The Michelin Road 5 is a touring motorcycle tyre with generally well-liked wet grip, dry handling and tread life. Several owners report punctures, while one comparison test found stability less convincing when riding quickly.
Wet grip is the clearest strength of the Michelin Road 5 in owner reviews, with 12 of 20 praising it and two critical. Dry grip also attracts more praise than criticism, and longer-use reports generally favour tread life, though some riders experienced faster wear. Easy direction changes are supported by both owners and the 2020 Motorcycle Sports Touring Tyre Test, where the tester liked its light, accurate steering and confidence even from cold. Owners are more divided about steering feedback.
That test placed it fifth of six overall and fourth in dry braking, 2.8% behind the best. It felt stable at lower speeds but less composed when riding quickly under the weight of the BMW, a specific reservation rather than a recurring finding across tests. Several owners describe punctures, sometimes repeatedly, making these a concern despite otherwise positive reviews. The overall picture favours road touring in varied weather, with generally reassuring grip and useful tread life, but the single test offers limited support for faster riding and does not measure the wet performance owners praise.
The quick answer
Owners say84%from 24 owner reviews74% would buy againRead the reviews
Strengths & weaknessesGenerally confident wet gripGood tread life for most ridersPunctures reported by several ownersHigh-speed stability concern in one testSummarised from the tests and owner reviews
Built from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold for this tyre - the evidence is all further down the page. Data updated September 2025.
The Road 5 makes the bike light to steer, nimble and accurate. They make direction changes easy and it feels like you can place the bike anywhere you want, with great confidence even from cold. Very stable at lower speeds but w hen riding quickly they felt a bit overwhelmed by the weight of the BMW.
Winner: Metzeler Roadtec 01 SE
Every independent test of the Michelin Road 5, newest first
Based on test and owner data, the Michelin Road 5 is expected to last around 10,980 miles (17,671 km).
What do owners say about the Michelin Road 5?
Across 24 owner ratings the Michelin Road 5 averages 84%. Owners rate Comfort highest at 8.9 out of 10 and Handling lowest at 8. 2 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 79% of owners score it 70% or better.
How comfortable and quiet are the Michelin Road 5?
Owners rate the Michelin Road 5 8.9 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 20 reviews.
How well do the Michelin Road 5 wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Michelin Road 5 8.3 out of 10 for wear across 20 reviews. 2 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 5,250 miles.
Would owners buy the Michelin Road 5 again?
74% of owners say they would buy the Michelin Road 5 again, based on the 23 owner reviews that answered the question. 52% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
More questions about the Michelin Road 5(5)
What do owners say about the Michelin Road 5's wet grip?
Of the 20 owner reviews analysed for the Michelin Road 5, 14 mention wet grip: 12 praise it (confident wet grip) and 2 criticise it (weak wet grip). One owner wrote: "Excellent on the wet never scared me". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Michelin Road 5's tread life?
Of the 20 owner reviews analysed for the Michelin Road 5, 11 mention tread life: 9 praise it (long-lasting) and 2 criticise it (wears quickly). One owner wrote: "rear still had 2.5mm usable tread (est 5k miles)". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Michelin Road 5's dry grip?
Of the 20 owner reviews analysed for the Michelin Road 5, 10 mention dry grip: 8 praise it (strong dry grip) and 2 criticise it (limited dry grip). One owner wrote: "Been superb in all conditions". Read those reviews
What does the Michelin Road 5 replace?
The Michelin Road 5 is the successor to the Michelin Pilot Road 4 in Michelin's range.
Has the Michelin Road 5 been replaced?
The Michelin Road 5 has been replaced by the Michelin Road 6.
How can the road 5s have a higher dry grip percentage than the power 5?
June 3, 2024
The user reviews are based on people's personal experiences, not comparative test data. While the power 5 and road 5 will be close in the dry, you're right the power 5 will have more grip once warm.
Show all questions(2)
Do you do a road pilot 4/5.19inch rear motor cycle tyre.
December 1, 2022
Sorry, we don't sell tyres. If you contact Michelin directly they should be able to tell you the full range of the Michelin Road 5.
Owners most often praise the Michelin Road 5 for wet grip, with 12 of 20 positive about it and two critical. Dry grip is also generally well liked, while several riders describe confident, easy handling on the road. Longer-use reports mostly favour tread life, although a small minority found wear disappointing, so mileage varies between riders. Several owners report punctures, sometimes repeatedly, making this the clearest recurring complaint despite otherwise favourable experiences. Steering feedback divides opinion, and the few reports of poor grip mean confidence in the wet is not universal.
What owners mention most counted across 20 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 24 ratings
Owner score84%
Comfort89%
Dry Grip87%
Wet Grip87%
Road Feedback84%
Wear83%
Handling80%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 77%
“Got them oem on my hornet 750, been using them for 2 year all 4 seasons and 27500kms and theyre now in their last leg Been using 32/36 psi Without tcs i can redline up to 3rd gear on my city roads which tarmac is...”
