At what mileage did you change tires?

[dnakase]

Since I'm such a follower of fashion and a slave to peer pressure I'd like to know at what milage you changed your stock tires so I can act accordingly.

[Kurt'sSV]

Rode my stocks until I got nails in them, then switched to Dunlop 207's. I'm on my second rear Dunlop because I got another nail in the first (bad luck I guess).

[bwarbiany]

Got 7500 miles out of the stock MEZ4 rear... Of course, I could actually see the steel belt in the tire when I took it in :squid:

I recommend changing it before you see metal ;)

Brad

[Setter32]

Got 7000 out of mine.

But my philosophy with the Mez4s is .... " the sooner, the better "


:D

[Burst]

9500 miles. Should have changed them before the bike left the showroom. If I had only known.......

[Gmoney]

i replaced mine at 600 miles. i hated the way they slid in turns. i replaced them with M-1 sport techs. The M-1's stick great.





James

[linp]

I had over 11,200 miles before replacing them with Sportec M1s. The stock front was probably still good for another couple thousand miles.

I bought the road hazard warranty with my M1's, so that if I do get a nail in them, Cycle Gear will replace it for free (or almost free/prorated according to thread left).

(edit) Rear Sportec M1 got me 8k miles before it REALLY needed to be replaced... all tread was gone, and the thin plastic wrapping outside the steel threads was worn badly.

[stough]

I was at about 7800 miles and buying new tires so I'd have them when I needed them. Then, the next day, I got a little chunk of metal stuck in the rear... Oh well, now I've got BT010 front / BT020 rear all mounted and ready for when the bike is back in action...

Later,
Tim.

[ersigh]

My stock tires lasted me 9.5k miles. My 020's are past the 10k mark

[Stinky]

Rear Mez4 lost at 1600mi to a nail.
Rear BT010 at 5500k, but was bald as hell and maybe should have changed it earlier. Almost got a ticket for it.
Front Mez4 5500. But was really pointy.
Now I got the 010-020 combo. The front's sides are basically bald, and the rear is almost at the wear bars at about 5k miles.
Palomar kills my tires.

[Nanduccio]

Just noticed my rear tire today, and it sure looks like I need a new one REAL soon. I got a little tread left down the middle, but just about to the wear indicators.

One question though: does 4600 miles sound like a real short amount or what?

I do about 40 miles in the city per week, and anywhere from 100-300 miles a weekend in the canyons, and getting to the canyons.

I checked out some of the tire threads. It just seems like I've made real short work of the stock Metz...

-Fernando

P.S. I'm thinking of the Bridgestone 020 rear, and 010 front that everyone seems to like...

[Setter32]

....diff riding style affects wear differently.........

....your weight also factors into the equation.......

....but if you think your tyres wear down prematurely..........the first thing I would check is the air pressure........

....low air pressure affects tyre wear big time........

....I'm not too sure how high pressure affects tyre wear........



:D

[dillweed]

got 10,000 out of the stock tires.....of course metal was showing

[Nanduccio]

Well, I'm about 185-190 lbs.

I run 33 lbs front and 36 lbs rear, like the good book says, and I check them before each weekend ride, so I don't think it's pressures...

[rb643]

On my stock tires, I got 6700 miles out of the rear, and 8800 out of the front. I wish my M1's would last that long. I got 3900 out of the rear.

[Golden_Eternity]

I'm at about 5700 now and I expect they'll last me another two or so.

[SV650S]

Caught a nail in the rear @ 3-4k miles. Replaced it with a BT20 God what a difference. Still have my stock front that are very bald now, the OD shows 9300 miles. Will be replacing the front with the BT10 soon.
I'm 5'10" 200LBS moderate aggression on the roads.

Keith

[Punkbrad]

i have over 8K miles on mine, the front is fine, and the back was cool too.. im putting Mez4's back on it when its time to change, either that or the new Avon Tyres there mad cheap on the net right now, and got a decent write up on Motor Cyclist this month...

Pb.

[pfletch]

Brad, why are you putting MEZ4's back on when so many others seem to hate/dislike the stock tire. honest question,I know nothing about bikes/tires, this is my first.

[Doctor Steve]

Tire pressure as noted by others makes a big difference in wear factor. Too much and you wear the center. Too little and you wear a larger flat spot and it can affect cornering and handling. 33lb front and 36 rear is it..Your riding style, weight and whether you smoke the rear or are heavy on the brakes is also is a factor. The SV is a rather light bike and therefore tires should last longer than a heavy bike. Tire compounds also make a huge difference in handling and wear. Harder compounds will last longer but can't hold the corners like a soft compound will, but they will last a lot longer. So the question is whether you want the tires to last long or do you want the bike to handle to its max potential. Tire knowlege of compounds is very important.
If you live in San Diego, Clairmont Cycle's owner and operator Jamie has a lot of insight on tires and also has very good prices to boot and very good mounting charges while you wait. Check them out if your in the neighborhood. He's always available to answer questions even if you don't need to buy anything. (corner of Clairmont Mesa bvld and Diane St across from Jack in the box on Diane- Good people..)

[Orpheos]

I'm a big fan of Clairemont Cycle. Jamie is awesome!

[Setter32]

I run 33 lbs front and 36 lbs rear, like the good book says, and I check them before each weekend ride, so I don't think it's pressures...

...sounds dandy to me.........

...how about your riding style...........do you whack that throttle alot.........and brake hard?........

....if so.........those factors may also affect your tyre life.....

......

....WARNING: I'm on the verge of talking out of my ass........


:D

[Golden_Eternity]

Originally posted by pfletch
Brad, why are you putting MEZ4's back on when so many others seem to hate/dislike the stock tire. honest question,I know nothing about bikes/tires, this is my first.

The m4's last longer than most tires out there. That's the tradeoff for the grip most people like about the other tires... If you aren't exceeding the m4's profile and grip, then keeping them is the most economical way to go.

---
Um, I never said that.
(I am answering a question for pb after all)

[dillweed]

I've never understood why MEZ4 are supposedly bad.....even if I scrape pegs on my SVS, I still don't reach the maximum lean angle these tires can give ---- so I don't understand people who say the profile is "bad".

Plus, even though I understand that softer compound means better grip, when do you really need that grip? On wet or dirty roads, yeah, having a stickier tire would probably be cool......but if you're in the canyons, on dry roads, someone on a MEZ4 should be able to lean just as far as anyone else.......and leaning = speed......

Edit: I could see how a stickier tire would enable you to get on the power sooner, but in the MIDDLE of a turn, I don't see how it would be any improvement. I have never been in the middle of a turn where I felt the tires were suddenly going to give on me (unless I personally screwed up my technique).

So yeah, grippy SOUNDS good, but I guess I personally can't justify a 4,000 mile tire instead of an 8,000 one. It's MEZ4 or BT020 all the way, for me.

[Setter32]

he m4's last longer than most tires out there.

....this is what I keep hearing...........but from my experience, this is not necessarily true....

....the Mez4s lasted me 7000 miles........the M1s, which are alot stickier than the prior.......lasted me 8000 miles........

....but then my riding is mostly in the twisties........

...if your riding is mostly straight roads.........then I think the Mez4 will last a long time for you.....compared to stickier compounds........

...but if your riding is mostly twisties..........try the M1s........cost about the same if not cheaper than the Mez4s.....and last as long, if not longer..........and stick like a mother for street riding.......


