Odd Tire Wear

[Stresspuppy]

Below is what the wear on the tires from the bike I bought in October looks like. They are Michelin Road 6 GTs and have about 6k on them. Ever seen wear like this? Almost completely flat in the middle but the flat part is raised above the rubber on either side of it. There isn't a smooth transition from the rounded to the flat as I would expect if they were just straight highway miles and never any twisty roads. I think they were run quite under inflated but I don't know for sure. According to the wear strips they seem to have some life left in them but BOY OH BOY are they noisy. I keep thinking there is a big truck with mud tires next to me then I realize it is just me. Is there something other than tire pressure that might cause this? I'm running 36/42 at the moment but I don't have a baseline of good tires to know what things should really look/feel/handle like. Trying to determine if there is something else I might need to address so I can decide if I should replace them or just ride it out so to speak.

 

(And yes, the "chicken strips" on this bike are quite large... )

 

Front - 

 

Rear - 

[dirtrider]

13 hours ago, Stresspuppy said:

Below is what the wear on the tires from the bike I bought in October looks like. They are Michelin Road 6 GTs and have about 6k on them. Ever seen wear like this? Almost completely flat in the middle but the flat part is raised above the rubber on either side of it. There isn't a smooth transition from the rounded to the flat as I would expect if they were just straight highway miles and never any twisty roads. I think they were run quite under inflated but I don't know for sure. According to the wear strips they seem to have some life left in them but BOY OH BOY are they noisy. I keep thinking there is a big truck with mud tires next to me then I realize it is just me. Is there something other than tire pressure that might cause this? I'm running 36/42 at the moment but I don't have a baseline of good tires to know what things should really look/feel/handle like. Trying to determine if there is something else I might need to address so I can decide if I should replace them or just ride it out so to speak.

 

(And yes, the "chicken strips" on this bike are quite large... )

 

Morning  Stresspuppy

 

Not that unusual, I have seen similar wear on other BMW's using dual compound tires. A lot depends on roads ridden on & riding style (or lack there of).

 

I removed a set of 6 GT's from a friends 1200RT last fall that looked  very similar, he rides a lot of high speed freeway (commuting)  with a fairly hard straight line braking. 

 

Every rider is different with different road conditions, riding styles, cornering requirements, etc so a tire that you like & get decent wear on might be something that just won't work for me on the roads I ride with my riding & braking style. 

 

The problem with tire wear like your tires have is you won't wear them back to even by just riding, it will continue to get worse. About the only way to get them back to somewhat normal is to power grind or power sand them. "THAT" makes one heck of a mess,  but if done correctly can sort of save the tire profile, but it does take more tire life out of the tire. 

 

The basic problem with motorcycle tires is that they are not flat across that tread. Motorcycle tires have rounded or even a somewhat pointed tire profile.  That also means that motorcycle tires have a varying circumference across the tread. So every time the rider  leans a moving motorcycle the tire circumference changes to a different size tire. This cause tire scrubbing EVERY time the motorcycle is leaned as you ride, this scrubs rubber from both the larger & smaller circumferences as they fight with each other on distance traveled per revolution. If most of the riding is done in the same basic area on the tires (ie center to  just a few degrees on either side) then that is where the tires wear the most. Braking can also figure in here as that tends to distort the rubber in the contact patch so wears the edges on the sipes & blocks.   

 

Put a different brand/tire construction on that same motorcycle & give it back to the same rider & you will still get tire wear in the same areas on the tire but it could look completely different, but it would probably still be some type of step wear. 

 

 

[Stresspuppy]

Thanks dirtrider. The picture in my head is like a 2x4 that you run a round-over router bit down two edges so it is smooth transition from the rounded part to the flat part on top of the board. It just seems odd to me that the flat section was actually raised up from the rounded parts on either side, so not a smooth transition. More like a ridge running down the center of the tire. But I get what you are saying and that the shape of the tire changes depending on riding position so riding style will shape each riders tires a little differently. For these tires, it seems the previous owner likely was a straight highway rider with not a lot of curvy roads.

