Dual Compound - Worthless for my riding style???

[DeepEmissions]

Okay, in 2011 I replaced the original tires with:

Rear: Dunlop SportMax RoadSmart
180/55ZR17 M/C 73W

Front: Dunlop SportMax RoadSmart
120/70ZR17 M/C 58W

After speaking with the knowledgeable person about my riding habits and my milage per day (65 mile commute) these were the tires suggested because they were a dual compound tire and since the bike is mainly used to get me back and forth on as little fuel as possible. Now, about 10,000 miles later, I am not impressed one bit!
How could the stock tire last so long but yet a more expensive higher tech tire barely last two years +/- the same amount of miles between the 2 sets of tires?

Did I just buy bad tires??? Or am I just expecting too much out of a W rated tire??

Not to mention, is this a picture of a tire defect? Or am I doing something wrong when weight adjusting with/out passenger?
Why does it seem like there's strips missing from the center of the tire, supposedly the hardest part of the tire...

 

[sandctrev]

That's a tire that's been slabing it on the frwy. Aallllooottt. It doesn't seem you need a duel compound at all. Definatly a harder rubber in the middle. I have dual compound myself Michalin pilot Power 3's. the sides are made to be of a softer rubber and are stickier in the corners. I definatly don't ride as hard as some of the gentleman and ladies on this forum that I have rode with, but I like the thought of knowing that in a turn my tires will do there job better then most. But with the tire I got I expect 6k miles out of them, and will be happier with anything more. It's a good tire mind you.

 

[PhotoAl]

Hummmm, looks like your commute a lot with most of that going straight. 10,000 miles is not bad for tire wear. Some people get much more but it depends on a lot of factors like riding style and tire pressure. I've run several Michelin PR3's and have been super happy with them. They stick great, work great in the rain and work great in the cold. If you dont use your bike for track days or real aggressive street riding then the PR3's would be a great tire.

The reason for the stripe in the center of the tire is that it is worn out - time for a new tire.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

What does the front tire look like?

 

[iSteve]

It has nothing to do with being a dual compound but you have the wrong compound for what you want it to do. If maximum life is what you want get a Touring tire or sport/turing made for longer life. Of course it's all a compromise between traction and long life.

My last set I changed at 13500 miles and it was in a lot better shape then what you have there.

 

[Ssky0078]

That's a tire that's been slabing it on the frwy. Aallllooottt. It doesn't seem you need a duel compound at all. Definatly a harder rubber in the middle. I have dual compound myself Michalin pilot Power 3's. the sides are made to be of a softer rubber and are stickier in the corners. I definatly don't ride as hard as some of the gentleman and ladies on this forum that I have rode with, but I like the thought of knowing that in a turn my tires will do there job better then most. But with the tire I got I expect 6k miles out of them, and will be happier with anything more. It's a good tire mind you.

Good luck with the 6k miles. I had my first rear get about 4,000 miles and then I replaced it before a 1800 mile trip because it was about 1mm to the wear bar. The front I'm sitting down at the wear bar at 8,000 miles, started to scallop bad around 4,000 miles, flattened out a little, the traction is ok, a little sketchy sometimes though for the last 4,000 miles. The second rear has 4,000 miles and looks like it's about to get down to the wear bar again. I've been a lot easier on it than the first but I'm guessing for 5,000 miles.

Hummmm, looks like your commute a lot with most of that going straight. 10,000 miles is not bad for tire wear. Some people get much more but it depends on a lot of factors like riding style and tire pressure. I've run several Michelin PR3's and have been super happy with them. They stick great, work great in the rain and work great in the cold. If you dont use your bike for track days or real aggressive street riding then the PR3's would be a great tire.

The reason for the stripe in the center of the tire is that it is worn out - time for a new tire.

I had a set of PR2's and they were at 8,000 miles before I got a nail in teh rear. I could not stand them for sport riding, but they are solid for street riding, commuting. I'm gonna go for some PR3's next because I heard they have better stick than the 2's and am waiting for the T30's to be released in the US. There are some members on the Fz1 forum getting 18,000 miles out of a set of PR3's, average seems to be about 12,000 miles.

 

[MakersTeleMark]

Man, you need to turn more. I'm lucky if I can get 6-7k out of a tire. Or you just might be a candidate for the dark side.

