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Tires

4K views 30 replies 16 participants last post by  Ruaidh 
#1 ·
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How long should regular dunlop tires last on a cycle. I only have 14,000 miles on them and I just put them on last year. I can barely see any tread in the middles of my tires. Also were is the best place to buy them. I have a 1986 aspencade gl1200

The current tires are rear mt90b16 and front mu85b15
 
#2 ·
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Also Has anyone ever had a tire go flat while traveling at highway speeds? If so how did it go?
 
#3 ·
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I had one go flat last year. The riding conditions were poor to start with. It was 57 degrees and raining. The road was poor and full of dips and uneven surfaces and small pot holes. The bike was loaded (riding 2 up)and with alot ofluggage and was not handling very well. I thought it was the road. I did not know the tire was going down until I went around a curve and the rear started coming out from under me. The bike wallowed around with traction coming and going. It was at that point that I knew that I had a tire going down. I had a lot of luck a some off road riding experience and between the two, we madeit through thecurve and got stopped. :grinner: :grinner: :grinner: :grinner: :grinner: :grinner:
 
#4 ·
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bwssr wrote:
Also Has anyone ever had a tire go flat while traveling at highway speeds? If so how did it go?
Your first question how long do tires last? 14,000 miles is not bad, 20,000 miles would be outstanding. Usually when they get pretty well worn the cupping gets bad enough to make handling rather poor. If you notice any buzz when the bike's leaning it's got badly cupped tires.

On a road trip recently my brother had a rear tire go flat on his BMW 1100 touring bike. He was riding one up but had full trunk and panniers plus a sleeping bagand tent on the pillion. I stopped at a pullout on the road (in the middle of nowhere of course) and he came up and said he was having trouble with the ruts in the asphalt. I looked at his bike and told him I though it was more likely his flat rear tire. A rear going flat suddenly in a curve especially with a passenger will be a handful and of course is potentially dangerous. A front tire going flat suddenly is down right scary and nasty at any time. Luckily most flats aren't blowouts but leak downs that don't happen suddenly but give some notice. Stretrod48's description is about as tough a rear tire failure as most will ever see, really bad conditions poor road, heavy load and wet pavement.
 
#5 ·
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Where do I find the best prices for new tires? Also is this something I can do my self. I always had some shop change my tires before?
 
#6 ·
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5 weeks ago, traveling west on rt 80 at 75 MPH, 1 up, loaded with luggage for a 4 week 4,000 mile business trip the rear of my 82 started shifting back and forth. I knew that the tire was flat and let off the throttle and gently braked with the front only. The handling was a little scary but I got to the shoulder and pulled out my handy tire plugging kit. A passing trucker stopped and let me fill the tire from his air system(many thanks to him)and I will replace the tire when I return home.
 
#7 ·
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bwssr wrote:
Also Has anyone ever had a tire go flat while traveling at highway speeds? If so how did it go?
HI, first post here...I bought a used GL1100i back in May. I was riding home from work at about 70mph when the bike started shimmying all over. Pulled to roadside and sure enough I had a flat rear tire. It went flat quite suddenly. Was fine when I left work and within 15 minutes it was flat. Luckily the bike had the old Dunlop Elite II (491's) with the heavy sidewalls.

The previous owner had left a small foot pump (for pumping up the shocks) in the trunk. I pumped up the tire best I could and headed - very slowly- to my local Honda dealership (less than 2 miles away). By the time I got there the tire was flat again. Turned out the tire around the valve had failed.

They put a Dunlop Elite 3 on the back for me. I was told the Elite 3's would be in soon for the front. 3 months later and Dunlop has still not released the 3's for the front in the right size. I contacted Dunlop directly and they suggested another of their tires since they didnt know when the 3's would be available.

Anyway, it's a spooky experience having a flat at high speed. By the way, while I was stopped at the side of the road a couple of bikers passed me, turned around and drove down the side of a busy 4 lane state road just to come back and see if they could help. You won't find many folks driving cars willing to do that.

woody
 
#8 ·
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bwssr wrote:
How long should regular dunlop tires last on a cycle. I only have 14,000 miles on them and I just put them on last year. I can barely see any tread in the middles of my tires. Also were is the best place to buy them. I have a 1986 aspencade gl1200

The current tires are rear mt90b16 and front mu85b15
Bwssr, 14,000 miles on a set of tires, I'm jealous. I never seem to be able to get over 5-6,000 & have had some wear out by 4,000 miles. That bald in the center is from riding straight up most of time (going in a straight line).. I do wear my tires most of the way around sodo get to use most of the rubber I paid for.

