Hells Dark Lord
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posted January 17, 2008 10:03 AM
Pilot Road 2's
Ok guys and gals, I just got the Pilot Road 2's installed on my 01 ZX12R. I bought the tires off ebay, got them for $304 delivered to the house. I had the local dealer install the tires and balance them out.
Let me give you the first impression of the tires as they sat in my garage on the floor.
the tires were delivered from UPS in a box, like a kid on Christmas I took a knife out to the garage and hacked open the box. I pulled the tires out of the box and my first reaction was "OMG I screwed up, sport touring tires for my 12...ahhhhhh". After testing the rubber on these tires, it reminds me very much of the Pilot Powers. Its soft and pliable, not hard like I figured a Sport Touring tire would be. Hmmmm
The tread pattern look very much what you would think of as a sport touring tire would be, full of grooves and not aggressive looking at all. But they do look like they would be very good on wet pavement. I am a fan of the Pilot Powers and have been running them exclusively as a street tire on the 10 since I rode them back in 05. That being said I am not a fan of the Michelin race tires or slicks, I dont like their profile or the fact that when they are done, they are just simply done, no warning. I have been riding on Pirelli and Bridgestone race tires for more years than I can recall.
First Riding impression: On the first ride, I noticed the bike was very neutral in its steering. The handle bars actually felt lighter. It was significantly lighter. I rode it around the block at low speeds weaving a little bit back and forth, trying to scuff the new tires in and just get a feel for the handleing.. I went home and put on my helmet and jacket and figured I would go take it for a spin. I ended up heading over to the El Paso Community College to check in with some of the guys over there that teach the MSF ERC course. I had taken the course the day before on my 2006 Kawi Vulcan Nomad. I spoke to Scott one of the instructors and a cop of the city of El Paso. I asked him if I could do a few of the exercises while the class was on break and explained to him that I wanted to check out the tires and had planned on writing a review on them. He agreed to let me give it a go.
The neutral handleing was very apparant immediately on the course. The bike was very easy to transition from one side to the other when going through the offset weave. It also stopped the bike well, lifting the back tire with aggressive stops. This gave me a very good feel for the tires at low speeds, so now it was time to check them out at faster speeds. So off to Transmountain Rd I went. Transmountain is just exactally what its name would imply. Here in El Paso there is a mountain range (Franklin Mountains) that seperate east El Paso from West El Paso. This is road is full of fast sweepers, but is relatively short.
Let me tell you I was pleasantly suprised in the faster stuff as well. This tire is very stable even at fairly extreme lean angles ( I wasnt wearing a suit, so not dragging a knee  ) and even with the HP of the ZX12R. Keep in mind it is a long distance tire, so I was able to spin it up when I wanted to, but it was very predictable and linear in its feel. You could feel what the tire was doing and was able to control it.
I hope to take the ZX12R out to the track this weekend and see if the owner will let me log a few laps on it so i can get an idea of how they will do in very aggressive riding situations.
Comparison: Keep in mind this is just an initial feeling of the tires, as I have only logged about 150 miles on them so far.
Traction: I would compare these tires to the Metzler Sportec M1 tires I use to ride on. I dont think they give as good of traction as the Pilot Powers though.
Handleing: This is one of the most neutral handling tires I have ever riden on, it was almost as if the ZX12R was set up just for them. No tire I have ever put on any bike I have owned has felt more "right" . It made the bike feel so light that the 12 felt like it would fall over in the middle of a curve, but not so much as I had to fight to keep the bike upright. The bike tracks very well in mid corner, and exits strong under power, with any wheel spin being very manageable. But there is Wheel spin. Truth be told with over 183 hp at the wheel, you can spin most any tire in those situations.
Wet traction: I have yet to be able to test this tire in the wet, and truth be told I hope I never have to, anyone that knows me knows I hate to ride in the rain, not becasuse I am afraid to get wet, but because I hate cleaning my bikes......lol
My initial feeling is I am going to like these tires very much for what I plan on doing with them. Which is sport touring. Around El Paso we have mostly flat open roads, and not many curves. I hope to get some miles on these tires over the next few weeks and keep updating you with information on them.
