Michelin Power RS Tires Review
Michelin is far from being a new player in motorcycle sport. Having participated in the Premier Grand Prix World Championship classes for 36 years from 1972 to 2008, Michelin achieved 360 victories over 36 years. In the 13 years from 1993 to 2006, a rider on Michelins won every premier GP championship.
Always innovative, Michelin launched radial construction tires in 1984, and it was a quantum leap in motorcycle tire technology over the old bias belt design. Michelin had another technological leap in 1994 with the introduction of multi-compound tires. This allowed super-soft tires to provide the best grip at extreme lean angles, with a harder compound rubber centerline the tire for improved mileage life.
Now, Michelin’s new position in 2016 as the spec tire supplier to MotoGP has placed them at the pinnacle of tire development once again. In Michelin’s first year as the spec tire, lap records fell—quite dramatically at some tracks—on a regular basis. In theory, if Michelin can make the fastest motorcycles on the planet work, then that technology will trickle down to the tires we use on the street. Enter the new Power RS as a replacement for Michelin’s previous Pilot Power 3.
Although those tires are most certainly all sport tires, they are a small step below each company’s grippiest street/sport tire, such as the Bridgestone Battlax Racing Street RS10, Dunlop Sportmax Q3, and the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP.
The Power RS has a new, patented carcass construction that Michelin claims gives excellent stability, and increased confidence at maximum lean angle. The Power RS also boasts dual-compound technology; unusually, the front tire also has dual compounds, with softer shoulders for more grip when leaned over.
The most noticeable thing when first viewing the new Michelin is the dramatically reduced tread pattern! The tread does not have the typical long grooves—just a series of short-ish hollows or indentations. This is a radical departure from the Pilot Power 3, which looked like it had plenty of grooves!
Michelin also made the compounds across the Power RS softer because of the new carcass construction, and the company claims that, on a BMW S 1000 RR on several European race circuits, the Power RS is 3.5 seconds quicker per lap than the Pilot Power 3,
As far back as the mid-1990s when I was club racing, Michelin or Dunlop were the best choices. Michelin always had the slightly better grip in those days, but they lacked feel for me. Naturally, I was curious if the intervening 23 years had changed things and how the Power RS would perform.
I fitted the tires to our long-term tester, the brilliant Yamaha FZ-10, and headed off to a track day at The Thermal Club in Thermal, Calif., as well as put some miles on the street.
The Thermal Club (designed by Alan Wilson of Miller Motorsports Park fame) is more of a car venue; there are plenty of corners there are also several long straights that end with a slow, hairpin style turn.
Pulling on to the circuit I was immediately impressed how secure the FZ-10 felt. The Yamaha is an upright style motorcycle and, while it’s not a nervous machine, it could be made so if the tires had too much of a radical profile. The Michelins felt just right and as the tires warmed. As I figured my way around the track, I became more and more impressed by how smoothly and precisely the Michelins felt and behaved.
I was principally riding the Blue (North Palm B) track at Thermal. It’s relatively short at 1.5 miles, yet it’s very technical and tested both the tires and FZ-10 well.
The Michelins changed line, as needed, and the level of grip gave me absolute confidence. This was especially true for the front end, which could have been easy to unload in such a long corner.
After lunch, The Thermal Club opened up the main Red (South Palm C) circuit and combined it with the Blue one. This gave a much longer lap of just over three miles, and now included a couple of long straights with hairpin corners at the ends.
I quickly found that when coming down hard from just over 150 mph, the Michelins and front end of the FZ-10 were super-stable on the brakes; there was no squirming or wandering from the tires at all. When I reached my turn-in point, the Power RS tires laid over quickly and precisely; I could place the bike straight to the apex.
After a couple of sighting laps, I upped my pace and felt pretty good. Unfortunately, I made one miscalculation and found myself heading into a slow left/right chicane way too hot at about 70 mph. It caught me by surprise, and I had no option but to grab a handful and trail-brake deep into that first left and then somehow try and make the quick transition over to the right.
Happily, I made it. Although it must have looked a bit scrappy, any onlooker must have been surprised I didn’t run off track. Thank you, Michelin! The Yamaha is equipped with ABS, and I was fully expecting to feel it juddering through the front lever, but actually, it did not—the Michelins totally held on.
The Power RS tires are very agile and go to maximum lean angle sure-footedly and then pick up and go to the other side without making the FZ-10 lose any stability or creating any waggling at the handlebar.
