Rear tyre wear....

Rear TT100 tyre was new last summer. Compound these days is much softer then the original specification but it's worn out in just 2075 miles! When I first fitted it some muppet had fitted the back brake cable wrong so it locked on over bumps (cranked over generally on power) which wouldn't have helped but is this anywhere near normal. I normally get high mileage from tyres as I don't tend to accelerate hard and view it as wasting money; prefer to maintain corner speed? Even on an Aprilia RSV I always got 3000 from a rear!

I generallyget about 6000 miles on the back using Avons.

Glen

My NOS TT100 has almost 6,000 miles on it and probably will go another 500.
I don't ride aggressive but don't baby it either.
Paved roads only
Bob

I cannot understand how anybody get these terrific mileage from their tyres.
I used to hit out rear tyres at 2000 miles, but used to ride fast. TT100's never used to last long, but they cornered well, probably the best at the time.
My BMW tyres don't last much over 2000 miles.
Must admit though, I had an Avon on the back of the Commando for years, but never liked the handling at high speed.
I have had a couple of conversations with local riders, they tend to agree, 2-3000 miles for a rear.
Perhaps it is our Somerset roads!

I average ~ 4000 miles till balding so most would toss em out - but can extend to 6000 by only giving throttle to matter when tipped a bit & not using engine drag to slow neither. I also tend to weave slow lazy zig zags to extend wear side tread while keeping aware of cops. If I only rode mostly upright, mostly normal legal sane proper un-noticed style, but enjoying a bit of thrust to get to cruise - I'd expect to be bald in center by 2000-3000 miles. When owning a motorcycle over 250 cc's, economy is not part of the picture. Spurge on yourself when it comes to cycles and their tires, while ya can before ya gone with the wind.

hobot said:

I average ~ 4000 miles till balding so most would toss em out - but can extend to 6000 by only giving throttle to matter when tipped a bit & not using engine drag to slow neither. I also tend to weave slow lazy zig zags to extend wear side tread while keeping aware of cops. If I only rode mostly upright, mostly normal legal sane proper un-noticed style, but enjoying a bit of thrust to get to cruise - I'd expect to be bald in center by 2000-3000 miles. When owning a motorcycle over 250 cc's, economy is not part of the picture. Spurge on yourself when it comes to cycles and their tires, while ya can before ya gone with the wind.

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I ride extremely hard and my original (post restoration) Avons lasted me approx. 8500 miles, upon which the central "S" shaped tread had just disappeared. Replaced 3 weeks ago with new rear and ready to go for the summer. Front tire shows hardly any wear at all.

Where do you find that many curves in Florida? Track days, maybe? Pounding down the slab isn't conducive to long tire wear.

I ride extremely hard and my original (post restoration) Avons lasted me approx. 8500 miles, upon which the central "S" shaped tread had just disappeared. Replaced 3 weeks ago with new rear and ready to go for the summer. Front tire shows hardly any wear at all.

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Ok I am impressed you can get thrilling rides for over double my average bald mileage on both my Cdo's and my SV650 on non DOT soft thin racing stockings. I don't know what to make of 'extremely' hard but I've quit that now - but for very special places because my balloon or skinny tires get bald to cords well under 2000 miles. I assume road surfaces must enter into equation too.

I've an old unused still soft 130 race tire I'll see how fast I can use up once I get Peel going, I expect under 1000 miles. Once only on THE Gravel on my SV650 when Peel down and out, I tried 2 [only two] back to back R/L turns at full bore spinning crossed up flat tracker style up to 90 mph indicated while going maybe over 60 mph. Then slowed down to catch breath and not chance any more blinds, got home to see 1/3 gone on sides and center of brand new $250 each Perelli Diablo Coricas, front and back, ugh. Never again will I by new balloon tires for SuVee, just side wall scrubbed up used ones for $50 a pop. Takes me about 1000 miles on public roads to rub the side walls back smooth to the edges. Then get about another 1000 off edges and 2000 from easy treated center.

hobot said:

but for very special places because my balloon or skinny tires get bald to cords well under 2000 miles.

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What are the regulations concerning motorcycle tyres (or tires) in the US, or does it vary from state to state? Or aren't there any basic regulations regarding use and wear?

In the UK, a motorcycle tyre is no longer considered legal to use on the road if it has worn to 1mm or less of tread depth (a car is 1.6mm minimum) or it has splits or other defects, and if caught, gets us 3 points added to our driving licence (12 points = ban) for each dodgy tyre as well as a fine, so most of us tend to play safe and renew tyres before they reach the legal minimum tread depth, purposely running a tyre down to the cords would be unthinkable in the UK.

http://www.etyres.co.uk/uk-tyre-law

If you put a penny in the tread you should be able reach Lincoln's head... I think about 3/32" for cars anyway.

L.A.B. said:

hobot said:

but for very special places because my balloon or skinny tires get bald to cords well under 2000 miles.

Click to expand...

What are the regulations concerning motorcycle tyres (or tires) in the US, or does it vary from state to state? Or aren't there any basic regulations regarding use and wear?