 

[DeepEmissions]

Pics OTW VegasRider, wanted to answer some posts first...

That's a tire that's been slabing it on the frwy. Aallllooottt. It doesn't seem you need a duel compound at all. Definatly a harder rubber in the middle.

Hell I wish I could get on the freeway...
Here's my commute: Open Country, Beautiful Sunrise and weather in the AM/PM (unless a rain cloud shows up), Long, Flat, boring... lol
Google Maps - FZ6 Commute

Hummmm, looks like your commute a lot with most of that going straight. 10,000 miles is not bad for tire wear...

...The reason for the stripe in the center of the tire is that it is worn out - time for a new tire.

Yes, as seen by the above map, I do not get to lean very much at all.
Now, I'm not opposed to having 2 sets of Tires/Rims One being for my daily commute the other being for a possible track day or when I'd like to get on some curvy hills of South Florida. Of course, even by a 'hills' standard, they aren't, lol.
Is this a norm?
Guys, be gentle with me as this is my first sport bike, and I do not know much about tire wear and compound mixes.
No one's flaming me or anything, just kinda feel dumb to the whole situation, ya know?

It has nothing to do with being a dual compound but you have the wrong compound for what you want it to do. If maximum life is what you want get a Touring tire or sport/turing made for longer life. Of course it's all a compromise between traction and long life.

My last set I changed at 13500 miles and it was in a lot better shape then what you have there.

Are there any suggestion for a Touring/Sport or just Touring tire?
Am I gonna bite the pavement if I actually do get to lean on a Touring tire?
What was the last set you changed out that looked better at 13,500 than mine do now??

I knew I was starting to teeter on the edge of safety when I went to pass a SMV in the rain and I felt the rear tire break traction just by accelerating in 4th gear.
No Bueno!

Man, you need to turn more. I'm lucky if I can get 6-7k out of a tire. Or you just might be a candidate for the dark side.

LOL I wish I could turn more!
Dark Side???

 

[DeepEmissions]

To verify everyone's statement...
... No, I do not get to turn much!

Oh the phone with ARS Power Sports
They also Suggest PR3's
I'm being told a rough estimate of about $455 for the tires and installation.
Is it worth it to just take the rims to them and I do the manual labor on the bike myself to remove and reinstall the rims?

 

[Nelly]

Okay, in 2011 I replaced the original tires with:

Rear: Dunlop SportMax RoadSmart
180/55ZR17 M/C 73W

Front: Dunlop SportMax RoadSmart
120/70ZR17 M/C 58W

After speaking with the knowledgeable person about my riding habits and my milage per day (65 mile commute) these were the tires suggested because they were a dual compound tire and since the bike is mainly used to get me back and forth on as little fuel as possible. Now, about 10,000 miles later, I am not impressed one bit!
How could the stock tire last so long but yet a more expensive higher tech tire barely last two years +/- the same amount of miles between the 2 sets of tires?

Did I just buy bad tires??? Or am I just expecting too much out of a W rated tire??

Not to mention, is this a picture of a tire defect? Or am I doing something wrong when weight adjusting with/out passenger?
Why does it seem like there's strips missing from the center of the tire, supposedly the hardest part of the tire...

A contributing factor to tyre wear is how hard you are on the throttle.
Personally I have never gotten 10k out of a rear tyre. I would suggest that you go for a harder compound which will suit your riding style. It would also be worth sending an email to a few tyre companies for some advice. Over inflation of the tyre will also give you that band of worn rubber down the middle.
I also think that with the newer tyre compounds are very good at striking a balance between grip and wear. With this in mind unless you plan on becoming a track junkie two sets of rims isn't worth it.

Neil

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

 

[2nd childhood]

"I wish I could turn more! Dark Side???"

"Dark Side" is when you put an automobile tire on your back wheel. Not suggested if you plan to even drive NEAR a race track.

 

[sandctrev]

Oh yes to the tire pressure. It was a few months before I learned not to inflate tire to what the tire says. Go off of what bike spec's say. And there are related topics on the PR'3 on the forum. For you to get some first hand views from. I think that will be my next set of rubber.

If you have a cycle gear around... I like to pull my wheels myself and take them in. Saves around 30 bucks a wheel for me. Further more I like cycle gear because you can purchase a warranty for them. I often get nails in my tires. They replace them and or give me a pro rated deal on the next set depending on use of damaged tire.

