Michelin Pilot Road 4 question

I recently bought a 1990 vfr750f. It's got a lot of miles on it but it really seems to be in great condition.
It will be needing new tires soon and I'm leaning towards Michelin Pilot Road 4s as I do a fair bit of wet riding and that seems to be what they excel at. The good wear rate certainly helps too.
Unfortunately I can't seem to find 170/60 anywhere in Canada in the normal tires. I can get them in GT or Trail.
Could I go with a 180/55?
How harsh would the GT be?
Would the trail wear out faster?
Would i be better off going with something else like Angel GTs or PR3s?
Any input/opinions/preferences welcome.

Thanks in advance

 

how wide is your rear wheel? if it's 5.5 inches you're fine with a 180 if its 5 inches it might be a little narrow for 180.

 

It looks like it's 5.5 based on my rough tape measured measurement with the tire still on it. Super scientific.

 

Yes, 90-93 have 5.5" wide rear. 180/55-17 are fine.

Larry

 

Not sure I understand. ANy number of online retailers will ship PR4s.

 

Most of them charge obscene $$$ to ship to Canada. Really reduces our options in a lot of cases. Yes, 180/55 is what I run. It's great (Michelin 2CT).

 

I keep trying to write a response here but then get side-tracked by work. I only remember I was writing something when my phone tells me I have a new email.

That is more-or-less what I was trying to write.

At any rate, One of the distributors came back and said they could order one in and to call back on Thursday. I'll find out then if it's the right one. I'm a little skeptical as they had one on file as being in their warehouse but it turned out to be a GT model.

If not, I'll probably end up getting the 180/55. Thanks.

 

Try Petes superbike out of Quebec i think
http://www.petes-superbike.com/18055zr17-pilot-road-rear-p-45044.html
Just checked and both sizes are in stock at a good price for us Canadians .

 

If its not hijacking may i ask what psi people are finding ideal width pilot sport 4 tires on the vfr 800 riding solo a 200 pound guy and sometimes luggage on the back.....maybe up fo 50 pounds worth? And how about 2 up rear pressure with 200 pound guy and passenger about 130? Thanks

 

RDMCD, nice fInd! That's a better price than they're offering at GP Bikes (where I was going to buy them).

-edit-
Turns out they don't have the 170/60 In the regular Version. Just the trail and GT.
With that being said, the price on the 180/55 is still a fair bit cheaper.

On another note, I got my safety done today and the guy says my tires are good enough to pass.
I'll probably end up buying them anyways but I'm going to cancel my order from GP I think. Especially if I can save money buying through QC.

 

Sorry I thought I saw a standard 170 on th list. Your rim is the same size as the 5th and 6th gen that came with 180's so that's no problem.
If you want a newer rim I'll trade my five spoke fore that old eight spoke you have :wink:
My next tires will likely be pr4s from Petes. In the past I've used their prices to negotiate a deal with my dealer, but last time I mentioned it they refused and said no more discounts.

 

second that. 90 - 93 5.5 inch, 94 - 97 5 inch, 98 -------------------------------------------------------------------2015 5.5 inch

the 5 inch wheel was part of aweight saving redesign for the 94 model.

 

In regards to air pressure, I emailed Michelin about it and spoke with them on the phone twice. Everything they said was to run it at whatever pressure it says on the bike to run. I'm sure this is mostly from a liability standpoint,but, my 05 says 36psi front and 42psi rear and that's what I run. On the track I was running about 34 front and about 32 rear, simply because I didn't air them up. They did fine. But, for max life, I run the spec air pressure. I have noticed tho, now that I have the five or so heat cycles on them from the track, at spec psi, they slip more on paint stripes, BUT, I was getting them pretty hot on the track.

I just went out and checked my tire pressure and it's 42 rear, 36 front and they grip well enough to do this:



So, I would just run what it says on your bike. They seem to work...