[Sauceman]

So haven't been on for a while, just enjoying Rudy's bike, but I need some advice on my rear tire wear. I looked down at my tire this morning and saw this. It has about 7K miles on it and and as you can see is worn down to cord like material. Pretty much all the way around. I was wondering if this could be caused by the rubber dampers in the rear hub? Maybe bearings? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

So it is a Dunlop 404 manufactured 2611. OEM size says 160/80B 16 and this tire is 150/80B 16

 

[Halfling]

The first question I have is at what tire pressure are you running?

 

[Sauceman]

40 when I just checked it cold on center stand. Probably was at 44 cold on side stand last time I checked

 

[jobe05]

I have not had good luck with Dunflops on my 1200. Once I got 7000 and the next one I got less than 4000. Literally, I checked the tire before going for a ride, It looked fine, based on present wear, should have about 2K or 3K miles more to go. Then 125 miles later....... POP!! Wore right through. It's like that last 3/32 of tread is as soft as a chocolate bar laying on the sidewalk on a 100 degree day!

My 1500 had Michelin's on it when I first got it and I loved those tires, but they wore out over time and miles. I put an E3 on it but it too didn't last long so I went to the Austone Taxi Tire.

On my 1800, I installed Avon Cobra's because I heard a lot of good things about them, but my rear tire, after 7000 miles is starting to look like that one, flat on the bottom and almost new on the sides. For me it due to all the highway driving I have done, straight up pulling a trailer.

 

[tprender]

Just looking at the wear , I would say that you have to much air in the tire. Being that it only wore in the center, but maybe you only drive most of the time on the highway and don't make many turns. I had someone tell me last month that they got real bad wear on a tire when they mounted the wrong size compared to stock. Now, I don't understand how a tire one size different would wear different more. But, the tire company gave him this story. Now if this is true or not I don't know.

 

[rpeters549]

It looks like you plain old wore it out. Pressure may be a factor, and it is always possible that tire came off the line 'different'. Styaing all highway or too much pressure will wear the center more quickly than too low of pressure or lots of corners.

Or maybe it was the 500' burnout you did...

 

[DriverRider]

I will take a guess and say you need a heavier load rating of tire for machine. That size also gets listed as front tire duty. 71H vs 80H for sized E3 rear.

 

[justayooper]

yep, you just wore it out. the 404 is not weight rated for a heavy bike like a wing. 7000 miles is about all you can expect. it looks like it wore evenly. do a little research before you replace and get one rated for a heavy bike.

 

[Wingsconsin]

Wrong tire..bad habits..

I have the D404 on a Goldwing...the GL1100 I...
It is a good tire for THAT bike. Rated properly and sized as per OEM specs. It will deliver good performance on that bike.

The 1500 is a different animal. Even though they have the size the rating is key to longevity.

In my opinion you simply wore that tire out.

:readit:
What bother me is that the condition seems to surprise you..? Did you NOT notice it was wearing out whenever you checked your tires...I check my tires at elast once per week and sometime more often... Checking tires is more than just seeing if they are still on the bike....Get down on the ground and LOOK at the tread as you spin the tire..SEE the wear patterns and LOOK for any imperfections or penetrations...Check pressures every time...KNOW the condition of your tires at all times...I own 3 bikes and I can tell you the condition of any one of them RIGHT NOW without going out to look at them...


Your life may depend on this some day....If you have to trust your tires to keep you stuck to the road you might as well KNOW what they are doing...

 

[Heffo]

You just wore it down. If you are pulling a trailer, the extra load would have helped wear it down faster.

 

[Sauceman]

I have the D404 on a Goldwing...the GL1100 I...
It is a good tire for THAT bike. Rated properly and sized as per OEM specs. It will deliver good performance on that bike.

The 1500 is a different animal. Even though they have the size the rating is key to longevity.

In my opinion you simply wore that tire out.

:readit:
What bother me is that the condition seems to surprise you..? Did you NOT notice it was wearing out whenever you checked your tires...I check my tires at elast once per week and sometime more often... Checking tires is more than just seeing if they are still on the bike....Get down on the ground and LOOK at the tread as you spin the tire..SEE the wear patterns and LOOK for any imperfections or penetrations...Check pressures every time...KNOW the condition of your tires at all times...I own 3 bikes and I can tell you the condition of any one of them RIGHT NOW without going out to look at them...


Your life may depend on this some day....If you have to trust your tires to keep you stuck to the road you might as well KNOW what they are doing...

Thanks Wingsconsin..... that is some sobering advice. I can promise I will not lack in my inspection routine again. I did inspect well before my last longer trip, but obviously I have been stupid!!!!!!!!! I do check pressure often but the glance at the visible rear down on the ground wasn't giving me the full picture.
This tire was the one I had to purchase in the middle of nowhere Texas when I was driving her home after buying the bike from Rudy in Atlanta. At that point I was thrilled to find a tire to go on it. It had a car tire that bulged in the heat. The next day was when I took my avatar pic...a fun little hail storm by Farmington New Mexico. Ah what a great trip.
Thanks also for the weight rating info. I don't pull the trailer much, but it is a heavy bike, seems even more so than my '93, probably all the secret stuff Rudy put on it haha! Now the next dilemma, E3's or something else......and go!!

Thanks to everyone else who replied. I do think it just got worn out. I do a lot of cornering but my tire wear would indicate differently....I guess I better try and scrape some pegs on the new set.