 

As for grinding/sanding, I've read a bit about that here as well and I have no interest in doing that. $500 for a set of tires is not cheap by any means, but far easier to stomach than the clean up of the mess grinding/sanding rubber makes. Just using a Dremel on anything rubber shows very quickly a mess can be made. Magnify that many times over... no thanks.

 

So it sounds like I probably need new tires sooner rather than later, and then I need to vary my riding style (e.g. more twisty roads ) to help the wear be more "even". I may just try to deal with the noise for now and replace them closer to START if there aren't any safety issues with them being this way. Then I get to decide if I stick with the 6 GTs or go to something else. The eternal debate about which tire is better. After reading a ton on that, I had it down to the 6 GTs or the Dunlop Road Smart, I think. I'll have to go back and re-read the thread(s).

[wbw6cos]

I average 6,500 miles on 6 GT tires and I like the amount of tread you have left on those, but not the wear pattern.   If it were me, I would get brand new tires (insert your favorite brand) and make the wear your own.   Yeah, cost may be an issue, but your feelings were made known by starting a thread about the issue; I sensed your tendency towards OCD (lack of a better term and NOT a bad thing) in other threads, so go ahead and ride those tires like you stole the bike and get new ones at START.   

[dirtrider]

56 minutes ago, Stresspuppy said:

Thanks dirtrider. The picture in my head is like a 2x4 that you run a round-over router bit down two edges so it is smooth transition from the rounded part to the flat part on top of the board. It just seems odd to me that the flat section was actually raised up from the rounded parts on either side, so not a smooth transition. More like a ridge running down the center of the tire. But I get what you are saying and that the shape of the tire changes depending on riding position so riding style will shape each riders tires a little differently. For these tires, it seems the previous owner likely was a straight highway rider with not a lot of curvy roads.

 

As for grinding/sanding, I've read a bit about that here as well and I have no interest in doing that. $500 for a set of tires is not cheap by any means, but far easier to stomach than the clean up of the mess grinding/sanding rubber makes. Just using a Dremel on anything rubber shows very quickly a mess can be made. Magnify that many times over... no thanks.

 

So it sounds like I probably need new tires sooner rather than later, and then I need to vary my riding style (e.g. more twisty roads ) to help the wear be more "even". I may just try to deal with the noise for now and replace them closer to START if there aren't any safety issues with them being this way. Then I get to decide if I stick with the 6 GTs or go to something else. The eternal debate about which tire is better. After reading a ton on that, I had it down to the 6 GTs or the Dunlop Road Smart, I think. I'll have to go back and re-read the thread(s).

Morning  Stresspuppy

 

Twisty roads doesn't necessarily mean you are home free on tire wear issues. A good twisty road at a good speed will yield tire wear farther out from the center but you are still crossing the tires center & changing lean angles so you will still get tire wear as the  road contact patch continually changes to different tire circumferences.  

 

Probably the best defense against odd tire wear is to match tire design, construction, & tire pressure to your riding style. 

 

Personally, with my aggressive riding style, I have never liked dual compound tires, to me (my riding style) I do get slightly less actual wear with dual compound tires but that is a trade-off against way more abrupt step wear & strange handling characteristics as they don't wear in evenly. 

 

I don't get great or even good long term tire wear so that isn't even on my radar. I do try to find tires that at least give me somewhat even tire wear be it short life. To me (personally) what good is a longer tire life if I have to remove them at half wear-out because of wear like in your pictures above. 

 

At one time I thought that progressive compound tires might be the answer but still don't like the way they wear unevenly for me.   

[reg26]

You said in your own words "  I think they were run quite under inflated but I don't know for sure" I check my pressures before every ride except when doing a long tour then it's every few days. If you never checked them maybe it's your fault ? I have run the PR 6 and have no problem of which you speak of but I must say i Have not done a ton of highway miles but have on the other generations , mostly PR4's and have never had that problem. Check you pressure before each ride especially if you bike sites for a week before each one like mine does. 

[Stresspuppy]

3 hours ago, dirtrider said:

Morning  Stresspuppy

 

Twisty roads doesn't necessarily mean you are home free on tire wear issues. A good twisty road at a good speed will yield tire wear farther out from the center but you are still crossing the tires center & changing lean angles so you will still get tire wear as the  road contact patch continually changes to different tire circumferences.  

