how many miles did your tires last?

how long do your tires last?


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    38
S

sportrider

am I just hard on tires or what? I see posts with people getting 8000+ miles on a set of tires, how are you doing it I've got 8200 miles on my FZ6 and I'm on my 4th set of tires. if you get high mileage out of a set of tires please explain how!!! I know were I live might have some effect due to temperatures but a 4000 mile difference? I ride the bike hard, pushing it on the twistys. I can't be the only one, I'm sure there are riders here that are faster. my normal freeway pace is around 90 MPH (speedo indicated)

do you guys run your tires til there showing cord or what? the best I've ever got was 3200miles and that was on the stock D252s. so post up your riding style and your mileage, I'm interested to see what the average is and the riding habits that go with it.

off hand I think "VEGASRIDER" is the only one with the same average temp as I do so will see if that is the deciding factor or what.
:Sport:
 
W

wrightme43

I have over 8000 on mine and they are still ok. I thought I would get to the tread wear indicators today, but I cant even see that 250 miles changed anything.
I have the BT020. I check my air pressure frequently. I have not ever spun the rear, but I do take off hard alot.

I did notice that when it was 95, in the blazing sun, on the interstate, and I had lower than normal airpressure, that I was getting lots of rubber beading (marbles) I had been riding for almost two hours straight though, I think the tires were very hot. I had forgot to adjust for the saddle bags and they were heavily loaded.

Are you a big guy Danny? Like say over 200 lbs?
Do you ride on concrete or asphalt? I know some road mixes are much more abrasive than others.

Also I have to say, I dont like dunlop tires.
I think dunlop tires make the baby jesus cry.
 
W

wrightme43

pictures of said 8k tires.

Here are some pics of the bridgestones
 
W

wrightme43

and just a few more.

You can really see the cupping on the front in the picture. Its not as bad as it looks. It can be felt though.
 
S

sportrider

I weigh around 225 give or take a little. the roads out here are a mixture of concrete and asphalt, the expressway is concrete and pretty harsh, the roads right around my house are "desert mix" asphalt which is extremely coarse. but the mountains have a nice 3/8 rock cap on them and are really smooth. I've played with the air psi running the front from 33psi to 38psi, and the rear from 36psi to 42 psi ( normally the higher for commuting the lower for canyon riding) I just can't imagine getting 8000 miles out of a tire and it still look good. I did get 8000 miles on the sportster and they still looked good but they never even dreamed of seeing the speeds the yamaha sees daily.
 
W

wrightme43

Well lets see, I wieght around 150 lbs. I dont know how much a extra 75lbs is going to effect a tire. I cant imagine it would be that much.
Are you buying sport touring tires or sport tires.
I know the Shinko are not going to last. I was worried you were going to have real problems from them. I am kind of a tire snob. I really really like Michelin, and Avon tires.
Did you get the Pilot roads or the Pilot sports?

Also there is a book that will help you to make your tires last longer. Its a racing book for cars but it applies. My tires last a very long time on my cars and trucks too. I believe part of it is the line taken to minimize tire loading, the decel, and accel points.
Its called Think to Win by Carrol Smith. He also wrote Engineer to win, which is like a mechanical bible of how, why, what, and when to use which material and for how long it can be used before inspection or replacement.
It might be a combination of roads, wieght, loading, and heat. I will bet that a good high quality sport touring tire will last longer.
Do you think there is anything you could change about your lines thru turns that would let your tires do the same job easier?
 
S

sportrider

I like the pilot power sport tires, I do suppose the 75lbs does have an effect on tire wear. I could work on my lines some, but I find the roads I know well I am very smooth threw and obviously faster, the more I ride a road the less mid corner corrections I find myself making. the new roads I've been riding a lot lately I can do better on but that is normal for not knowing a road yet, of course on the new roads my pace is a lot slower so my line choice is not as critical (even though I know I could have been smoother) when I'm riding aggressive I tend to favor 2nd gear in the tighter stuff and I'm either hard on the gas or hard on the brakes not a lot of neutral throttle or coasting. for me to use 3rd gear speeds are normally reaching 100MPH and accelerating and fourth gear is for long straights. but riding around town or commuting I normally short shift and accelerate slower (unless I'm doing a speed run or passing) I guess I'm a little hard on rubber, but I ride for enjoyment more than necessity. that being said it still would be nice to get more miles on a set of tires, next time I'm going to try the michelin pilot power 2ct.
 

