Tire Wear

[popogoof]

It is now time to change the front tire on my 1988 Gl-1500. It has 12964 miles on it and the wear indicators
are starting to make noise. My question is about the wear on the tire itself. It appears to be worn more
on the left side of the tire than the right. I have always kept 40 psi in the tire. Is this normal? Do I have a
problem? Other than that the bike rides great. It does not lean or drift.
popogoof

[HawkeyeGL1200]

A while ago, I read an extensive article on motorcycle tires and the wear patterns that we see on them. I had always thought left side tire wear (In the US) was from the crown in the road. The writer of the article explained it is from the distance the left side has to travel in relation to the distance the right side has to travel as we ride. When we corner to the right, the arc is always shorter than we corner to the left, so he wrote, and that's what causes the tire to wear unevenly.

Personally, I have no idea if this is true or not. Mine wear like yours did, with more wear on the left side of center of the tire than on the right. Maybe someone else can weigh in and explain it better.

[WingAdmin]

As Hawkeye mentioned, there is lots of discussion as to why this left-side wear is caused by the crown in the road or by arc length in turns. Personally, I spend a lot more time riding in straight lines on a road with a crown, than I do turning left - so I subscribe to the first theory. In either case, it is (at least in North America) normal wear.

[newday777]

So is this tire the original from 1988? Rubber hardens after 5 years and gets slippery.

Have you flushed and changed the fork oil? That's way overdue if not (time wise)

It is now time to change the front tire on my 1988 Gl-1500. It has 12964 miles on it and the wear indicators
are starting to make noise. My question is about the wear on the tire itself. It appears to be worn more
on the left side of the tire than the right. I have always kept 40 psi in the tire. Is this normal? Do I have a
problem? Other than that the bike rides great. It does not lean or drift.
popogoof

[ct1500]

A slight unevenness is OK but when it gets excessive a suspension problem can usually be blamed as newday wrote above for a first step.

There is a similar thread going that had suspension modifications?

[popogoof]

No, it is not a original tire. HA! HA! It's a 1988. And yes, the forks have been re-built and up graded.
Thanks for the "come back".
popogoof

[HawkeyeGL1200]

I tried to locate that tire article today. I was unsuccessful. I'll try again tomorrow, as I believe it was an excellent read concerning tires. Whether the guy got it right or not, regarding the uneven wear, there were many other interesting thoughts and comments on tires in general that I thought were worth the time to read.

[popogoof]

Thanks Hawkeye.---popogoof

[dingdong]

Here is the article. http://www.rattlebars.com/tirewear/index.html

[minimac]

I never bought the idea of the road crown being the issue, but I do feel fork/suspension issues do contribute to uneven wear. I recently replaced my front after more than 20k (and wasn't to wear bars) running a radial front on my 1500. They wasn't any visible cupping, but I had run it at 46-48#. That was a good read, Dingdong, and explained things well. BTW, I have over 23k on my Austone rear and it isn't 1/3 worn.

[HawkeyeGL1200]

Thank you for going to the trouble to find and post the link!

Here is the article. http://www.rattlebars.com/tirewear/index.html

[bstig60]

If the wear was a result of the road crown, California drivers/riders would have wear on the right side of the tire since they all seem to want to always ride in the "left" lane............

[dingdong]

Thank you for going to the trouble to find and post the link!

Here is the article. http://www.rattlebars.com/tirewear/index.html

No trouble. I have it bookmarked. This comes up all the time so I keep it handy.

[PastoT]

Left side tread wear is normal in countries where we ride on the right side of the road. Not so much from crown of the road but we make longer faster left turns. Road crown would have to be excessive to wear in the same location and to the extent we normally see. I have a terribly windy ride home where for 10 miles I have 20mph + wing from the left and am always leaning left and if one stops the contact area is clean (due to the dusty local I live in) and it is still much closer to the center line of the tire than the area worn my our normal left turns. All my front tires have exhibited in on every bike I've owned/ridden. I'd like to have a member from Britain chime in on this, I'll bet their front fires were out on thr right side first!

