Changing a tire early

I had to put a new front tire on my 2013 FJR with just 6400 miles on it. Didn't think it would get me home from a trip. Worked out fine, but there was one day on the trip I could not ride. Luckily that day we were having a family get together in a cabin. So I didn't really lose a full day of riding on a trip.

Now I am planning another trip. It's Probably going to be about 3,500 miles in total. My rear tire has almost 8,000 on it now. It's not down to the wear indicators, but it certainly doesn't have another 3,500 miles on it. Maybe 1,500.

So my options are

1. Change tire early. Lose about 1,000 or so miles still left in this tire. It's probably not worth saving to reinstall after the trip cause I have to pay labor.

2. Change tire on the trip when it wears out. Bad thing about this is you lose a day or more of riding. You have to find a decent shop.

I don't get to take many trips. I think I might just change the tire early and take the lose. I mean if I do the math it really doesn't make much sense to leave on an old tire and lose a day. It's a $185 tire. I am only losing about 10-20% of the life.

That's $37! An extra day of riding a motorcycle on vacation is worth that.

I guess now that I type it out it's a no brainer. I guess I am just cheap and hate to throw away a good tire.

Sounds like you are convinced. I would never take of on a lengthy trip questioning whether my tires would make it. Safety first.

because of my mistake of NOT checking pressure, I shot my tires and replaced them with PR4 just 2 days ago. Love these new tires and they are way better than stock in every aspect.

Oh! I have 2013 FJR and it was only 4500 miles when i changed them

danh600 said:

That's $37! An extra day of riding a motorcycle on vacation is worth that.

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I think you answered your own question there. You think that amount is worth the time it will take out of a vacation to find a dealer, schedule an appointment, and find the tire you want?

change early, enjoy trip. repeat as needed.

Life is a balancing act, with trade offs at every turn.

Since you value the safety of ample tread and recognize the fact that tires can be expensive, you might consider investigating the use of a [redacted] tire.

On the $ side of the equation you'll pay 35% less for your tire.

On the tread life side you'll get 2x, 3x, 4x - or more. Scooter just changed his [redacted] tire with 39,000 miles on it, and scooter is not a sedate rider.

Gary left Florida in the summer of 2013 with 25k+ on his [redacted] tire, toured his way to the Left Coast, and did a high speed 50CC ride on the return trip. Last time I checked he had in the neighborhood of 35k.

On the social ostracism side, you'll get laughed at, teased, ridiculed, and possibly verbally hazed by naysayers.

Just a thought.

Enjoy your trip!

Its a no brainer, change the tire and ride without worry. You already have 8000 miles on a 2013 OEM tire that I couldn't get 5000 on.

I listened to others crazy high tire mileage reports and took off for a 4500 mile trip to EOM 2013 with 2300 mile already on my BT023s on my 13. I had to stop in some Podunk small Yamaha dealer in Tennessee to spend 6 hours having my tires changed, wheels scratched, and the rear ABS wheel sensor cover broken.

Change the damn tire and don't give 10 dollars worth of tire life a second thought. The last 20% of tire tread sucks anyhow.

I think most of us here have all had that same flip-flop decision before.

It is kind of a hard decision sometimes when running so close... one side of your brain (conservative) is saying "let's get all we can out of this tire and risk it" while the other side (sensible) is saying "no, it's not worth the hassle, dangers and down time while on the road".

Listen to your sensible side.

That's the exact reason I have two sets of rims. Switch before a big trip and stick the old ones back on for running closer to home.

In your case, put new ones on. Not worth the risk.

Canadian FJR

I would never start a trip with questionable tires. It is a false economy. Better to throw away a half-used tire than to get stuck on the road and pay a premium for whatever tire the shop happens to have in your size.

I have changed tires many times before they were worn out so that I could have nice fresh rubber for a trip. I have quite a pile of tires that I saved to put back on but never did. Now, like Canadian FJR, I have a spare set of wheels so I can swap in new tires and still use up the old ones for local riding. I still sometimes have to take off a set that is not completely used up because I have partially used ones on both sets of wheels, but the spare wheels make tire management a lot easier.

Geezer said:

I have changed tires many times before they were worn out so that I could have nice fresh rubber for a trip. I have quite a pile of tires that I saved to put back on but never did. Now, like Canadian FJR, I have a spare set of wheels so I can swap in new tires and still use up the old ones for local riding. I still sometimes have to take off a set that is not completely used up because I have partially used ones on both sets of wheels, but the spare wheels make tire management a lot easier.

