Tire Wear Question:

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Sno Cat

Sno Cat

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Joined
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Location
Belmont, NH
Guys,

Finally got to do some long distance cruising, the bike really is awsome.

My tires are developing a flat spot on the middle of the tires. Makes sense as this is where the rubber hits the road. I have noticed the left of the flat has a cupped appearance whereas the right of the flat is wearing straight (not cupped). This is occurring on both the front & rear tires. The tires are kept @ 36psi., the suspension's set to the firmer side of its adjustment ranges, the bike has 3K mi.

Is this normal?

How long are tires expected to last if one drives like a granny?

Thanks.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sno Cat said:
Guys,Finally got to do some long distance cruising, the bike really is awsome.

My tires are developing a flat spot on the middle of the tires. Makes sense as this is where the rubber hits the road. I have noticed the left of the flat has a cupped appearance whereas the right of the flat is wearing straight (not cupped). This is occurring on both the front & rear tires. The tires are kept @ 36psi., the suspension's set to the firmer side of its adjustment ranges, the bike has 3K mi.

Is this normal?

How long are tires expected to last if one drives like a granny?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Some people wear them out in 3k miles. I usually sqeeked by at around 6-7k miles. Each rider and tire are different. My last set of tires were Avon Azaros. Love Avon Azaros when they are new. Hate Avon Azaros when they are a bit worn (front tire). They get weird cupping and then if you let go of the handlebars, it could lead to a tank slappin' death wobble. Got worse and worse for me.

My favorite tire was Michelin Pilot Roads. They wore nice and even. No cupping or other bullshit - they would just wear out. Watch for Michelin Pilot Road II (or 2, whatever). They should be selling them here in the U.S. by the end of this year. They have a real dual compound that is supposed to be fairly hard in the middle and soft on the sides.

That will take care of that flat spot in the center of the tire that you are talking about. Or at least make the middle last a bit longer - time will tell. That flat spot in the center is normal for these types of tires on this type of bike. Lots of horsepower directed on that back tire. Soft compound for performance in the twisties. Happens even if one lives in the mountains or near them.

I also think that since we only ride on one side of the road (the right one), that one side of the tire will wear different than the other. Left hand sweepers are usually a bit less abrupt than the righties.

That's my take on tires. Hope you enjoy miles of smiles with your new bike.

 
Snocat: I do believe that 36 psi is not enough pressure, it will give you a comfy ride.

To get a good wear pattern and no flat spots try increasing your air pressure to 42 psi which is max. stated on your tire.

That is what I run and never have had any problems and run that pressure all year long, I am running the avon tires.

all this being said you will hear many different reasons and explanations both for and against. :)

 
weekend rider said:
Snocat: I do believe that 36 psi is not enough pressure, it will give you a comfy ride.
To get a good wear pattern and no flat spots try increasing your air pressure to 42 psi which is max. stated on your tire.

That is what I run and never have had any problems and run that pressure all year long, I am running the avon tires.

all this being said you will hear many different reasons and explanations both for and against. :)
Click to expand...
I agree with the 41 or 42 psi on the tires.

As far as the Avons go, many love 'em. I liked them myself, but I got the dreaded cupping. Some folks do and some folks don't.

 
I had a problem with severe cupping on my '05 FJR's rear tire after about 5,000 miles. I was running 36F/36R and Metzlers.

To make a long story short, I now run 36F/42R ambient. By ambient, I mean I pressure the tires for the anticipated high temperature of my ride. So, if my target is 36F/42R, and if the expected high of the day is 95F, and it is now 75F, I fill them to 34F/40R.

This appears to give me the best tire wear patterns. I am running Michelin Pilot Roads. They are so good in every way that I intend to keep using them.

IRBR

 
Yup: 42-43 rear, 39-40 front; got 7k miles on the stock Metz Z6's with no cupping or uneven wear doing nothing but slab work.

weekend rider said:
Snocat: I do believe that 36 psi is not enough pressure, it will give you a comfy ride.
To get a good wear pattern and no flat spots try increasing your air pressure to 42 psi which is max. stated on your tire.

That is what I run and never have had any problems and run that pressure all year long, I am running the avon tires.

all this being said you will hear many different reasons and explanations both for and against. :)
Click to expand...
 
You can quickly eliminate the flat spot on your tires by periodically doing some extended high speed cornering.

To do this, I'll take my FJR onto a local Interstate highway that has a lot of long sweeping turns. I take the bike up to 90-100 mph and lean it over in the long turns. This procedure effectively grinds the edges off of the flat spot. After a few miles of these types of turns (left, right, left, right) the tires have a round profile again.

