Michelin today has launched an addition to their tyre lineup, the Pilot Power 3. It retains the 2 compound technology as the Pilot Power 2CT, but upgraded with better configuration named 2CT+ (2 Compound Technology Plus) which features a hard compound base layered with soft compound on the shoulder of the tyre. Hard compound on the centre of the tyre enables it to handle the massive power of acceleration and at the same time good for braking grip. The soft compound as featured on the shoulder enable the rider to great a good grip while taking a lower lean angle and this will provide a great confidence to the rider of the tyre so the can ride faster.
One of the rider said that this Pilot Power 3 is a good alternative. It gives a good confidence and the handling was nice. Anyway, the ride at the track was too short to even heat up the tyre to its maximum performance. As said in the title, this tyre is targeted for daily commuters that use their superbike 85% on the road, but occasionally getting wild on the track maybe in the weekends at 15% of the time. So, this Pilot Power 3 can be a great choice. It is even better since Pilot Power 3 have excellent wet braking distance (shortest distance) according to the test by DEKRA, which is a third-party company.
Riders can feel confident taking the tyre to work in the morning on dry road, and still can go home safely even if it is raining on the evening which makes the road wet and slippery. And if the rider wants to get to track, they also can do it. A good balanced tyre for the occassion, but as the old saying, ” good things is not cheap and cheap things is not good”. Michelin Pilot Power 3 is a targeted for the premium market which is more costly, but it will give a better value for money in the long run since it have longer durability as compared to Pilot Power 2CT at 20% more mileage. If you usually use up the tyre at 1,000km, this Pilot Power 3 should give 200km more for your riding enjoyment.
One of the interesting bike seen at the Michelin Pilot Power 3 launch is this Honda CBR600RR that features carbon fibre wheel by Rotobox. That doesn’t comes cheap. The rider also wears the AGV Pista GP Project 46 which is also made from carbon fibre and also very expensive. The Superbike Performance Day at Sepang was really a great day to be. There are many interesting bikes there likes the BMW HP2, Ducati 916, Suzuki GSX-R600 and many more.
Michelin also provides tyre change there along with an expert from Ohlins to help the riders to tune their bike to its full potential. This is a great effort from Verati Sdn Bhd and Michelin to provide first hand experience in bikes professional tuning. The star of the show is the Michelin Pilot Power 3 that should cater the need of the rider in Malaysia. It is also good to know that the event is the first event planned for Asia, and Malaysia has been lucky enough to be choosen as the first stop.
Michelin Pilot Power 3 is made in Spain and should be available by next year. More info about the tyre can be obtained at www.verati.net. Happy riding guys!
Michelin Pilot Power 3 (SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE)
120/70 ZR 17 M/C (58W) FRONT TR PILOT POWER 3 RM612.00
160/60 ZR 17 M/C (69W) REAR TR PILOT POWER 3 RM737.00
180/55 ZR 17 M/C (73W) REAR TR PILOT POWER 3 RM821.00
190/55 ZR 17 M/C (75W) REAR TR PILOT POWER 3 RM852.00
