Tire wear pattern

[Ivan]

My rear tire is wearing bald in the center of the tread, but almost full tread on the edges. The tire only has about 3500 miles total. Dunlop brand. So I says to my self: "Self, you got yourself an over inflated tire to match your ego." When I checked it, it was at 20 psi, which is 21 psi low according to the sidewall. Now I am confuserated.

Any ideas?

A biker buddy at work says it is "Chicken strips" from taking corners too slow. But, I have nice rub marks on the pegs and on the exhaust cone.

[Crazcnuk]

NEVER use the max number on the sidewall to inflate your tires.

That number is the maximum rated pressure at the maximum rated load (also on the sidewall) and means nothing to the vehicle in general.

You should be using the pressure guide in the manual, or the sticker if you have either.

Since your message doesn't state what bike you have, and I have no info on what your bike is loaded with, it's hard to be of much use, but my 80G with full tour package and me (210lbs) on it calls for 28psi front and 36psi rear.

All that aside, all (rear) bike tires wear out in the middle first. If you look at bike tires the tread profile is curved, not flat like on a car. This allows for smooth cornering. What you are describing is normal, except for your low pressure.

Fronts usually start to cup before the tread is worn out. If you can go through 3 or 4 rear tires, before the front cups (or wears out), it indicates you can go to a softer front compound which has the added bonus of more nose traction (never a bad thing!)

On my Shadow 1100 I ran the Metzler Marathon on the rear, and a Metzler Lazer on the front ( 2 compounds softer) and the front would last for 2 rear tires. I LOVED the added traction on the front, and the front actually wore out before cupping.

[Ivan]

81 Special, stock, only carrying 320 pounds of fat grumpiness.

The tread did cup, or saw tooth on the sides. both sides about the same, so I am guessing everything is square on the frame.

I don't do burnouts. But I am still surprised at the very low longevity of the tire. 3500 miles seems pretty short for the life of a tire.

[malber]

Originally posted by Ivan
81 Special, stock, only carrying 320 pounds of fat grumpiness.

The tread did cup, or saw tooth on the sides. both sides about the same, so I am guessing everything is square on the frame.

I don't do burnouts. But I am still surprised at the very low longevity of the tire. 3500 miles seems pretty short for the life of a tire.

I have the same bike.
Same tire.
Same mileage.
Slightly less passenger weight.
Same wear pattern.
Not unusual.

[blue giant]

Originally posted by Ivan
81 Special, stock, only carrying 320 pounds of fat grumpiness.

The tread did cup, or saw tooth on the sides. both sides about the same, so I am guessing everything is square on the frame.

I don't do burnouts. But I am still surprised at the very low longevity of the tire. 3500 miles seems pretty short for the life of a tire.

Seems a ridiculously short life span to me too!

[bikerphil]

wear

I get about 10K on my Bridgestone S81 rear before the wear bars start to show.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Ivan,

There are Dunlops, and then there are Dunlops. Which model are you running, the Elite II's or III's or the value 404's??

Also what does the date stamp on the tire say?? Even though you only have 3500 miles, the tire itself may be many years older, rubber gets hardened and wears out faster as well.

And running at lower pressures can cause the rubber to actually develop more friction/scrubbing and heating up causing it to break down faster at cruising speeds compared to if it was properly inflated.
T.C.

[Ivan]

Rear tire is a D404. If they are value priced tires, that explains a lot.

Front is a Cheng Shin CS-Hi Max, wearing quite well.

I guess thems the brakes. I know quite a bit about automotive tires, but not a lot of that seems to apply to motorcycle tires.

Those ASE exams were damn expensive too.

[wa407mpp]

Your riding the freeways to much. When you ride in a straight line all the time you are only using one third of your tread, you have to lean the bike over from side to side to use the other two thirds then you would get three times the mileage out of your tires.

[Ivan]

Your riding the freeways to much. When you ride in a straight line all the time you are only using one third of your tread, you have to lean the bike over from side to side to use the other two thirds then you would get three times the mileage out of your tires.

Thats what the thing about chicken strips is.

The only thing twisty in Kansas is the governess and her patsy the baby killer. Crooked governments for some reason build straight roads. Maybe its so they can make a quick get away when things go wrong.

[DiverRay]

Ivan,
The tire pressure IS low, and part of the problem. The D404 is the "low end" of the tires, and is the second part of the problem.
Try running the Elite 3 at 38 to 40 PSI. I just installed a 140/90/16 E3 on my '80 LG, and it fits with about 4 mm to spare at the drive shaft. I've been running the Elite 2's on the Standard, and I get close to 15K out of the rear tire!

[bigb9582]

i have the 404's that i just put on in april on my 79f also and they have about 4000 miles on them and i can see the rear getin pretty low in the center. and im runnig mine with 40psi front and rear.
must be a 404 tire thing.

[Crazcnuk]

I also run the D404, on a budget, and it seemd to wear out pretty quickly.

Unfortunately, due to breaking a couple speedo cables, and not writing down the mileage when I put it on, I don't know how many miles I put on the one I just replaced.

[webbcraft2150]

Tire pressure will seriously affect tire life, and mileage. It is often neglected till its too late and the tire is worn out. I have been running Elite II on a full dress 80g and can get 10-13k before replacement is needed for the rear. The owners manual and/or sticker references recommended tire pressures only if you are running a OEM tire. I imagine all of us have changed or upgraded to newer tires by now. Age of the rubber, as mentioned here, also plays a factor in tire life. While burnouts will wear a tire much faster, watching how you ride every day can help with tire life. The XS is a big, heavy bike with lotsa power. Couple that with the fact most of us are pushing, or have past the 200lb mark, and, if your like me, can be a bit over zealous in throttle application during every day riding, tire life will suffer. Tires can be expensive and are the single most expensive part of maintaining a bike. Cost to replace them is a big deal for everyone. Sometimes, in the long run, the more expensive tire can be cheaper to run than a lower end tire. Tire preference here will bring a wide and varied responce, not unlike football teams.

[xs11lover]

I eat a tire every year on my special, I have a bad habbit of down shifting and saving the brakes, that and I love the blast of power when I crack the fuel on, all the way. They (back tire) seem to last longer on my standard??