Metzeler Sportec M3

There used to be an entire section for reviewing gear & stuff. Since there isn't any more, I will just review them here.

Anyway, I got a flat last weekend. I love my Pirelli Diablo Corsa III's but they are really expensive. Since you are not suppossed to patch motorcycle tires, I was forced to purchase a new tire. The tires had 3400 miles on them so the rear was about 65% worn. The front was fine, I definitely think I could run another complete rear & wear them out at the same time. Anyway, even though I should have simply bought another Pirelli, I was able to get a ridiculous deal on the M3's. Simply put, it was only $25 more to get 2 new tires than to replace the just the rear Diablo.

So, here goes my initial review of these tires. I mounted them last night & put 50 miles on them today after I got home from work. As I normally do with my tire reviews, I will post up again when I have them fully broken in.

I will get this right out in the open, right now, I like the Pirelli Diablo Corsa III better, no question. Everyone likes saving cash, but the $75 I saved is at the expense of a tire I don't like as much.

The M3 is nervous on center. Much like the Bridgestone BT-016 on the 01 VFR, the tire doesn't like to stay in a straight line. Every single tire I've had on my VFR has left me able to do hands off coast downs from all manner of speeds. I tried that today & almost tore the seat of the mounts with my butt cheeks. I will experiment with tire pressure to see if that helps.

The M3 is the very opposite of the linear feel the Diablo Corsa III. The Diablo will give you the same grip from the center all the way to the very edge. It also FEELS the same from the center to the edge. The M3 turns in with the quickness. The minute you get past about 30d of lean, the M3 simply slows down. It quite literally resists leaning any further. It REALLY freaked me out. Mind you, the tires are no where near broken in so I was taking it way, way easier than I normally ride, but I am not used to any tire that tries to stop you from turning. Even the Dunlop D204K will keep turning. I have no explanation for this but I will keep this in my mind. As soon as these things are completely broken in, I am going to beat them like they owe me money. It definitely feels like the front is doing this. The rear feels about the same as most other tires.

The M3 has a flatter profile than both the BT-016 & DCIII's. This may explain it's reluctance to turn in.

It's obviously way to early to predict any mileage.

The front looks like it will do OK in the rain & the rear looks like every other Super Sport tire when it comes to tread depth.

I can't remember which magazine it was in, but I read an article about a Duc 1098 in a long term test fleet. They went with the M3 since the Diablo Super Corsa wears out just from looking at it. If you run the Super Corsa, go out to your garage, look at the tire. You just put 250 miles of wear on it, but I digress. The said the M3 is a nice compromise from a Hyper Sport tire & a Sport tire.

More to come in the future. I am going to wait until I get at least 250 miles on them before I pass any kind of judgement.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

I've gone through 3 sets of the M3s and I like them as a super-spirited ride tire. They turn really well and grip well too. The only drawback I see to them is that they don't last long, I've gotten as much as 4K out of the rear and that was pushing it, they were getting paper thin in the center.

 

I loved my m3 on my FZ1 last season. Super cool. Best handling on my bike. Best tire I ever ran... Intill 3200 miles.I wore it to belts. I think It's my fault. The front is perfect the real, well... not so much. The local Metzler rep told me to check my presssure more. I do alot of highway miles back and forth to work. Loved the feel of them. Think I'm gonna replace the rear one more time.

 

I have M-3's on my bike and have none of the problems you list.
I think they are great tires. Front wheel tracks dead straight with no wobble at all.
I run 34-36 psi in the front.
I also run a 19mm tail riser and have raised forks up 3/8"
I would think that this would amplify any problems with the tire tracking straight.
you might want to ck your front end it might be twisted in the triple clamp and front tire is not in line w/ rear

 

I havn't experienced much on your list either, not after break-in anyway. They do seem to be somewhat nervous on center right after the install, but should stabalize nicely after 100 miles or so. I actually find I get more lean angle out of the M3 then just about any other tire I've used. Certainly more than PP's. I can say that the M3's prefer a good amount of throttle while cornering and will ask for heavy doses to hold the line, which I would have to think is by design inorder to keep the bike from swinging wide under acceleration. I havn't done a ton of wet weather stuff, but the Metz performed well in the water for what I have done. I am only getting about 3000 miles per rear tire but those are almost all hard canyon miles. At 200-205lbs dressed, I run the tire at 40psi rear and 37psi front.

I think if you just treat them aggresively and give them a good flogging, you'll find that they're great tires and are up to the task.

 

I got the same feel that M3 need some warm-up time. The only way I was able to get them to the right temp is by making waives on the road, that make me look some waht stupid, but get them to right temp faster. My gues it designed that way for track or curves, my previous cruiser tires wormed up much faster. Other wise love them.
Gino

 

Like oil, tires can be a pretty subjective item to discuss amongst other riders. But I’ll say this, people I know who run Metzlers at the track are generally not real happy. I find it odd because most Metzler users are happy and their touring tire, the Z6, is a great street tire.

What I will say is this to Joey and 02, you need to try at set of Pirelli Diablo Corsa III’s. Pirelli just updated that tire (how and why I don’t know) but I bet you can find some DCIII’s at discount and you won’t regret it, I promise. I’ve never seen a tire that when riders from varying riding backgrounds slap it on and go, come back and are truly impressed with the performance. To me that says quite a bit.