 

[rpeters549]

As the tire gets very worn the last part goes quickly. A buddy of mine showed up at work and was down to the smooth rubber all the way around except one spot maybe 2" long where cords were visible. I pointed it out and followed him home. As a note for you locals, we were out Siuslaw River road (at the defunct Forest Work Camp) and came back that way and on Wolf Creek road as he lived in west Eugene area. Very windy and fairly abrasive road. He took it way easy and when we got to his house he had cord all the way around.
Inspecting them regularly is one of the most important things you can do. And get in the habit of getting a new tire BEFORE you NEED it. During the driving class I teach I tell the students to start looking for tires when they are at 4/32". This gives them time to find and maybe buy them and take in to consideration paydays and 'dang I got busy this week'.

 

[busdriver]

Ease up on the burn outs.

 

[DriverRider]

Now that we got that out of the way Sauce we can let this thread go wild.

Get the E3 bias they wear like iron. Got 21k on the front and is down to the wear bars, the replacement is 5 ft away from me and should be able to get another 2k before it HAS to be replaced. 18k on the rear with plenty of meat left.

What are you getting for fuel mileage any different from the 93. A slow ride the other day with speeds mostly between 45-55 I ended up at 45MPG for that day, it is never below 37MPG and that is running fast. The engine at 1500RPM in high gear just sips fuel.

:smallpopcorn:

 

[Wingsconsin]

Preachifying a little here....

Current Tire choices (in my opinion) for the 1500 --
I chekc my tire pressures often and get on the ground for visual inspections as well so I monitor my tires closely.

EIII's - I have one on the front right now. They DO last a long time. Grip seems fine and it handles well. Turn in is crisp and out of a turn is dependable and predictable. The EIII's have a reputation for being noisy and I can hear my front tire already after only 2500 miles. It isn't terrible but I wish it were less.

Avon Venom X - Grip like glue. Handles like on rails. Good to better longevity. The trouble in my mind with these is in order to get the best performance you have to run them HARD (like 50 psi rear) and that transfers some bumps into the bike and suspension that you can feel. (This will likely be my next set of tires)

Bridgestone 701Front & 702Rear -- Newer entry into the heavyweight touring tire. A buddy has them and he likes them. He says they stick and are quiet. I have tried a Bridgestone BattlAx Sport Bike BT45 rear tire reversed on the front of the Wing and found it workeed very well; until it cupped at 11,000 miles..It was still going at 18,000 but it was noisy and rode poorly at slow speeds so i removed it. Longevity is still to be proven.

Controversial Rear Tire for Darksideers - Car Tire users like the Austone as a rear. I have a different tire on now that reminds me of the Austone (Comtrac Vredestein 175-75) and I would use the Austone next probably as I experiement with tires.

I ride an average of 12,500 miles per year and my bike now has 122,000 miles on it - most of those in the past 7 years (since I bought it with 40K on it). I commute, toour and ride the canyon twistys with this bike. I have scraped pegs in the Rockies and the Smokies . I have been to both oceans - Atlantic and Pacific and across the great plains countless times in cold and hot and wet.

The BEST tire for the GL1500 EVER was the Michelin Pilot GT's but they are discontinued. I would buy them without question if they came back available today....

 

[Sauceman]

Thanks for the advice. I was torn on trying something different as I didn't like the noise from my last E3's but I know they are a good tire as long as I keep the front at 42psi. My first E3 was cupped after 2K miles and wore really funny.I attached a pic, they had a ridge all the way around the center of the tire, which I guess could be assumed that all I did was lean, but not the case. I was rear ended before I found out the wear results on that set but I was already nervous the way the front was wearing.

 

[JeffMayfield]

I have a 1200 and use it like a car rain or shine as long as the temp is over 50f. 2up always. (6-7 months out of the year around here.)

I have had 404's, e2's, Shinkos. They all are round, black, and move my bike.

I put a Michelin Commander II on the rear and a spitfire on the front. They ride smooth as all new tires usually do. I am impressed with the way they handle on a wet road. Here where I live the roads are not straight by any means. At first I was very careful when the road got wet then after a while started trying to make them slip some just so I would know my limit on a wet road. I did not find that limit must be farther than I was willing to go. The Michelin holds the road but I don't know about the mileage yet it should do as good as the E3. (I almost got instead)

Just based in the wet road grip I will probably get another one next time I need one as long as this one holds up for the long haul.

BTW I ride until they are bald my E2 rear tire had no tread at all left not even on the sides when I retired it looked like a race tire. 404 and shinko wore out in the middle first. All three were slick (even new) on a wet road.

The Michelin Commander II is quite but has a little vibration on the edges.

Michelin rear................................................................Spitfire front

Happy hunting.

 

[96aspencade]

Another good choice for a Darksider is the Goodyear Assurance. :claps::claps:

 

[rpeters549]

Not to be argumentative, but riding ANY tire until it is bald is just plain risky. Even a racing slick wears out and is replaced before it is considered 'beyond' life. I move in a large circle of professional riders/drivers as well as dealing with a variety of installers/manufacturers and not a single one of them would even consider doing that.
A tire worn beyond its wear bars can not as effectively shed heat or water. Intentionally using them way beyond their safe life span is, well, stupid. I do not intend to offend-I say this as a fellow rider who cares about the lives of others.
Sure, one may get 6 months more 'use' and save money, but not one single knowlegable or professional in any section of the industry would agree it is a good practice.

 

[JeffMayfield]

rpeters549 I agree that riding them bald is unsafe. Even with checking them every time I stop and not going more than 10 -20 miles between stops. I do watch them close as they start to go but that does not make it any safer it just reminds me to drive slower and not trust them to hold the road or even keep air in them. May pops are not good on a bike even if you know they may pop.

That said: I have done it more than once and lived to tell about it, thanks be to the creator of all that is and is to come.
I don't recommend riding them bald and believe it is against the law and unsafe do.