:D

[SV650S]

Were is Clairemont Cycle? And can I ride it and he will take off the tire? or is it like Cycle Gear were I bring in the rim? .......you see I'm mechanically challenged :confused:

Keith

[dillweed]

Well see, if you do twisties AND highway 50/50, you will get the maximum life out of any tire......but if you do mostly highway like me, you won't get as much mileage, cuz the center will wear out before you've ever got the chance to utilize the sides. Hell, even when my center was totally bald, I still could have rode a few more weekends in the twisties

[dillweed]

Lee's will change a tire for $35 if you ride the bike in......I don't know about Claremont

[Doctor Steve]

You can bring in the rim or park out front and disassemble yourself. They charge $10 - 15 for tire replacement and balance. Jamie has been doing it a long time and is a great resource for motorcycle parts and accessories.

[dillweed]

what do people do, carry a jack or something with them?

[rb643]

They'll probably let you borrow a stand or something.

[dillweed]

really? that's cool

[Mapuda]

My MEZ4's were toast at 5400 miles! No metal showing but the wear indicators were gone and the rear was pretty flattened in the center.

I installed BT020R and BT010F and I love these tires. I have much more confidence leaning way over on the turns. The MEZ's always felt skittish to me. The roll in was too abrubt. The BT's let you dial in any degree of lean you want with precision.

Braking is much better too. The MEZ front never gave me much confidence in braking into the entrance of a turn with the front binder. The BT010 is so good that I just ordered up Galfer Pads and Stainless steel lines from Cyclemall.

I have not ridden the 208R or the Sportecs. I hear those are great too. Maybe next tire change.

Now I have to buy a Penske or Fox TC shock.

Bring on the twisties!

[dillweed]

Originally posted by Mapuda
The MEZ's always felt skittish to me. The roll in was too abrubt.
Mine was too, but I figured that was because of the way the center was worn flat

[Doctor Steve]

OOPS - I added a center stand. No problem for me.. I've seen folks out front doing the deed so I guess he has a crate or something to hold the bike up If you want to do it yourself and save some $. Your tool kit has all the tools you need. Dumb idea though for Suzuki not to install a center stand on all it's road bikes. It's a way handy item.Good luck

[dillweed]

if you put the center stand down, and pushed the rear end down, would the front wheel leave the ground?

[SUCATI]

If I get 4,000 I consider it good. (BT10s and BT56SSs mostly)

Mike

[NorCal_SV650S]

Why the mixing of the Bridgestone BT10s and BT20s, why not a BT10 on the rear?

Also, has anyone used the Mich Pilot Sports?

I am at 3,000 miles on my MZ4s but the constant sliding in turns is getting annoying.

I am thinking either D208ZRs or BT10s, but why would I want a BT20 rear over a BT10? So confused...

[Golden_Eternity]

Better mileage.

[NorCal_SV650S]

But is the BT20 harder?
I will be doing several track days on the new tires, and I am not the slowest rider out there (certainly not the fastest either).
I don't want to give up grip for mileage.
I only do about 5,000-7,500 miles a year, so having fresh tires put on don't bother me, but if I can get a set of BTs for almost 40% less than the Pilots or D208s I will.

So should I just get the BT10 rear? I prefer the softer option if that's what it is...

[Kurt'sSV]

The BT020 is a sport-touring tire, so yes it is a harder compound rubber than the BT010.

[Golden_Eternity]

I know the 20 is a dual compound with a harder center to deal with your commuter miles. I don't know if the sides grip any less than the 10, someone else will have to answer that one.

[dillweed]

They might be SHAPED differently, too......it's not just the compound. Car tire manufacturers do that all the time.....2 different tires might have the same size, but one will be shaped very differently, with a different profile and sidewall, because of their different philosophies. I had a 225-size tire once that was just as wide as someone else's 245.

[Punkbrad]

I just talked abotu the 020's at length with some who i met and has been racing for a logn time. he said the 020's are rock hard compaired to others - he'd rather have the Mez 4's - not bad hard, just muchos miles hard, not near as sticky as others. but, all in all, you only get about 1000 more miles out of them. to me, it didnt sound worth it. he said i was mad lucky to get 9k out of my Mez 4's. SO now I can speak up and answer the original question of this thread. I have almost 9 thousand miles even. And its time to change. damn screw i ran over,

SO im going with the Pilot Sports by Michelin.

[Nanduccio]

Originally posted by Mapuda

I installed BT020R and BT010F and I love these tires. I have much more confidence leaning way over on the turns. The MEZ's always felt skittish to me. The roll in was too abrubt. The BT's let you dial in any degree of lean you want with precision.


I just had the 010F-020R Bridgestone combo installed today. I did some preliminary running in dusty, windy Malibu, and this was my exact reaction to the tires.

Suddenly, I felt like my SV was a ballerina on its toes, instead of a bull on its toes. It was very easy to lean it smoothly and confidently to where I wanted it, and the steering was light and more responsive. I'm having to adjust my input accordingly as before with the ME Z4's, it seemed like you really had to gorilla it to lean far over, and then when you get it there, it almost wants to fall "off the edge". This would affect me more on VERY tight slower corners... Very unstable feeling.

Right now, I can't wait to get to a weekend with clean, dry roads to really try out these tires.

Of course, I could be talking out of my ass, too.

[Punkbrad]

thats how i felt with my new Pilot Sports- i got all the way over on a friggin offramp - they stuck like glue!

[Monte]

You're supposed to change tires?

:confused:

[kc1717]

yeah i thought the stocker sucked a nut, no turn in ...then into a fall off.

i suggest every one change the stock ones if you got the cash, totally changes the handeling

[bwarbiany]

Originally posted by Nanduccio
Suddenly, I felt like my SV was a ballerina on its toes, instead of a bull on its toes. It was very easy to lean it smoothly and confidently to where I wanted it, and the steering was light and more responsive. I'm having to adjust my input accordingly as before with the ME Z4's, it seemed like you really had to gorilla it to lean far over, and then when you get it there, it almost wants to fall "off the edge". This would affect me more on VERY tight slower corners... Very unstable feeling.

Remember that you'll end up changing an old, squared-off rear tire, so the profile is now good again. Not to say that the MEZ4 had the most triangular profile, which I wasn't a fan of, but after several thousand miles, it's even worse...

So now that you have a *round* tire again, it'll make a big difference.

[Rocko]

Just changed my rear Dunlop 207ZR for a Dunlop 208ZR after 6,000 miles. Front is still fine. The rear got punctured by a pointy rock. I think I could've gotten 8,000 miles out of the rear.

R

[tmonroe]

oh cool... maybe this is a good place to stick in a newbie question:

I still have the stock tires on my 02... and I'm nearly at 4000 miles.

My question is one of traction. Specifically in corners.

Its obvious from my tire that I have not been as leaned over as I could be. There is still about 1/2 inch of tire left that does not look like its touched the pavement (chicken strips). For this sin I ask forgiveness...

My question is this: I've been taking it easy, pushing my lean angle bit by bit, easing into tighter corners... now, when I do finally lean the bike over onto that virgin tread, its going to be pretty slick, isn't it?

Its going to be like a brand new tire thats never been ridden on (just the edges of the tire).

So basically, when I'm going to really need the traction, its not going to be there, correct? (maybe a little exaggeration).

Would it be worth it to find a curb somewhere to ride along just to rough this part of the tire up? (and get rid of my chicken strips?)

[Kurt'sSV]

No, don't worry about scrubbing in that virgin part of the tire. You know how the tires are slick because they seem to have a coating of baby oil (like stuff) on them when they're brand new? Well when they've been heated up that stuff goes away and the tire is stickier underneath. At least I think that's how it works. Anyway, don't worry about losing traction when your lean angle puts a new part of the tire on the ground once the tire has been broken in (which takes about 100 miles of street riding).

[Nanduccio]

I wouldn't worry a bit at all about leaning over on 4000 mile-old tires!