 

Probably the best defense against odd tire wear is to match tire design, construction, & tire pressure to your riding style. 

 

Personally, with my aggressive riding style, I have never liked dual compound tires, to me (my riding style) I do get slightly less actual wear with dual compound tires but that is a trade-off against way more abrupt step wear & strange handling characteristics as they don't wear in evenly. 

 

I don't get great or even good long term tire wear so that isn't even on my radar. I do try to find tires that at least give me somewhat even tire wear be it short life. To me (personally) what good is a longer tire life if I have to remove them at half wear-out because of wear like in your pictures above. 

 

At one time I thought that progressive compound tires might be the answer but still don't like the way they wear unevenly for me.   

 

I'll have to read more about the compound and style of the tires to see what might work best for me. I'd say I'm a fairly tame rider at the moment but the more I get comfortable with the bike, the more I do like the curvy roads. On my cages I pretty much stick to Michelins but the rules and needs of a bike are different so I'll have to decide what might work and just give things a try. And while replacing tires in short intervals wouldn't be optimal, even wear and the lack of the truck tire sound might make something like you are referring to worth looking at.

 

 

1 hour ago, reg26 said:

You said in your own words "  I think they were run quite under inflated but I don't know for sure" I check my pressures before every ride except when doing a long tour then it's every few days. If you never checked them maybe it's your fault ? I have run the PR 6 and have no problem of which you speak of but I must say i Have not done a ton of highway miles but have on the other generations , mostly PR4's and have never had that problem. Check you pressure before each ride especially if you bike sites for a week before each one like mine does. 

 

The tires were this way when I bought the bike in October of this year. That's why I was speculating on the reason. I knew they were a little cupped or something but it wasn't until my most recent trip and how loud they are that I looked at them in detail. Once I got it I made sure the pressures were right, and I check every other ride or so. When I get new tires, I'll certainly be diligent about checking.

 

 

[duckhawk64]

I wear out my rear center area from hard, straight acceleration. I never get more than 5k miles on a rear tire. I usually run dual compound Michelin. 

I wear out dual compound fronts on the shoulders before the center. 

Soft compound tires work better for me  during cool spring and fall riding. Have fun figuring out what works best for you. If 

[Hosstage]

I've never regretted getting new tires a little sooner than necessary, especially if I wasn't real happy with what I had on at the time. In the long term I won't miss that money, but the irritation and maybe a little worry about their condition and performance of the old tires eat at me every time I ride them. That makes a ride just a little less enjoyable. New tires make a ride very enjoyable every time.

[Skywagon]

What Hosstage said. New tires are your friend

 

Ive had many PR tires. I like them for wear and traction, but they really are way louder than many other tires. I’ve done similar… turn off the music in my ear to see if something wrong with bike, only to find out my PR’s were the loud noise. 
 

 

[Bernie]

Just get ear plugs and turn up the music. Those tires have many miles left in them.

 

[Topophilia]

This looks like classic under inflation to me. Don't believe the tire pressure listed for your RT. There have been many threads about tire pressure and what I have gleaned from them is that 38 to 40 PSI in the front is best. That is what I run and I have been seeing much better wear patterns on my Michelin 4s, 5s and now 6s than I did using the 36psi recommended by BMW. I still run the 42PSI on the rear and am satisfied with that.

[Stresspuppy]

Thanks. I’ll up the front a little next time I go out to see how that feels. Hopefully now having the pressures correct, the wear will level out a bit. Not saying they will ever have “normal” looking wear, but maybe the noise will be a little less as they wear from here on out. 
 

As per the sage advice from @Bernie, I’ll likely just ride them for a while and change before START. I think Boxflyer probably

has enough already lined up that I don’t want to add a set of tires to his load during START. 

[9Mary7]

The RT-P models are loaded pretty well and we always ran 37F-42R. Never had uneven wear issues...

[waltroman]

Always run 40-42 psi, best handling and ride.

[TassieRT1200]

I got 30000km out of my last road 6 tyres. 

