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SPRING 2019 ISSUE 01 / VOL . 04
graded on a curve
PRODUCT REVIEWS
PHOTO BY KEVIN WING
Michelin Road 5 Tires
ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO I learned from two riders with extensive experience at Seattle and Portland raceways that one can go much faster in the pouring rain than one might think . Following them across twisty and wet Monashee Pass in British Columbia was a real confidence booster and eye opener as well . Fast forward and a new revelation in wet weather pavement attack has arrived with the Michelin Road 5 .
Maybe not really all that new , as the Road-series hoops have been the toast of the town among all-weather , longdistance riders for many years . Even those who ride with alacrity mostly in the dry have touted the Pilot Road 3 and 4 as excellent grippers with a long life span . The Road 5 ups the ante .
Building on all-new tread compounds and revolu-tionary adaptive casing technology called Michelin ACT +, recently debuted on the Power RS , the Road 5s boast the patented Michelin XST Evo water drop sipes which grow wider mile after mile . The design provides riders with enhanced grip , comfort , stability and performance that does not “ fall off ” as the tire wears , particularly in wet conditions .
I loved the smoothness and handling improvements in the cold and dry that I immediately felt on my Suzuki Bandit 1250 once shod with the Road 5s . I finally had a chance here in Washington state to go for a wet ride with the temperature around 40 degrees ; copious rain the night before had left standing puddles of water on cleaned pavement , and after a short mile of warm-up I found the first curves to attack .
Care was used across painted lines as always , but not a