You're good, dude.

If it makes YOU feel better, scrub the edges with some steel wool or something.

But of course, you realise this is cheating.

Your chicken strips should be cooked naturally and traditionally. ;)

And Florence Henderson recommends Wesson Oil. At least she did when I was a kid, but I may be dating myself...

PAINFUL CONFESSION: I never did get all the way over on my ME Z4's so don't worry about it. I just don't hang off the bike. So when I just replaced them, I had the tiniest of chicken strips left.

[Rocko]

Do you guys check your tire pressure when you get new tires put on? I just had a new rear tire put on and it had 32 psi in it. Should've had 42 psi! Sheit!

R

[Kurt'sSV]

Originally posted by Rocko
Do you guys check your tire pressure when you get new tires put on? I just had a new rear tire put on and it had 32 psi in it. Should've had 42 psi! Sheit!

R

What type of tires do you have on your bike, Rocko? Don't put 42 psi in your tires unless you'll be going on a long, straight ride on the freeway.

[GetnJgyWitit]

6000 miles went from stock to M1's. The front looked good, but the rear was shot.

[GMAN]

Man, you guys are getting some awesome mileage from your tires. I had to replace tires on my old TLR every 1k miles. But, then again, it was much heavier and had way more torque.

The Gix should be a little kinder to tires, so I expect at least 3k miles out of 'em.

[orangetrak]

>>>I had to replace tires on my old TLR every 1k miles.<<<

:eek: Every one thousand miles?!? Holy crap, that is nuts! ( And expensive ) You'd be changing them every time you changed your underwear! ( Well, for some on this board, the tires would get changed more often.....:grin: ) You must have had some really had some soft tires on there. I'm on my stock M4's at 5k; they still have a ways to go and I thought that was bad....

Cheers, Doug

[GMAN]

Originally posted by orangetrak
Every one thousand miles?!? Holy crap, that is nuts! ( And expensive ) You'd be changing them every time you changed your underwear! ( Well, for some on this board, the tires would get changed more often.....:grin: ) You must have had some really had some soft tires on there.

Oh yeah, it was nuts. Even when I took it easy, I would maybe squeeze 200-300 more miles out of 'em. I wore 'em right down to the steel belts. I had Dunlop D207's at the time, so yeah, they are kinda softer than something like a Battlax 010.

[Golden_Eternity]

Man, I got chicken strips like a gixxer 1k owner who hasn't done msf yet... like a rider who bought the r1 cause it was 5 smaller than the r6...

[GMAN]

Originally posted by Golden_Eternity
Man, I got chicken strips like a gixxer 1k owner who hasn't done msf yet... like a rider who bought the r1 cause it was 5 smaller than the r6...

lol, you gonna fry 'em off on the Ortega before the gathering?

[Golden_Eternity]

Maybe after... I'm packing Toad down to Scripps to pick up his SV, then we'll head straight up the 15, so Ortega will have to wait a couple hours...

[Chicago_SV]

Stock tires run at 32 / 35 7,500 Front pointy, back flat but tread still left on both. Could have gone another 2k I would think
but the traction and tire profile for sport riding was shot. Commuting would have been fine.

New BT 10-20 combo are worth the change much better grip.

Later

Michael


http://www.geocities.com/mj_hamer/chicago_sv.html

[Sentinel]

I was at 6200mi when a nail forced me to upgrade to BT010.

nail=bad

upgrade=good

road hazard warranties=a MUST!

[Nanduccio]

Originally posted by Golden_Eternity
Man, I got chicken strips like a gixxer 1k owner who hasn't done msf yet... like a rider who bought the r1 cause it was 5 smaller than the r6...

LMFAO.

I never saw this...holy cow, is that funny!

[Frusky]

I'm not sure how to start a poll... but someone should start a poll with all the different tires that were mentioned in here then we can get some idea of what everyone thinks. I'm not even close to changing mine yet but when the time comes the information would be really great to have :)..

I'm only at 2600km but then again i have only had the bike 3weeks :) and it has been raining for a week straight.. hope to get her out tonight after the rain :)

[swll360]

I was at 1800 miles until i ran over something going across country. Talk about suck'n. i rode on a flat for 35 miles until i found a gas station. I was on the west side of San Antonio on I-10, so that means it's very far in between gas stations. Luckily i brought a tire repair kit. Most of the tread was gone. It got me to Biloxi where i got to upgrade to a Sport-Tech.:D Not complaints here.

[Dom]

the tires that came with my bike (not stock) lasted about 6000 miles which was a good run there was an H2 on the front and an 010 on the rear. Now I've got diablos. Not sure how much I'm liking them though they seem a little slippy on the edge. I'm thinking about the new diablo corsas or a metzeler equivelant.

[MikeCheng]

i just bought my bike last week, and the original owner never changed the front tire. it's been 10k miles on it, time to change? the tread still looks good, but i feel a little slippage in the turns.

[PoopinClumpin]

Well, if you feel slippage, maybe it's time for a new tire.

[Burst]

question: how many miles can the stock front tire last?

answer: too many.... way too many.

Seriously tho, the stock front will slip when it is brand spankin new. They are not exactly a sticky tire.

[BioTek]

Yep, everyone told me to change my stock tire months ago but I put up with the piece 'o shit and it's slipping, just put on a BT010 recently and things are MUCH better, ditch it and get a nice sticky tire and you'll love it.

[dabame]

i thought if your tire slipped a little bit while leaned over you would fall big time... actually come to think of it i have have it slip a little but not while leaned over far.. maybe you just have to warm up more.

[SVChris]

I just bought a used 2002 that I was told was setup for racing. The tires need to be replaced, the tires that are on the bike are the D207F 120/70 Front and 170/60 Rear. My question is, should I stay with those sizes or should I go back to stock. I was thinking about going back to stock BT10 Front and BT20 rear. I am new to the bike and sport, so I won't be doing any track days anytime soon. Mostly a learning bike and cruises around town, not aggressive at all. Thanks for any input.

[kc1717]

my sv tires lasted around 6000 miles, but i am pretty heavy

i suggest the bt010's for just about any bike as they are the best tire and dirt cheap compared to oter street tires. if i didnt run supercorsas i would run the bt010's

and all svers be happy that the 68 hp is easy on tires, my r1 has eaten sets of tires in under a thousand miles, so go get some stick rubber, and know that at least they will last

[GMAN]

Originally posted by kc1717
and all svers be happy that the 68 hp is easy on tires, my r1 has eaten sets of tires in under a thousand miles, so go get some stick rubber, and know that at least they will last


Nobody believed me when I said I went through tires every thousand miles on my old TLR. Good to hear that someone else has the same problem. ;)

[Mapuda]

I am in the 4k range. The original Meztlers went pretty fast.

I am on my second set of BT-010F with the BT-020 Rear. The bike has 13k miles.

[Bubba]

I had to replace the rear at 1800 miles due to a large bolt going through the left side of the tread destroying the tire. I replaced it with another Michelin and now have over 4300 miles on the front with 2500 on the rear. They both look fine.

I bought a Pirelli Diablo rear and got the free front tire, so these are going on when the Michelins wear out.

[clee454]

600 the stock D220's suck

[Loyolan]

I have approximately 5,350 on stock tires, the last 2,500 (or so) of which, I have had a patch on the rear with zero loss of pressure and unlimited abuse. I think they have about 2,000 more miles on them but I'll be swapping my boy for his '02 r6 in a few weeks (SVS + Cash = R6).

