Metzeler ME880 Marathon

[ebincia]

Has anyone tried the Metzeler ME880 Marathon on the R1150R? Prior to this I’ve had the Pirelli Stradas (great tires) and the Roadtec Z6 (ok tires lousy thread pattern on rear, hard to gauge center wear).
This time, I decided to give the ME880s a try, as they have a nice center thread. I know they are a slightly harder compound and that is a compromise in traction. However, they will keep their profile longer hence better handling through midlife. It looks like I’ll be slabbing 70% of the time so a touring tire seemed right this time. I’ll update on their performance in about 6 months, or 6K miles.

Thanks in advance for any input that you may have.

Ebincia

[CycleRob]

The ME880's have the most center tread tire life of any tire -but- they are not famous for cornering prowess. I believe you'll get just what you needed. Also, I think the tire circumference is a tiny bit bigger than all the others too. That'll lower your slab'in RPM's and extend the tank miles by a few.

Long long ago I had a set of the first gen ME-88 tires that cornered so scary I couldn't wait for them to wear out. More recently, I remember riding with another R1150R equipped with ME-880 tires and waiting for him to catch up. YMMV.

.

[AirForceDirt]

Used ME-880s for around 20,000 miles and never had an issue with cornering or mileage. They handled quite well enough for me to keep up with the sport bikers in town, so I was happy. I've been trying cheaper alternatives, as the Metzlers are pricey, but have been disappointed so far.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Ran through 2 sets of them and got 11k on one and 13k on the other with a little tread left.

They were ok, but their grip, though very adequate for my riding, sounding similar to yours, was a little less grippy on hard twisties.

Using PR2s now, on my second set, got over 10k on the first set. I figured they were about $30 more for the pair and imho, completely worth such a small premium.

JOhn

[iowabeakster]

Since twisty roads are few and far between where I live, the 880 is the tire I should be using. I wear out the center of my Z6's while riding to find roads with curves. Once I find some curves though, I would prefer all the stickyness I can get. My next tires are going to be the Pilot Road 2's. If they don't get me over the 10K mile mark, I'm switching to the 880's.

[AirForceDirt]

I've scraped hard-parts on ME-880s, so I don't know what grip issues anyone is having ; and this was in the rain.

[ebincia]

Thanks to all that replied. I've been scrubbing them in on 30 to 40 degree days. A couple of runs on the twisties (lots of twisties in Oregon) and they are performing just fine. I believe the long wearing center thread will will be appropriate for my 120 mile, super slab, round trip, commute. I will report back at mid year.

Ebincia

[Luke_Warmwater]

I have them on my bike and they seem fine. Having said that, I am not a aggressive rider. They are wearing well.

[Airman]

Thanks to all that replied. I've been scrubbing them in on 30 to 40 degree days. A couple of runs on the twisties (lots of twisties in Oregon) and they are performing just fine. I believe the long wearing center thread will will be appropriate for my 120 mile, super slab, round trip, commute. I will report back at mid year.

Ebincia

Ebincia,
What kind of mileage did you get on the Stradas ? I'm on my second set because the first one gave me such good performance. I got 15k on the rear, (changed because of a nail) and 18k on the front. The front had started cup at 15k and started to handle a little weird. I do mostly freeway miles, so I'll be interested in your comparison.

Airman

[ebincia]

Airman,

I had 11K on the Stradas and will use them again. They could have gone another 2K , but the winters here are wet and the R1150R is my daily commuter.
I had a set of ME880s on my K1200LT about 4 years ago. They were truly scary in the rain/cold and grip was compromised in the twisties. However, I found out that the ME880s that fit the R1150R are a completely different tire. Not sure how to explain the difference, but the tire is constructed differently.
It was hard to set aside my past opinion of the ME880, but I'm glad I did.
The dealer had the ME880s in stock, so I thought I'd give them another go round.

[CycleRob]

Because of the K1200LT's heavy curb weight, special heavy sidewall rear tires are required. I dealt with a K1200LT customer that thought he could save some $$ by using a regular strength sidewall tire only to find out that at 80 MPH the bike wandered left/right like the rear tire was almost flat. It wasn't. He later resold his barely used rear tire so it wasn't a total disaster.

BTW, those heavy sidewall tires are difficult to mount/dismount.

.

[ebincia]

Because of the K1200LT's heavy curb weight, special heavy sidewall rear tires are required.

.

Cyclerob,
OH my! you are bringing back bad memories. Wow, were the LTs ME880s ever "(...) special heavy sidewall rear tires (...)."

In 2005, I had a valve stem blowout on the rear over 50 miles from the nearest service. Can you believe I rode it out, with no air whatsoever in the rear tire (one up 30-40,MPH) for 54 miles. It did not heat much and stayed on the rim fully supporting the load. I ran another 5K on that same rear tire, before replacing it with a Bridgestone.

The ME880s for the LT were like the polyester suits of the 1970s. They lasted forever (18 to 20K), but you wished they didn't.

Thanks for the input,
Ebincia