[SimonGB]

I have just had a set of Michelin Road 6's fitted to my 2016 R1200 GS during a 24k service at BMW Motorad and the bike is now pulling to the left (if I let it).

Previously I had no problem as the bike drove straight and true with Road 5's and Conti Trail Attack3's.

Is it something that the dealer might have done or the tyres as I can't think why this should happen.

Thoughts?

 

[SimonGB]

I have just had a set of Michelin Road 6's fitted to my 2016 R1200 GS during a 24k service at BMW Motorad and the bike is now pulling to the left just as yours did.

Previously I had no problem as the bike drove straight and true with Road 5's and Conti Trail Attack3's.

I've sent in a complaint to Michelin UK just now. When I raised it with the dealer earlier this evening, they aren't really interested, but now I've seen that I'm not the only case I'll chase them again.

The dealer thinks I'm some kind of idiot I think. They are not very good at customer service!

 

[Gunther]

Front tire is not center right happened to me

 

[RefCat]

I have just had a set of Michelin Road 6's fitted to my 2016 R1200 GS during a 24k service at BMW Motorad and the bike is now pulling to the left just as yours did.

Previously I had no problem as the bike drove straight and true with Road 5's and Conti Trail Attack3's.

I've sent in a complaint to Michelin UK just now. When I raised it with the dealer earlier this evening, they aren't really interested, but now I've seen that I'm not the only case I'll chase them again.

The dealer thinks I'm some kind of idiot I think. They are not very good at customer service!

I have both a K1600 and a R1250 GSA. In the K1600 world, the Michelin tires are widely used and generally liked, even the Road 6. Perhaps there is something specific with the size for the GS/GSA that is causing the issue. That said, for sporty road riding, many really like the Dunlop RoadSmart 3 and 4 (with the 4 typically getting even higher mileage).

 

[bosnjo]

Front tire is not center right happened to me

What do you mean by that? Is the tire faulty (out of center) or badly installed. Mine was reinstalled and balanced 3 times and every time the result was the same.

 

[Quattroa4m]

I have both a K1600 and a R1250 GSA. In the K1600 world, the Michelin tires are widely used and generally liked, even the Road 6. Perhaps there is something specific with the size for the GS/GSA that is causing the issue. That said, for sporty road riding, many really like the Dunlop RoadSmart 3 and 4 (with the 4 typically getting even higher mileage).

The Road 6 issue appears to not to be confined to just the GS/GSA. This phenomenon has been discussed as affecting other makes and models.

 

[bikermd]

stretched and or broken cords can give you the symptoms you had. This can happen when the tire is mounted. It does not imply the installer did it wrong. A tire could just be a little tighter from the factory or other defect. You most likely would not be able to see it. It can happen when you get a puncture too. Hitting a foreign object is notorious for causing this problem. I have seen many such issues with tires on vehicles.

 

[bosnjo]

stretched and or broken cords can give you the symptoms you had. This can happen when the tire is mounted. It does not imply the installer did it wrong. A tire could just be a little tighter from the factory or other defect. You most likely would not be able to see it. It can happen when you get a puncture too. Hitting a foreign object is notorious for causing this problem. I have seen many such issues with tires on vehicles.

When my tires were installed, nothing of that has happened. They were not overstretched, it was an easy fit. And I didn't hit anything with the front tire as the symptoms showed on the first ride.

 

[Gmachine]

I also have a set of Pirelli Trail Attack II‘s on my 12 GS. Very happy with these tires. Handle great, are very quiet and considering that the coastal and coast mountain roads of Northern California are seldom straight, 8 K mileage is good. As a bonus, the bike handles essentially the same with the tires worn as when new. Off-road I stick to hard packed dirt. I’m about ready to buy my next set. Now if only the price increases would slow down or reverse. Oh well!

Trail Attack II is made by Continental, not Pirelli.

Agree Conti Trail Attack II and III are great tires. No tread noise and stick like glue. They're 90/10 tires. I corded the rear TA3 at 7K (Lots of high-temp interstate blasting) and replaced it with a Conti TKC 70...all they had at the dealer...I was on the road. The front is still running fine at 13K and still is pretty quiet. The rear TKC 70 is OK with 6K on it. No sign it's wearing through, but handling is starting to degrade a bit.