Still had a bit left before the wear limit was reached

 

Must ride like an old man I suppose

[MikeB60]

On 1/29/2024 at 1:38 AM, TassieRT1200 said:

I got 30000km out of my last road 6 tyres. 

Still had a bit left before the wear limit was reached

 

Must ride like an old man I suppose

Impressive I barely get that mileage out of the tires on my Mustang!

[Scott9999]

On 12/24/2023 at 5:44 AM, Stresspuppy said:

As for grinding/sanding, I've read a bit about that here as well and I have no interest in doing that. $500 for a set of tires is not cheap by any means, but far easier to stomach than the clean up of the mess grinding/sanding rubber makes. Just using a Dremel on anything rubber shows very quickly a mess can be made. Magnify that many times over... no thanks.

Yep, I'm cheap for just about everything, other than rubber.  My 2018 RT has fairly new factory Dunlops on it, but I bought a set of 6 GT's about a year ago (i.e. when I actually thought I bought the bike to RIDE it, but that didn't work out so well).  They've been staring me in the face ever time I go in my garage.  I've always liked Michelin tires over Dunlops, and the Dunlops are a few years old in the tooth anyhow (i.e. rubber is probably harder), so I'll probably pull them off and put on the Michelin's just to have the feel of new rubber this spring.  

 

Look for sales, and stock up, because you're always gonna need another set of tires if you keep riding your bike.  Good tires can be life and death on a  two wheeled vehicle, IMHO, so don't cheap out on rubber.

[Scott9999]

On 1/1/2024 at 7:52 AM, 9Mary7 said:

The RT-P models are loaded pretty well and we always ran 37F-42R. Never had uneven wear issues...

Yeah, Alan, but the way you ride, your tires probably lost all the sidewall rubber the centers ever wore more than 1/16th of a inch.  Plus, tough to develop wear issues when your tires were bald at 3K miles. How would you even know?!  

[9Mary7]

31 minutes ago, Scott9999 said:

How would you even know?!  

Soooooo, new rear every service(6k), front would usually go 9k. But during the summer that could easily drop to 4500 rear and 6k front.

Thanking you taxpayers for all that delicious fresh rubber and fuel

[Scott9999]

4 hours ago, 9Mary7 said:

Soooooo, new rear every service(6k), front would usually go 9k. But during the summer that could easily drop to 4500 rear and 6k front.

Thanking you taxpayers for all that delicious fresh rubber and fuel

Yep, it was all that valley heat burnin' that rubber, not you.  

[Stresspuppy]

Alright, I have had all I can stand, I can't stand no more. These tires are obnoxious and I think I'm going to try to get them replaced before START. I don't want to start a tire war, plenty of those going around, but I would like to know what brands/models I should research. Here is what I know:

 

Michelin Road 6 GT (bad experience with these, but prior owner put the wear on them so hard to say how they would work for me from new)

Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart (3? 4?)

Metzler Roadtec 01

 

These seem to be the "favorites" on what I can find. Any others I should consider? I want to read up on the tires to try and match - from what I can glean - to my riding style. Any of them are going to handle stuff above my skill level so it's more about other things. And whatever it is, there is no way they are as loud as these truck tire sounding things I have.  Any non-war-creating input would be appreciated.

[Bernie]

Dunlop Roadsmart 4, Michelin Road 6GT, Bridgestone 32GT, Continental Road Attack 4GT or Metzler RoadTec 02 are the best handling tires for a sport touring bike, like the R1200/1250RT.

The longest lasted tires are RoadSmart 4 and  Road 6GT.

But it is normal for these tires to develop scalping or cupping as they wear. 

You just have to adjust your riding style to deal with the characters they develop with use.

I understand that the Dunlop RoadSmart 4 are a big improvement over the RoadSmart 3.

 

[JCtx]

4 hours ago, Stresspuppy said:

Michelin Road 6 GT (bad experience with these, but prior owner put the wear on them so hard to say how they would work for me from new)

No worries about creating a 'tire war'. We all are interested on different inputs. May I ask what you don't like about the Road 6s, besides being noisy? And do you wear ear plugs? I doubt I'd ever hear the tires with ear plugs, but curious what I got into. Ha ha. Have zero miles on my Road 6s, but I'm already slightly disappointed that they needed A TON of weight to balance (89 freaking grams), where the Z8 only needed 35. Oh well.