The tires were installed with exactally 31,000 miles on my bike. I will use this as a reference as to how many miles I get out of them.
Until next time Ride safe
Jim
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stevewfl
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posted January 17, 2008 11:18 AM
awesomewrite up. I always wondered what the pilot roads would do on the wheels of someone who rides other than a straight line 
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted January 17, 2008 01:03 PM
Like I said Steve, hopefully I will get the bike out on the track and get a chance to see how they really do in the corners...
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted January 18, 2008 12:15 PM
Damn HDL, you now got me thinking about those instead of the powers I was planning on. Have to let me know the mileage. That might decide it. Thanks for the great write up!
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted January 21, 2008 09:48 AM
hey fellas, I talked to the guy that owns the local Road Racing track in Demmin NM. He is going to let me take the 12 out on the track and get some laps on the Pilot Roads 2's to see how they do out there. I dont expect them to handle like a pure race tire, or even an agressive street tire, but if they do well, they would be a good choice for us flat landers that get the occasion to turn a few corners. Will let you know how it turns out.
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted January 21, 2008 09:55 AM
Make sure you let them cool down every few hot laps HDL. The vast majority of us are only able to go balls to the wall for a short period, so if you overheat the tires by hot lapping it, the results will not apply to what we all do on the backroads. So take 3 or 4 laps, then take a few scenic laps to cool them down, or pitstop it. Just my opinion...
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted January 23, 2008 06:45 AM
you are absolutely right about that Sticks.....But one think I want to do is get them hot as well, I want to see if they will stay linear in their traction, I know it will get greesey when it gets hot, I want to see how bad, and how fast it happens. Obviously I dont want to toss my bike to the ground, so it will be a gradual thing.
I will probably only get 10 laps or so, as it will interupt a trackday.
Took the ZX12R out for a spin yesterday...ran hwy 180 out towards Carlsbad Caverns. The fist section of road is a slow drone through town. Once out of town the road turns into some nice sweepers out to the border partol check point. Then the next few miles is long straightts with a few gentle curves thrown in to break it up.
I installed the Throttle Meister the other day on the the bike, and the drone through town was a good time to check it out and make sure I installed it right. Thankfully it works like a charm. Once out of town and into the curves I turned up the wick and let her roll. This bike feels very nice at 90mph through the sweepers, some of them marked as 50 mph turns. I took it east going out as it was chilly yesterday, was about 50 degrees at the time of the ride. I wanted to check the high speed stability of the tires. Once out in the flat lands I turned up the wick and let her go, shifting the bike at about 11k on the tack. I ran the bike up through the gears to a GPS indicated 173 mph. The tires were flawless, they were just as smooth at that speed as at 70mph.
I ran out a few miles and headed back to the curvy portion of the road where I just kept a smooth pace at about 90 mph and just leaned the bike over. I wanted to avoid hard braking as I didnt want any extra heat in the tires. Again they were perfect, they never slipped or wiggled. The bike just went were it was pointed and maintained it neutral handleing no matter the speed.
Keep in mind I have not yet leaned this bike wayyyy over, I havent had the oppritunity to do that yet, as I live in west Texas, and its all pretty flat, hence the track portion of the test that is soon to come.
Like I have said perviously, I really like these tires, They are sport touring tires, and as such, I think they will be awsome. If I can get a knee down on the race track and do it comfortably, and if the wet traction proves to be decent....I think these will be a perfect choice for guys with bikes like the ZX12R and ZX14. As long as they arent trying to be Ricky Racer on their bikes. All tires do have limitations after all.
Until next time:
Jim
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted January 23, 2008 08:47 AM
"All tires do have limitations after all."
Yes, but those limitations are usually WAY beyond the capabilities of the average rider.
