Michelin Pilot Sport Update

[Jan and Don Draper <ddraper@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, I've done a few hundred miles on the Pilot Sports now, and I've 
had a chance to compare them to the BT-020s on my commute route.

I like the Sports better.  They grip the road better, which gives me more 
confidence.  You can especailly feel the difference when making a quick 
stop on a curved road.

And they're more "balanced" front-to-rear.  With the BT-020s, 
the RS liked a little gas in the corners to stay stable.  It felt "unsettled" 
coasting through turns.  With the Pilot Sports, the bike feels really 
planted coasting through downhill corners. Now, I took MSF and make a 
point of rolling on the throttle through turns.  But, I did try coasting on 
both sets of tires and I think the difference speaks well for the Michelins.

Last but not least, riding the RS with the Michelins is even more fun 
than riding it with the BT-020s.  The fine, positive control over your
lines is really satisfying.  It always feels like I can put the bike exactly 
where I please :-).

The only slight downside I might see is that the Pilots tend to give a 
"bouncier" ride.  There's a lot of rubber on these tires.  The Michelin 
Macadam X's which I liked so much on my Honda Nighthawk were the 
same way.  I've already made some progress towards remedying this by 
increasing pre-load and damping and will try increasing both even more.
Tried lowering them, and that made it worse, plus made the handling 
"wallowy" in corners.

The Pilot Sports are fine tires, even better than the Macadam X's (barring 
mileage, which I can't speak for yet).  I highly recommend them, even 
over the BT-020s!

- -Don "Blue Dawg" Draper (son of Doggydo)





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