 

I did a lot of research before buying tires, and the top 2 by a lot were the Road 6s and RoadSmart 4s. For what I read, apparently the RS4s cup worse than the Road6s, but I have my doubts about that. These tires have some serious space between treads, so I cannot believe they won't cup. But we'll see. If you don't corner aggressively, you probably don't have to worry about that. The RS4s had the edge in longevity, plus I think those come with a light spot marked, so I might give them a try next. They're also the sportiest of them all (quicker steering), so I liked that too. Since you don't like the Road 6s, I'd go with the RS4s. Good luck.

[dirtrider]

10 hours ago, Stresspuppy said:

Alright, I have had all I can stand, I can't stand no more. These tires are obnoxious and I think I'm going to try to get them replaced before START. I don't want to start a tire war, plenty of those going around, but I would like to know what brands/models I should research. Here is what I know:

 

Michelin Road 6 GT (bad experience with these, but prior owner put the wear on them so hard to say how they would work for me from new)

Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart (3? 4?)

Metzler Roadtec 01

 

These seem to be the "favorites" on what I can find. Any others I should consider? I want to read up on the tires to try and match - from what I can glean - to my riding style. Any of them are going to handle stuff above my skill level so it's more about other things. And whatever it is, there is no way they are as loud as these truck tire sounding things I have.  Any non-war-creating input would be appreciated.

Morning   Stresspuppy

 

Tire choice is not that easy for most riders, one specific tire brand or model doesn't work the same for every rider. 

 

Tire wear depends! On how you ride, how you brake, how you corner, type of road surfaces that you ride on, how much air pressure you typically run, lots & lots of variables.  

 

One of the problems with motorcycle tires is they scrub every time the motorcycle is leaned while moving. Typical motorcycle tires have a round or even a V shaped profile. This means that every time the motorcycle is leaned while moving the tire circumference is continually changing. As the circumference changes it scrubs rubber.

 

What this basically means is, what tire works the best for me might be the worst tire you have ridden on for your riding style, braking habits, & conditions. 

 

You are dealing with the last riders tire wear so you can't really base YOUR tire wear on those tires. 

 

What you would really like to do is rotate your tires every few thousand miles but that isn't possible on most motorcycles. 

 

On my dirt bikes with softer off-road type tires with lots of spaces between tread blocks I usually rotate the direction the tire spins a couple of times during the tire's life. It doesn't increase the tire's life but it sure evens out the wear patterns. This really isn't advisable on most pavement type tires due to sipe direction & construction. 

 

You are probably going to have to pick a quality tire set then see how that works for YOUR riding style & riding conditions. If unhappy then try a different tire at next tire update. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stresspuppy]

7 hours ago, JCtx said:

No worries about creating a 'tire war'. We all are interested on different inputs. May I ask what you don't like about the Road 6s, besides being noisy? And do you wear ear plugs? I doubt I'd ever hear the tires with ear plugs, but curious what I got into. Ha ha. Have zero miles on my Road 6s, but I'm already slightly disappointed that they needed A TON of weight to balance (89 freaking grams), where the Z8 only needed 35. Oh well.

 

I just bought the bike in October and it had these so I have nothing to compare against, ride or noise. They had just under 4k on them when I bought them and were already cupped and noisy and I've put about 3500 on them and they seem to have gotten worse. So technically some life left on them and Bernie's input was to just play some music and wear them out. But I tend to hear them (I do wear ear plugs and even with those they are still quite noticeable) and taken out of the moment so to speak. I'd prefer not to be thinking "I wish these things were so noisy" while I'm trying to relax and enjoy. Tire pressure is 38/42, but I don't know what the previous owner ran them at.

 

 

19 minutes ago, dirtrider said:

Morning   Stresspuppy

 

Tire choice is not that easy for most riders, one specific tire brand or model doesn't work the same for every rider. 

