The Pilot Road 4 is the latest sport touring offering from Michelin, and recently they invited journalists from some of the UK’s leading motorcycle publications to give it a spin in Seville, Spain. One of the magazine’s in attendance was RiDE, and in their July 2014 edition they gave their thoughts on the very thorough test they gave the new Michelin.
The Pilot Road 4 introduces chamfered leading edges to the sipes which help to enhance wet grip performance by forcing water away from the contact patch. These new chamfered edges reduce the amount of tearing suffered by the rubber under heavy braking which can lead to uneven wear. The tread pattern has also been redesigned with more closely spaced tread grooves either side of the central band for improved wet grip as you turn the bike in.
During the six test laps of the circuit the rider reported that the new Michelin showed “smooth steering, good high speed stability and easily enough grip to grind footrests to smithereens” on both the Yamaha MT-07 and BMW R1200RT.
The testers then moved on to three separate wet test track exercises designed to show just what the tyre was capable of. The first was a straight emergency stop of a Kawasaki ER-6 at 80mph, and the levels of grip from the Pilot Road 4 meant that the ABS didn’t even need to kick in. Braking harder and harder with each pass, the rider was impressed with the levels of feedback from the tyre which allowed him to keep the bike just the right side of the ABS trigger point.
The second exercise required riders to brake as hard as they dared at 40mph, whilst turning slightly left in a purpose made chicane. Although this is certainly counter intuitive to most riders, the tyre “turned without drama”. Potentially just enough to avoid someone stepping out in front of you.
Finally on the wet track riders were asked to carry out a straight braking test against a competitor tyre on identical Yamaha Fazers fitted with outriggers on a polished epoxy strip. Riders hit the strip at 30mph before hitting the brakes and leaving the ABS to do the rest. The ABS didn’t allow the rider to experience the difference in feel between the two tyres, but it did more or less show the 17% shorter stopping distance that Michelin were keen to show off.
Finally the test riders took to the road on a long and variable loop around Seville which included bumpy single track and fast moving A roads as well as a little bit of dual carriageway riding for good measure. Thanks to a number of heavy showers during the day the road surface was a little damp in places, with some surface water in shaded areas. RiDE magazine reported that when riders passed one another they were shocked by just how much water was spraying up from the rear tyre, because it didn’t feel like they were riding on a wet road. They were clearing water that the rider didn’t even know was there!
The new Pilot Road 4 comes in standard, GT and Trail versions all available to the UK trade from Cambrian Tyres. As the UK’s largest two wheel customer of Michelin Tyres we are able to offer the best possible prices across a comprehensive range of product, which can be browsed via our Michelin section.
