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Short Tire Life or My Riding

Just Cliff

Just Cliff

Member
Member
Hello out there,
Just joined this site for the info. but mostly to find riding partners, I mostly ride alone. Now reason for post, I'm reading mileage reports of 8000-14000 miles out of a set of tires, how are you doing that? I just put my 8th set of tires on my 08 C14 with only 40,000 miles on it. Tried all brands & keep pressure correct. I ride them slicker than I should trying to squeeze mileage out. I only pleasure ride, don't commute, ride almost no slab & wear out the sides before middle normally. I would to see 8000 on a set of tires!
 
I don't think I've seen 8000 on a set, except maybe on my C10 with Metzler 880s.
I probably get closer to 7000.
It could be the type of roads you ride too.
5000 seems a bit low to me, but maybe you're changing them out too soon?
 
To soon is definitely not it. PR2's that just  came off had 4750 on them & sides were smooth as a baby's butt! They should be changed out sooner. My riding stlye is what I call comfortably brisk, don't consider myself to be a hard fast rider. We do have some nice twisties here in AR.
 
I got 2,500 on my second set of Bridgestones. I'm now typically getting around 5500 to 6000 miles or so out of Michelins and Pirellis.

Do you have the secondary butterflies removed, and do you like to accelerate the way I do? If so, you'll pay a price for it in rear tire wear. The seal coated roads here in Texas and the hotter climate doesn't help any either.
 
Butterflies not removed & we do have quite a few seal coat roads. I never replace 1 tire always in pairs! I guess 2 or 3 sets of tires a year is just the price of doing business, because I don't plan on quitting or cutting back.
 
Just Cliff, I wish I could wear the sides smooth as yours. You probably live in the center of Push Mt. road. All mime look like I have doing burn-outs........blanton
 
Have you tried the Bridgestones 023? I have 3500 miles on the front and it looks almost new. I only have 1500 on the rear so far.  A friend has 11,000 on the front 023 on his ST1300 and it's almost to the wear bars.
 
I hear ya just Cliff. I have tried all the majors also. Currently running on shinko ravens. They work as good as any thing i have tried. Think I'll stay with the ravens for now.
 
Your tire wear and mileage seems about like mine. With PR2's I get about 5K from a set. Anything softer like the Pilot Powers I get 2500-3000 on my VFR's so I don't even want to put them on this heavier bike.
 
Just Cliff said:
To soon is definitely not it. PR2's that just  came off had 4750 on them & sides were smooth as a baby's butt! They should be changed out sooner. My riding stlye is what I call comfortably brisk, don't consider myself to be a hard fast rider. We do have some nice twisties here in AR.
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I came off a Honda VTX1800C with a darkside rear tire  when I bought my '09 and found I had developed a number of riding habits that really wiped out the tires.

My suggestion is that you try a simple test.  The next time you are in a long corner see if you can take all the pressure off your hands.  When I tried this test, I found that the my 1400GTR wanted to turn in and the counter steer I was using was actually scuffing the tires.

Now I ride with my hands comfortably open and when I rode the Tail of the Dragon last month I steered with knee pressure on the fuel tank.

Give it a try and you'll be amazed with the results, I was.
 
I was at the store at Deal's Gap about 3 weeks ago & saw another 09 Red C14 just like mine. I asked the guy how he liked it, & he said he didn't like replacing the tires every 3K miles. Then, I examined mine, which had 2800 miles on it. The front was almost gone! So, when I got back, I ordered a set of Dunlop Roadsmarts. They're being installed now, & we'll see how they do. I also was getting the Sensor battery low message, so I told them to put new batteries in the sensors. I was told they are sealed units, $177 each, and not covered by warranty. I called Kawasaki & the guy told me they are covered & gave me a log number to give my dealer so he could replace both sensor assemblies at no charge to me. Some things you just have to handle yourself. For those who haven't discovered this yet, the sensors are at the valve stem, not the hub, & are part of an assembly which includes the valve stem.
 
Ray Roy,
I was at Deals Gap Store about 3 days ago. Just my 2 cents worth on the Roadsmarts, I've tried 2 sets of them & they lasted about 4500 mi. You will have some pucker moments because they do slip! Will not try them again.
Cliff
 
about 5k on a pr2 here. semi aggressive rider. fun as hell, but starting to get old.
Counter steer post was interesting.
 
The original Bridgestone on the front of my 09 is worn smooth at 4800 miles.  I should have been reading this forum, it never occurred to me that the Connie would have such an appetite for tires!  I ride enough curves that the wear is uniform, but it seems really excessive.

Has anyone found the ideal combo?  A tire with grip, but with a 10,000+ mile life?
 
Just Cliff said:
Ray Roy,
I was at Deals Gap Store about 3 days ago. Just my 2 cents worth on the Roadsmarts, I've tried 2 sets of them & they lasted about 4500 mi. You will have some pucker moments because they do slip! Will not try them again.
Cliff
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Every single Dunlop tire I have used has slipped when pushed, and I won't use them anymore. The D205 was terrible on the C10 and the same with the D250 on the Wing. I'm not going to waste money even trying these new RoadSmarts, my life is worth more to me. I had a Dunlop almost put me down once in the rain and it broke loose with zero warning, sending the rear end right out from under me in a corner, two up. Never again.
 
My 0.02.

The stock BridgeSucks (023 I think) came off my bike at 2000 miles,  not because they were worn, but because they were so horrendous that I just could not stand them anymore (Sliding in the rain,  constantly having the rear end step out on me in corners etc.)  I put on a set of PR2's that now have about 7k on them and still look good but I will be pulling them off soon since they are starting to get squirrely and I have had them step out once or twice in addition to a cupped front tire causing some low speed shakes..  I am NOT an aggressive rider by any stretch of the imagination but I do have some fun in the twisties,  I am debating between Angels or PR3's and will prob go with the PR3's because I tend to burn a lot of slab and want a tire that is better in the rain and will last longer,  IIRC the Angel is a stickier tire and will hold corners better, but for that you sacrifice tire life whereas the PR3 will last longer and handle better in the wet....
 
Put on my first set of Avon Ultra Storms in mid May, pulled them off in mid July with 5,758 mi. on them & still in decent shape but was leaving on trip out west, I didn't want to deal with tires on the road. Now the end of August, the second set has about 7,000 mi. on them. Still looking pretty good, some slight feathering, slight flat spot & maybe another 1,000 or so mi. left. No problems with grip in the wet or dry & still handling good. Though I don't consider myself a real aggressive rider.  It is my best mileage yet out of 10 sets of tires, I'm very pleased so far. Yes I have another set of Avons on order & maybe the tire for me! 

Cliff
 
Just got back from Sturgis and have over 10k on my PR2's front and back and look like I can get much more......though it looks like I better take a closer look after reading about others. Been great tires and I would say I am somewhat aggresive when riding the twisties.

Live in Southern Ca. not much rain, but I have driven in the rain in the Black Hills and Zion Natl.Park and it was fine. I would buy them again or look at the PR3's
 
RAMrider said:
I rode the Tail of the Dragon last month I steered with knee pressure on the fuel tank.
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JS_racer said:
Counter steer post was interesting.
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I must have weak knees, that never works for me. It pushes me one way and the bike the other
and merrily we go straight down the road lookin' sorta like a 2 wheeled dorky Gangsta Lean.
I guess if I were to maintain it and then alternate sides it would wear down the ridges that the slabs put on my tires.
Counter steering is all that has worked for me going all the way back to before I knew what it was
but I was doing it anyway. 
 
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