Modern Vespa

I am in the process of replacing my oem Sava tires. I have been looking at Michelin, Pirelli & Continental. I am looking for advice and real world experiences.

Thanks,

KAS

I really like the Michelin PILOT SPORT. I just bought some and this is what I paid for them. I only needed 1 rear this next change and a front/rear for the one after that so I bought 3 tires.

2 MICHELIN PILOT SPORT 130/70P-12 03400016 US$55.95 US$38.25 US$76.50
1 MICHELIN PILOT SPORT 120/70P-12 03400014 US$53.95 US$36.49 US$36.49
Purchase Price (Discounted to) US$112.99
Shipping US$17.84
Total: US$130.83

I have pilot sports fitted too. Very happy with them. Very grippy in the dry and ok in the wet, although I think the Conti Navigators would be a better wet weather tyre.

I've got the Michelin Boppers and they are super sticky. Like motorcycle tires, except it's overkill on a scooter.

I love my MICHELIN PILOT CITY tires. Very grippy and has a nice tread pattern for both city and suburban riding.

I have done Zippy1 Sport Pilot and Boppers. The Boppers are by far the best wet and sticky tire I have used so far. My next favorite is the Sport Pilot.

My 2¢ - I've tried Conti Zippy1 and Michelin Pilot Sport, like the Michelins better. Can't say I've been anywhere near the limit that the tires might or might not be capable of, just a subjective choice.

what does sticky mean when describing tyres?

They are a soft compound that when heated grab the road. This also means they wear out faster.

I have Avon Stryke tires front and rear on the GTS that are wearing better then the Pilot Sports I had, and giving me the same confidence in the corners. Avon 120 in front and a 140 in the rear.

FWIW, you can still drag the centerstand and security loop with Zippys.

My big complaint with the Savas is the horrendous raingroove tracking. Feels like you're riding a Mexican jumping bean.

And grated bridge decks...

I wore out the rear Sava on my GTS at about 3000 miles. I wore out a rear Michelin Pilot City at 3400 miles. I har this is typical, but this is getting expensive!

I am currently trying a Kings tire (actually, a front and rear pair, 130/70-12 ansd 120/70-12) and liking them. This is a Chinese brand. The Kings tire has a wrap-around profile that is aggressive, like a sport motorcycle tire. No danger of running out of tread. It is grippy enough. I did slide once, but that was on fresh gravel over a newly paved road.

The tire life remains to be seen, but this was recommended to me by John of Moto Amore because all of the other tires he has installed on GTSs have worn out so soon (about 3000 miles). I have 600 miles on the tires so far, with no noticable wear.

I have decided to buy the Michelin Pilot Sport SC tires for my GTS 250. I called around to a few tire sellers and weighed the pros & cons. I narrowed my search to the Michelin Pilot City & Pilot Sport tires. I decided to go with the Sport model to get a sportier ride. According to what I have read, the Pilot Sport tires share some of the high end technology that has filtered down from Michelin's racing tires. I have always been a Michelin person and have used their tires on my cars for years. I am quite certain these tires will be an improvement over the Sava tires that came on the GTS250. As a note: I live in Southern California and I don't ride my Scooter in the rain. I have no idea if the Pilot Sport is a good all season tire.

p.s. I think I may have bought the last 130 / 70p - 12 Pilot Sport. I had no problem locating the 120 / 70p -12 front tire, however the rear tire was on back order at every place but one - which only had one tire left.

Thanks for the input.

KAS

I am glad you found what you were looking for and I think you will find the turn in of the Michelin Sport SC to be far, far superior to what you were using. Good luck and give us some feedback after you have them on your scooter.

Understatement of the week.

I've been happy w/ the Zippy 1s. I'v gotten about 3000 miles on the rear and probably twice that for the front tire. Do Michelin tires have a reputation for lasting longer than Continental tires?

It is probably less an issue of brand than the model of tire. Conti makes everything from stone-hard touring tires to sticky (but short lived) sport tires. And I think the same is true for Michelin.

In the moto world though, Contis are thought of as high-mileage touring tires, and Michelin more go-fast sport tires. I'm not sure that translates in the scooter world.

For what it's worth, I love my conti zippy on my rear end. I have a Michelin Pilot City on the front, and used to have a matching set.

I'm going to have Pilot City installed on front and back for the winter, but am looking forward to getting rid of the mullet and riding zippy's on front and rear when the rain goes away.

Savas suck.

I think (please correct me if I am wrong) the Continental tires have a lower speed rating.