Time for a new front tire?

[Brendan W]

are you properly balancing your tires?
driving on chipseal?

Most of the primary routes are asphalted. The secondary system can be a mixture of asphalt and tar 'n stones which I imagine is chipseal.
Up to recently there were stretches of concrete from way back.

[Grimly]

Two words; camber shims.

[Gorminrider]

I can never get the mileage that you guys get out of your tires. I am starting to think I just ride like a nut.
I got about 8k out of my Sport Demon Front, and I get about 2k out of each rear. This is on a 85 GS 550e with 100/90-16 and 110/90-18 tires. Which is my worst wearing of tires for my bikes. I just ordered, as in this morning, a set of Battlax 45 for this bike just to see how they do compared to the sport demons.
The life on the radials, like on the GSF1200s is much better than the bias plys, but maybe that is because the contact patch is probably twice the size. But every few months I seem to be mounting a new tire on something. Come to think of it I better order some more wheels weights.

All that wasted rubber is worth it.

despite Sport demons being pretty soft/sticky tires I hear...and maybe that California asphalt is blazing hot too but even then 2000 miles on a rear has got to be pretty crazy riding! They must be smokking! or there's something wrong...

...I don't pay much attention to how many miles/km other people get from tires.On the very same tire that fits several bikes, there are too many variables as to weight of bike, inflation pressures, style of riding .... The only variables of choice I see are cruising (harder) versus sport-expensive-sticky (=softer)... apart from that choice, (that I don't exert!- I just get "cruising/day-to-day trundling) I follow just the manual closely for the bike as to air pressures and I don't see anything to complain about.

...just musing but "Mileage" is kind of contra-indicated if you want super hard-core performance- it's a pursuit you need pony up the $ for.

[bwringer]

For a Dunlop 404, that's not too bad.

In my opinion, the Dunlop 404 is just BARELY better than a Kenda Challenger.

There are MANY better tires out there, you can at least upgrade to a Shinko.

If you want to stick with Dunlop, get an E4, but make sure you are sitting down when you see the price.
It's worth it. Good traction and GREAT mileage.

.

Agreed. The 404 wears quickly and turns evil as it wears. Absolute crap tire.

In my experience, if you're asking yourself if it's time for a new tire, it probably is.

I'd say the percentage is more like 99.9% than "probably". ANY smidgen of reasonable tire doubt means it's time for replacement.

Get up close to the tire and/or compare it to a new one, and you'll probably be horrified.

I've also found in almost every case that it's very worthwhile to replace tires as a set, even if the front "looks OK". Front motorcycle tires simply don't wear in the same way as rear tires, and you can't wait for them to go obviously bald like rears.