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I like this idea but I have to admit I'm a cautious do-it-yourselfer, meaning I'm willing to try most wrenching tasks provided that:

a. I'm reasonably confident that I can do it and do it well; and

b. It doesn't take an inordinate amount of my time, which is at a premium, and might be better spent earning money to pay a tire monkey.

All that is to say I've never had either wheel off the bike (yet). How difficult a task is it to swap wheels, and roughly how much time is required?

I feel the OP's pain. But, if in doubt, change 'em out.

I did a 4,000-mile trip quite awhile ago and correctly calculated about where my tires would need replacing (Vancouver B.C.). I called the dealer at least a week ahead, told them what I needed and when i'd be there (at opening time, Tuesday morning). They were ready when I got there. An hour later I was traveling once again. But this kind of scenario can go haywire; has risks, such as, tire goes south wa-a-a-y quicker than expected; dealer is unreliable and in fact doesn't have the right tire... etc. Oh, and they can rape you on price unless that is firmly discussed prior.

G-Man, I replied to your post but when I went back to edit something the whole thing got reformatted somehow. Don't know what happened. Anyways, give a gander at this for an idea what you'd be in for.

CA G-Man said:

Geezer said:

I have changed tires many times before they were worn out so that I could have nice fresh rubber for a trip. I have quite a pile of tires that I saved to put back on but never did. Now, like Canadian FJR, I have a spare set of wheels so I can swap in new tires and still use up the old ones for local riding. I still sometimes have to take off a set that is not completely used up because I have partially used ones on both sets of wheels, but the spare wheels make tire management a lot easier.

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I like this idea but I have to admit I'm a cautious do-it-yourselfer, meaning I'm willing to try most wrenching tasks provided that:

a. I'm reasonably confident that I can do it and do it well; and

b. It doesn't take an inordinate amount of my time, which is at a premium, and might be better spent earning money to pay a tire monkey.

All that is to say I've never had either wheel off the bike (yet). How difficult a task is it to swap wheels, and roughly how much time is required?

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Swapping wheels takes me about an hour, including very carefully inspecting everything and lubricating the places that need lubrication. It is simple enough to do, but you have to be careful to put everything back where it came from, so take notes or digital pictures so you can verify that you got it right.

Installing a set of tires on the rims also takes me about an hour including balancing.

A set of spare wheels for a newer FJR will be expensive. I bought mine after the model year had been around for a while and there were parts bikes around to get parts off of. You'll need rims complete with bearings and brake rotors so you can make the swap easily.

I have a tire rack in my shop with several sets of tires that each have a few thousand miles left on them. We make several long trips each year and I don't want to start a trip worrying about tires. I keep them around for awhile in case someone needs one in an emergency. When in doubt change'em.

Just last week I went on a 1500 mile trip and violated my own rule and tried to eek out the last few miles left in the mounted tires. Had a flat 400 miles from home and spent two days in Spearfish tracking down tires and getting them mounted. Thanks to BigjohnSD for selling me a set of tires he had at a great price.

What really irks me is that I have 4 sets of tires for the FJR sitting in the shop.

Thanks Ogre and Geezer - good advice.

Dan, I've shown you first hand how quickly they go, when it get towards the end of it's life. Put a new one on, and forget thinking about your tire during your trip.

I look at it from an economics standpoint. if you have 1000 miles left in a tire you already have 8000 miles on, you'd save about 11% of the value of that tire by riding that 1000 miles ( 1000 / 9000 ) What will a new tire cost you? If you buy it on the road, you'll pay retail plus labor. I've been buying my tires at a good price and mounting them myself for years, so I don't know, but I'd guess maybe $225. So you'd save what? About $25. The last time I had to have one replaced on the road was several years ago, but jeez! What a hassle

I'd replace the tire before leaving.

Ignacio said:

danh600 said:

That's $37! An extra day of riding a motorcycle on vacation is worth that.

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I think you answered your own question there. You think that amount is worth the time it will take out of a vacation to find a dealer, schedule an appointment, and find the tire you want?

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Yea, I was undecided. But when I actually started writing the post and did the math it was much more clear. Then reading the replies it's an easy decision. Bike is at the shop as I type. Getting a fresh rear tire and the 8,000 mile service.

If the stars align within two weeks I will be headed to Texas!