I'd put TA3s on an RT or a GS. Great tires.

 

[Gmachine]

Odds are, Michelin won't respond. Unless you've got a major distributor of theirs going to bat for you (and they've seen issues as well), losing a customer isn't going to bother them.

Most tire manufacturers have had issues over time. Unless they're forced to issue a recall, you're just yesterday's sale...unfortunately.

Look forward to your next set of Continentals, etc.

My experiences with Michelin have been mostly good. Their tires usually balance well and the Roads stick to the pavement great. I stopped using them because my rears were getting punctured at an early age. Went through 2 young Road GTs in fairly rapid succession in what I thought were unjustified circumstances, then read some posts from others who noticed the same thing. A friend used TA3s on his GS with a lot of success, so I tried them. They're my new favorites.

 

[lenny1672007]

My experiences with Michelin have been mostly good. Their tires usually balance well and the Roads stick to the pavement great. I stopped using them because my rears were getting punctured at an early age. Went through 2 young Road GTs in fairly rapid succession in what I thought were unjustified circumstances, then read some posts from others who noticed the same thing. A friend used TA3s on his GS with a lot of success, so I tried them. They're my new favorites.

Mine is the polar opposite- Road 4: wobble at high speed.... Road 6: annoyingly drifts to the left and also has terrible grip when cold (less than 2 miles, worse when OAT under 50 degrees F) but do grip very well when fully warmed.
The OEM Anakees had substantially better grip as soon as I left the garage every morning regardless of OAT, and also had good grip when fully warmed.
I would go back to Anakees but the rear squared at about 3K and past the wear bars at about 6K.. the front had some cupping that amplified that front end noise.
Sorry for the short relation Michelin but with 2 attempts with your expensive ass tires as replacements didn't work for me and I hear your customer support is lacklustre.
Trail 3's will be the target in the spring-

 

[Rick92040]

Trail 3's will be the target in the spring-

If your talking about the Continental Trail Attack 3 you should start looking for a set now. They are diffacult to find.

 

[lenny1672007]

If your talking about the Continental Trail Attack 3 you should start looking for a set now. They are diffacult to find.

Yes, the Conti trail 3- They were spotty last year figured they’d catch up by now…. guess not… appreciate the heads up

 

[SimonGB]

Did you look in the Tire section? Michelin Road 6 - never again

Hi Rick.
I read that post with great interest and took a copy to my main dealer who fitted the tyres.
They tested and admitted fault.
New tyres installed and now no problem. Continental Trail Attack 3's.
Pity as I liked the way that Michelin Road 5's behaved, so I am less of a Michelin fan now!
Thanks for the link.

 

[bosnjo]

I've been at the shop again, two days ago and told them what I've seen in this forum. They will call the main distributor again (not by email this time) and insist to find the solution for me.
The important fact mentioned in this forum is that Michelin is aware of the problem. However, they may say "We've never heard about the problem"...
My only chance is if somebody complained in Portugal already but I don't know about that as Road Series is not very popular over here. Lets wait and see.

 

[Quattroa4m]

I've been at the shop again, two days ago and told them what I've seen in this forum. They will call the main distributor again (not by email this time) and insist to find the solution for me.
The important fact mentioned in this forum is that Michelin is aware of the problem. However, they may say "We've never heard about the problem"...
My only chance is if somebody complained in Portugal already but I don't know about that as Road Series is not very popular over here. Lets wait and see.

If replacing the Road 6 from existing stock reproduces the same issue then at a minimum there is a lot problem. It would require effort on Michelin's part to actually identify the issue, identify the affected tire lots, and develop a solution.

As this issue has apparently been reported in other forums and by dealers themselves for several months, Michelin can't be oblivious to the Road 6 issues. However, there's been nothing but crickets from Michelin or so it would seem.

It would appear that if you want to ride, without the annoying pull, another tire manufacturer is in your future...unfortunately.