[dabame]

ok this might be due to low air presure which is now fixed but i have 3500 miles on my RR and my BT012's are almost bald in the middle of the rear and are almost bald on the sides of the front tire.... wtf... is it me or is that wierd? i have plenty of side wall on the rears and a good amount of center on the fronts in other words. i do everything as far as commuting and freeway and a few palomar runs. . .
anyone have any good recomendations of a generally good tire.. nothing fancy but nothing shitty.. i kinda wana try perellis (or however you spell it). but i might try a set of 208s.

[Kurt'sSV]

Originally posted by dabame
ok this might be due to low air presure which is now fixed but i have 3500 miles on my RR and my BT012's are almost bald in the middle of the rear and are almost bald on the sides of the front tire.... wtf... is it me or is that wierd? i have plenty of side wall on the rears and a good amount of center on the fronts in other words. i do everything as far as commuting and freeway and a few palomar runs. . .
anyone have any good recomendations of a generally good tire.. nothing fancy but nothing shitty.. i kinda wana try perellis (or however you spell it). but i might try a set of 208s.

The RR is very hard on front tires. Setter went through 2 fronts before he changed the rear.

[Setter32]

Originally posted by dabame
ok this might be due to low air presure which is now fixed but i have 3500 miles on my RR and my BT012's are almost bald in the middle of the rear and are almost bald on the sides of the front tire.... wtf... is it me or is that wierd? i have plenty of side wall on the rears and a good amount of center on the fronts in other words. i do everything as far as commuting and freeway and a few palomar runs. . .
anyone have any good recomendations of a generally good tire.. nothing fancy but nothing shitty.. i kinda wana try perellis (or however you spell it). but i might try a set of 208s.


....what Kurt said is true...............the front will wear out fairly fast....on the sides........

....but the wear on your rear tyre.....is puzzling to me.....

....I also had the B012............when I changed the front....I went to the softer B012SS.......

....the B012 rear.........lasted me till 9K......and still had a few hundred miles left when I sold her to Thach....

....but then a majority of my commuting....is through the twisties............so I usually can squeeze out more miles out of my tyres than the average commuting joe......

....but still...........3500 for the rear seems a bit short lived.........if your riding is not consistently agressive.....

....also......my air pressure is usually in the mid to late 30s.......for the street...............this will extend the life of the tyre......

.....what pressures are you running at?........





:D

[Setter32]

....also......

....if the B012s are not working for you.............you may want to try the B014s..............if I'm not mistaken...the 014s are the replacement for the 010s.....

....you may get a bit more life out of them.....





:D

[kpalmer]

I have almost 10K on the stock Metzler's. I'm considering taking it easy until I get some new tires or a new bike.

--KP

[slowpoke]

4500. Stock D220s. Just starting to bald, so probably had some life left in them, but they were going off on me in the twisties, so I had lost confidence in them.

[GMAN]

Originally posted by kpalmer
I have almost 10K on the stock Metzler's. I'm considering taking it easy until I get some new tires or a new bike.

--KP

Is the compound on that tire really that hard? I can't imagine any tire on a sportbike lasting more than 8k miles.

[BioTek]

I'm getting BT014's mounted next week front and rear,will give a mileage report when they're thrashed.

[Jarasco]

Originally posted by GMAN
Is the compound on that tire really that hard? I can't imagine any tire on a sportbike lasting more than 8k miles.

I'm at 7k on my stock tires... It looks like I might need to start thinking about changing them... and apperently I turn left more than right :D

[dabame]

i can get 4k out of them (another 400 miles). so this might be on another thread but what tires do you all recomend?

[Jarasco]

BTW, I made it a little about 8k on those tires... we'll see how far I can get on BT020s...

[300]

i threw away my stock macadams at 3k miles, when they were
still like new. but, they are nothing more than craps, can't do
anything but a lot of miles..... aka crapadams.....


my second set was a BT010/020 combo, after 3k miles on them,
they still look like new, without flat spot. they are expected to
last another 7k miles on my kat


but, a friend is about to have his 3rd set with only 5k miles on
his TLR

[patriot_missile]

i just change my mez4 rear at just under 9,000 and have a new 020 that should last me that long hopefully

[Hiszpan]

Originally posted by Setter32
Got 7000 out of mine.

But my philosophy with the Mez4s is .... " the sooner, the better "


:D

Damn right! MeZ4 sucks! are they made from wood or what? terrible handling on wet and when they are cold. Prefer Bridgestone BT56 or BT57.

[Kurt'sSV]

If you are in the market for some sporty tires for your street bike, give the new Micheline Pilot Power a try. They're supposed to be really good. You can get them from Ron Ayers (the rear isn't cheap, though).

http://www.ronayers.com/tires/tiredetail.cfm?catid=42

[kpalmer]

Originally posted by GMAN
Is the compound on that tire really that hard? I can't imagine any tire on a sportbike lasting more than 8k miles.

I'm now at 11,300 on the MeZ4's! The front and rear are both squared off. The rear is just starting to show a little pealing. 12K on the MeZ4's is possible :squid: , but probably not recommended.

--KP

[GMAN]

Originally posted by kpalmer
I'm now at 11,300 on the MeZ4's! The front and rear are both squared off. The rear is just starting to show a little pealing. 12K on the MeZ4's is possible :squid: , but probably not recommended.

--KP

Hehe, now that's a first for me. Nice! Pretty cool that you got that kind of mileage from your tires.

I would have obliterated it at 2k miles or so. :D

[soulofadra6o]

i got the dunlop 220 and have around 4600 miles and they still have LOTS of tread left, so i dont know when i'll be changing mine

[NC03SVSRider]

ive changed my rear three times...and im bout to bust my ass on the original front. I got 10700 miles on it and i need a new one bad.

[blue rhino]

Originally posted by NC03SVSRider
ive changed my rear three times...and im bout to bust my ass on the original front. I got 10700 miles on it and i need a new one bad.

Don't feel so bad...I just changed my stock Dunlop 220's today. They had 14,000 miles on it...I rode it cross country to CA, and rode another 7,000. Now that I have new Pirelli Diablos and actually feel a HUGE difference in the turns, I'll never go that long again.......lesson learned. Now I know what they mean when they call them "sticky".

[patriot_missile]

i'm changing my MEZ 4 front at about 10,350 and the thing is it never squared off it just peaked and just below the peak of the tire that is where it wore down the most not the top. I thought it was strange but hey whatever!

[NukleoN]

I changed to Sportec M1's fairly early on. Sold my stock MEZ 4's to two different people.

[mojo mofo]

Originally posted by GMAN
Hehe, now that's a first for me. Nice! Pretty cool that you got that kind of mileage from your tires.

I would have obliterated it at 2k miles or so. :D

You might'a been surprised...those Mez4's wear like iron

[miarmyguy]

I'm changing my MeZ4 today with 5500 miles on them. Putting some brand new M-1's. Maybe today i sthe day i die??:D

[dlbrinton]

I'm changing my rear tire at 2300 miles (Stock Dunlop).

Today I had an industrial staple and a nail penetrate my tire. :mad: So - I'm ordering a new tire, and getting the camera ready to take pictures of me wearing the rest of the tread off in a cloud of smoke.
:evil:

[BioTek]

My 014's stick like glue, the front seems to be wearing pretty quickly, about 2500 miles and I'm past the wear bars on the side tread and it's shelved and cupped (I'm just gonna keep going tho coz there's still plenty of rubber left I think) ,the rear looks great,no unusual wear altho it is starting to cup a little.

[soulofadra6o]

hey guys, what is the best choice for a new set of tires? i basically use my bike as a daily driver..work is 60 miles both ways and would want a good performance tire but with a longer life because i commute so much, i was wondering on the conti-attacks, seems from the ad they r a long lasting sport radial....i dont know though, dont trust manufacture ads as well as people who use the products

[NC03SVSRider]

I think when i change my front, in a couple of weeks, im going to go with a taller profile. Mayby a 120/70 instead of a 60....Has anyone else done this?