Cant get your pegs scraping on the street, huh? Thats one of my few gripes about big bikes: The bigger the bike/hp, the faster you need to be going to feel stable and comfortable enough to go full lean.
On my '87 600 Ninja? Shoot, I went full lean in parking lots, at EVERY right hand turn/stop light, etc... Just was so easy to do. The bigger the bike, and more top heavy, the less I was willing to "push it" in the low speed fun department.
But I digress; 90%+ of riders will never lean there 12 or 14 over far enough to notice how well it does or doesnt work, so your info on cornering clearance and traction is being waited on and very much appreciated by me at least! There ability to handle does not have to match a Pilot Power. But it does have to best the stock tires, without running out of tread at full lean. I hate that.
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crashtech
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posted January 27, 2008 07:24 AM
Good read! I still have not made my mind up. I hope you tell me what I want to here from the track.
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted January 27, 2008 11:01 AM
Hell its the internet Crashtech, I'll tell you what ever you want to hear. 
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted January 27, 2008 04:56 PM
OK fellas, Ijust got back from the race track, was 100 miles each way, and I only got to log in about 7 or 8 laps. But I think I got a good fee as to what the tires are capable of. First off let me say this is NOT my ZX10R on the track, holy hell this thing is work to flog around the track.
The track I used was Arroyo Seco Raceway. You can find it here at asmaracing.com. I would like to thank track owner, and president of ASMA Roger Heemsbergen for allowing me to get out there and do this test. Check out the track layout and you will see its a very technical track.
Rode the highway out to Demming, so it was nothing special, just a long 90 mph drone out there, and again the throttle meister pays for itself....lol Today they were running a sports car trackday out at the track, Lots of Evos and WRX's. Was cool to watch them lap the track. I talked to Roger while waiting for the session to end and we bullshitted about the ZX12R and the tires. He made the comment that the tires looked like they would do well in the rain, as he looked up and the very overcast sky. When the cars took their intermission I headed out on the track. The temp today was in the high 50's so the concrete wasnt very warm. The first lap I took it easy and rode around trying to get the tires warmed up a little bit. Laps 2-4 felt very nice, the bike flicks easy(as easy as a ZX12R will flick from side to side), and hold a line very nicely. By the time I got to lap 5 the tires were hot, and the air pressure had gone up in the tires. As I would push hard in the Bus Stop turn I could feel the front end pushin/plowing a little bit. It was very predictable. I finsihed out the lap and the flag came out for me to come in off the track so they could start the next session.
My impression of these tires on the track is this: I am impressed as to how far over these tires let me go. I got the bike leaned all the way over to drag a knee on. As I didnt have pucks on, just my leather riding pants I didnt actually touch the knee, but could have easily. The tires are very linear in traction, when they start to lose traction they will tell you so you can slow down. I also believe that I could have gone alot faster had I played with the air pressure, but as most people just set their air pressure on their street bikes and then ride, thats what I did. I think that these tires would do well for the everyday rider that does a few turns here and there. I think if I was going to be riding someplace that had a lot of curves I would go with the Pilot Powers. My thoughts are that the Pilot Road 2's would be an excellent tire for the bike bikes like the ZX14's, the C14, and Zx12's. Hell I think it would be a good tire for the ZX11 as well. Not to mention bikes like the FJR or the Honda ST series. If these tires net out good mileage they will be an awsome choice for sport touring guys that like to get a little aggressive at times.
Only things left to test are the wet weather abilities, and longevity.....will post that as we go.
Later Jim
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted January 28, 2008 11:43 AM
Thanks Jim, very very useful info that I plan on sending around the internet to various friends!
Guess the tires arent for me, though. Didnt think they would be, but had the fingers crossed... You never know what those tire guys will pull off next. So Pilot Powers it is. Just a question of 2CT's or not.... You guys recall if the 2CTs have the regular Power center rubber and Race outers or Road centers and Power outer edges? I forgot...