 

Tire wear depends! On how you ride, how you brake, how you corner, type of road surfaces that you ride on, how much air pressure you typically run, lots & lots of variables.  

 

 

Understood. I guess that is where the "wars" break out. People swear by their tires but don't necessarily talk about their riding style. 

 

The three I read the most about are the Road 6 GT, Roadsmart 4, Metzeler Roadtec 01 SE. My riding is mostly fairly tame side roads with mostly long sweeping turns and highway at the moment, so not a lot of twisties - yet (I have a feeling I'll get my fair share at START). There aren't too many twisties near Richmond VA so I have to get 90 minutes away to the mountains before I start to see much. I do hope to make some longer roadtrips in the near future that will likely be a mix of riding.

 

I'm leaning towards the Metzelers this go around but not 100%. Seeing that I put 3500 miles on them in a few months (taking out the cold non/low riding times) - but that's tame compared to many - I might get through a set this season or season and a half so I won't be stuck with them. And throw money to the wind, if I hate them I could just replace them again (no, I don't have money to spare, just giving myself options).

 

On cost, the Roadsmart 4 are about $480 and Roadtec 01 are around $400 for a set, the Road 6 are close to $550. Not that price is a total deciding factor, but it adds up.

 

(On a side note, I am thinking about buying the tires through Cycle Gear and having them install them. I don't have the stuff needed, nor the time, to do it myself (but I'm going to look over Boxflyer's shoulder when he does some). They their cost is very reasonable, but I'll just have to do it 1 wheel at a time as there is no way to get both off and balance the bike.)

 

[Bernie]

A few things, you can remove both wheels without a problem.

With the bike on the center stand on a flat, level solid surface, install a strap between the muffler cross over pipe and the cross over tube on the center stand. Then remove the luggage, muffler and rear wheel, while the bike is in first gear.

Then use a simple floor jack, I use an old screw jack and a piece of wood, maybe 10”x 6” x 1/4”. Position this wood between the top if the jack and the bottom of the motor, towards the front of the motor. 

Before lifting the front wheel of the ground, remove the brake calipers. Insert some shims between the brake pads (wood or plastic) and use some string or bungee cords to suspend the calipers from your fog light bracket or handle bar.

Then remove the front of the front fender. Loosen the 2 pinch bolts for the front axle and loosen the front axle bolt on the left side (clutch).

Then very slowly lift the front of the bike with the jack. You want to lift it just enough to get clearance under the front wheel. Remove the front axle, remember which way the spacer on the left side was installed on the wheel.

The main thing is to not lift the bike to far, so it is supported by the center stand and the jack. Also do NOT but any weight on the rear of the bike while the wheels are removed.

If you are worried about the rear, position a block of wood under the rear drive, after you lifted the front of the bike.

If you use a hydraulic jack, you may want to position some blocks of wood under the front fork, while the wheels are removed , in case it looses pressure. 

 

[dirtrider]

1 hour ago, Stresspuppy said:

(On a side note, I am thinking about buying the tires through Cycle Gear and having them install them. I don't have the stuff needed, nor the time, to do it myself (but I'm going to look over Boxflyer's shoulder when he does some). They their cost is very reasonable, but I'll just have to do it 1 wheel at a time as there is no way to get both off and balance the bike.)

 

Morning Stresspuppy

 

If you have a couple of small jack stands or strong crates or even cement blocks you can safely remove both tires at once. 

 

First loosen rear wheel bolts with motorcycle on the ground or on side stand. Then loosen & exhaust if needed. (you want to do this with motorcycle stable) 

 

Then put motorcycle on center stand & strap the center stand to the exhaust, or something solid on the motorcycle up front.

 

Then jack or lift front of motorcycle & remove front wheel. If you don't have a small jack then possibly your car or truck has a small scissor jack that will work along with a piece of wood for engine case protection.

 

Then stick a solid metal rod (like long 1/2 extension or metal rod) through the lower fork axle holes (the original axle is not wide enough for full safety)

 

Now lower the front low enough to remove the rear wheel (when low enough support that long rod in the forks with a short jack stands or (whatever is strong enough) 

 

Now remove the rear wheel  (remember once the rear wheel is removed the front will get heavier on that front cross rod). 