[zzzwillzzz]

i've been doing it for over 10 years first on my hawk w/ an cbr600f2 front end and on my sv. don't forget to pull up the fork tubes at least 12mm to compensate for the taller tire and maybe a little more to speed up the steering. i've pulled mine up a little extra and have about 2 more inches of ride hieght in the rear and it's not unstable. do a search if you need more info... this topic has been covered a billion times already (maybe more!)

[Tillers_Rule]

I usually get anywhere from 3K-6K miles out of the rear, and 6K-10K out of the front. Havent done a trackday yet, but well see in Nov if that number drops significantly.

[Knaapie]

Originally posted by soulofadra6o
hey guys, what is the best choice for a new set of tires? i basically use my bike as a daily driver..work is 60 miles both ways and would want a good performance tire but with a longer life because i commute so much, i was wondering on the conti-attacks, seems from the ad they r a long lasting sport radial....i dont know though, dont trust manufacture ads as well as people who use the products
Personally i don't have that much confidence in the Continental tires. I think a set of Bridgestones will do perfectly. BT014/BT020 for the front and BT020 for the rear. You could get some great mileage with that and the grip is also very good.

[kpalmer]

Check out the stock tire with around 11,500 miles. :squid:

[Bigtime1]

Watch the fender clearance on that 120/70, outer diameter of the tire can be as much as 3/4 of an inch depending on model going from 120/60 to 120/70.

.. and ya ya ya I know it doesn't make much sense when you do the math, but check out the Dunlop site.

I just went to the Dunlop D220 front and rear. They worked really well on a ZZR1200 I rode in June and hope for better mileage than the BT010s I've been running. Those have been lasting around 5k - 6k on average.

[jwalstad]

Originally posted by kpalmer
Check out the stock tire with around 11,500 miles. :squid:

HAHA...thats what mine looked right right before I changed it at 7500 miles.

[dietcrack]

Originally posted by soulofadra6o
hey guys, what is the best choice for a new set of tires? i basically use my bike as a daily driver..work is 60 miles both ways and would want a good performance tire but with a longer life because i commute so much, i was wondering on the conti-attacks, seems from the ad they r a long lasting sport radial....i dont know though, dont trust manufacture ads as well as people who use the products

I read a good review of those Attacks somewhere, and my MEZ4's are just about to hit 12k with the wear bars just starting to flatten out into bridges, so I think I'm gonna be the guinea pig and try out the continentals. I'll let ya know how it goes.

Edit: Wow, I can't believe no one corrected me. My stock tires are Dunlop D220s, apparently. Guess I missed where the 2nd gens had different tires. Are the D220s supposed to be better than the ME Z4s?

[james4396]

The bike handles like shit if the tires get this low. It's too hard to lean over and will then drops in. For those who like riding verticle I guess you can run tires this low if you want.

[soulofadra6o]

7700 miles and still got a pretty good amount of tread left... i commute so my tire is beginning to square out

[dlbrinton]

300 Miles out of this last rear tire. :mad: Still, full tread on it.

This will be the 4th rear tire for my bike... it's a 2003 with only 3800 miles!

Each flat has been a nail/screw. I think CycleGear is going to be upset. I'm starting to think of not riding to work anymore... start riding the mountain bike, instead.

[slimshadysv1]

got 4k out of stock and now have 020's so hoping for quit a bit more!

my advice is stay of the motorways and stick to the twisties, accelerate more coming out of corners and the middle should last longer!!:grin:

[BTLines]

My rear Pilot Sport made it to 5,200 miles before it got down to the wear bars in the middle. Mighta tried to squeeze a few hundred more out if the rainy season hadn't started, but I decided it just wasn't worth the risk. Front was only half-gone, but I got a good enough deal on a pair to change both.

Now that I've got new tires (Dunlop D218's) on, the bike feels like brand-new again! I didn't realize how much the handling had deteriorated as the tires wore down. It wasn't bad, but steering wasn't nearly as crisp before the tire change.

Anybody posted a thread on how to best store an unmounted tire long-term? Saran-wrapped, on a flat surface?

[Rocko]

i just changed out a sportec rear...it lasted 5000 miles exactly!

[zaphod]

my michelin pilot sport rear tire is showing the cords at 5,300 miles - god this sucks !!! - Iam going to be shelling out $230.00 every 5,000 miles !!!

the front looked worn so Iam replacing both with metzler M-1's,
was looking for something with more tread life but with longer tread life it seems that one is giving up traction , so............

[SV650sk3]

Uhh... I only got 3000 miles out of my rear sportec m-1. Am I riding to hard? I have only been riding for 4 months, no trackdays or anything. What the hell?

[Dan The Man]

Just changed my rear D220 for a Bridgestone BT-020.

BuyMoto.com was great! Good price, nice guys, and only $20 for a ride-in installation.

--Dan

[SUCATI]

Originally posted by zaphod
my michelin pilot sport rear tire is showing the cords at 5,300 miles - god this sucks !!! - Iam going to be shelling out $230.00 every 5,000 miles !!!

No kidding.:rolleyes:

[zzzwillzzz]

Originally posted by zaphod
my michelin pilot sport rear tire is showing the cords at 5,300 miles - god this sucks !!! - Iam going to be shelling out $230.00 every 5,000 miles !!!

the front looked worn so Iam replacing both with metzler M-1's,
was looking for something with more tread life but with longer tread life it seems that one is giving up traction , so............ welcome to the club. i put 12 tires on my bike in the first year of riding the sv, how is this cheaper than a car?

[Tillers_Rule]

Originally posted by zzzwillzzz
welcome to the club. i put 12 tires on my bike in the first year of riding the sv, how is this cheaper than a car?


Why did you do that? Did'nt 12 tires just weigh the thing down and screw up the balance?

[Kurt'sSV]

Originally posted by Tillers_Rule
Why did you do that? Did'nt 12 tires just weigh the thing down and screw up the balance?

:lol:

He's here all week folks! Don't forget to try the veal.

[Swell]

Changed the rear @ 5300 Front is going to make it to 6k.
While I wanted pilot power I ended up with 208 which seem to be fine.

[PoopMonkey]

Originally posted by zzzwillzzz
welcome to the club. i put 12 tires on my bike in the first year of riding the sv, how is this cheaper than a car?

Well....if you had sport tires all around on a car and drove and raced that (like on trackdays) very near the limits often, youd be changing those suckers out in well under 10,000 miles... probably like 7,500 miles. Oh...except one thing....gotta slap 4 of them on to replace.... and sport tires for a car generally cost about the same if not a tiny bit cheaper than for bikes.... typically around $150 for a decent tire.... so $600 every 7,500 miles or so??

My vote is for the bike in this case.

[rwalterk]

The mez4's on my 02 SV nekid are giving me fits - 4500 miles. They definitely get a little squirrely sometimes. Just ordered a new set of Pirelli Diablos.

[D.T.]

I got 11,000 out of the rear MZ4 tire. Just put a D208ZR on, and kept the front MZ4.

I guess silly putty tires don't get many miles. At least the 208 was only $105. :o

But they stick like a mutha fooker... :D

[Paulp90]

My rear lasted 3900 before it blew out.

Still has plenty of tread on it and everything..... the front is fine.

[Manx]

Stock Pilots went 4800 miles, which was far too long for any aggressive riding. I rode pretty gingerly for the last 800 miles, but it was all in the course of moving the bike.