Accelerating out of the various Thermal Club hairpins, with almost no other vehicles sharing the track, gave me the excuse to unleash my inner hooligan. The Yamaha FZ-10 has a fearsome midrange and is possibly the easiest and most beautifully balanced machine it has ever been my pleasure to wheelie.
Using traction control setting 1, wheelies have little to no interference, and the joy of unfettered stupidity sets off an endorphin rush in me that only motorcyclists truly understand. Grabbing a handful of FZ-10 mid-range in second gear, the Michelins gripped perfectly with no squirming or sliding. The front cruised nicely skyward in an effortless power-wheelie, allowing me to use Yamaha’s accessory GYTR Quick Shifter Kit to seamlessly change up into third—and even fourth gear when I got it right.
I now wanted to try the tires on the street as well. A week later, several staffers and I took the Yamaha FZ-10 on a long street ride through our favorite SoCal mountains and up to New Cuyama for lunch at Cuyama Buckhorn.
California Highway 33 north of Ojai is always a great test of tires, as the first technical section needs a tire that will transition quickly and give good feel while transitioning from side to side. Even in the upper reaches of the 33 where the speeds increase, the Michelins kept their poise. The FZ-10 felt planted yet agile, no matter what the road threw at it.
Overall, the grip and feel from the Michelin Power RS tires is outstanding. Even at the track in a long sweeping corner on an upright/standard style machine, the Yamaha FZ-10 maintained rock-steady stability coupled with total confidence in the front end. Likewise, accelerating out of corners or braking hard from speed doesn’t diminish the tires’ capability either, and that applies whether on track or street. Overall, I have been very impressed so far with the new Michelin Power RS, and will now start evaluating their longevity and performance when nearly worn down. Stay tuned!
Michelin Power RS Fast Facts
- Sizes: 240/45 ZR17; 190/50 ZR17; 180/55 ZR17; 190/55 ZR17; 200/55 ZR17; 120/60 ZR1; 150/60 ZR17; 160/60 ZR17; 180/60 ZR17; 110/70 ZR17; 110/70 R17; 120/70 ZR17; 140/70 R17
- Estimated price: From $265/pair
Photography by Ted7 Photography
You lost me when you decided to test these tyres using an FZ10. What a waste.
Question… Now that you’ve had the a month or so what do you believe is the durability of these tires? 2000-3000 street miles? Less?
@jamielicitra:disqus thanks for the question. The Michelins are looking good with almost no discernible wear after just over 800 miles, however we have not had the opportunity to add more mileage as yet. Stay tuned and we’ll let you know at what point the tires are done.
@ali_shah:disqus I’m curious why? The FZ-10 is an incredible motorcycle with enormous power. Sure, it’s not a hard-core supersport, but it is has the chassis and suspension from the R1 and is a more than capable track day machine. The Michelin Power RS tires are targeted to street riders who want the performance for an occasional day at the track. Seems like this bike and tire are a perfect fit, no?
How do they compare to Dunlop Q3s?
@jasonchannell:disqus Tough call without comparing back-to-back with minimal variables. I’d be prepared to say that the Michelins impressed me enough (without including longevity) that anyone who buys them will not be disappointed; they gripped extremely well and the handling felt linear and neutral. I simply cannot say anything bad about the Michelin; it’s a great tire and I think it will have long life. However, the Dunlop Q3 (and now the newly released Q3+) have arguably the best front tire in class, from a stability under braking, edge grip, and ultimately confidence-inspiring feel. So if you’re a hard-charger who loads the front a fair bit, I’d say stick with the Q3/Q3+.
Thank you. I was using the Michelin Pilot Power 3 on the front. I liked them when new. The front is very inflexable after they have some miles on them when cold. Feels like a flat front tire until it heats up.
I recently got Q3s for the fun bike and it was a revelation. That front tire is fantastic.
Yeah, Dunlop engineers also go to a lot of effort to design tires that maintain their feel and performance at the wear bars as they do when new. Without wanting to muddy the waters too much, I’d also recommend you should try the new Dunlop Roadsmart 3 tire, especially if you don’t do track days. The grip is absolutely phenomenal (they have dual compound rear same as the Q3) and no matter what I do on the street I can’t upset them–and they’ll get even better mileage of course.
I have 1 bike for commuting and trips, and one for weekend runs and track days. I’ll check out the Roadsmart on my commuter bike after the current Michelin PP3/PR4 combo wears out.
So how do these compare to Metzeler Sportec M7RR, which in many comparisons take first place among sporty street tires (and also seem to be better fit for rainy days than the RS)?