Watching your tire pressure will also help the wear but if you always ride in the same place on the tire it will wear there faster. Type of pavement, pavement temperature, pavement roughness, weight carried, hard braking, all have a big effect on tire wear.

As far as where to buy? That depends on where you live & if reasonable mounting fees are charged in your area.. By far the cheapest places to buy are on the Internet at some of the tire wholesalers but most places charge a mounting premium if you don't buy the tires from them, in a lot of cases it is cheaper to buy locally if the mounting is included. I but my tires from the local Harley dealer as their mounted price is as good as any in my area..

Twisty
 
#9 ·
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I had a new rear tire mounted on it last year when I bought the bike. I ride to work every day ( even in the rain if it's not to heavy). I use the interstate which is a staight shot with slight curves butin between that and home are the curvy back roads. So it's 3/4 instate and 1/4 backroads. It's 50 miles one way totaling about 100+ everyday I work and that is 7 days every 2 weeks. That's not counting the other trips I take. I am going to really hate it when winter comes.
 
#10 ·
#11 ·
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Thanks all
 
#12 ·
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bwssr,

I bought my new Dunlops off of ebay. The seller was brns49. His name is Dave and his email address is: dvdrsbrns@earthlink.net A very nice person to deal with and he has some really good deals on tires. Just drop him an email and tell him what you want and he can get it for you.

One thing to remember though, and I ran into this little problem, most shops will not mount tires for you unless you buy the tiresfrom them. They claim that it is a liability issue but I think that they are just trying to make the extra cash.

I got my set (front & rear) of tires for just over $200.00. The cheapest I could find the tires locally was $360.00 with free mount and balance. I had to pay $30.00 per wheel for mount and balance when I finally found a shop that would do it for me. I pulled the wheels off the bike myself and then reinstalled myself.

Most shops told me that they would not do it because I had not bought my tries from them. I ended up saving $100.00 doing it this way. I also cleaned and changed fluid in my final drive and disassembled and cleaned all 3 brake calipers while I had things apart. I feel like I got a little bit of a bonus doing the work myself.
 
#13 ·
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1984GL1200A wrote:
bwssr,

I bought my new Dunlops off of ebay. The seller was brns49. His name is Dave and his email address is: dvdrsbrns@earthlink.net A very nice person to deal with and he has some really good deals on tires. Just drop him an email and tell him what you want and he can get it for you.

One thing to remember though, and I ran into this little problem, most shops will not mount tires for you unless you buy the tiresfrom them. They claim that it is a liability issue but I think that they are just trying to make the extra cash.

I got my set (front & rear) of tires for just over $200.00. The cheapest I could find the tires locally was $360.00 with free mount and balance. I had to pay $30.00 per wheel for mount and balance when I finally found a shop that would do it for me. I pulled the wheels off the bike myself and then reinstalled myself.

Most shops told me that they would not do it because I had not bought my tries from them. I ended up saving $100.00 doing it this way. I also cleaned and changed fluid in my final drive and disassembled and cleaned all 3 brake calipers while I had things apart. I feel like I got a little bit of a bonus doing the work myself.
$30 a wheel for mount and balance is good. I'll invest in a drive to Wichita in the cage when I retread this winter probably.

BALD TIRES!! Utter insanity if my opinion is asked for. Saorise is a rebuilt salvage. She went to salvage after her bald rear tire blew and her rider and passenger were killed. It is obvious she led a pampered life until finally a new owner stopped the rigourous maintenance. The blowout was the result.

When I got her, she had a new Elite on the rear that the rebuilder put on. She still had her old front tire, beautiful whitewall but not enough tread to suit me. Stripped it off and found the rim full of the green goop of inflator. New Elite and my ride improved. And my confidence doubled.

I have had flats and blowouts while riding, they are no fun. My habit is to wiggle my arse every so often. If the bike does not crisply resist me, I find out why. The machine will wallow when you wiggle if a tire is going down. Blowouts are probably the hardest event to safely handle of all. It is 99% LUCK and 1% skill. If you do not have 100%, you're dead. I had a rear blow on a Vespa scooter with two up in traffic and brought it down safely to the shoulder without even dumping. Probably was going about 50 when it went. I was lucky, pure lucky.

BALD TIRES? I don't know how to answer you, my tires never get to that point.
 
