Front tire life.

[Pighuntingpuppy]

Does anyone else have issues with the Gen 2 eating front tires before the back? When I first got the bike, it had the original tires on the bike. For the dealer to make the deal, they had to put new tires on the bike. They installed Metzlers. Now...at about 8500, the tires needed to be replaced as the front was wearing extremely uneven. I pushed it to about 10K before actual replacement. That front Metzler started wearing in a "W" pattern on the tire. To this day, I never seen a tire wear that way. So....I went with, as my next tire, a Shinko. Against better judgment over a Chinese tire, I went that route. From day one, it vibrated like crazy. Every shop claimed it was the tire. So, I replaced it with the same brand. Same problem. Ive tried external balancing and internal balancing. I only have about 4K on this one now and its eaten up so bad that if I saw this tire on a car, I would tell you, you have a seriously misaligned car. Better than that, I have a physical crack in the middle of the tread on the tire. Yea, I push the tire as to the speed rating, but NM is linear. Straight roads everywhere. I dont track the bike and I dont often weave through traffic. So, I am looking to see....who else has problems with the Gen 2 eating front tires to no end? I have no suspension issues that I am aware of. I can take my hands off the handlebars and it will track straight. Cant keep the hands off too long as the vibration in the front starts getting that front tank slap. While riding, I can look at the front wheel and see no abnormal side to side movement. At least to the physical eye. No movement in the bearings, steering head or triples.

So, as the rear tire at this moment has plenty of life, I am just replacing the front again this year with a completely different tire. I know they should be replaced as a set, but I dont care. I do not track the bike and other than aggressive straight line riding, I am not worried about different compound tires. I am gonna try a Dunlop front. Metzler was junk, 2 Chinkos caused nothing but problems. Gotta try something else now to see if I get better life. After this riding season is over, I might be looking into heavy touring tires or maybe go dark side. Eating up front tires in an oil change is excessive. Especially for a more or less straight line bike.

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

Since no one has issues with fronts being eaten up before the rear....what would cause a bike to destroy front tires before the rear?

 

[02GF74]

Heavy braking? Fork/frame misalignment?

T'is unusual I have to say.

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

I am heavy on acceleration. I wouldnt think I am that heavy on braking as I use a combination of engine braking and vehicle brakes. I dont think I have a frame/steering issue as I can let go of handlebars and it will track straight.

I never had a bike chew fronts as bad as this before. To finish out the season, I got a Dunlop for it. Next year I am gonna go with those heavy tour tires from Michelin. Since I am not tracking the bike, see if those tires help.

 

[02GF74]

Agreed, just throwing out some ideas. Do you have non standard forks, USD, which may be heavier than normal or carry a sack of bricks at the front?

You would expect the front to be softer compound as you wouldn't want the front losing traction.

One solution is to do a few burn outs to even out the wear .

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

No, bike is completely stock, 7 clicks on the adjusters. If the forks have work done....I wouldnt know. 11 years of the bikes history is unknown to me and the dealer presumed the bike to be stock as well.

Its not like the fronts are wearing tread....its wearing like theres a problem. The front Metzler wore in a W pattern. The first Chinko tire had such an excessive vibration, I never let that one go to full wear. It was replaced with about 1000 miles on it. Chinko wouldnt do anything about their first tire. But as many have stated, not a good idea to run different tires. Thats why I thought maybe I had a bad Chinko. But this tire vibrates as the first one did but not as severely and I believe its that vibration that is causing the tire to deteriorate and come apart. Now, I really dont care about mismatched tires. Mismatched tires are loads better that a tire with a 1 inch gap forming in the middle of the tire. Right now, the Metzlers are better than the Chinkos. For my bike anyway. I am not expecting Dunlop to be a long life tire as every time I used them....they are grippy and sticky....but burn out in an oil change. The Michelins I am looking at are recommended tires for heavy tourer bikes. I am not as heavy as them. So it may stand up better. If not, I will try dark side tires. A 40K cheapy should last at least 10K on a bike.

 

[Marauder03]

My bike eats up front tires as well, I’m also in need of a rear tire at the moment as well. I changed the front approximately 3-4 thousand miles and I’m probably going to go with something different than what I have on there. I need to decide whether I’m going to remove the wheels myself or just take it in, I’m kinda frugal so I’ll probably remove them myself but I will not skimp on tires or brakes for that matter.