 

[bosnjo]

If replacing the Road 6 from existing stock reproduces the same issue then at a minimum there is a lot problem. It would require effort on Michelin's part to actually identify the issue, identify the affected tire lots, and develop a solution.

As this issue has apparently been reported in other forums and by dealers themselves for several months, Michelin can't be oblivious to the Road 6 issues. However, there's been nothing but crickets from Michelin or so it would seem.

It would appear that if you want to ride, without the annoying pull, another tire manufacturer is in your future...unfortunately.

I have been encouraged by other memeber here, who had dealer replace Road 6 for Road 6 with same left pull effect and then to Scorpion Trail 2 that gave the final solution. I have almost given up on complaining and made a plan to replace the front tire in the spring so this is my last attempt to keep trusting on Michelin. If they don't solve the problem none of my cars or bikes will have Michelin tires again and I'll keep telling everyone how I have been scamed. I mean, how is it possible that such a big international brand doesn't care about their product that even affects safety? I know that one product can have a problem when it comes out of the production line. It has hapened to me before but the brand would always take care of it and replace the faulty product with a good one. They have to do it to keep their clients. If Michelin closes its eyes on this, it's the end of my decades long relations with them.That is because I feel abused as a client.

 

[Quattroa4m]

I have been encouraged by other memeber here, who had dealer replace Road 6 for Road 6 with same left pull effect and then to Scorpion Trail 2 that gave the final solution. I have almost given up on complaining and made a plan to replace the front tire in the spring so this is my last attempt to keep trusting on Michelin. If they don't solve the problem none of my cars or bikes will have Michelin tires again and I'll keep telling everyone how I have been scamed. I mean, how is it possible that such a big international brand doesn't care about their product that even affects safety? I know that one product can have a problem when it comes out of the production line. It has hapened to me before but the brand would always take care of it and replace the faulty product with a good one. They have to do it to keep their clients. If Michelin closes its eyes on this, it's the end of my decades long relations with them.That is because I feel abused as a client.

Well said.

As a Michelin SUV, Car, Truck tire consumer, it was a natural move to go with Michelin motorcycle tires when the time came. The forgotten part though is that SUV, Car, Truck tires are sold through huge distributors...with a lot of clout. A screwup at this level can be many millions of dollars in revenue. So typically...you're going to be taken care of.

However, Michelin motorcycle tires can't compete with that type of revenue. Even if they're sold through distribution, it's a drop in the bucket compared to SUV, Car, or Truck sales.

Bottom line...you're at the mercy of Michelin and it seems that they have spoken...crickets.

The good news is, you've got choices.

The riding season is way too short to spend much time dealing with an issue that you didn't cause. Could the Pirelli, Continental, Dunlop, etc. experience be worse?

 

[bosnjo]

Well, first of all, the riding season here where I live for last 22 years (south of Portugal) is 12 months a year.
And the second, as I consume a lot of tires with my private vehicles (owning one vehicle at a time) and my bussiness vehicles (owning 3 passenger and 2 cargo vehicles right now) my first choice was always Michelin. So, as I said previously, if this goes wrong it's the end of Michelin on all vehicles for me and few friends of mine that are following my problem... and they talk to their friends... and those friends talk to their friends... and so on, the word spreads. Many huge manufacturers died because they didn't care about their clients. If they think short term, they like to save few bucks and that makes them happy. But in long term, they are killing their own bussiness. It has all been seen so far. The mathematics behind it are simple. And in today's world, bad news spread very fast. Few decades back the communications level was low without mobile phones, SMS and internet but still, the word would spread. It just took long time to. In today's world, manufacturers should be much more aware of "spreading the word" danger.

 

[116rubyred]

I have just had a set of Michelin Road 6's fitted to my 2016 R1200 GS during a 24k service at BMW Motorad and the bike is now pulling to the left (if I let it).

Previously I had no problem as the bike drove straight and true with Road 5's and Conti Trail Attack3's.

Is it something that the dealer might have done or the tyres as I can't think why this should happen.

Thoughts?

Means the tires are not centered to the zero/center point of the frame/bike. Usually not a mechanical issue but an installation oversight.