My new tires – Michelin Pilot Road 4 Trails – are anything but knobby, so don't look to my GS to pose for any of those RTW (round-the-world) posters. Michelin says they are "designed for large adventure bikes that spend almost all
their time on pavement." That'd be me, then.
My first impression is one of pure amazement, as they come out of the mold
with no mold-release compound so they’re ready to rock from the moment you roll.
Of course, anytime you put new tires on it’s like buying a new bike, so any
first impression would have to be positive, wouldn’t it?
I
bought them on the internet and removed the wheels myself, taking
everything to a nearby auto-tire shop that mounts & balances them for 25
bucks. Total cost: around 250 euros, compared with around 400 euros if I had taken the bike to the BMW dealer and let them do the job, as they always insist on
supplying the tires (at quite a markup) and then charging full shop rates for installation.
To my
budget, the 150-euro savings I eked out equals one long overnight trip to Italy.
But best of all, I just like the feeling I get from working on my own bike.
Update: 1000 km on, they are the best, I mean THE BEST, tires I've ever had on any bike I've ever ridden. Result!