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

My bike eats up front tires as well, I’m also in need of a rear tire at the moment as well. I changed the front approximately 3-4 thousand miles and I’m probably going to go with something different than what I have on there. I need to decide whether I’m going to remove the wheels myself or just take it in, I’m kinda frugal so I’ll probably remove them myself but I will not skimp on tires or brakes for that matter.

Ok. So evidently, a character flaw then. I asked cause I never seen a bike chew fronts before like that. Next year with touring tires, I'll see how it holds up.

 

[Tom Determan]

Agreed, just throwing out some ideas. Do you have non standard forks, USD, which may be heavier than normal or carry a sack of bricks at the front?

You would expect the front to be softer compound as you wouldn't want the front losing traction.

One solution is to do a few burn outs to even out the wear .

The burnout solution seems simple and fun. If the front is getting a little ahead on wear, just plan a Fri night burnout and even them up. This way you can always have the tires evenly worn and the replacement cost should go down if you buy and have 2 changed at once.

 

[VmaXXX]

Man I've got a set of Shinkos sitting next to my scoot right now. Sure hope I have better luck than you did with yours.
I had funky wear issues with Metzeler too. Don't know if the pattern is what you experienced but here's my post with pics and member theories....
https://www.vmaxforum.net/threads/what-in-blue-blazes.50834/

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

Man I've got a set of Shinkos sitting next to my scoot right now. Sure hope I have better luck than you did with yours.
I had funky wear issues with Metzeler too. Don't know if the pattern is what you experienced but here's my post with pics and member theories....
https://www.vmaxforum.net/threads/what-in-blue-blazes.50834/

I commented to this thread. You have the same wear. Based on my research, its called a W wear pattern.

I gave the cheap chinese tires a chance. In the end, like every thing cheap and chinese....it wont last. 4000 miles I had a 3/4 inch crack open up in the tire. Off to the right side of center. See picture. While the Metzler was not a good tire for me....this one is worse.

I am running some sort of Dunlop on there now. Its all mounted up and ready to go. Initial reaction....well its a new tire that has no vibration at the speeds I had the old one at. So it dont mean much. I am not expecting this tire to last out the oil change. But thats OK. It should get me to November when NM weather starts to turn cold. Next year, I will mount up some heavy touring tires.

By the way, When I had the the tire off, checked bearings in the wheel, the steering head bearings, fork triple bolts everything. Everything appears to be torqued to specs. No unusual play anywhere or anything. Mounting the wheel up, axle bolt, pinch bolts and caliper bolts all to spec. Now we ride and see.

 

[Flyerdon]

The first thing I'd ask is what kind of compound are you using. There can be a huge difference between a really soft compound tire and a touring tire. I've always used a pretty soft compound for my sport bikes and I'm a pretty easy rider and get about 4000 on a set. I never only replace a front or a rear but replace then in unison. It could also be an issue with the pressure you are using, either too much or too little can cause premature wear.

 

[VmaXXX]

Man I've got a set of Shinkos sitting next to my scoot right now. Sure hope I have better luck than you did with yours.
I had funky wear issues with Metzeler too. Don't know if the pattern is what you experienced but here's my post with pics and member theories....
https://www.vmaxforum.net/threads/what-in-blue-blazes.50834/

Indeed you did LOL - sorry about that. Mine is currently perched on a pair of Pitbulls waiting for me to pull the wheels off to get those Shinkos mounted. Only thing I can do now is cross my fingers.
Glad you already ruled out bearing issues though. Although, while it's on the stands, I'm seriously considering taking my forks to a shop for rebuild due to recent seepage (Seal Saver didn't do it for me). These Gen 2 internals look more complex than the 1980s tubes I've worked on.

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

The first thing I'd ask is what kind of compound are you using. There can be a huge difference between a really soft compound tire and a touring tire. I've always used a pretty soft compound for my sport bikes and I'm a pretty easy rider and get about 4000 on a set. I never only replace a front or a rear but replace then in unison. It could also be an issue with the pressure you are using, either too much or too little can cause premature wear.

I have no idea the compounds. I bought the Shinkos that folks here state are decent tires for the bike. 2 fronts were beaten up and the rear still lives. The first tires I had I believe were the Metzler 888s.

I agree with you immensely on not just changing a front only. However, with the damage to the tire and the vibrations, I am a point of, I dont care. I need it to last 2 months. Over the winter, I will get a matched set.