In the UK, a motorcycle tyre is no longer considered legal to use on the road if it has worn to 1mm or less of tread depth (a car is 1.6mm minimum) or it has splits or other defects, and if caught, gets us 3 points added to our driving licence (12 points = ban) for each dodgy tyre as well as a fine, so most of us tend to play safe and renew tyres before they reach the legal minimum tread depth, purposely running a tyre down to the cords would be unthinkable in the UK.

http://www.etyres.co.uk/uk-tyre-law

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In the US there are different laws from state to state. Some states have periodic inspections done before you can get your registration but none in Colorado. I don't know of any states where the tread depth would be checked anytime except during the registration inspection. I have seen some pretty well worn out tires on the highway. I replace them when the center tread starts getting thin in spots.
I usually get 3 to 4 thousand miles from Avon Roadriders on the rear and twice that on the front. Jim

Like Jim says mostly not a legal issue - just how lucky you feel riding on it. Can't really make a law on this as its pretty darn common for long distance riders to use up a tire mid ride and have to take it easy quite a ways before finding another. One of my best Commando friends, even letting me, ride 3 of his bikes!, was 1st meet in no where Kingston on inch wide cord only after last leg from NC Blue Ridge ride. He'd left home in Iowa to get to east coat. He did say he'd thought his kicking up heels with the hot shots in the Smokey Mt's using up 2nd had a lot to do with lower mileage than usual. Wes put him up and stole a tire off his own Cdo and sent him on. We did have to seriously talk him out just riding all night long on just cords. Over the years reports, mine included say expect 4000 of sane thrilling miles before its real obvious its getting puncture prone and wet ride exciting.

I was real surprised/pleased I got over 5000 miles out of Trixie Combat old hard used set last year. Its was not by accident niether as the few scratch out or far over stuff was just that very few. Easy smooth throttle, only while leaned more or less, shortish shifting, no engine draging and lane weaving where practical.
Two times in a tires life do I try to hurt them, on initial install new or old I grind me a fuzzy new surface before I reach pavement, then again when cords showing, I get pissed off at it giving up its short life on me so give it as much hell as I dare and still make it home.

I like these as shows the actual contact width, which is about same as 190 too.

It really depends on how much pork you are carrying and whether your iso's are snug or sloppy. Then throw in the type of riding you do, either twisties or down the highway. Myself, I am a porky on loose iso's in the twisties. Therefore at 3000 miles I am ready for a new rear tire. I have worn out three k81's which are bad on the grooved pavement, I now have a worn out Chen Sing Barracuda which I really liked on the grooves and in the twisties. I am now ready to put on a Michelin something or other but do not expect more than 3k or so. I would say if you put a little skinny 150 pounder on there the tires would go 6k easy.

Well I dunno, we get 6k out of the skinny little Avons on the back of the Vincent and it carries one heck of a load most of the time. I'm 255 lbs with gear on:



and here is the bike loaded minus my wife(taking photo) who won't disclose her weight. Im guessing around 160 lbs + gear.







and here is the bike again parked at Lochnagar distillery, right next door to the Queens summer residence at Balmoral . How convenient to have a distillery right next to your Summer party Palace! This was one of the days we did fairly big mileage in England, 350miles. Most days were only a couple of hundred or so, everything is so close compared to travelling here in Canada or in the US. We did 2500 miles total on this trip. I started with a new tire, it was about half done by the time we went home a month later.




here is a little video of the IOM part of that trip, sort of a compilation done by one of the members. Getting a bit away from tire wear, but you'll see I don't take it easy on this bike. I roll by a couple of times, easiest to find is near the end just after "Edited By Gerry Jenkins at about 3.50, in the very visible RED/White/ Black leathers going past a Black Prince.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b96qUn1EKsI

Glen

Another thing that makes a big difference in tire wear is what the highway is made of. I know the sharp rock they use in Texas highways eats tires at an amazing rate where the blacktop in Colorado and Nebraska makes tires last longer. Jim

Whew wee Glen you did flash by way over powered scary fast! I could feel the G's, thanx.

I have learned here that there's an unexplainable variation in tear wire. Would take a much organized world wide survey over some years to filter threw the factors. If ya ride regularly you get a sense for your style and area wear rates.
I use 4000 miles as my base line to judge if I've been a bad boy or its all the rest. I have done that a few times in less than a month on Ms Peel and plan to again. I weight under 170 full suited so should see milder wear than most, hm.

That's your rear tire from LOP TX Jim C. I took it for the exhaust but saw its highway flat center revealed the width of wear too. 120 size tire gives me distinctly more mileage over 110, 100, like a 1000. Its got ~ same patch area contact with similar PSI, so maybe it just spreads the wear out larger is all.

A good quality fairly new but mostly bald to edges tyre on nice fresh rain blasted dried out hot tarmac in Ozark's 3D twisties is a treat while that short state lasts, then back to changing and babying another till its ripe to chew up.

That tire just shows the roads are way too straight in Texas. It did make it home. The second tire that year.

I do know I can ride to Des Moines Ia. and back which is about the same mileage as LOP and just as straight with about half as much wear. There is something about them Texas highways that eats tires.

Ok now you mention it, yes in the Dallas level region the grit is tough enough to polish roads with cement or the brick roads like in Tyler so tires squeal like fingers on clean wet china just turning tire in place. When cycles and weather permits I go though about a tire a month on rear and a front in about 4-5 rears. With that in mind I've still got a good one on SuVee and 4 more stacked in my office people ask about, as I'd thought would of used em up by now and working on another order, until goat got me. Tubeless race tires don't hold tread or air near long enough. Trixies last set is an Avon front and China brand on back, almost unused only few years old, what a treat, so smooth and secure I have to watch not to wear sidestand tip, not so much d/t traction but softer compliant so they don't feed back into iso's or suspension badly. i am very aware each and every throttle up is that much less time till shopping to change again.

Hehe I do want a video of a Commando making smiley faces on tarmac, if someone don't beat me to it.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=_tZHzX6Zog8[/video]

Thanks, I reckon i lost a lot of tread when brake was binding, will stick another one on.
Cheers

I always used TT100s with no mileage issues but the last fitted rear TT100 lasted only 1300 miles of solo riding!!!. Dont ride crazy, well, thats my opinion, other road users may not always agree! So I changed to using Avon Tyres. 3500 miles so far and still going strong.