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Tire life

7K views 20 replies 10 participants last post by  rmccutchan 
#1 ·
So hitting about 7k miles now, my back tire is starting to look mighty thin in the center.
I was wondering about other riders. How many miles has your back/front tire lasted?

I'm rooted, bitchez!
 
#2 ·
The back tires lasted on the order of 5000 - 6000 miles on my KLR650; Suzuki 650 Tempter; Honda 250 Helix; Kawasaki 250 Ninja; and Suzuki S40. The front tires lasted about twice that on all of those on which I reached that mileage. Some got traded before then; some have not yet reached it. Be it noted I have been accused of changing tires too soon - that is, before the air showed through.
 
#3 ·
I got 9000 out of my last set of Metzeler 880's. Back was pretty thin. Front of course still had some life but I replaced them both. The first 100 miles or so on the new set is like driving on ice!
 
#5 ·
Guy on the Stryker forum just posted his Raider got 16k off the rear 210 Metz. Others with Strykers are getting between 6k and 12k. Depends on the roads you ride. I live in extreme mountains with average 10% grades and constant twisties worse than the Tail of the Dragon. Literally hundreds of miles in all directions from my house of serious twisties that most cruisers will not ride. I got 3,100 miles off a Bridgestone 210, completely bald side to side, Metz ME 880 240 almost bald side to side at 4,800 miles, A Dunlop E3 240 half way to the wear bars at just over 2,000 miles, I replaced it with a Michelin C II that looks like it's going to give me much better miles. All ready have 2,500 miles on it and looks good. Standard cruiser tires on my other bikes gave me between 5k and 7k. Front tires usually get 30% more miles except Metzler only 10% more than rears.
 
#6 ·
I went through three sets of the stock Metzlers and was getting just over 4100 miles from the rears (last tire was 4300 miles) - I wasn't spinning tires either...While the Metzlers were good for handling , for me they stunk for mileage...I finally went to the Avon Cobra AV72 240 (rear) and AV71 (front) and couldn't be more happier...have rode in all roads flat to twisty and dry to monsoon - no complaints...and they are also wearing GREAT! ...just one man's opinion
 
#17 ·
I might have to try these out. My stock metzler is at about 3000 miles and it's pretty worn in the rear.I don't spin tires either, but I ride fast a good bit, that may play a role. But I definitely am not satisfied
 
#8 ·
Interesting. I ride mostly straight boring roads with few corners from home to work and to drill. Most of the time its a good 15 mile stretch before is see any kind of slight angle of corner ('lovely' Alabama roads for ya!). I really do try to get out where i can and hit some twisties, but for the majority of my riding, its straight.

With that said, and just coming back from riding 450 miles, my rear looks to be a nice smooth black in the center while the flowering treads start protruding at about 3 inches from center mass. Since i ride through any weather, it might not be wise to wait till fabric is showing.....

So i guess looking around at your tire life, im right in the ball park it seems. Just hit 7500 miles since Feb when i bought her.


I'm rooted, bitchez!
 
#9 ·
My SCL has close to 4k miles on it so far and i'm nowhere near needing a tire. When i do get there i will be going to the dark side. No question about it i am convinced. Got a buddy at work with a big victory and he has had it on for close to 40 thousand miles. Swears he is more stable, corners with more throttle, costs half as much, and the available options are imense compaired to our two or three available for the raider.
 
#10 ·
That sounds about too good to be true. I can understand being more stable on straights, but in corners?

I was batting around the idea of darkside, but seeing that ive only been riding since last year with hardly 10k miles under my belt, i think i ought to stick with reg tires for now. Maybe next season ill swap out though!

Keep me posted in what your experiences with DS are!

I'm rooted, bitchez!
 
#21 ·
I agree with the post above. I don't live in the mountains, though, so a car tire is the best option for me. I'm going to the tail of the Dragon in a few months so I will see how it works there, but it handles the few curves around here, and smooths out our rough roads.

Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#11 ·
Think about it. At any point there is only 20-25% of a bike tire making contact. A car tire gets more than 75% contact even when pushed very hard in the corner. All of the nipples are on the side of his "worn out" tire with 40k. It still has over an 1/8th inch of tread at 40K, and the sidewall shows zero wear above 1/4 inch or so above the floor. So he isnt riding on an area where grip or strength is in question.
 
#12 ·
So how is it in the rain though? Car tires are made for much more weight on them, then taking and quartering that same weight might make a difference in a slick situation. Wouldn't it? Seeing that bike tires are so much softer than car tires.... Not trying to start anything; just curious since I have thought about going DS myself.....

sent from my rooted / customised nexus 7
 
#15 ·
Cars come in many different sizes and weight, pick one you feel compares to your bike. When you do, keep in mind that each tire only holds up 1/4 of the entire weight of a given vehicle. that factors just fine with the average bike weight. My 2013 Raider SCL weighs just around 750 or so not counting my 6'3, 225 lb frame. Plenty of reason to compare to 1/4 of a cars weight. That same car tire is built in many different forms, to include best...mileage, snow, rain, traction, etc... Pick one that you feels best suits your needs. So many more options with a car tire.
Seeing that bike tires are so much softer than car tires....
Not so. The available options for soft compound car tires are everywhere. I come from the street drag racing world and you would be very surprized at whats available if you believe the above quote. You can looks up jegs or summit racing on line and buy street tires that can handle huge amounts of horsepower, in conditions that are less than advantageous for traction than any drag strip in the country. The last set i bought for my 68 firebird were on an 8 inch rim (just like my bike has) and the car runs 9:40's all day long with a 468 bbc that makes 580 hp and has a 350 hp progressive nitrous setup over and above the 580 hp the motor makes alone. That car makes over 1000 hp on spray and thats way more than any bike makes.
how is it in the rain though?
The friend i mentioned rides his bike back and forth from Florida to his other home in Alaska twice a year. He does not think twice about rain. Tire makers specialize in rain tires and they work the same on the bike, diverting rain and maximizing traction in poor weather conditions.
 
#14 ·
Woah. Dunlop. Now there's a brand ill never trust again! Had three and every one of them sucked on either tread life, rubber life (started cracking after three months), or just plain blew out. Not to mention they get squirrely in a curve on either very hot or rainy surfaces.

I'm rooted, bitchez!
 
#16 ·
I will say that this summer is the first year of owning a Vstar 1100 and with that said the bike does not handle when pushed hard into a corner...No matter what tire is on it! Its like riding a couch and best not to be ridden like a road racer....Believe me I have tried and it does not work. :)
 
#19 ·
If the thumbnails work as advertised, these are pictures of the OEM Cheng Shin 130/90 15 rear tire off my 250 Star at 5890 miles. One shows the center groove with the wear bar; the other sort of shows the wear pattern. I had to remove the tire to replace the tube due to a nail, so I replaced the tire as well. I installed a Pirelli Rt66 tire, but can't yet really report on it.
 

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