Yes, tire pressures cause tons of issues. I dont think I am anything excessive. 32 front 34 rear. Mostly a highway bike is the reason for the pressures. I dont have extreme turns in this state. The occasional on/off ramp is about the longest I will be in a turn. I do accelerate aggressively with the bike. Afterall...thats why I got it. I dont think I am that aggressive while stopping. However, this is subjective. While I might not find it aggressive, others may. I dont activate the ABS while stopping.

Based on help so far....it seems its nature of the beast. Its gonna be reverse of every other motorcycle I ever had....2 fronts to 1 rear. Instead of 2 rears to a front. Nothing I am too broken up about. But cause it wasnt behaving the way I expected didnt mean it was broken.

 

[Marauder03]

Ok. So evidently, a character flaw then. I asked cause I never seen a bike chew fronts before like that. Next year with touring tires, I'll see how it holds up.

I’m curious what your going with as far as tires, I was thinking Shinkos until I read your thread. Now I’m going to be looking elsewhere, I’d like something that will last awhile but I don’t need anything for scraping pegs. Something good in the rain would be helpful too, I don’t intentionally ride in the rain but if I get caught in it. I almost considered going to the dark side for the back, I appreciate any recommendations.

 

[3-Max]

Not from experience but YouTube re. front vibration. Poorly set up rear shocks can do that & also together with certain tyre pressures (varies with bike).
Also something no else has talked about checking, If you can get the front wheel off the ground just spin it & check there is no wobble in the actual front wheel. My friend is always mentioning to me that the stock front wheel is week on gen 1 (can't find out which you're discussing here). I've no idea if that's actually true but it's a simple thing to check.

 

[El Canadiense]

Been my own exoerience with big street bikes that the rear usually wears out first. Never had the front wear out first. Check alignment/balancing issues and/or check to see if your front brakes/bearings are sticking or worn.

 

[Flyerdon]

I'm not sure if anyone else lives in an area like I do where they crown the roads, mainly because of snow removal and run-off problems, but where the roads are heavily crowned, it's a normal thing to get "cupping of the front tire in advance of the rear tire wearing out. When the cupping starts to get noticeable it gets worse and worse until the front starts to oscillate quite a bit. I argued with a Harley tech about the issue practically almost to a fight, then he advised calling the tire manufacturer. I did and got the same story from a Dunlop tech. So, take it for what it's worth.

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

When I changed out the front, I noticed no issues with the front end. No bearing issues, no steering head issues, all front end bolts torqued to specifications. So, yesterday, I was able to get out and really ride the bike. The Dunlop is riding much better, even at higher speeds. Both Shinkos vibrated out of the box. The second one was less. And because I was not gonna get duped into buying a third....I just ran it till the tire damage appeared. Now while I dont recommend this, I was able to briefly float my hands on the handlebars at 100mph. No vibrations, no shimmys no unusual operation. I used 2.5 ounces of balance beads in the front as recommended for this tire size. The Metzlers had no problem with vibrations with them nor does on short outward appearances, this Dunlop. The Shinkos vibrated.

For shock set up as someone mentioned, I do not think these shocks have anything aftermarket about them. The dealer seemed to think so as well. The bike on all outward appearances, seem to be stock. Someone somewhere may have changed something. There is afterall 11 years of history that is unaccounted for. Now when I did get the bike, this bike had no give in the suspension whatsoever. Every adjuster was locked full clockwise. I spent 15 minutes backing every one of them down. I do not recall what I set the rear at, but the fronts I have set at 7 clicks. This for me with my size and weight gives me a comfy ride where the bike has give over road imperfections.

As for road conditions....the roads where I live are awful. Sun beaten, semi truck beaten and straight up neglected. Road crown here is not really an issue as these poor planners think we are drier than the Chilean desert where it hasnt rained in over 400 years despite this year we have had triple our yearly rain in 3 months.

As I stated, It seems to be a character flaw with the bike. Coupled with the fact that I but the cheapest of cheap on there, I am beginning to see a cheap chinese tire has no place on a refined machine.

 

[Radioguylogs]

I think Shinko tires are designed in Japan and generally made in South Korea.

I did not like the one pair of 230's I bought. The front had a terrible wobble and I sent it back. I kept the rear and it wore out quickly. The cords were plainly showing after 4k miles.