Michelin Pilot Power review

New dual compound sport rubber
Two laps in and the front was totally planted under heavy braking, despite the K5 squirming under protest. Mid-corner stability remained consistently good, though the rear was spinning up on exit.

A YEAR AFTER launching the twin-compound, super sticky Power Race, Michelin has ventured forth with the more road-focused sport equivalent, using the same technology. The Pilot Power 2CT (two compound technology) deploys a softer compound on the outer edges for optimum grip at extreme angles, and a harder centre compound for longevity.

Michelin claims that the new tyre has a 51-degree lean angle, a mere 4 degrees less than its pukka MotoGP rubber, and we were invited to the Sepang F1 circuit to see what the fuss was about. The track was ours for the day - just as the MotoGP circus rolled into town to set up for an official three-day test, ready to make us look like a bunch of monkeys on mopeds.

Randy Mamola was on hand for advice so I asked him how grippy the surface was on a five-star scale? "Three" he said. So I snatched the keys to the nearest GSX-R1000 and headed out on a sighting lap. It was extremely humid and likely to rain in the afternoon so there was no time to work my way up from a 600 as I learnt the track. The K5 would tell me all I needed to know.

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Michelin claims that the new tyre has a 51-degree lean angle, a mere 4 degrees less than its pukka MotoGP rubber, and we were invited to the Sepang F1 circuit to see what the fuss was about. The track was ours for the day - just as the MotoGP circus rolled into town to set up for an official three-day test, ready to make us look like a bunch of monkeys on mopeds.

Randy Mamola was on hand for advice so I asked him how grippy the surface was on a five-star scale? "Three" he said. So I snatched the keys to the nearest GSX-R1000 and headed out on a sighting lap. It was extremely humid and likely to rain in the afternoon so there was no time to work my way up from a 600 as I learnt the track. The K5 would tell me all I needed to know.

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