The new version of the DCIII is called Diablo Rosso Corsa as an FYI if you see those at a deal.

BZ

 

Since I have just about the best freaking luck of anyone I know, breaking in these tire will need to wait. I tore a muscle in my leg yesterday. I can't articulate my left foot at all & I'm walking like I have a peg leg. I had a MRI & the flight doc will get the full scoop from the radiologist on Monday morning. I am off flying status & riding status for at least 2 weeks. Needless to say, I am not happy.

I've already made the decision to go back to the Diablo's if I don't like the M3's after I break them in. Either that or I will just do 2 or 3 track days & barbeque them there. Now that I ride the way I do, I AM NOT settling for second best for my tires.

This is actually completely false. Swerving on the road will COOL DOWN your tires. The only reason you see racers swerving when they leave the pits is to scrub off the crap their tires picked up after they took off the tire warmers & left the pits. The only proper way to heat up your tires is either tire warmers or simply riding in a straight line. If you want to speed up the heating process, accelerate hard & decelerate hard.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

If you end up hating them let me know, I would be happy to take them off of your hands. That way you don't loose your shirt and I'ld be getting a needed set without spending top coin.

 

Deal. If I hate them, I'll sell them to you for significantly less than retail.

It will probably be about 20 days from now. If I do sell them to you, they will have less than 250 miles on them. Right now, they have 50.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

Well, it's safe to say that I will not be doing much riding for the next few months. I got my MRI results back on Monday. I have a ruptured medial gastrocnemius tendon. I have to see an Orthepedist to get all the details but it's looking like surgery is 90% likely. Aren't I freaking lucky? No riding or flying for a few MONTHS. I AM NOT happy.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

Damn, That's a Pisser, KC. We both wish you a fast recovery and hope you are able to be not happy for your normal reasons other than this. BUT HEY! Perfect Timing! KC-10 FE : Obama Care Test Subject Alpha!

 

Sorry to hear a fellow rider grounded. Godspeed with the recovery.

 

So the Metzlers must have torn your ass up?

 

This is also false, to warm up your tires you need to keep the bike straight and upright.
Hard on the gas and hard on the brakes.
the zig zagging side to side goes back to the old days of 2 strokes, the oil would seperate from the gas ( todays oils do not ) it is unfortunate that some riders still do not get this.
I have seen a few squids crash on the street from this manuver.

 

Sorry to hear KC!

The invite to come to the track and hang out is always open. Even watching is fun and we generally BBQ too!

PM me at let me know brother.

Peace,

BZ

 

It turns out that my injury wasn't as bad as originally thought. I just torn a muscle, not a tendon. I am not 100% but I am getting there. That being said, I beat the snot out of the M3's today. I put 210 HARD miles on them.

The resistance to turn in has vanished. I was most likely playing tricks on my own mind. They will turn in just fine. Not as easy as the BT-016 or DCIII but they do turn in.

They hold a line very well once turned in.

The start complaining at max lean. They don't run out of grip, they just don't like being leaned to full lean angles.

They grip as good as most sport tires. Again, not as well as the DCIII's but they do grip.

Like I originally stated, I like the Pirelli much better, but I will keep these ones until I wear them out. Then it's back to Pirelli. Once back on Pirelli's, I plan on staying there.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

So much depends on your suspension and how it's set up. Your tires are part of that set up. Now I not saying all you need to do is tune it up. Some tires work and some don't on a specific bike. My FZR600R had M3's and when they were done I put Battlax's on, what a difference! Thw M3's were not worn out completely but once the Battlax's were worn in the FZR really liked them. I never tired to tune the suspension on the FZR. My 07 VFR came with MEZ4's and they feel ok. I know the bike needs the suspenion adjusted. The bike was most likely set up for 200 lb rider and I'm only 150. I signed up for a class at T.E.A.M. Airzona in June and I will see what they think about the setup.

 

I taught a Sport Bike class last Wednesday.

I get right to the point. I DO NOT like the M3. I am having so many issues with the handling of my bike that I never had in the past.

It fights back at lean.
As soon as I get the bike leaned in good, the tires fight back & try to stand the bike up. That right there pisses me off.

It handles like crap when the tires are cold.
Any super sport tire needs to heat up to give optimum performance. That being the case, they shouldn't wobble & shake when they are cold.
My most frequent riding buddy has BT-016's on his SV. I can actually see his tire heating up as he rides. The tire will appear to shimmer down the middle & then the shimmer spreads to the sides as we ride. He said the M3 has a very slight shimmer right down the middle that goes away very quickly after turns.

It simply does not give me the sense of confindence my VFR has ALWAYS done in the past.
With the Diable Corsa III's & the Continental Road Attack, I could jump right on & beat the bike like it owes me money. Now, I have to formulate a game plan every time I ride. It's pissing me off.

After only 650 miles, I can already see wear.
This is actually a good thing. They'll wear out & I can switch back to Pirelli's that much sooner.


If you ride with any amount of enthusiasm, spend the extra $$$ for a set of Pirelli's DCIII's or Bridgestone BT-016's.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

Rider error...Or tire error?? M3's are solid.