“I drive all year and have over the years climbed through the ranks from nameless tires via Anakee II, to Pilot Road 4, to Road 5. I loved the PR4 and believed the wined and dined reporters initial reviews that the Road...”
“Absolutely great tyres, last 14k miles and provide insane wet grip. It's near impossible to spin them on a torquey 650 and give confidence to lean even in pouring rain. For feedback and handling they were on the high...”
Got them oem on my hornet 750, been using them for 2 year all 4 seasons and 27500kms and theyre now in their last leg
Been using 32/36 psi
Without tcs i can redline up to 3rd gear on my city roads which tarmac is terrible. When im on good tarmac tcs light comes on rarely.
Excellent on the wet never scared me.
Cornering wise it doesnt scare probably can drag a knee but you don't get much feedback but its stable.
If you're doing long rides definetly get them as life is excellent and cornering is maybe %85-90 good as lets say a power 5-6 or rosso 4s
93%
Member
190/50 R17
Only problem is punctures 1 a few months ago and a double puncture last week all repaired but ordered Road pilot 6`s hopefully I won`t be so unlucky as otherwise I love your tires.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tyres perform against premium summer and winter tyres!
I was loving these tyres for their feel and phenomenal grip, unfortunately I hit a pothole at 110 kmh on a straight bit of road, i rode one for about 100km before it let go in a big way, i was very lucky to stay on, it had only done 4000km at the time. What was very strange about this was the cut in the tyre, it was around 90mm long across the tyre and looked like it had been sliced with a very sharp knife and very clean. I guess I'll never know if the pothole caused this or a fault with the tyre but I don't think I'll risk them again.
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Have had road 3’s, 4’s and now the 5’s.
In the wet i feel safe and have a heap trust in the traction.
In the dry, I tip it in and don’t ever think about the possibility of traction letting go, and no, I don’t have chicken strips left.
I trust my tires more than my girlfriend! Hahaha.
The dual compound edges get soft and melty on warm and cold days, and have always served me well.
I’ll never buy another brand.
Very light and manoeuvreable in warm and dry conditions, but overrated considering these are claiming to be designed with wet weather in mind, these are by far the most unpredictable and slippery tyres I've owned. I can't wait to get these off.
I really liked these tyres and bought several pairs before having to ditch them altogether
They’re very sticky, confidence inspiring in wet weather, great profile leading to sharp response when cornering
The major issue I’ve encountered is they puncture very easily, I believe this is due to the wide sipes leaving a lot of thin soft carcass exposed and vulnerable
As much as I love them I had to ditch them after averaging a puncture every 1000 miles
Lots of my riding pals have had the same issue, a great shame
Fitted a set at 4500 miles. Have done two long trips in France, Spain and Portugal in very mixed weather. The tyres have been faultless transforming the handling. My companions were also using Road 5s and would not ride on any other tyre. Currently on 13200 miles with plenty left on the front and about 1000 on the rear. An excellent tyre that matches the DL 1000s characteristics perfectly.
100%
Member
160/55 R17
6,000 miles
A Combination of Roads
Spirited
Unbelievable tyres. In fact I literally mean that. They’ve somehow combined dry grip of track tyres with magical wet grip that’s just as good! I think because they use different compounds for the centre and edges of the tyre. Which leads on to how they last so long. I did about 6000 miles on them and they only seemed half done when I sold my bike. This included on the autobahn and a mixture of country roads. Never had a flat centre on the tyre. And never slipped on the edge at all
On a VFR800 for 7500 miles: rear still had 2.5mm usable tread (est 5k miles), front was down to wear bars on LHS. Excellent tyre, never skipped a beat wet or dry, steering felt fine at all times. I will defintely buy again (having tried PR1 3 times and PR3 once, avoided PR4). It always used to be that rears wore quicker than front, but not now? Dual rubber construction very visible on rear tyre when worn (need a photo), makes it look like something is wrong. Better than all the other tyres I have tried on this bike: BT-020, Avon Storm, Conti-Motion (yuk), except perhaps the PR3.
I live in Singapore, a country with a tropical climate and high humidity, and lots of torrential rains. It is a very small island-like country that mostly communes about 30km at a stretch and rarely above 40km in one go. My bike only weighs about 200+kg. Climate usually above 30-degree Celcius all year round. My average speed in the expressways usually around 80km/h to 100km/h.
For dry grip when compared to the Pilot Power 2CT, this tyre is not as grippy or as comfortable. The sense of confidence to ride this in dry conditions is just normal, nothing impressive. Tyre seems to warm up slowly in the dry weather.
However, once the rain starts pouring, there seems to be no difference in traction loss at all when compared to Pilot Power 2CT. The tyre feels as if I am still riding in dry conditions and it is really so amazing, totally no difference! This tyre really gives the confidence and sense of safety. Even during hard braking in the heavy rain, it is astonishing to see the performance is no difference as compared to riding in the dry conditions! Amazing Technology and Innovation from Michelin! This tyre is really a miracle, a gift from God!
In my opinion, I highly recommend this tyre to be the one-tyre-do-all dry/wet for all motorbikes in Singapore.
