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Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp or something else?

40K views 41 replies 20 participants last post by  gnarlydog 
#1 ·
Hello, I have finished my rear tyre after 10000 km and will be changing both. Shall I stick with Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp again or is it worth to try Michelin Pilot Road 4 or even new Road 5? Have you ever tried something else on XSR700? Thank you for your answers :wink2:
 
#2 ·
Where are you from, or where are you riding?

10 tkm ridden with the Phantom tires is a very good mileage. Even if I am understanding right, that the front tire can still remain. The suggested PR4 are good choice for equal or even more mileage. They will give the XSR a lighter feel in steering, peak quick to riding temperature and are suitable for the most street and weather conditions.

My wife loves them on her MT-09. When I look on her tires, we will have the discussion in summer, to swap to the PR5, or leave it with the PR4. Maybe it will be a decision based on prices.
There will be also a chance, that some test reports about the new PR5 are available. We will see...
 
#3 ·
I am from Slovakia, living and riding in Poland :wink2:

Yes, you are right, front is still OK, rear is done in the middle, rest of the tyre is still OK but it lost the natural shape. I have decided to change both. It is my first bike, I am not able to push it really hard and I have no comparison between different tyres on this bike.

Phantom Sportscomps look really nice with their vintage style, but this is not so important. My priority is the grip (riding mostly on dry roads) and the ability for me and bike to change direction (easier is better, of course). Do you think PR4 is better in this way? With new 5 model Michelin is not using "Pilot" name anymore, it is just Road 5. For reviews of this one we have to wait little more, however one test is already out.

What do you thing about Phantom Sportscomp tyre regarding the competition? Thank you! :smile2:
 
#4 ·
Hoi Jedi,

two weeks ago I was traveling between Rzeszów and Stalowa Wola. Okay it was winter, with some snow around and the roads were dirty. But the area was boring in regard to motorbiking. Few elevations, not countable curves, but maybe this is only useless information for you. I was just asking, where are you from, because there are some areas around in Europe, which also may argue for a certain type of tire.

Phantom Sportscomp is a nice tire, it is okay and works flawless for most of the drivers. And as you see, you made a lot of kilometers with a set of them.
But how are they regarding the competition?

I changed to the low budget combination Michelin PR2 for the rear and old PP1 in front. The difference was huge. The bike felt really light weight and cornering was possible with ease. After almost 5tkm I assume, the set of tires will last for another 3tkm. About 8tkm is a good mileage in my opinion. That also means, that I have one time tire change per season only. This is okay.

In my opinion Michelin PR4 or Continental CRA3 are the best tires for MT-07 or XSR700. High mileage and superb performance on dry and wet roads. And both will give the bike a better cornering behavior, better then you know from the Pirellis.

Just my opinion, BR
hombacher
 
#5 ·
Fully agree with hombacher. The Phantoms can't even keep up with the old PiRo2 in my humble opinion. The XSR's wobbly stock suspention might affect my remindings, but if my tires were down right now, I'd have to struggle wheather to try the RoadAttack3 or go with the Road5 indeed.
 
#6 ·
Michelin Road 5

Hi guys,

Thank you for your answers. I live in western part of Poland (Wroclaw), and here the roads are fine - not everywhere, but you can find nice twisty roads with good asphalt quality just around :wink2:

I do not have it too far to Czechia and their Jeseniky mountains, where I like to do one day trips when weather is nice. Roads there are excellent to have fun with XSR700 :nerd:

After your recommendations it seems that I will try new Michelin Road 5 :smile2:
 
#7 ·
Metzeler roadtec z8

I would suggest looking into either the Metzeler roadtec Z8 or the roadtec 01. I just changed from the stock phantom sportscomp tires on my XSR and I am loving the Z8s. They are way more flickable, easier to lean and have way better wet grip than the Phantom sportscomp from Pirelli. :grin2: Also the reason I bought these tires is because they offer more millage than the Pirellies.
 
#8 ·
Hi everyone, I’ve just changed my stock phantom tyres to Michelin Road 5 today. I got 16700km out of the phantoms. I’m really looking forward to feeling what it’s like to have full tyre confidence even in the wet. I’ve heard some great things about the Road 5’s. the only negative I’ve come across is that the compound on the side is too soft and wears far too quickly. Having said that, the people who I heard these opinions from are very competent riders with incredible skill who ride mainly on the very edges of their tyres, the way I ride I don’t foresee myself with these problems.
 

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#11 ·
Ok so I did an amazing road trip over the weekend, put 1400km on these brand new tyres. Rode in all conditions, I am loving them, very sticky! For those who live in OZ will have heard about the Oxley Hwy in northern NSW. About 1km just before we reached the best twisty part it bucketed down rain and remained raining during the whole Oxley run but these tyres didn’t skip a beat. If I was doing this road on the phantoms I would have had to reduce my speed significantly and prepare myself for constantly feeling the back squirm. Still early days so let’s hope these tyres have some lasting power.
 
#12 ·
Hi, Just had the first service done yesterday and having already decided the tyres were not the best option, went and got a pair of Michelin Road 5 fitted on the advice of the very experienced manager in the tyre shop. The difference is amazing, I did a 120 mile ride straight away. Starting easy to get them scrubbed in and towards the end of the ride getting a bit more "spirited". I had read an awful lot about the XSR and was aware of certain weak areas found with this bike and planned to upgrade these as time and cash allows but I got to say if you do nothing else get the original boots replaced! I had experienced a slightly vague front end and some harshness from the back end which I attributed to the stock rear shock. The front end now gives great feedback and "digs in" giving lots of confidence, the back end feels planted and far more supple over big bumps and potholes putting the common rear shock upgrade way down the list. I am not suggesting these are the best tyre for the XSR but are a good option for my location (Northern Ireland) given the amount of wet weather we have. I really believe the original tyres are a triumph of form over function and seeing the high mileage some owners are getting I think they are missing out until they fit another tyre option.
 
