Unusual tire wear?

[ShawnKing]

Luckily I spotted this *before* it blew out on me....

That's the front tire of my 2012 Yamaha FJR1300. Bike and tires were new when I bought them. That tire has only 8K miles on it. There's also a very noticeable "hump" on the right hand side of that pic.

Am I correct in assuming this *isn't* the normal life expectancy for a stock Bridgestone? I've had two other stock sets and they've all sucked but I've never had a set wear like this.

And it's not like I'm a squid or ride twisties all day long. My normal commute is on the highway for only about 50 miles/day.

I have been using the front brake much more often. Would that cause an issue? Any help or advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

And yes - I AM getting Pilot Power 3s put on ASAP.

 

[escapefjrtist]

I'm confused...what's unusual? The tire is worn out and you ran it many miles past the wear bars.

Tire life varies so much depending on your riding style, area of the country, etc, nothing is "normal". BTW -- a Pilot Power won't do you any favors with tread life, a Pilot ROAD will.

--G

 

[someguy]

glad you saw it before you really needed it and it let you down...

what does the back tire look like????

my stock bridgestones were gone long before 8K...

the composition of the asphalt in your area will weigh heavily on the life of a tire.

a single good hit on a sharp edged pothole will eventually reveal a bump like the one you have. This can be separation of the cords in the tire. heat cycles and wear will eventually allow it to show through.

and this tire does show some upright riding but definitely shows some lightly leaned over riding as well. certainly not anything extreme by any means but easily leaned over 10-20 degrees...

and Pilot Road's II or III's are perhaps a worthy consideration the type of riding you describe the evidence in the tire you have now.

these truly are amazing tires... you will think it's a brand new bike. and they should last a lot longer compared to these.

 

[wheatonFJR]

What did the tires look like at the beginning of your riding day? What were the pressures?

As you well know Shawn, tire life is one of the widest variables in FJR consumables. I get between 5k and 8k on tires that others get 3k to 12k on. Don't expect even the same tire from the same manufacturer to automatically give you the same mileage.

...As for going to a sport tire on a heavy sport tourer to get better mileage...good luck with that.

 

[CA G-Man]

Hmm... Looks familiar...

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/148990-the-evil-that-is-13/page-31https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/148990-the-evil-that-is-13/page-31

 

[MrZappo]

Lucky you spotted it ??? That thing looks like it was long gone 500-1000 miles ago ...

What part of the country are you in ? What kind of road surface ?

 

[bluesdog]

The OEM tires on the fjr suck.

The Bridgestone BT-023-GTs are pretty damn good

Tire pressure is critical on these bikes, and many riders seem to get better results/longer tire life running slightly higher pressure, especially in the front. Check before every ride.

(I run 40 front, 42 rear )

Heavy use of front brake, especially in turns, impacts negatively on the front tire. Also it is a bad habit. Use both brakes, and try not to brake in turns - rather, you'd do better to enter slower, and accelerate gently out of the turn.

Correct suspension settings, and, (even better), suspension upgrades, positively affect tire life.

hth

Cheers

 

[Bungie]

<face palm>

 

[Redfish Hunter]

I'm confused...what's unusual? The tire is worn out and you ran it many miles past the wear bars.
Tire life varies so much depending on your riding style, area of the country, etc, nothing is "normal". BTW -- a Pilot Power won't do you any favors with tread life, a Pilot ROAD will.

--G

+1

If you run the tire past the wear bars and then you see cords showing why would that surprise you?

Why would you put SportBike tires on an FJR in search of higher mileage? Pilot Road would be the series of tire you want, not the Pilot Power.

 

[bwv]

My 2012 has/had BT-021's on it... at 3395 miles(yesterday) the stock front tire was at the wear bars in the center, had no tread at 30 degrees or so, and looked kinda triangular like yours....I enjoy the bike's handling ( a LOT..except for the last 400 miles or so)...but dont know that i'd call myself agressive... I have no idea how anyone, with any riding habit could get 8k out of that piece of garbage tire.

I just put a BT-023 GT front on it last night... I did so as it got decent comments here, was relativly inexpensive, and hoping that it would be a pretty good match for the rear 021 until that wears out...

I do like the feel of the 23GT front better than the 21 already (if i am correctly remebering how it was new) if it wears well and inspires confidence later.. i might stick with them.

 

[kieefjr]

Bunch of poo-poo on the Pilot Powers. I got the same milage from both the Roads and the Powers, actually like the Powers better.

Your results may vary.

 

[ShawnKing]

glad you saw it before you really needed it and it let you down...
what does the back tire look like????

Weirdly enough, back tire is squared off but has plenty of tread left.

the composition of the asphalt in your area will weigh heavily on the life of a tire.

Trans Canada highway.

and this tire does show some upright riding but definitely shows some lightly leaned over riding as well. certainly not anything extreme by any means but easily leaned over 10-20 degrees...

I lean when I can but not much in the way of twisties around here. 80% of my riding is just commuting on the highway.

and Pilot Road's II or III's are perhaps a worthy consideration the type of riding you describe the evidence in the tire you have now.

Yup - I had a set on my last FJR and loved them.

a Pilot Power won't do you any favors with tread life, a Pilot ROAD will.

Yup - I got my nomenclature mixed up.

 

[ShawnKing]

Lucky you spotted it ??? That thing looks like it was long gone 500-1000 miles ago ...

VERY lucky. I was just about to go on a 100 mile ride....the Motorcycle Gods let me live....THIS TIME.

What part of the country are you in ? What kind of road surface ?

Calgary, AB, Canada. Mostly highway riding.

 

[bluesdog]

Weirdly enough, back tire is squared off but has plenty of tread left.

My OEM front Bridgestone wasn't nearly as decrepit as yours, but it was well worn long before the rear. I think part of this was due to me being new to the bike, and being harder on the front brake, and not keeping track religiously of the pressure.

The BT 023 GTs seem to wear more evenly, and keep a more rounded profile. Of course, now I ride the feej more smoothly, check tire pressure obsessively, and have upgraded the suspension. I'm on my second set of 023 GTs, but may replace them when necessary with Pilot 2, or perhaps those new Avon Storm 3D X-Ms currently being tested by Warchild

 

[RadioHowie]

<face palm>

 

[wheatonFJR]

Lucky you spotted it ??? That thing looks like it was long gone 500-1000 miles ago ...

VERY lucky. I was just about to go on a 100 mile ride....the Motorcycle Gods let me live....THIS TIME.

You will be even more lucky if you keep track of your tread each time you ride it. The motorcycle gods may even smile on you and tell you to change your rubber sooner.

 

[900gc]

<face palm>

+ infinity!

 

[ahchiu]

Most on and off ramp are right hand turns, that's why you have more wear on the right side.

 

[ShawnKing]

Lucky you spotted it ??? That thing looks like it was long gone 500-1000 miles ago ...

VERY lucky. I was just about to go on a 100 mile ride....the Motorcycle Gods let me live....THIS TIME.

You will be even more lucky if you keep track of your tread each time you ride it. The motorcycle gods may even smile on you and tell you to change your rubber sooner.

Agreed. I will religiously inspect them EVERY ride from now on....