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted January 28, 2008 03:28 PM
the 2ct is standard power rubber in the middle and softer stickier rubber on the outside. I ran the Powers on the track and liked them alot, when my Zx10R did double duty for track and street, I used them exclusively on the street.
I was really happy with the Road 2's on the track, they feel good, just dont have the level of stick I had hoped....I think if you played with the tire pressure you could make them better, how much is debateable.
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted January 29, 2008 12:46 PM
im in the corner are better with speed category HDL. I leave tires looking like the face of the moon, ya know?
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted January 29, 2008 08:10 PM
I hear ya Sticks....I will ride this set of tires out until they are bald and see how many miles I get out of them. That will be the deciding factor to running a second set or trying something like the Diablo Corsa 3's.
I should think I will get between 3500 and 4500 miles out of a rear tire. We shall see.
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted May 06, 2008 06:14 PM
OK fellas, I saw someone elses post on the Pilot Road 2's and fgured I would update this thread as to what my expierences have been so far as I have had the tires on the bike for a while now and have a few miles on them.
The tires continue to amaze me when I think about it. What I mean by that is, I no longer think about them. I check the pressure in them, and ride the bike. There is no more thought of "dam I am on sport touring tires" like there was in the begining. The tires have about 1500 miles on them now, and still look like new. Granted I have not flogged them as I live "in" El Paso. So its mostly just running around town and short stints about the area.
As I have stated before, the overall traction level is not there when compared to tires like the Pilot Powers, or Dunlop Qualifiers. But there is more than enough for a spirited ride on a big bike. As long as you realize that you are not on DOT race tires and ride them accordingly, they perform as well as can be expected.
As much as I like these tires for around my local area, when I take this bike to Georgia and to ride Deals Gap, I will put a set of my BT 003's on it so that I have the level of confidence that I like while leaned wayyyyyyy over.
As far as the BT 003's are concerned.....if you like the traction and profile of the Pirelli SuperCorsa Pros, but dont want to spend the money....they are the schiznit.....got to try my first set this past weekend, and ran faster around our track than I ever have....in the march round of racing I was turning consistant, 1:16-17's. This month I was turning consistant 1:14's and set my personal best lap time of 1:13.6....thats a huge difference.....it wasnt all tires.....but they played a very big part of it.
More on the BT 003's later.....
Ride safe
Jim
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted May 07, 2008 05:57 AM
Damn good info HDL, thanks for sharing it.
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johnnnyboy
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posted May 07, 2008 02:01 PM
awsome post ! looks like they are just what i need not to soft not to hard just right haha thanks
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted May 10, 2008 06:08 PM
The BT 003 post will have to wait until after my June round of racing....Iwill be running my first set of BT 003s then...I have ridden a set of 003 take offs but dont want to use it as my basis for how these tires work....dont get me wrong even as take offs they stuck really really well....better than the 002 slick I had just taken off. But for my race I couldnt get my handson a front 003 as they didnt come in so I was forced to race on an 002 medium front, and an 003 medium rear....that combination worked really, really well.....I cant wait to try the 003 front.
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted May 13, 2008 05:40 PM
note....1267 miles on these tires and they still look like new.....I have dropped the air pressure in them down to 32 front and 31 rear and they give a better ride, with no notable handleing changes.
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bbirdxx2000
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posted May 19, 2008 01:15 PM
quote:
note....1267 miles on these tires and they still look like new.....I have dropped the air pressure in them down to 32 front and 31 rear and they give a better ride, with no notable handleing changes.
If your gonna run that low of pressure in the street, your tire's will dramaticlly wear quicker. I put a set of PR-2CT's about two weeks ago on my 06 ZX-14. I run them at 40/40 and the bike handles fantastic. Keep in mind our bikes are with 20 Lbs. of weight.