My 208's are looking fine with about 1500 miles on them, most of which has been on the sides. :D They will probably get changed out (together, as it should be) at around 3000 (s)miles.

[jasinner]

My rear d220 is looking thin in the middle after only 4750 miles. At the recommended pressures. And its not even a grippy tire.

[enos79]

just hit 7500 miles on my stock D220's. The rear has a definate freeway stripe, but from the looks of it I should be able to get 10k no prob.

[cucamonga]

Just hit 9,000 miles on the stock tires (the rear one was starting to show a wierd dark stripe down the middle of the wider gray freeway stripe). Practically all freeway riding and of course riding over lots of those botts dots.

Just installed some new MZ6's. :D :D

[midimench]

Changed my rear original Dunlop at 10K and just last week changed my front original at 18K. Most of my miles are freeway. Replaced the chain last week too.

[BTLines]

I wore out and replaced the rear Pilot Sport at exactly 5,000 miles. Got a deal on a set of Dunlop D218's (brand new OEM takeoffs from a GSX-R) so I replaced both tires and kept the front, which was about half-gone. Got 4,200 miles out of the Dunlops and they completely fell apart at the end...got all greasy-like, rubber gobbing up at the tread grooves...Interestingly, the first rear Pilot had lotsa tread left on the sides even though the middle was gone, but with the Dunlops I completely wore out the sides and the middles of both the front and rear by the time I dumped them.

Just got a Pilot Road for the rear and re-mounted my Pilot Sport up front. Sticks just fine, hopefully I'll get a little more miles out of it than the previous two.

[LiN Mae]

I got about 11K on my stock dunlops. Had tasty chicken strips on 'em due to mostly freeway riding. :o

[enos79]

Finally replaced the rear at 9200 miles witha BT020. Awesome tire! Finally scraped my pegs when i was riding on saturday. Next step, knee action!

[cucamonga]

Replacing Metzler Z6 rear tire after almost 10,000 miles of commuting (hardly any canyon carving). AMAZING! Front tire looks brand new and should be good until I get another 10k on the back tire.

MZ6's seem to be great tires, they seem a little slippier when cold and stickier when hot than the stock BT's. :)

[JCCC]

Replaced my roadtec z6 tires at 6500 miles,the rear tire was down to the wear bars the front was still in good shape but decided to change in pair,really great tires had used previously bt010's and these stick as well and last longer.

[svee]

I have 9K on the OE Dunlop tires- still look new- riding more distance than twisties (unfortunately)

[cucamonga]

Originally posted by LiN Mae
I got about 11K on my stock dunlops. Had tasty chicken strips on 'em due to mostly freeway riding. :o
My tires end up the same way, brand new except for the 2-3 inches down the middle!! Thinking those botts dots are wearing down the tires quicker than yours. I need to find a way to ride straight with the bike at a 45 degree angle.

[jatt559]

well I've got 8800 miles out of rear stock tire (bought the bike in June). I'm thinking of getting MICHELIN PILOT POWER, anyone here have this tire? Also should I replace the front tire also or how many more miles can I get out of the front?


thanx

[Jethro]

The bike will always handle best if you keep a matched set of tires on it. The front tire will usually last at least twice as long as the rear.

I'd replace the rear with the same thing that it has on it, then go to something else when they're both worn out. Or, get a matched set of stickier tires.

The Metzeler M1s are sticky, stable, good in the rain, and they're cheaper than almost anything else. I mostly use them.

Be safe

J~

[jatt559]

ok so I'll go with what I have now.

Thanx for the advice.

[Devilfish]

Wow, lotsa commuters & freeway riders here... I got 7500 miles out of my stock Dunlop 220's and I'm mostly a canyon carver (no track days). Switches to Metzler Sportec M1's and after 3500 miles it seems like the front is worn to the tread wear indicators, but the rear still seems to have plenty of life in it. Also, most of the wear is on the outer edges of the tire - you know, where the cornering traction is. Now I'm looking for something as sticky as the M1's but that'll last a lot longer!

[corsastrada]

Doesn't work that way. If you want sticky (soft), it wont last. If you want it to last it wont be sticky (soft). That is how rubber works. What you need is dual compound tires with a hard center and soft edges. But who the hell can afford those!

But I run the rear to the belts in the summer time cause who needs the back brake when your upright! Then a nice burnout outside the shopt before I get a new one. I like to get the most out of my tires. The front I change at the wear limits. I typically go through 2 rears for every 1 front.

[luckyphil]

My '03 SV1000s was a demo bike so the rear, although it looked okay, really needed replacing after about 3000 k's and by then the front was really scalloped and worn so much on the edges that when I parked with a heap of other bikes it looked like I was running a slick on the front. After replacing the front the whole bike turned so much better and I felt safer riding in the rain. Both Michelin Pilot Powers were replaced with the same, I can't fault them so far...maybe I'm just a slow old rider...

[Peiell]

Hit the side wear bars on the front and and rear wear bars down the middle around 9500. Replaced with Diablo stradas and scrubbed them in on ACH today. I easily picked up 10% more speed going through the turns - very confidence inspiring.

[Raphael]

I waste my rear at 4500 KM (2800 MI) i always use Michelin Pilot Sport HPX a dual compound tire.
It has a great grip, but wil wearout fast.

[thor310]

close to 5k on my stock d220s, they still look good.

they're grippy enough for me to lean over and scrape part of the boot that's sticking over the peg (accidently of course). I can't imagine how good the pilot powers must be.

[sdlnxgk]

I have close to 55k on my stock d220s but the center is really down to the wear bars and need to be replaced ASAP!!!


Cheapest place to get Pilot Powers in San Diego???

[Dante]

55k??? Wow! I assume you mean 5k...

I've got 3500 miles on my stock tires now and they're both still looking pretty good. Rear is wearing faster than front, but that's because I tend to trail brake a lot (I guess because I learned to ride on a cruiser and front brakes on a cruiser are... pointless).

I just picked up a brand new Metzeler Sportec M-1 for when the rear does go bad, but it just occurred to me that maybe I shouldn't be mixing a stock front with a rear of a very different type. Can anyone comment on this? I'm no kneedragger, but I do ride fairly aggressively around town and on the back highways. Should I splurge and get a new front tire to match the rear? I know the M-1 is going to wear a lot faster than the front, so I won't have to buy a new front for every rear, but the question is this - is it a bad idea to mix brands/types between front and rear, or am I such a lameass that I'll never know the difference? :D

[Manx]

Originally posted by Manx
Stock Pilots went 4800 miles, which was far too long for any aggressive riding. I rode pretty gingerly for the last 800 miles, but it was all in the course of moving the bike.

My 208's are looking fine with about 1500 miles on them, most of which has been on the sides. :D They will probably get changed out (together, as it should be) at around 3000 (s)miles.

Just 3k on those 208's. :(

4k on Pilot Powers. :D

2k on the next PP's before catching a screw in the rear tire. :mad:

~2.5k on Qualifiers - they went off *fast* in the last .5k miles. I was on a 1900-miles-in-5.5-days-of-riding trip and changed to PP's at a friend's shop. :eek:

I expect to get 4k out of these PP's and every subsequent pair...I have found the tires I'll ride for a long time. :)

The Michelins wear well. Dunlops (208's and their update, the Qualifiers) seem to wear fast and get greasy after about 1500 miles.

Originally posted by SVJim
I have close to 55k on my stock d220s but the center is really down to the wear bars and need to be replaced ASAP!!!


Cheapest place to get Pilot Powers in San Diego???

www.BuyMoto.com

Good folks, good prices, good service.

