| I am fine (as I can be) after my spill thanks sparkin.
Firstly a technical point but a significant one; I was using Pilot Sport Cup tyres as opposed to the Pilot Sports. They were fitted as standard to my bike and I always intended replacing them as soon as they were worn out as I never have liked Michelins. That is just my taste though and should not be enough to put you off.
Bianchis point about confidence is a good one. My tyres inspired huge confidence and were very, very grippy. My problem with them is that they are so grippy that when they let go you are so far past the limit that there is no way back. I still think there were track conditions that contributed to my flying lesson but I state again that I personally would have had expected more warning from the tyres. I prefer a tyre that is not quite so grippy and that complains when you are about to enter the danger zone giving you a chance to do something about it.
On balance I think it entirely depends on how fast you want to go and how near the limits you want to be. If you are not going to be exploring limits the Michelins will give you a lot of confidence and probably never bite back. If you are then I would suggest going for something that talks to you a bit more.
As Bianchi correctly points out this is all subjective opinion but is the only thing that I can contribute I am afraid. I can say however that although I read these magazines I do not pay much attention to the results. They are indeed data-logged tests but still rely heavily on the opinion of the rider for measuring confidence. The actual differences between the tyres on the datalogger in the tests I have seen are so small they would make no difference to me with my riding ability (or lack of it). I would prefer to try (and indeed have tried) many types of tyres and make my own mind up. I think it will be back to Dunlops this time for me though.
[Edited on 28-7-2003 by Andyl]  |