Front Tire gone after 1 year

[Guest]

This is in reference to my 1982 GS850G.

I put new tires on the bike a year ago this month. Full Bore tires - I think I got them on eBay. Never heard of that brand but they were in my price range (cheap) and now, after 1 year and 4500 miles, the front tire is totally bald. I've been noticing funny handling for at least a couple months and have checked my tire pressure at least twice and somehow didn't notice the tread was disappearing. Don't ask me how I can check tire pressure and not notice a bald tire but I can only attribute it to the fact that front tires have never worn out with my bikes and it wasn't in my reality to expect a worn front tire. Either that or I'm just getting blind. I replace them due to sidewall cracking and age but I can't remember ever wearing one down to the carcass. Rear tires yes - 7 to 8 thousand miles and new rear tire, automatic. Front tires last forever with me, but not this one.

My rear is about half gone after 4500 miles, maybe a little more. All normal there. Front tire is as bald as a Guatemalan re-tread. The wheel is straight and turns freely.

It just occurred to me that I haven't checked the brakes to see if one side is pulling more than the other - but then lots of bikes only have one rotor on the front so that couldn't be it. . . could it?

My suspicion is that I got a bad tire. If it was just exceptionally soft rubber one would think the rear tire would be just as worn, or more so. Both tires came from the same place and were put on at the same time. Same model and brand, different sizes of course.

Anybody have an experience like this? Opinions on Full Bore tires? In talking to a shop owner this afternoon I expressed the thought that I'd bought some cheapo Chinese no-name tires but he said Full Bore has been around 30 years.

Mike

1979 GS850G
1982 GS850G

[nejeff]

I've seen them on Ebay before but they are not that cheap. The 712 Shinkos I use are less money and I have almost 7,000 miles on the front one right now. You may have just got a bad one, contact the seller if you can

[Wingsconsin]

If you are checking the pressures on your tires only twice per year ..that is not often enough.
Underinflated tires will wear prematurely. And are dangerous.
Check the pressure at least once a week and more often is better.

[eil]

Oh god, Comic Sans font, why is that even an option?!

Yup, bad tire. Did it come with a warranty? Probably not. Lots of us like Shinko around here for a cheap, decent tire brand.

[MikeS]

Can't figure out the difference between reply and quick reply so I'll just go with this. Thanks for the advice on Shinkos. I see them out there but never tried them. Chen Shen's used to be the good cheap tire but now they've gotten pricier than Kenda, Shinkos, and some others, plus hard to find. Anybody know a good source for Chen Shins please advise.

I can't find my purchase on eBay for some reason so maybe I got them somewhere else, maybe even got them from my tire guy. Without knowing where I got them a warranty claim won't work. I do know I won't buy Full Bore tires again. Once burned. . . .

I check my tire pressures when I think to do so or if something doesn't feel right. I ride every day as my primary run-around vehicle. There's nothing as convenient as a bike for splitting lanes with traffic congestion and with parking and inexpensive transportation (petrol, insurance, registration, etc.) I don't go long distances with my bike because the high frequency very subtle 4-cyl buzz is tiring. Noting like a big twin for comfortable distance driving. Nothing more durable and trouble free as the GS850G. This is my second one. Totally agree about under inflated tires. I keep my rear tire about 35 to extend wear, front tire at 40.

I guess the difference between reply and quick reply is the latter doesn't allow a preview.

Thanks,

Mike

1982 GS850G

[bccap]

Just out of curiosity. Why do you put 5 psi more in your front than your rear ? A good rule of thumb for tire pressure is to use the 10% rule.......

"A

technique for those wanting to get the most out of their tires on the street is to use the 10/20% rule.

First check the tire pressure when the tire is cold. Then take a ride on your favorite twisty piece of road. Then, measure the tire pressure immediately after stopping. If the pressure has risen less than 10% on the
front or 20% on the rear, the rider should remove air from the tire. So for example, starting at a front tire pressure of 32.5 psi should bring you up to 36 psi hot. Once you obtain this pressure increase for a given rider, bike, tire, road and road temperature combination, check the tire pressure again while cold and record it for future reference.