[soulofadra6o]

my rear tire looks like it will be needing to be replaced soon...has an estimated 10k miles on them maybe 11k :sad:

[sdsv]

just changed the front tire after 13.5k. changed the rear at 11k. i got a great deal on a pair of qualifiers ($90 front, $105 rear).

[Manx]

Originally posted by sdsv
just changed the front tire after 13.5k. changed the rear at 11k. i got a great deal on a pair of qualifiers ($90 front, $105 rear).

Holy shit! :eek:

Is that pure commuting with some insane tire pressure?

[backlash]

2500 on my rear pilot power. 3 trackdays in there.

[sdsv]

Originally posted by Manx
Holy shit! :eek:

Is that pure commuting with some insane tire pressure?


mostly commuting. I ride 50 miles roundtrip to work and back. I waited to the last possible minute to change the front. I actually started sliding a bit in the corners.

[Z3n]

I just thought i'd toss my .02c in here...My main motorcycle is a kawasaki zx-6e, but i put about 5k on burst's old SV before the tranny fried on me.

I originally ran dunlop d208s (on the E), hated them because of their long warm up time, highsided because of their long warm up time and lack of traction across painted arrows, switched to pilot powers, which i love. I would never run a bike with the stock tires, in fact, if i couldn't get them replaced at the dealer, that would be the first immediate mod the bike got.

I get about 3-4k out of rear, depending on how much of it is really agressive riding and how much of it is commuting. During the summer, i only get about 3k out of each rear. They sure do stick like glue in the corners though...wonderful tires. I'm going to try and get my hands on a pair of Qualifiers next though.

[Manx]

***Warning: Unpopular Comment Follows***

If you truly believe that your tires' failure to warm up caused your highside *on a painted surface*, it will probably happen again.

;)

[wordup]

how do you people learn all this tech stuff? i've been riding just over a year and it's sort of coming to me from reading magazines, web sites and talking shop at the rock store. but honestly, half the time, i don't know what people are talking about when they talk about all the nick names and 8,000 motorcycle parts. i'm coming up on 7,000 miles on my 03' and i think i better learn a thing or ten about changing my tires. i didn't ride a car for a year and now my bike is mostly for fun in the twisties. where should i go? what should i get? i live in west l.a. thanks.

[Manx]

You're on the right track, but you need to round out your reading. Check out www.BayAreaRidersForum.com/forums/ and skim through The Garage, Racer's Corner and Doc Wong's Corner. Then pick up Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. When you're done, consider reading More Proficient Motorcycling by the same author and/or Sportbiking: The Real World by Gary Jaehne and/or Twist of the Wrist by Keith Code.

If slang and terms in general are not clear, start a thread asking for definitions of the ones you can remember. I know that I'll try to help and plenty of others will, too.

:cool:

[stringzz]

I am noticing the freeway stripe on my rear tires (d220) at 5k, I mostly do commuting. The tire profile flattens in the middle of the tire. How long will the tires last at this point generally?

Also, what would be a good tire that will last long for freeway driving, but is stickier than the stock tires?

[Manx]

If you're seeing the wear bar, it's time to change the tire - you probably have 500 miles or less left on that tire.

As for other tires, try the Michelin Pilot Roads and run them at the higher end of the pressure range. Low pressures will adversely affect the handling of your bike and the mileage of your tires.

[Velcro]

Question, How long should a rear tire last?

I have 6,000 miles on my SV1000s and the center of the rear tire is almost completely worn.

[newbie]

My last tire lasted over 15,000 miles before I hit the wear strip and with a puncture within the first week of putting them on. I pretty much solely use my bike for commuting. I kept the PSI at 40. The tire was a Bridgestone BT010...or was it the BT020, which one is the harder compound for longer wear.

My new rear is a Michelin Pilot Road. We'll see how this compares to the BT010 (or 020). So far it seems to handle relatively the same.

[TheWoodser]

Originally posted by newbie
The tire was a Bridgestone BT010...or was it the BT020, which one is the harder compound for longer wear.

Me thinkie you have/had the BT020

[SVNerd]

SV650, Pilot Power rear: 4500 miles. Front still has plenty of tread ... mileage TBD.

[newbie]

Originally posted by TheWoodser
Me thinkie you have/had the BT020

Actually it was a BT010. I checked into it. I remember I replaced both tires at the time and ordered the softer compound on the front tire (obviously less demand for wear on the front) and harder compound on the rear. Well I have a BT020 on the front, so that would have made the rear a BT010.

My front has very little wear....it'll probably outlast this next rear. :D

[illustr8dman]

Sort of related, My friend just picked up a new to him Kawasaki '03 ZX12 with a brand new tire(not sure of brand) I looked at it today and asked him how many mile he had on his now mostly bald rear tire: 1,500.

:eek:

I hope it's the horsepower tearing that tread apart and not a super crappy tire!

[TheDude]

Allright, I hope this thread is still relatively active...

My tires are wearing strangely. I ride 70 miles round trip to work every day, mostly on the 22 and 405 from Orange County to the South Bay area. Most of the road surface is quite bad, with grooves and washboarding. Anyone who has ridden on the 405 between Long Beach and Torrance should know what I'm referring to.

Anyways, when I run my hand over the front tire, it feels like it's "cupping," i.e. the tread is thick, then thin, then thick again, etc. all the way around the outside of the tire. This is all near the center of the tire. Does anyone know what's going on here?

I bought my bike with a stock Dunlop on one end and a Metzeler on the other...can't remember which one is on the front right now. I don't know how many miles these have on them. My roommate, who makes the same commute every day, rides an F4i and has basically the same problem. Any insight on this would be great...and when it's time for new tires I'm going to lean towards the harder compounds...

Thanks

[Dan The Man]

Originally posted by TheDude
Anyways, when I run my hand over the front tire, it feels like it's "cupping," i.e. the tread is thick, then thin, then thick again, etc. all the way around the outside of the tire. This is all near the center of the tire. Does anyone know what's going on here?


Could be somewhat normal... Read this for details:

http://w6rec.com/duane/bmw/cupping/index.htm

Harder compound should help. Or you could just avoid leaning over (but that's no fun).

My front had some pretty good cupping/scalloping by the time I replaced it.

[Jakobe]

4k miles and i had to change the rear, middle mesh was showing. Front tire was still perfect until i bent the rim in that accident. Replaced the back with a shinko 190 suber sticky icky

[TheDude]

Dan - thanks for the link. That's a nice simple explanation.

"Or you could just avoid leaning over (but that's no fun)."

I've been working on cornering technique when I can (on-ramps and such) but unfortunately I'm upright most of the time. The wear on my tires seems consistent with the explanation of wear due to braking on the edge of each groove. Interestingly enough, the smooth center rib of the tire (no grooves) shows no signs of cupping. I will try to get some good pics and post them here.

[Knaapie]

Can anyone of you guys/girls tell me how the SV rides with a 120/70 tire instead of a 120/60? I use my 120/60 tire completely and would like to have some reserve on the tire in case of a front wheel slide. Especially on the track.

Does the 120/70 influence the steering negatively? Is it noticably different?

If anyone knows a thread on the board where I can find some info on this, feel free to share! :D Thanks!

[Kurt'sSV]

Originally posted by Knaapie
Can anyone of you guys/girls tell me how the SV rides with a 120/70 tire instead of a 120/60? I use my 120/60 tire completely and would like to have some reserve on the tire in case of a front wheel slide. Especially on the track.

Does the 120/70 influence the steering negatively? Is it noticably different?

If anyone knows a thread on the board where I can find some info on this, feel free to share! :D Thanks!

Read all 16 pages of this thread (http://www.socalsvriders.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=321061#post321061) and you'll find your answer. :D

But to sum it up - a lot of us have used 120/70 front tires. That tire is taller and will change the bike's geometry (slower turning). To compensate, raise the fork tubes up about 10mm.