[hap2]

How long should a Dunlop Elite3 front tire last? I've got about 4000 miles on mine & it's starting to crack very close to the rim (both sides of the tire). Someone said it was from temperature & exposure to the sun, but the inside part of the tire by the rim is cracking as well & it's not exposed to the sun much. Also, is there any difference in the rubber composition of a motorcycle tire & a car tire? I think not. My car's (passenger's side) are exposed to the sun more than by bike tire is & they're not cracking & they are older tires than the bike. Also, my neighbor front right car tire is starting to crack like my bike tire & it's not exposed to the sun & he keeps the air up in it.

Also, other than the dealer, where's a good place online to get tires? I ordered one from JC Whitney & the date code on it says it was make 3 & 1/2 years ago! I'm obviously gonna return it. I'd want to know the date code of the tire before buying it.

I will bold my questions I will appreciate answers to.

Thank you so much

[minimac]

Highjack answer: Oftimes under inflation will cause checks in the tires, especially close to the rim, due to the added stress encountered when cornering. It also is a sign of old tires. The compounding of the rubber is quite different for a cycle tire as opposed to automotive tires.
To the OP- 13K isn't especially bad for a front. It's much better to change it though, before hitting the wear bars. There's too much depending on that tire to push it. A blowout at the rear, while scary, can often be controlled. A front blow out almost always ends in disaster.

[bstig60]

Motorcycle Superstore is where I buy my tires. I Don't know about how long it would take to deliver to Canada, but delivery is usually a couple of days here and their prices and brand choices are good.

[HawkeyeGL1200]

I ride 12 months out of the year. I believe that tires will last longer if they're used regularly. That is to say, you can put more miles on a tire that is used regularly over a tire that sits for prolonged periods of time.

I often wear out two back tires in a year. I usually get two times the miles out of a front. So, for me it is usually one front and two rear tires every year. This year, I've managed to get more miles out of the rear tire (Elite 3) than I have from any tire I've ever run on the back. I never ran an E-3 on the front, but if the mileage I've managed to get out of the one I'm running on the rear is any indication of tread life on these tires, I would expect to get over 20,000 miles out of a front.

[hap2]

minimac
I wish I had 13K on the front tire! I have 4K (4000 miles) on it. Still not bad?

I have a 'new' front tire, but it was produced 3 & 1/2 years ago. I'd say I need to return it as the rubber wud probly wear out before the treads do. This time, I'm gonna ask for a date code.

ttul

[HawkeyeGL1200]

I guess today is confession day for me LOL..

When I used to buy motorcycle tires, I guess I assumed if the tire was the correct size, it was a good fit for the machine on which I mounted it. Owning a heavy motorcycle has helped me to learn there are a lot more important things to consider than tire size.

The mount of air pressure you run in the tire, and the load rating are probably far more important than the size, but it took me a long time to learn it. Of course, in the early days of my riding, there weren't places like this one where a person could pour over so much information in so little time, and all in one place.

My only complaint about the E3 is it makes an odd noise when rising in curves. Aside form that, it has worn better than any other motorcycle tire I've ever installed.

I've read a lot about the date on a tire. Honestly, I don't know how much a factor it plays in how long the tire will last once it is mounted. I suspect the tire compound hardens over time and that an "old" tire can fail with few miles if it was old when installed. I felt compelled to change the front tire on my 1200 when I bought it because it looked bad even though it had a lot of tread left. I didn't look at the date of manufacture. It was cracking at the base of the grooves, and was badly cupped. I don't think the PO rode it much. He didn't know you could put air in the suspension.. and the bike rode mushy when I got it.

I'm sure someone with more knowledge of tires will comment. I only know what I've experienced, and that isn't all that much.

[minimac]

minimac
I wish I had 13K on the front tire! I have 4K (4000 miles) on it. Still not bad?

That is horrendous! Even the cheap Kendra or Shinkos wear better than that. No tire should be cracking in that little mileage. I would change it and send a real nastygram to the manufacturer. Hang onto it, in case they want to see it, if they even respond.

