The Triumph's Got Brand New Shoes

I haven't quite gotten around to writing about them yet, but I recently, finally, had new tires put on the Speed Four. After a little bit of shopping, and a little bit of research, I had front and rear Michelin Pilot Road III tires mounted.

I've tried each of the three generations of Pilot Roads now, and I have to say, these are the best yet. I hated the original Pilot Roads. It took too much effort to get the bike into turns, and they weren't nearly sticky enough. I skidded a lot, and had a lot of hair-raising moments on those tires.

When it was time to replace them, I'd been intending to get something totally different. Maybe some Metzelers again. But the service writer at the dealership told me that even aggressive sport riders were saying good things about the Pilot Road II tires, and I decided to give them a whirl. They were better. There was still some resistance at the beginning of a turn, but once the bike was leaned over a little, the stickier rubber would grab and the bike would dive into the curves in a most satisfying manner.

I looked around on the web to see if there was a better sport touring tire available now, and everything I read indicated that the Pilot Road III tires were the way to go. They weren't that much more expensive that Pirelli Angels, so I decided to stick with the Pilot Roads.

I've only put a few hundred miles on them so far, but I love them. There is none of the resistance to turning the previous tires had. They feel sticky and secure in the curves.

And, let's be honest, new tires just rock.

These should be good tires in wet conditions, which is more of a concern here on the Middle Coast than it was in the desert wastes. And, although this is a very minor concern, they look cool.

I love getting new tires, and I'm excited that this new pair seems to be a good one. I've gotten through the break-in mileage, so now I'm looking forward to gradually wearing down the chicken strips. I'm hopeful that I can do that before the snow flies this year.