Enjoy.

[Tillers_Rule]

I use the 120/70 front and like it alot.

[DasTeufel]

It is stock on your bike Tillers

[sugart!ts]

i wait til somebody says "um, i think you need to change your tire..." :squid:

[Knaapie]

Originally posted by Kurt'sSV
Read all 16 pages of this thread (http://www.socalsvriders.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=321061#post321061) and you'll find your answer. :D

But to sum it up - a lot of us have used 120/70 front tires. That tire is taller and will change the bike's geometry (slower turning). To compensate, raise the fork tubes up about 10mm.

Enjoy.
Ok, thanks Kurt. You saved me a lot of reading. :D

[Dante]

Sadly... I only got 5,555 out of my rear tire before some "foreign object" puntured it and left a gaping wound which rapidly deflates it. I'm just glad it held together, as I suspect I picked it up while on the highway doing about 80 MPH (in the fog, no less). :eek: Fortunately, I have a fresh Sportec M1 hanging on the wall in the garage, ready for service. :cool: Boo chicken strips, yay new sticky rubber! :love:

[Jehanzeb]

Put 8, 000 miles on a Pilot Sport (non-2CT).

Did a track day, daily commuting, round trip to Laguna Seca and of course weekend twisties.

Still stuck to the road pretty good when warmed up.

BTW, I am trying a 110/70 Pirelli Diablo on the front.

So far so good:)

[bmewillow198]

I never even smoked my tire and got horrible miles I've got 7540 miles on mine and have gone through 3 backs and a front already. maybe hard acceleration?

[Dickie]

:evil: yeA I GOT about 7500 out of my first set of tires and it looks like Ill only get half that out of my next set...I think its due to wheelies, hard acceleration and a softer tire the second time around.....gotta pay to play

[Rsimpson]

5,300 after a puncture...I could have probably gotten another 500 out of them.

Pilot Sport

[ridick_bowen]

I GOT ABOUT 6,000 MILES OUT OF MY STOCK TIRES. I JUST PUT ON METZLER Z6 AND THAT SHOULD LAST ABOUT +10,000 MILES.

[ChopperDave]

Originally posted by ridick_bowen
I GOT ABOUT 6,000 MILES OUT OF MY STOCK TIRES. I JUST PUT ON METZLER Z6 AND THAT SHOULD LAST ABOUT +10,000 MILES.

WHY ARE YOU YELLING?!?!?

[allanhow]

I just changed my stock rear Dunlop D220 at 5040 miles. Some steel belt was showing, but not around the whole circumference. I'm sure it would have lasted longer if I didn't weigh 240, and if I hadn't ridden up and down the Tail of the Dragon 5 times last month. This is the first tire I've ever had that has gone bald anywhere but the center stripe. Sure, it was bald in the center, but with all the great twisty roads in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia, I also wore out the tire on the left side. Neato. I feel like a newby.

I put on a Dunlop Qualifier which probably won't last as long since it's basically a super sport tire. But the dealer I went to didn't have a D220 in stock, and wouldn't get one in soon.

Interesting note about the Dunlop D220's. I went to the Dunlop web site and looked closely at the details of the tires, and found that they make two versions of the D220. There's an OEM D220, and a plain old aftermarket D220. The difference is that the OEM D220 has 7/32 in. of tread depth while the normal D220 has 9/32 in. tread depth. That's nearly 30% MORE tread on the replacement tire. I guess they figure that lots of new bike buyers will change their tires quickly, or crash, so they might as well save a bit of money on the stock tires even though they're still good tires.

That's why I wanted to get a D220 again, because with more tread depth I would get more mileage out of a tire that has worked great for me.

[SVNerd]

Just to add to the knowledge base here: on my G2, I am consistently getting 4K to 4.5K miles out of a Michelin PP rear, and about 2X that in the front (120/65).

[racinteach]

just changed a set off a second gen 650 with , get this...10k miles ....the main reason, the rider was a light weight...want more life out of your tires.....lose weight I guess :grin:

[allanhow]

Originally posted by racinteach
just changed a set off a second gen 650 with , get this...10k miles ....the main reason, the rider was a light weight...want more life out of your tires.....lose weight I guess :grin:

Nah, that's completely unnecessary. I used to have to change back tires every 3000 miles on my KZ900. I could still pick up a few pounds and be satisfied with my tire wear.

[Sumo]

Originally posted by allanhow
Nah, that's completely unnecessary. I used to have to change back tires every 3000 miles on my KZ900. I could still pick up a few pounds and be satisfied with my tire wear.

Someone toss this guy a sense of humor.

[SVNerd]

Originally posted by racinteach
just changed a set off a second gen 650 with , get this...10k miles ....the main reason, the rider was a light weight...want more life out of your tires.....lose weight I guess :grin:

'teach - you tellin' me to lose weight ???

OK. :o

[zweikopfe]

Four months -- 6000 miles I think, about 1000 too far. I don't remember if it was an after-market D220 or a D208. As is usual for me, the front wore out on the edges leaving a triangular profile, rather than the circumference, even though most of my riding is freeway commuting. Pilot Powers were their replacements. Love 'em, but I can already see the wear.

[sdlnxgk]

I normally get about 6 to 7k out of my pilot powers if I keep the air pressure checked and just think if I was light verses being at 250lbs would get even more mileage...

The only thing I can say is what my friend Brian told me, I would rather have sticky tires and not crash my bike then worry about tire mileage !!

[JaJaBinx]

Originally posted by zweikopfe
Four months -- 6000 miles I think, about 1000 too far. I don't remember if it was an after-market D220 or a D208. As is usual for me, the front wore out on the edges leaving a triangular profile, rather than the circumference, even though most of my riding is freeway commuting. Pilot Powers were their replacements. Love 'em, but I can already see the wear.

Holy cow :eek:

You know, there are tread wear indicators on the tires. You might want to take a look at it once in a while.

[masterb]

i got a staple in the rear tire at about 3500 miles so I replaced front and rear with metzeler roadtec z6 tires. MUCH BETTER than stock!

[krglorioso]

My 2003 SV1000N came with Michelin Pilot Road tires which I kept at 36psi front and rear. The front was changed at 24,500 and probably was good for another 2000 miles. I replaced it with a Dunlop 220 which gives noticeably better turn in, much more precise. I can only wonder how long it will last compared to the OE Michelin!

The rear picked up a nail at 8000 so I replaced it with a Dunlop 205, which required replacing after 9000 miles. I returned to a Michelin Pilot Road at a total of 17000 miles and 10K miles later it has lots of tread, enough perhaps for another 8K miles. It's all how you ride your bike and how you get enjoyment from it. Ride hard; pay more. Never fails.

[4literranger]

thats some crazy mileage you guys are getting! i got 7500 out of the stock dunlops and i went to Pilot Powers which i freaking love....so much better of a tire. The guy at the store said to expect 4k out of them but if i can get 6k out of them like sdlnxgk i'll be stoked

[zipzit]

I gotta question, somewhat related to this topic. Anybody change out their own tires? How hard is it to get the tire on/off the rim on your own? Can it be done with hand tools? I watched the guy in the shop struggle, really struggle with that fancy machine. do I dare try to change a tire on the rim myself?

I've seen this article http://www.clarity.net/~adam/tire-changing-doc.html... but I think the local speed guys here are charging $20 to $30 for tire change. At that price, I doubt it is worth it to do your own...

zip. (apologies if I'm too far off topic. I did do a search but the search engine really sucks moose. I guess I could do the google site: trick...)