Modern sport bikes now offer consumers access to a combination of technology and raw horsepower that just a few short years ago was limited to the most exclusive road racing series and only served as fodder in the dreams of the rest of us mere mortals.
Delivering this level of performance to the asphalt surface beneath our bikes requires that the tires we use keep pace with these advancements and for 2024 Michelin has introduced the Power GP2 targetted at sport bike and superbike riders. Designated by Michelin as 50% track and 50% road, the new Power GP2, which replaces the Power GP tire, slides into the company’s Hypersport tire lineup between the track-focused Power Cup 2 and the road-focused Power 6.
Both front and rear tires feature dual compounds with silica rubber down the centre to provide stability and longevity, and Michelin’s carbon black rubber utilized on the shoulders to deliver maximum grip at lean. While the front tire uses the traditional 2CT technology, the rear GP2 tires feature 2CT+ design, which sees the harder silica rubber utilized for the entire surface with the softer shoulder compound layered over top for increased stability under hard braking, acceleration and extreme lean angles.
With Michelin claiming that the Power GP2 delivers increased traction in both wet and dry conditions as well as increased tire life, Inside Motorcycles was anxious to put these new tires to the test and with a set mounted on a KTM 790 Duke we made our way to two of the most demanding tracks in Western Canada.
First up, a visit to Area 27 in the southern Okanagan Valley. At just under 5 kilometres in length and over 100 metres of elevation change, the 16-turn circuit features long fast straightaways combined with tight technical sections. With early morning temperatures already pushing past mid-twenty degrees Celsius, I decided to go with the manufacturer’s recommended track settings of 30.5 psi in the front and 27.5 psi in the rear.
Looking around the paddock as we prepared to head out onto the track, highlighted one of the main benefits of 50/50 tires such as the Power GP2. As other riders struggle with tire warmers and cords, the lack of needing warmers on these tires means you simply jump on your bike and go. A major plus for occasional track day riders.
Allowing a couple sighting laps to get the tires scrubbed in, by the third lap full lean angles were comfortably attained with solid grip and intuitive feel translated through to the rider. Thanks to the profile of the GP2 front tire, response to cornering inputs is quick and immediate, but still feels planted when at full lean angles and under hard braking in the more technical sections of the track. The rear tire felt equally planted when accelerating hard out of corners, although with barely 100 horsepower at the rear wheel, it would hard for my 790 Duke to cause the rear to let go.
Typically after two days at Area 27, my tires are destined for the giveaway pile in my garage, but at the end of two full days, the wear bars were showed there was lots of life remaining and the shoulders retained their impressive stickiness, so it was off to the next track.
Where Area 27 had been hot and dry, our arrival at Rocky Mountain Motorsports to the north of Calgary was greeted with cool, intermittent rainy conditions. The thought of testing the GP2 tires in these conditions definitely elevated my heart rate, as the minimal siping on shoulders of the front tire and complete absence on the shoulders of the rear, had me doubting Michelin’s claims of improved wet weather performance.
With 19 corners squeezed into 3.5 kilometres, RMM is a challenging and technical circuit and a heavy period of rainfall right before we headed on track saw the wet surfaces further complicated with standing water in some sections. Despite my misgivings about using these tires in the wet, after gingerly putting in a couple of laps, I found the confidence to pick up the pace, and was pleased to discover that Michelin’s claims of wet weather performance were indeed founded. Of course, these are not a substitute for rain tires and still require the rider to adjust to the riding conditions, but overall the wet weather performance was solid.
Mid way through the morning as the weather relented, a drying track provided the opportunity to further assess the tires at speed and once again they did not disappoint. Out on the RMM track, which has a reputation for being hard on tires, the Power GP2s retained all the performance they had demonstrated at Area 27. Rolling the bike in to the trailer at the end of the day, the wear bars in the centre sections, still showed lots of life remaining, although the visible degradation on the shoulders, while still very sticky, left me thinking that a fourth full track day on this one set may be pushing my luck. Either way an impressive display of longevity combined with excellent performance. make the Michelin Power GP2 tires a model that I would definitely use again in the future and highly recommend, especially for dry track days.
Michelin Power GP2 Tires
Available sizes:
Front: 120/70ZR17
Rear: 160/60ZR17; 180/55ZR17; 190/50ZR17; 190/55ZR17; 100/55ZR17
MSRP:
Front: $253.99
Rear: Starting at $301.99
Visit www.michelin.ca/motorcycle/tires/ for more information including the location of an authorized dealer near you.
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