What am I doing wrong?

[Guest]

I am going through back tires like crazy! :x
I just put the third rear on my bike and the front still looks like it is new
What is up with this? How many rears do you go through before replacing a front?
Also I am only getting 3-5000K out of the rears!

[bwringer]

The mileage you're getting is typical for many riders.

However, it is affected greatly by your riding style, whether you carry a passenger and luggage, and the brand and model of rear tire.

I hate to break the news to you, but your front tire is definitely worn out too. Fronts don't wear in the same way as rears -- you won't see the bald stripe in the middle -- but you'll definitely feel the improvement if you try to replace both at once. Front tires wear on their sides and eventually scallop -- you have to look close to detect the wear. It's hard to see unless you have a new front tire for comparison.

Dunlop 491s are about the longest-wearing tires available for these machines and have excellent grip in all weather, but they are not cheap. Cheng Shin HiMax also wear pretty well, and are a lot cheaper, although you give up maybe 5% or 10% in grip.

Others have had good mileage results with certain Metzelers, but they are a little more expensive than the Dunlop 491.

I've worn out sets of tires in as little as 3,000 miles (Dunlop 404 and Bridgestone Spitfires), but both of these tires endured a lot of very fast riding on extended mountain trips. They would have lasted a lot longer if they were used mostly for commuting.

[katoranger]

I got my radian with new tires on it. I have put about 4500 miles on the rear and it maybe has 1000 left. It is a dunlap 404. I use it to commute. The front is showing it age too and was also new 4500 miles ago.

I just got a used takeoff from a Harley for $20. It is a dunlap 402 and looks like new. Local pickup on ebay. The guy wanted metzelers on his Harley.

I don't ride real aggressive so having the best grip is not that important to me.

If I get 3-4000 miles out of this used tire that will be great. I have another one I paid $30 for it and t was new. $10 for a new Pirelli Sport Demon front.

Both of them are in storage awaiting there time.

Allen

[flyingace]

Have you checked front/rear alignment? If your rear is pointing a different direction from the front, it will scrub rubber off the back in short order.

[Clone]

See, that's what I am talking about, I'm getting Kilometers out of a tire, not Miles, 3-5000 is less than 3000 miles even less than 2000!
That is what I don't get, I commute mostly and rarely get into the twisties.:?

[83'GK]

Check your chain alignment (I am assuming your not riding a shafty), this alone will roast a tire quickly if it is out of alignment. What brand are you running?

[Billy Ricks]

Also if you're running anything other than the stock 120 you are ending up with a smaller contact patch which will wear the center out quicker.

[Clone]

Allignment, chain, Ok, I'll get on those, I want this one to last at least a little longer
Width is ok, same as stock.
Thanks for the idears.=D>

[adamd]

Allignment, chain, Ok, I'll get on those, I want this one to last at least a little longer
Width is ok, same as stock.
Thanks for the idears.=D>

what PSI u running?

[Jethro]

See, that's what I am talking about, I'm getting Kilometers out of a tire, not Miles, 3-5000 is less than 3000 miles even less than 2000!
That is what I don't get, I commute mostly and rarely get into the twisties.:?

Join the club. I am happy every time I see over 2500 miles on a rear tire. My Metzeler was bald at under 2k. I'd say the last 4 rear tires I have gone through have gotten me on average 2500 miles each. Dunlop, Metzeler, Perrelli- doesn't matter. I think it has mostly to do with accelleration and decelleration techniques.

[Billy Ricks]

Alot of the problem is people running too much air pressure. This has been argued here a few times. People run pressures recommended by the tire manufacturers instead of Suzuki's recommendations. Just because you can run 40-45 lbs of air doesn't mean you should. Run what Suzuki recommends. As an example, we have a 350Z which calls for 34 lbs of air. The tire manufacturer says the tire can run 40 lbs or more. That doesn't mean I'm going to run 40 lbs of air though.

[katoranger]

Join the club. I am happy every time I see over 2500 miles on a rear tire. My Metzeler was bald at under 2k. I'd say the last 4 rear tires I have gone through have gotten me on average 2500 miles each. Dunlop, Metzeler, Perrelli- doesn't matter. I think it has mostly to do with accelleration and decelleration techniques.

My current dunlap(Radian) has about 5000 miles now. Its time is coming. I think the best idea has been the pressure recommendation. Look on the vin# plate for the recommended pressures or your owners manual.

Allen

[Clone]

30-35psi depending on ambient(?) temperature. I tend to drop the clutch when decellerating causing the rear to drag a touch, that can't scrub off that much rubber can it? I also notice the tire will wear away the center strip for about half the tire and on the other side I will still see a little of the strip. I have balanced the tire as best I could, I had 45grams on the rim to get it to stop randomly when spinning.