p79349

I must be an Old Phart anomaly in these tire wear posts. On a 2022 1250 RT, Ride fair amount of Twisties, but also like touring on my RT around CA, AZ NV, UT. I currently have 10.7k MILES on my RT on Roads 5 GT's that came on the bike. Just measured the tread depth and I have 3/32" left in the rear and 2/32" left in the front.

I have not gotten scalloped tread wear on the front tires that others complain about. I ride solo, at 280# and 6' 5" tall, and I run 40 psi front, 42 psi rear, I was advised by many to run more air pressure in the front tire, to prevent the front tire from scalloping, and I can tell you that it definitely, in my case, works very well.

I ride at almost all times when it's dry and not raining, so I don't worry too much about wet traction. I ride very conservatively at 67 years old. Easy on throttle, easy on brakes, mostly two lane highway. Can say for certain that August heat blacktop when air temps are 105-110F and the blacktop is 140 to 150F wears out the tires like hot knife through butter. The rubber gets soft and it scrubs right off, very easily accelerating the wear on the tire. Add riding fast and it gets even worse, the faster you go and the more tire heat you generate.

I think I probably have another 2 to 3 k miles of treadwear left this winter (only) on my Road 5 GT's, and hope to replace with a more durable touring tire instead of a Sport touring tire. They won't last that many miles in summer heat.

My local BMW Motorrad franchise sold and switched to a different dealership here in my area a couple months back. I had my motorcycle in for a service a couple months ago, was likely among the first that they serviced at the new local. While there I was discussing new tires with the service writer (a BMW Guy) who they temporarily brought to the store to help them as the existing service writer was really only experienced with Triumph, Ducati, Royal, Guzzi, ...

Anyway, the BMW service writer was recommending that I go with the Dunlop Roadsmart 4. Said he owns an RT himself and has ridden on virtually every tire out there and the Dunlop is what he rides with exclusively now. Also indicated that all of the Las Vegas Metropolitan RT's now run them, which is a huge number of motorcycles. He indicated that those are the bestselling tire from that area for the RT's. His opinion is that the Dunlop simply last the longest and has a great feel for the road surface.

My concern however was cold temperatures; up north where I ride the motorcycle, if it is good weather with no precipitation, yet temperatures down to as cold as freezing, I am still inclined to go for a ride during the winter months. And of course, he is from Vegas, which is HOT and the asphalt surface is really HOT! Point being, I was just not certain that this gentleman had a good point of reference for Zero Celsius / 32 Fahrenheit riding. In very cold situations, my concern is that the 'longevity and sporty feel' might also translate to rock hard and slippery ...

I researched, debated it, discussed it among others (who didn't really have any practical experiences with the Roadsmarts), and ultimately ... I just put the Michelin Road 6 GT's on my '23 RT.

You need black, round tires that come with little slash marks all the way around the center.

Doctor T wrote: Tue Apr 28, 2026 4:55 pm You need black, round tires that come with little slash marks all the way around the center.

I haven't seen any formal studies on it, but I think this one you are suggesting may be the most popular option for certain.

But, per the title of this thread, we are here seeking out the "Best" tire. So, if there are some good alternatives, something to contest?

Dugway wrote: Wed Apr 29, 2026 2:54 pm I haven't seen any formal studies on it, but I think this one you are suggesting may be the most popular option for certain.

But, per the title of this thread, we are here seeking out the "Best" tire. So, if there are some good alternatives, something to contest?

Unless you have tried them all then you will never know what the best tyre is for the bike.

I have used Michelin Road 6 GT which where good and the last rear I got 10000 and the front 13000 miles

I have just put a set of Bridgestone T33's on the RT and so far they feel really good and well planted I dare say they feel better than the Road 6!

Not used them in the wet yet though

I’ve got a set of Dunlop Roadsmart GT4’s ready to go on before a 3 week France and Spain trip in June, and possibly another Greek trip in Sept, but wifey’s waiting on an op which takes precedence of course.
The new tyres get a good write up and it’s time for something different after 3 sets of Michelin 6GT’s, on which I have no complaints, but gotta try these things haven’t you?

Each model of tyre feels different to each individual. In the past, I've bought tyres everyone raved about and found them crap. I've also bought budget tyres that people said were crap, but I found them good.
In truth, the only way to find out what suits your style of riding is to try.
At the moment, I am using my son's KTM 790 Duke( still restoring the 640), and it's on the OE Mitaz sports. These are slated, but we both like the feedback and grip. Now he's very fussy regarding tyres. He gets through tyres like they flip flops on his KTM 1390 Super Adventure. He's been through the high-end and low end of makes. Turns out a cheap pair of Atlas tyres(I've never heard of them) is the best for his on/off road riding.
Just because Joe Bloggs uses one make doesn't mean that you have to be the same.
End of yabbering.

I think there’s always been a tendency for some to rate a different brand of tyre after fitting simply because they will feel great anyway with no squaring off.

Steve398 wrote: Wed Apr 29, 2026 9:38 pm I’ve got a set of Dunlop Roadsmart GT4’s ready to go on before a 3 week France and Spain trip in June, and possibly another Greek trip in Sept, but wifey’s waiting on an op which takes precedence of course.
The new tyres get a good write up and it’s time for something different after 3 sets of Michelin 6GT’s, on which I have no complaints, but gotta try these things haven’t you?

3 sets of road 6 Steve ?, damn you must be doing some miles! .

Not in comparison to some on here, about 7k a year if we do our Greece tour, otherwise about average at 3-ish.

Last year we didn’t do the tour because of wifey’s health, but this year (fingers crossed) we’ll do that in Sept plus another 2 week run through France next month.

Steve398 wrote: Sun May 03, 2026 7:04 am Not in comparison to some on here, about 7k a year if we do our Greece tour, otherwise about average at 3-ish.

Last year we didn’t do the tour because of wifey’s health, but this year (fingers crossed) we’ll do that in Sept plus another 2 week run through France next month.

Yes I remember that, I’ll look forward to what you think of the dunlops though, what’s the cost like compared to the Michelins ?.

Not a lot different tbh, but everything’s damn pricey on a bike isn’t it? The price of pleasure

I am in the United States, so prices are going to be different than you in the United Kingdom.

Here, a set of the Michelin Road 6 GT is maybe $30 to $50 more in price than the Dunlop Roadsmart 4; so not really all that significant of a difference. Frankly if the Michelin was just the Road 6 instead of the Road 6 "GT" version then I think they would be priced almost the same. Bottom line, these are both the premium offering of those two manufactures, and the difference is likely going to come from something different than pricing.