Has Nige Guffed?

Road Pilot 2s ??!


    "Um", said Nige with his wry manner over the phone, "your tyres have arrived but they didn't have the Bridgestone BT020s and sent the Michelins instead."
    "And they're okay?" I asked naively.
    Yeah, they're the new ones; Michelin's answer to Dunlop and Bridgestone; there's nothing wrong with them." Nige: reassuringly.
    "Okay, it's not like there's much choice really", I mused, thinking back to the baldness of Shadowfax's rear rubbers, "Yeah. Fit those please, Nige".


Now I've been "brought up" on the BT020s, Honda's favoured tyres for the ST1300 along with Dunlop's alternative OEM (original equipment manufacturer) recommendation. I know that the ST1300 2002 "Police-killer" wobble had something to do with soft walls and the Michelin was slammed in something I read for it's being too soft and out of breath after only 4000-miles if it hadn't slipped off the tarmac from a dehydrated poodle's puddle. But here I was: not much choice but Hobson's.

Today, I collected Shadowfax and was happily distracted by Nige completing an MOT on a BMW 1100 with those clown-shoe horizontal pots taking up most of his work-space. He did things like weighing the front and rear of the bike, correcting (an import?) the headlight pattern with Black-Nasty (Uk's colloquial answer to Duct Tape boasted to hold the British Army together - or at least their boots, helmets, old A1 rifles, AFV432s, Scorpions, Warriors, and desert roses). The brake test used rollers not unlike those I've seen used for cars - it was just a smaller roller, is all.

Then, the "reveal". I was a little embarrassed at how filthy Shadowfax looked from all the recent spray - I'd not cleaned him before taking him in and he was COVERED in aerodynamically laid lines of dead animal, diesel emissions, and good old British cow dung. The tyre; the tyre looks a lower profile, though it's determinedly not. The tread looks very deep, although compared to the previous accidental slicks anything would, and the side-wall looked thin with a huge racing-tyre rounded profile (compared to Shadowfax's squared-off profile picked up by Jules last week as, "flat".

Shadowfax's new shoes

    "How do they ride?" I asked, knowing Nige would want to test both the tyre / wheel balance and new brake pads.
    "Very well." Replied Nige.


I had the feeling both the bike and tyres had been suitably put through their paces: possibly with some knee-down action if my judgement of Nige is anywhere near right.

The tyres turned out ot be Road Pilot 2s. There's a review of sorts at SuperBike Magazine (online) and some sales info at Michelin (Motorcycle Tyres).

Click image to enlarge

So, that's what I have found out tonight, but how did the tyre ride? Well, I have got used to a flattened profile tyre, which I can now blame for poor cornering I had down to my crap appreciation of leaning vs speed. This baby didn't switch lanes on me filtering back into Fareham where the old one would hop-skip-and jump across the centre tarmac / white line area while delicately balancing the width of Shadowfax between tightly-fitting motors.

Tonight, on the Road Pilot 2, I had the confidence (if not judgement) to slip along side an artic' on the roll and then to dip in and out of traffic at such a fun pace I didn't bother turning off for home but kept on riding like an over-zealous rodeo star all the way in to town making an over-effort to lead hard on the roundabouts - and it was damp, too. It felt great - the roundness making the switch from left to right lean a doddle at any angle. I can't wait for the front one to match up during servicing next month.

Mind you, there's a rub; a sting here. The tyre cost £122.10 excl. VAT (not bad if you search out the Web where they range £128 to £140. But then, as Ka told me while I was still cussing the cost of living, bike tyres are made differently to car ones - more exacting pond for pound of rubber. Nige had said that, too. Of the two, I was most relieved Ka felt that way as this biking lark was meant to save money and all it does is suck it away as effectively as a Dyson rolling over my wallet.

But, STOP!


Hey, I forgot about the brakes and fitting.

Nige only charged an hour's work (a frugal £35 excl VAT) but I know he had a trouble getting the rear caliper free and, therefore, getting the wheel to slip off the drive shaft while the disc was locked in its grasp. Considering this and that he fitted new rear pads (the old ones were just on the edge) at £21.25 and took the trouble to check the oil and explain the suspension set-up to me this is excellent value. So, yeah, the bill is shocking (£178.35 all-in) but there's value in going to Taylor's garage. It's quality that counts.

Did Nige Guff? No. Again, he's done me proud and kept me safe enough on Shadowfax to be able to ride back in to his workshop for Shadowfax's servicing in October.

"Now can I ride on him, Dad?"

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