 

[DeepEmissions]

A contributing factor to tyre wear is how hard you are on the throttle.

Generally, I am not hard on the throttle. There are those moments where I like to hear that pull to 10K RPM, but it doesn't happen often.
Judging by everyone's input, I seem to have gotten most of my money out of the tires.

With this in mind unless you plan on becoming a track junkie two sets of rims isn't worth it.

I've never taken part in track days, although I'd like to once I am ready.
So, I'll stick with one set of rims and buying tires every year, lol...

 

[iSteve]

Are there any suggestion for a Touring/Sport or just Touring tire?
Am I gonna bite the pavement if I actually do get to lean on a Touring tire?
What was the last set you changed out that looked better at 13,500 than mine do now??

My last tires were Bridgestone BT-023's They were just getting down to the wear bars I could have easily put another 1k on them while still being safe. I'm now using Pilot Road 2's. They seem to have slightly better edge grip then the 023 but are wearing much faster. I have no problem recommending the 023"s but they will soon be replaced with the T30, may be even better.


I never used a full touring tire and personally would not recommend them for our bikes. But you probably would see 25k miles when used on a small light bike like the FZ6

 

[Hellgate]

Looks okay to me. What psi are you using? If you ride all highway try 42 psi if you are not already.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

 

[FZ09Bandit]

The stock battle axis tires on my fz6 lasted a whole 4k miles. My Erc instructor looked at me and said "lean more" since I was given Another set of BAttle axis when I bought the bike I put them on there and started being a being a bit more aggressive in my riding, I pulled out 6k with them. (The main reason I got a whole new set put on was the front tire HAD decent tread, but was very lumpy). Since I had a "pit pass" at the dealer I bought mine from I just sent it there to have it put on (20% labor, 10% parts/tires and priority) tho I could probably do it myself. Just easier lol.

 

[DeepEmissions]

"I wish I could turn more! Dark Side???"

"Dark Side" is when you put an automobile tire on your back wheel. Not suggested if you plan to even drive NEAR a race track.

Okay, No... Rather not do that.

If you have a cycle gear around... I like to pull my wheels myself and take them in. Saves around 30 bucks a wheel for me. Further more I like cycle gear because you can purchase a warranty for them. I often get nails in my tires. They replace them and or give me a pro rated deal on the next set depending on use of damaged tire.

I'm going to see what ARS has for some type of road hazard warranty. maybe call around see if anyone may have something like this.

 

[DeepEmissions]

My last tires were Bridgestone BT-023's They were just getting down to the wear bars I could have easily put another 1k on them while still being safe. I'm now using Pilot Road 2's. They seem to have slightly better edge grip then the 023 but are wearing much faster. I have no problem recommending the 023"s but they will soon be replaced with the T30, may be even better.

I never used a full touring tire and personally would not recommend them for our bikes. But you probably would see 25k miles when used on a small light bike like the FZ6

Are there any safety concerns when using a Touring Tire on a Sportbike like the FZ6? I'd think the bike being small and light would see a significant increase in tire life when using a harder compound tire meant for a heavy touring bike.
But I guess that could also be it's downfall, having that tire meant for a heavy bike on a lightweight, may cause traction issues because surface area contact would be much less when there's less weight on the tire... hmm.
The PR3's look to be in my future, I may get rear now and front a little bit later (4-8 weeks), to help spread the cost out some.

Looks okay to me. What psi are you using? If you ride all highway try 42 psi if you are not already.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

I use factory suggested, can't recall off the top but I have the pressures written on my wall next to the Air Compressor.
42 sounds like the pressure for passenger riding??

 

[OneCheekRider]

10,000 miles out of a motorcycle tire sounds good to me. As said, a lot depends on riding style, psi, weight, and even road surface.

I buy my tires online and try to get the best tire I can for ~$200. My current set is the BT-023 which I highly recommend. I then have a guy on my local bike forum mount them for $40 - wheels off. If I get 10,000 miles or 2 years or more of riding, that's a little over $100/yr for tires - cheap IMO.

 

[motojoe122]

I'll toss up a shameless plug for Shinko 009 Ravens, I have 11k+ on them now. I just ordered the 005 Advance to try them out. I ride mostly to work and back, but get in 400+ mile forum rides when they pop up. I've had the 009's for 2 east coast seasons.