[HawkeyeGL1200]

That is horrendous! Even the cheap Kendra or Shinkos wear better than that. No tire should be cracking in that little mileage. I would change it and send a real nastygram to the manufacturer. Hang onto it, in case they want to see it, if they even respond.

I agree with one exception. How OLD is the tire? Tire longevity (miles per tire) is a funny thing. A regularly ridden motorcycle, in my opinion, will get better miles per tire than one that sits for prolonged periods of time... particularly one that sits where the sun can degrade the tire compound.

I know this isn't the same thing, but, I bought a truck from a guy a few years ago. It had "brand new" tires on it. The little rubber "****" (probably gets censored lol) were still on the tread. It sat for three years in a warehouse and never moved until I drove it home. I parked it in the yard for a few weeks before I drove it anywhere. The first time I drove it, one of the tires FAILED with a through-wall leak in the sidewall of the tire. They were all dry-rotted. I doubt they had more than 200 miles on them...

I've head tell of motorcycle tires with "flat spots" on them from sitting. I can not imagine mine sitting long enough to have this happen, but I wouldn't call someone a liar if they told me it happened to them. It's hard for me to fathom a motorcycle that can't be ridden due to weather for months at a time, as the worst weather we have only lasts a few days or a week... weather that prevents me from riding (snow and ice on the road). So, my tires work through their entire life.

It's just an opinion, and I certainly accept the fact that I could be all wrong here.

[bstig60]

minimac
I wish I had 13K on the front tire! I have 4K (4000 miles) on it. Still not bad?

That is horrendous! Even the cheap Kendra or Shinkos wear better than that. No tire should be cracking in that little mileage. I would change it and send a real nastygram to the manufacturer. Hang onto it, in case they want to see it, if they even respond.

I agree with contacting the tire manufacturer if the tire manufacture date is recent. If its several years old, (more than 5), they won't do anything, but its worth a call. I run Shinkos on other bikes with good wear. I have Kenda Kruz on both my Goldwings and the 88 has more than 6000 miles on them and you can hardly see any kind of wear on either the front or rear. No cupping at all.However, the front does get a little noisy in turns. IMHO, Dunlops and Avons are waaaaayyyyy over priced.......

[Grasshutperformance]

How long should a Dunlop Elite3 front tire last? I've got about 4000 miles on mine & it's starting to crack very close to the rim (both sides of the tire). Someone said it was from temperature & exposure to the sun, but the inside part of the tire by the rim is cracking as well & it's not exposed to the sun much. Also, is there any difference in the rubber composition of a motorcycle tire & a car tire? I think not. My car's (passenger's side) are exposed to the sun more than by bike tire is & they're not cracking & they are older tires than the bike. Also, my neighbor front right car tire is starting to crack like my bike tire & it's not exposed to the sun & he keeps the air up in it.

Also, other than the dealer, where's a good place online to get tires? I ordered one from JC Whitney & the date code on it says it was make 3 & 1/2 years ago! I'm obviously gonna return it. I'd want to know the date code of the tire before buying it.

I will bold my questions I will appreciate answers to.

Thank you so much

Bike tires are softer than car tires. I get mine from the motorcycle super store, and the last set I got were a few months old. I always check date codes. I used to get Kenda challenger tires, used them for years. But I quit after I had dry rot problems on 2 front tires 2 years in a row, not the rear just the front. The first one Kenda replaced on warranty. I contacted them about the second one, knowing it was a replacement already I did not expect a free bee, but they were not at all concerned or even care. I asked if they wanted the DOT numbers, or date codes as the tire was only a year and a few months old, no answer. I emailed, FB messaged them, no reply ever from them. I will never buy another tire from them. I get Shinko tires now, and they are really sticky, great in the rain, ride well, very happy, and it was only $125 for the pair delivered to my door!
Tom

[bstig60]

Sorry to hear that. I put a set of Kenda Kruz on my bike before I went on my trip back in July. They have a little more than 6000 miles on them and hardly show any wear at all. I was a little shy of the Shinko's due to some bad press regarding separations.