Winter Commuting on Michelin Pilot Roads

I know every rider who blathers on about riding eventually covers tires at one point or another. And in one respect there's only so many observations to be made regarding sport tires. But in another respect, how often does the average rider tootle about on the hi-zoot sport tires in rain that really really wants to change over to snow?

As many old timers have heard for years, sport tires have the reputation for being snatchy and less predictable when they're cold. I've been pleasantly surprised by this set of Michelin Pilot Roads as I've periodically riding around on a V-Strom 650 in 40F degree weather for a month or so.

They've done quite well and I've had very little slippage even when whacking the throttle pretty hard in 2nd while leaned partway over. They've got a couple thousand miles on them since, and my partner in crime found them to be quite reasonable in their handling when she borrowed my Strom while I was on vacation.

While you're certainly not going to go creek-jumping on these tires in wet or dry conditions, I've not had them get all snotty on Seattle's grit-covered but paved streets. Don't expect them to be the bee's knees when it comes to leafy or pine-needle-covered gravel driveways though.