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted June 07, 2008 09:42 PM
if I ran my tires at 40 psi I would end up on my arse....I actually dropped the pressure even more up front when I got to the mountains up in north GA....I ended up at 30 psi on a cold tire and it handled great....never an issue with them sticking when they were suppose to. My buddy did note that everytime I would hammer down on the gas a small poof of smoke came off the rear tire....hehehehehe
am up to almost 2400 miles on these tires and they still have no visible signs of wear. At this rate I expect to get well over 5k out of these tires. And ridden within their limits which are suprisingly higher than I had originally thought, they do fine. What they dont do is give good feedback. Thats why I dropped the pressure so the tire woudl "talk" to me and tell me something. With the high pressure there was never any hint of plowing or tucking the front. But the tire gave me no feedback. I think its due in part to the front of my bike being oversprung.
All in all a really good tire, it let me go as fast or slow as I wanted and never gave me a worry. You guys on big bikes that dont try to drag knees in every corner need to keep this tire in mind.
bbird.....if I read that right and you are running PR (Pilot Race) tires at 40 psi its only a matter of time before it comes back to bite you....the recommended pressure for that rear tire on the track is 24 psi. and 28-30 front. If you ment the PP (Pilot Power), then 40 is still a bit high for anything but highway riding...in the mountains I run Pilot Powers at 32 front and 33 rear. On the track they are 31 front and rear...just becareful..hate to see anyone crash because of air pressure.... 
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bbirdxx2000
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posted June 08, 2008 03:11 AM
quote:
if I ran my tires at 40 psi I would end up on my arse....I actually dropped the pressure even more up front when I got to the mountains up in north GA....I ended up at 30 psi on a cold tire and it handled great....never an issue with them sticking when they were suppose to. My buddy did note that everytime I would hammer down on the gas a small poof of smoke came off the rear tire....hehehehehe
am up to almost 2400 miles on these tires and they still have no visible signs of wear. At this rate I expect to get well over 5k out of these tires. And ridden within their limits which are suprisingly higher than I had originally thought, they do fine. What they dont do is give good feedback. Thats why I dropped the pressure so the tire woudl "talk" to me and tell me something. With the high pressure there was never any hint of plowing or tucking the front. But the tire gave me no feedback. I think its due in part to the front of my bike being oversprung.
All in all a really good tire, it let me go as fast or slow as I wanted and never gave me a worry. You guys on big bikes that dont try to drag knees in every corner need to keep this tire in mind.
bbird.....if I read that right and you are running PR (Pilot Race) tires at 40 psi its only a matter of time before it comes back to bite you....the recommended pressure for that rear tire on the track is 24 psi. and 28-30 front. If you ment the PP (Pilot Power), then 40 is still a bit high for anything but highway riding...in the mountains I run Pilot Powers at 32 front and 33 rear. On the track they are 31 front and rear...just becareful..hate to see anyone crash because of air pressure....
Sorry, I am running the Pilot Roads-2 CT, with 40/40 air. I ran that pressure during a 3-day trip in W.V. total about 950 miles. Went from 1/2" chicken strip to 1/8". not once did I loose traction.
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johnnnyboy
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posted November 11, 2008 08:18 PM
HDL how many miles on the road 2's now ? im dont for the year here and I consider myself very lucky to have gotten 3200 miles out ofmy back tire. Its now smooth and about to break into the canvas. dont think ill get a new set this spring. they didnt give all that confidence. The 12 is a tire eater dont think any thing will last on the back ofthis thing.
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted November 17, 2008 11:41 AM
I am up to 3500 miles on them and expect atleast 2k more.....the tires are wearing great. Took them or a 600 mile trip up through western New Mexico, and eastern Arizona a few weeks back, The tires did/do great. I am still running the lower pressures, and the wear is awsome, traction decent, and feedback is ok.
If I lived in Florida or was staying here in west Texas I would get another set of tires when these were worn out. As I am headed back east and will have more curves to ride, I will prolly go with the Bridgestone 016s as I can get it in a 190/55 series which I like in a street tire.
Looks like the Pilot Road 2s will be on until spring as I cant seem to wear them out.......lol
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