jamesfz6

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Any extra weight will definatley affect the wear on the tire. The stock tires usually last a while because they are a sport touring tire that is hard in the middle and soft on the sides. That way you get more straight riding out of it. I will change my stock tires after the break-in period, i just like the sport tires better. That way i know if i have to ride aggressive the tires can take it. Those sport touring tires tend to break loose around twisties. I'm not sliding all over the place but the tires tend to drift to the ouside of the turn more often and that can be kinda scary. So i just stick to a good sport tire and usually get 3,500 miles out of a set.
 

bcityroller

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I got just under 4k on the OEM dunlops rear between myself and the original owner. Switched to Pilot roads and have about 2500 miles on them and they still look pretty good so far. Based on others who have them I'm shooting for 6 - 8k which is a pretty sizeable improvement.
 

VEGASRIDER

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Danny, I can't really answer your poll at the moment since I'm still on my original set of tires, which are the Dunlops. I've also included pics. I know you ride much harder than I do since I'm in constant traffic most of the time, so I pretty much keep my riding in check. Plus it hasn't rained in months, so the roads are really slick with all of the oil and grease that has accumulated so I have to be careful not to ride too aggressively. I just saw on the news that we only had 3/10 of an inch of rain since the Jan 1. But I think we are expecting some rain this week.
 
W

wrightme43

Motorcyclist did a test comparing sport touring tires and sport tires. The times on the race track were almost the same. It is totally up to the rider though. I love to use my bike as a touring and travel bike. I still enjoy twisties but I love to see new things.
The bike is fine for almost everything you throw at it.
 

fz6xlr8r

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I've got 4,500 miles on the stock Dunlops so far but I think their going to go ka put around 5,500 miles. 95% of my riding is commuting in a lot of stop and go traffic. All of that stopping and starting has taken it's toll particularly on the rear tire. Doing power wheelies the other 5% diden't help either. lol
I'll be sure to post up when I change them and give the total.:thumbup:
 

VEGASRIDER

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Oh what the hell, I might as well place my poll too, looks like I'll get at least 6000 + on my original set. Amazingly, we actually got some measurable precipatation tonight. I actually took my bike for a ride in the rain, just to see what it's like for me to ride in the same conditions as our members who happen to live in Texas and the UK who are getting DRENCHED!

VEGASRIDER
 

boliviasi

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over 14k milles and the front tire still good (stock) i change the rear tire 2k milles ago
 

gr8eyes

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I agree with all the factors you outlined as to why you don't get good mileage out of your tires.

Weight
Speed
Acceleration
Hard Braking
and the biggest-Road Surface

You have all 5 against you

I know on my FJR they come with 020's and I never got over 4,000 miles with them and it was worse on a ride into Arkansas hoonin it up with a bunch of guys. One guy never got over 2500 miles on his and some would get 8-10,000 out of the same tire. They would ride it like a scooter on smooth asphalt. Had a limp wrist to boot.LOL


Glenn
 

fz6xlr8r

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I ended up getting about 5900 miles out of the stock Dunlop 252's but I really should have changed them at 5000. I got the Dunlop 208's on sale and replaced both the front and rear. I know the 208's are a very unpopular tire but to be honest, but so far they feel identical to the stock 252's but I haven't pushed them very hard yet, being new and all. They should work out fine for me due to most (95%) of my riding is commuting any way. If I can get another 5-6 thousand miles out of these tires for $150.00 I'll be happy.
 

ped

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i get about 3-3.5k on street tires. my current bridgestone BT-002RS lasted about 3k (with 2 trackdays and a trip to dealsgap, plus lots of riding down there with that really grippy pavement)). metzeler M3 is what i used to run and they got about 3.5k. my original BT-020 would go about 5.5-6k before the rear would be worn too much in the center.
 
H

HavBlue

11,000 out of the 252 and now have 3,000 on the Road Attack with plenty to go.
 

reiobard

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and just a few more.

You can really see the cupping on the front in the picture. Its not as bad as it looks. It can be felt though.

I was told that cupping in an indication of low air pressure, just in case you wanted to try to avoid it next time.
 
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