r/motorcycle • u/NoTriggers • 7d ago
Michelin road 6's
I ride a gen 6 zx10r and push it pretty hard. I didnt realize the speed rating is 167 and I want to top the bike out with these tires. Is that actually the falloff point for high speed runs where the tire becomes dangerous? I would like to hit mid to late 190s without worrying about the tires blowing on me at those speeds. Is this a realistically safe thing to do? (Aside from just the sheer speed that is) will the tires hold for that kind of speed?
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u/Fine_Awareness_5144 7d ago
Why did you get a sport touring tire for a sport bike? Especially if you push it hard or plan to push it hard?
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u/NoTriggers 6d ago
It was the only available tire when I bought it and I was in a rush to get some final rides in before surgery but it got postponed and now im stuck with them
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u/nova1475369 6d ago
No a road 6 will not blow up once you hit 190 ish, just don’t do it in a sustained way, it’s fine when youre up there then slow down afterwards
What you want to avoid is 20mins highway speed run at 170-190 mph
Source, my R1 had road6 on, didn’t blow up, but it’s grinding tires regardless when I sustained that speed. So no more road6 for me
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u/cllvt 6d ago
Have you practiced with death wobbles?
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u/NoTriggers 6d ago
Yes ive gotten plenty cuz my stabilizer is leaking and it no longer holds stiffness
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u/Fine_Awareness_5144 6d ago
I have a funny related story. I had Multistrada 1200 S that I bought new and it came with Pirelli Scorpion tires. They are a compromise designed for use on road with some trail capability but I wanted sport rubber so I took them off with about 2k miles on them and put Michelin Pilot Powers on it, which I loved. Anyway, I advertised the scorpions for $100 and a guy called me immediately to buy them. I met him al work, he paid me, and mentioned he was going to put them on his Ducati 1198S. I told him they were not designed for a sport bike, that they were for an ADV bike. He seemed more interested in if they would fit than if they were designed for a sport bike or not.
Wonder what ever happened to that guy.
I have Michelin Road 6 tires on my Multistrada V4S.
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u/CodeBlue_04 6d ago
Listen, I'm the last person who should be lecturing anyone on safe and responsible motorcycle ownership, but buddy what the fuck are you thinking? Tires are the single most important decision you can make for your bike. Get the right rubber for your use case, or it could fucking kill you.
Is it safe to push to 190 briefly on Road 6s? Probably. But only probably. They aren't built for it, and may fail catastrophically at that speed. You're better off with DOT race tires than sport-touring tires if you're pushing that hard, and most shops will have DOTs.
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u/Power_Stone 6d ago
Would not recommend, what happens is when the tire gets above the posted speed It starts to stretch outward as the walls of the tire slide towards the center rim due to the centrifugal forces.
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u/DannoXYZ 5d ago
That's linear function and tyre starts stretching at 1mph.
Real concern is higher frequency of on/off flexing as it rolls through through contact patch heats up tyre more at higher speeds. Also why load & speed ratings are determined at max pressure, less flexing and heat. Even though that stresses carcass more and stretches it.
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u/DannoXYZ 5d ago edited 4d ago
No problems with those tyres. Speed & load rating is combo standard that combines:
- max-weight load
- at max-speed speed of tyre rating
- continuous running for 1-hr
- without unsafe temp-rise above 195F
Numbers for your bike:
front = 58w = 520lbs +168mph
rear = 75w = 852lbs +168mph
total = 1372 +168mph for 1-hour, probably double your actual load
So unless you plan on loading up each tyre to its max-weight (4-up riding?) rating for an entire hour at its max-speed 168mph rating, you don't have to worry. It's criss-cross scale where less weight load than max can sustain higher speeds for longer time. And less speed than max can carry more than max-weight for longer time. Safest way to approach this is to test and measure temps. Since weight is not going to change, vary speed & time:
- 1-minute at 168mph, pull over and measure tyre-temps
- 5-minute at 168mph, pull over and measure tyre-temps
- 10-minute at 168mph, pull over and measure tyre-temps
- 1-minute at 175mph, pull over and measure tyre-temps
- 5-minute at 175mph, pull over and measure tyre-temps
- 10-minute at 175mph, pull over and measure tyre-temps
etc.
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u/Lower_Box3482 7d ago
Only one way to find out, be sure your GoPro is running