Different wear patters on new tyres

Hi there,

First post so be gentle :spank:

I have just replaced the Dunlops that came on my FZ6 as standard with some Michelin Pilot Road 2CT's (awesome tyres so far!) but the thing that concerns me is that on my Dunlops I had little to no chicken strip on the rear but about half an inch on the front or more either side. Now this is what I have seen on most no racer bikes.

I have had these pilots on for around 600 miles and have only for 3-4mm strips on the FRONT tyre! My friend is pretty concerned about this and seems to think I'm pushing the wee bike a bit too hard. Is there anything to be concerned about or is it just the different tyre profile? (same sizes as the dunlops)

Brisa said:

Hi there,

First post so be gentle :spank:

I have just replaced the Dunlops that came on my FZ6 as standard with some Michelin Pilot Road 2CT's (awesome tyres so far!) but the thing that concerns me is that on my Dunlops I had little to no chicken strip on the rear but about half an inch on the front or more either side. Now this is what I have seen on most no racer bikes.

I have had these pilots on for around 600 miles and have only for 3-4mm strips on the FRONT tyre! My friend is pretty concerned about this and seems to think I'm pushing the wee bike a bit too hard. Is there anything to be concerned about or is it just the different tyre profile? (same sizes as the dunlops)

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The c-strips on my rear 2ct did not really show up until 1500km or so,- perhaps you should just put on some more miles before you judge.

In my not so humble opinion, the lack of chicken strips is way over rated!!!! All that "chicken strips" is telling you is how far you are leaning the bike. The more you lean the less contact patch you have and more chances you have for error. IMO, doing something like that is better left for the track.

I'm no expert but I'm fairly certain tire profiles can be different enough to change the c-strip thickness by a fraction of an inch. It could also be affected by wear. It's possible you wore the Dunlops out a bit on the highway before leaning it over comfortably, making the profile more rounded. Some tires like a set of Pirelli's I had on an R6 once are almost cone shaped to help the bike stay in a corner w/o as much input from the rider. I found they were easier to wear to the edge than the tires it came with. Was i more comfortable on the Pirelli's or was the profile different? Not sure, but both seem to have a chance of impacting what you've noticed.

Bottom line, if you're wearing hot rolls of rubber off the edge of your tire, you're riding pretty hard and should consider the best of the best when it comes to tires and don't use them longer than they have good tread.

Ride on friend!

Thanks for the input, the strange thing was I am riding no harder/different than on the Dunlops. The bike does 'fall' in notibly quicker so maybe its just down to a different profile of the tyre.

Brisa said:

I have had these pilots on for around 600 miles and have only for 3-4mm strips on the FRONT tyre! My friend is pretty concerned about this and seems to think I'm pushing the wee bike a bit too hard. Is there anything to be concerned about or is it just the different tyre profile? (same sizes as the dunlops)

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The stickier rubber on the sides gives you more confidence at steeper lean angles, especially coming from the stock rocks.
Your riding style may have also changed with the new rubber. Smaller CSs on the front usually means you're coming into the turns a bit hotter, and smaller on the rear usually means you're exiting harder. Re-examine your style and see what has changed.

I would, however, take it easy when getting on new tires. With the vastly different handling properties you should take your time in getting to know how your bike will react. Take it easy before you wash out the front and low-side.

abacall said:

Smaller CSs on the front usually means you're coming into the turns a bit hotter, and smaller on the rear usually means you're exiting harder. Re-examine your style and see what has changed.

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You see there is something new every day. I really did not know about this. I always ask my self how come I have a whole lot less wear on my rear that my front.
I will have to try this out then next time I pick up new tires, just so its easier to judge since they are new.