Each manufacturer is different. Each tire model is different. A tire design that runs cooler needs to run a lower pressure (2-3 psi front) to get up to optimum temperature. The rear tire runs hotter than the front tire, road and track. So the rear tire cold-to-hot increase is greater. Dropping air pressure has the additional side effect of scrubbing more rubber area."

[MikeS]

> "Just out of curiosity. Why do you put 5 psi more in your front than your rear?"

I actually put five pounds less in the rear, not 5 more in the front.

As you quote, the rear tire gets hotter so needs a little more space. Mainly I do it to squeeze a little more life out of rear tires. There's more rubber on the road if they are running slightly under spec. Wears more evenly. Otherwise, bald in the center and still a lot of rubber on the sides. Trial and error over the years.

Mike

[rustybronco]

Forget the Chen Shin and go with Shinko 230's 9+ K miles and my front still looks strong. The rear is getting a bit square looking from all the straight roads we have around here but still life left in it. Best cheapo tire I've ever ridden on.

[mrbill5491]

> "Just out of curiosity. Why do you put 5 psi more in your front than your rear?"

I actually put five pounds less in the rear, not 5 more in the front.

As you quote, the rear tire gets hotter so needs a little more space. Mainly I do it to squeeze a little more life out of rear tires. There's more rubber on the road if they are running slightly under spec. Wears more evenly. Otherwise, bald in the center and still a lot of rubber on the sides. Trial and error over the years.

Mike

That is normal wear on a bike tire, the center, that is where the tire meets the road 99.9 % of the time. You only use the sides when cornering.There is a reason why bike tires have a rounded profile and not a square one. Running a tire under inflated is dangerous especially on pavement. That is when blow outs happen. You are stressing the side walls. Don't skimp on tires, you only have two between you and road rash or worse. I run 34lbs on both the front and rear of my Dunlops. A bit more in the rear when I'm two up. I also check my tire pressure once a week and before I go on a long ride.

[Scout]

Mounted many Full Bore tires on H-D's back in the day. They use to offer a white wall as well. Customers never reported any issues that I remember. Contact Full Bore directly, it's obvious you received a bad tire and that can happen with any manufacturer.

[greg78gs750]

i thought the same thing, "oh, god, comic sans???"

[MikeS]

Mounted many Full Bore tires on H-D's back in the day. They use to offer a white wall as well. Customers never reported any issues that I remember. Contact Full Bore directly, it's obvious you received a bad tire and that can happen with any manufacturer.

Thanks Scout. I'll try them.

Mike

[MikeS]

Update:

I found the transaction on eBay on the Full Bore 100/90/19. I paid $58 with free shipping. The seller is still selling them. I can't remember the seller name as I write this but an eBay search for Full Bore would soon find it. I haven't called the FB distributor in Corona on the old tire yet, but will.

I bought a new tire locally - Kenda Challenger. Same company as Shinko the shop told me. I got it for $59 plus $20 to mount and balance it. Had to drive across town but service (and the price) was excellent - National City Motorcycle.

Mike

[Wingsconsin]

Buying tires based on how inexpensively you can get them seems to me be a poor decision.
The rubber is the only thing keeping you connected to the road surface.
I am not advocating spending too much on tires ; but at some point you are getting diminishing returns like poor longevity; less tractions from hard rubber; or potential catastrophic failures.
Hopefully you find this new tire better than the last.

[mrbill5491]

Update:

I found the transaction on eBay on the Full Bore 100/90/19. I paid $58 with free shipping. The seller is still selling them. I can't remember the seller name as I write this but an eBay search for Full Bore would soon find it. I haven't called the FB distributor in Corona on the old tire yet, but will.

I bought a new tire locally - Kenda Challenger. Same company as Shinko the shop told me. I got it for $59 plus $20 to mount and balance it. Had to drive across town but service (and the price) was excellent - National City Motorcycle.

Mike

Ummm no don't think they are.