#13 ·
As the Phantoms wore out (rear) at 13K I opted for something a bit more interesting for the local flavored roads where dirt can be had if one wants it.
I heard good things on the Shinko 705 (former Yokohama) and despite not having a 180/55 for the rear I went for the 170/60 (front was the standard 120/70).
I feel very confident with them in the corners on pavement and not much difference in grip from the stock one but where they really shine is dirt roads, even OK on soft 4WD tracks.
For me they are a good compromise of comfort (don't buzz at speed) size (I find 180/55 excessive) and price (much cheaper than stock). Now I can go and explore roads that before I would not and since SE Queensland and NE New South Wales offers great scenery away from the main drags I might even try some super-light camping (with just a sleeping bag and a silnylon tarp).
Ah, and the bike looks the business, scrambler style of course :smile2:
 
#16 ·
I was searching for tires and something struck me as odd.

The XSR700 comes with the
Pirelli
Phantom Sportscomp
180/55 R17 73V
and according to this website https://www.tyreleader.co.uk/motorbike-tyres/pirelli/phantom-sportscomp/
- has classification "C" (Grip on wet) and "E" (Fuel efficiency).
- has a cost of 123,19£

on the other hand the:
Pirelli
Phantom Sportscomp
180/55 ZR17 73W
- has classification "A" (Grip on wet) and "B" (Fuel efficiency).
- has a cost of 129,99£

If I have an apparently superior tire, for a not so much superior cost, should I choose the second one in a future purchase?
Am I missing something?
 
#17 ·
aaah, that's a funny thing, which I did not pay attention to. All other tires for the MT/XSR are coded with

180/55 ZR17 TL (73W), even there is a Phantom Sportscomp existing, as you already found.

But why oh why there is an other

180/55 R17 TL 73V - only Yamaha and Pirelli may know?


The difference in code comes from a 97/24/EG European directive, regarding the index Z or not. I do not find a proper EN version of this directive. But literally translated, it is mentioned that a tire has to be indexed with W, if there is a Z in the tire code.
I can also not confirm, that the one or other variant is better, superior or something other. The quoted classification of the listing website is quite interesting. I think this comes from local regulations? Or is this just a service?

In my opinion I do not see the realistic chance of 'superior' or a difference...
 
#18 ·
aaah, that's a funny thing, which I did not pay attention to. All other tires for the MT/XSR are coded with

180/55 ZR17 TL (73W), even there is a Phantom Sportscomp existing, as you already found.

But why oh why there is an other

180/55 R17 TL 73V - only Yamaha and Pirelli may know?


The difference in code comes from a 97/24/EG European directive, regarding the index Z or not. I do not find a proper EN version of this directive. But literally translated, it is mentioned that a tire has to be indexed with W, if there is a Z in the tire code.
I can also not confirm, that the one or other variant is better, superior or something other. The quoted classification of the listing website is quite interesting. I think this comes from local regulations? Or is this just a service?

In my opinion, I do not see the realistic chance of 'superior' or a difference...
But if the classification is accurate, well...for the extra 7£ you'll get a clearly superior tire.

Especially the grip on wet. And then the fuel efficiency could actually justify the investment through the 8 or 10 thousand km.
 
#19 ·
...if the classification is accurate.

As said, for me it is the first time to see a classification ABC like that. I do not know anything about the sources used and do not know if there is a typo or others.


And again, I do not know if Pirelli is baking a special (completely different) Yamaha XSR tire. Maybe your local dealer will know more, or some Pirelli people will tell you.

On the other hand, in this thread we already discussed alternative tires, which will promise some additional fun/mile. Just check the thread.

BR
hombacher
 
#21 ·
#25 ·
Tyres

Hi All,
Changed up the rubber on my bike today after 17682kms. Pretty happy with that mileage. Was a tough decision as to what to go for next. I did the research, reviews, forums etc.
I spoke to my yamaha dealer who recommended the Metzeler road tech 01. Went for a gentle blast and wow the turn in and handling was fantastic. Will update on grip etc when they’re scrubbed in but so far so good.
Safe riding
Dave
 
#27 · (Edited)
I use the standard MT90s on my CRF250L - it's a great dual purpose tyre with enough grip for gentle off roading but with a profile which is comfortable on road. The MT60rs version has less tread depth and is more road orientated. I'm considering a pair of these as a replacement for my Phantoms on the XSR - they'll be well suited to the muddy lanes I encounter in this part of the world.
 
#28 ·
I use the standard MT60s on my CRF250L - it's a great dual purpose tyre with enough grip for gentle off roading but with a profile which is comfortable on road. The RS version has less tread depth and is more road orientated. I'm considering a pair of these as a replacement for my Phantoms on the XSR - they'll be well suited to the muddy lanes I encounter in this part of the world.

I'll be doing a tyre change once the weather gets a little better and along with the Pirelli MT60 RS I'm also considering the Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR (which Ducatti are using on a model in their Scrambler range), Avon Trailrider, Metzler Tourance or the yet-to-be-released Bridgestone Battlax Adventurecross AX41S (due next month, I understand).
 
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