#14 ·
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You must be new to motorcycles bwssr, 14000 miles from Dunlops is very good indeed. Usually they are good for about 11000 on the back and about 7000 on the front.



bwssr wrote:
How long should regular dunlop tires last on a cycle. I only have 14,000 miles on them and I just put them on last year. I can barely see any tread in the middles of my tires. Also were is the best place to buy them. I have a 1986 aspencade gl1200

The current tires are rear mt90b16 and front mu85b15
 
#15 ·
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http://www.motorcycleproshop.com/

I bought the Avon Venom Xs from these guys for my 83 Interstate. The cost including shipping was only $212. I ordered on a Friday evening and had them by Tuesday the next week standard ground shipping. Wow! I live in west central Illinois and they shipped from California. They must of got the order out that same day that I ordered.

I personally love the way the Venom Xs make my bike handle. It drives like a sport bike, very responsive and solid. I run 41lbs in the front and 40 in the rear. I've got 5000 miles on them and they are showing little wear.

I realize that you've got a different bike but I thought I'd throw my two cents in for Avons. Also, before you ride another mile, get some new rubber on that scoot! As was written above, the last thing you want to have happen is have a tire go down on you. With no more tread than you have, you could indeed have a blow out. That could definately ruin your day.:(

Hobie
 
#17 ·
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Have had a couple of flats over the years under various conditions. My advice would be anytime the bike starts to wander for no apparent reason stop and check the tires. Once it's happened to you (and probably gave you a good scare for your trouble) you'll be more sensitive to the symptom. After my 1st one I was able to feel the tire going down well before it became a real hazard.

Never had a blowout; hope to god I never do. Like any tire the probability of a flat increases significantly as you near the end of the read life.
 
#18 ·
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bwssr wrote:
How long should regular dunlop tires last on a cycle. I only have 14,000 miles on them and I just put them on last year. I can barely see any tread in the middles of my tires. Also were is the best place to buy them. I have a 1986 aspencade gl1200

The current tires are rear mt90b16 and front mu85b15
some of us old timers used to brag when we got 8,000 miles on a tire so 14,000 is not to bad at all.

of course, the baldness might be MALE PATTERN BALDNESS, which is an inherited trait!:cooldevil:
 
#20 ·
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Stretrod,

I was running Dunlops E-2 491s. Since they were my 1'st experience with them, I really can't say much about them except my 83 handles much better now with the Avons. But I have to add this caveat:

At the same time that I installed the Avons, I also put new Progressive fork springs and the 416 airshocks. Also, I installed a Superbrace. All in all, my bike is very nimble at all speeds but I can'tpoint to any one change I made asthe contributing factorin the improvement in handling.

Regards,

Hobie
 
#21 ·
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I have the Elite II tires but keeping an open mind for anything that might handle better or give better wet traction. We had a close call last year coming down 181 near Morganton, N.C. when I lost traction on the rear end in the rain. The two couples behind up thought we were goners for sure. I actually put my foot down for an instant. That was dirt riding instinct and I don't know if that was what saved us or not. I did get rid of those OE Yamaha tires the next week. :goofygrin: :goofygrin::goofygrin:
 
#22 ·
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Yes, I had it happen today on the way home from work. I was kicked back feet on the pegs and cruising at about 70 mph. There was a truck carrying cars behind me. I felt the back of the bike wiggle and for some reason I knew exactly what was happening. It went flat immediately. I quickly pulled off on to the inside shoulder. The truck driver laid on his horn and swerved a little to miss me. All in all a very hair raising experience. Three hours later after my buddy came to pick me up I am home. I am now looking fora new tire.

Billy
 
#24 ·
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The scariest part was that big truck closing on me so fast. I was lucky, I had just changed lanes from the middle lane tothe inside lane. That at least gave me somewhere to get off.

Billy
 
#25 ·
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I don't like to ride or driveon the center of three lanes on the slab, it just doesn't give you anywhere to go if something happens. I had a 55 passenger bus die on me on a freeway in that lane and barely made it off the road before it coasted to a stop. Drivers on both sides wouldn't give me an inch when the bus suddenly slowed. Stupid idiots, would have made a 5 mile long back up if I'd ended up dead in the water in the middle of a busy freeway. Still made a back up when the dummies all had to slow down to see why a bus was parked on the shoulder.
 
#26 ·
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I don't like to ride the center much either unless I am fairly alone on my wing especailly in dear country.

For now I have parked my wing until I get enough money together for some new tires. Not only are my tires bald but my rear tire has a 4 inch crack down the middle. I reall want get back and go. I am planning on getting dunlops elite III on it unless some one can persaude me otherwise. I have gotten allot of good info on this post. Thanks all very much
 
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