A word of warning to people that are not used to a motorcycle's behavior in aggressive, high speed cornering:

If you notice that the bike will not hold a line in a high speed, aggressive turn, if you have a very slight sensation that the tires might be on just a few grains of sand, back off. Both of your tires are sliding. This was the problem I always had with the Metzlers. My FJR would slowly drift to the outside of the turn. Leaning harder to hold my line was too high a risk.

I've switched to Michelin Pilot Roads and this problem has disappeared.

IRBR

 
Last edited by a moderator:
41psi here front and rear on my Storms with no problems at 3500 miles.....when I ran 36psi with my Azaros I got severe cupping, especially the front which was scary to even look at.

 
41/42 here. my first set cupped badly on the front (BT020) usign OEM spec psi ratings. moved to the higher PSI and the tires (usually) last longer and wear more evenly.

 
bvail said:
Sno Cat said:
Guys,Finally got to do some long distance cruising, the bike really is awsome.

My tires are developing a flat spot on the middle of the tires. Makes sense as this is where the rubber hits the road. I have noticed the left of the flat has a cupped appearance whereas the right of the flat is wearing straight (not cupped). This is occurring on both the front & rear tires. The tires are kept @ 36psi., the suspension's set to the firmer side of its adjustment ranges, the bike has 3K mi.

Is this normal?

How long are tires expected to last if one drives like a granny?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Some people wear them out in 3k miles. I usually sqeeked by at around 6-7k miles. Each rider and tire are different. My last set of tires were Avon Azaros. Love Avon Azaros when they are new. Hate Avon Azaros when they are a bit worn (front tire). They get weird cupping and then if you let go of the handlebars, it could lead to a tank slappin' death wobble. Got worse and worse for me.

My favorite tire was Michelin Pilot Roads. They wore nice and even. No cupping or other bullshit - they would just wear out. Watch for Michelin Pilot Road II (or 2, whatever). They should be selling them here in the U.S. by the end of this year. They have a real dual compound that is supposed to be fairly hard in the middle and soft on the sides.

That will take care of that flat spot in the center of the tire that you are talking about. Or at least make the middle last a bit longer - time will tell. That flat spot in the center is normal for these types of tires on this type of bike. Lots of horsepower directed on that back tire. Soft compound for performance in the twisties. Happens even if one lives in the mountains or near them.

I also think that since we only ride on one side of the road (the right one), that one side of the tire will wear different than the other. Left hand sweepers are usually a bit less abrupt than the righties.

That's my take on tires. Hope you enjoy miles of smiles with your new bike.
Click to expand...
The PRII will not be available till October.Teh Michelin man will be at the International Motorcycle Show and you could get a great deal then.I run 40f and 42r.I get about 6500 miles and I drive like Granpa Jones

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm sure I'll take a severe thrashing for bringing a year old thread BTT, but I was at D&H in Culman Alabama recently and their recommendation on the tire pressure was 36psi in the front tire and 2-3lbs less in the rear tire. They explained that running on the narrower band (36psi or higher) on the back tire caused the cupping to happen sooner and that would also eventually cause the front to cup as well. I am in no position to argue, but I can say that with the change in the tire pressure I no longer feel a small vibration that I used to feel above 110mph. My $.02

 
Sno Cat said:
Guys,Finally got to do some long distance cruising, the bike really is awsome.

My tires are developing a flat spot on the middle of the tires. Makes sense as this is where the rubber hits the road. I have noticed the left of the flat has a cupped appearance whereas the right of the flat is wearing straight (not cupped). This is occurring on both the front & rear tires. The tires are kept @ 36psi., the suspension's set to the firmer side of its adjustment ranges, the bike has 3K mi.

Is this normal?

How long are tires expected to last if one drives like a granny?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

No it's not (at lease I don’t think it is.) I just had the same issue with my 08. I had less than 3k and had a flat spot in the middle of my front tire as you described. I don’t see your tire type but mine were Bridgestone’s. Some blamed the tire pressure I ran (37) and some blamed the tire manufacturer. Anyway, I found a great dealer here in Fort Worth who went to bat for me. He was able to persuade Yamaha into good willing the tire. With my new front tire I will be running exactly what the tire pressure tag says on the frame (39 front 42 rear.) See what your dealership can do for you. If you look carefully on the forum you’ll find more with the same problem.

 
While D & H is a great dealer and may very well have sold more FJR's than anyone else, I have to wonder just how many miles they have logged on an FJR, as compared to the membership of this board.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Makes sense as this is where the rubber hits the road. I have noticed the left of the flat has a cupped appearance whereas the right of the flat is wearing straight (not cupped).
Click to expand...
This part of your question is,in any country where you ride on the right side of the road,you're going to have more wear on the left side of the tyre.Two reasons,camber of the road,and let's say you go down a road that has the same amount sweepers left and right,all of your left turns are longer than the right if you stay in your lane.

 

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