 

 

Added just now__ It looks like Bernie & me were posting at about the same time but with about the same thoughts. 

 

[Stresspuppy]

2 minutes ago, Bernie said:

A few things, you can remove both wheels without a problem.

With the bike on the center stand on a flat, level solid surface, install a strap between the muffler cross over pipe and the cross over tube on the center stand. Then remove the luggage, muffler and rear wheel, while the bike is in first gear.

Then use a simple floor jack, I use an old screw jack and a piece of wood, maybe 10”x 6” x 1/4”. Position this wood between the top if the jack and the bottom of the motor, towards the front of the motor. 

Before lifting the front wheel of the ground, remove the brake calipers. Insert some shims between the brake pads (wood or plastic) and use some string or bungee cords to suspend the calipers from your fog light bracket or handle bar.

Then remove the front of the front fender. Loosen the 2 pinch bolts for the front axle and loosen the front axle bolt on the left side (clutch).

Then very slowly lift the front of the bike with the jack. You want to lift it just enough to get clearance under the front wheel. Remove the front axle, remember which way the spacer on the left side was installed on the wheel.

The main thing is to not lift the bike to far, so it is supported by the center stand and the jack. Also do NOT but any weight on the rear of the bike while the wheels are removed.

If you are worried about the rear, position a block of wood under the rear drive, after you lifted the front of the bike.

If you use a hydraulic jack, you may want to position some blocks of wood under the front fork, while the wheels are removed , in case it looses pressure. 

 

 

Thanks! As always, sage advise from a seasoned veteran. I'll definitely give that a shot when I buy the tires.

 

It seems like I really can't go wrong with the three tires I mentioned, just preference and riding style. Maybe I should just think about it as trying them all over the next few sets (unless I really fall in love with one, then no reason to change). I would make a joke about this being a major life decision, but with tires on a motorcycle, the decision kind of is.

[Bernie]

As for tires, they all cup. Some cause strange handling issues, others make noise.

A cruiser guy would just buy a louder exhaust pipe. 

I turn up the radio.

I know from past experiences that the cupping of the RoadSmart 4 don’t affect the handling for me, as the cupping of the Road 5GT. The 6GT will also cup, but I don’t know if that will bother me as much as the 5GT did.

The Conti RoadAttack 4GT did not cup or make noise. They handled great and I really enjoyed them. But the cords showed up on the rear in 4K, while I rode the front tire for almost 6-7k, until it looked like a slick.

You will just have to try what works for you.

I know in Europe lots of folks complained about the Roadtec01 as being noisy and supposedly the 02 version is an improvement. ‘

Bridgestone as a rebate going at the moment, and I don’t remember anyone ever complaining about noise from them.

Only your own experiences will be important.

[JCtx]

I have a recommendation how to deal with the front of the bike while changing tires. Just changed them on my R, but used the same method on my ex-RT. I put the bike on the center stand, remove rear wheel first (after removing muffler, etc), then jack up the front from under the engine (not touching the exhaust pipes), using a piece of 2x4, remove the front wheel, slide the axle back, and lower the bike on a jack stand in the middle of the axle (with a rubber adapter made for pinch welds), and it's exactly where the bike is with the wheel in place at the lowest height setting. So basically I only put pressure under the engine for less than a minute at a time. Bike is rock solid that way. Hope this helps.

 

7 hours ago, Bernie said:

the cupping of the RoadSmart 4 don’t affect the handling for me, as the cupping of the Road 5GT. The 6GT will also cup, but I don’t know if that will bother me as much as the 5GT did.

First time I read that the Roads cup worse than the RS4s. Hopefully the 6s will be less. My now gone Z8s also cupped, but that didn't bother me at all. I figure the Road 6s HAVE to cup, just looking at the massive spaces between treads. But hope they don't bother me as well. Looks like I might try the RS4s next time. Thanks for that input.

[dirtrider]

38 minutes ago, JCtx said:

I have a recommendation how to deal with the front of the bike while changing tires. Just changed them on my R, but used the same method on my ex-RT. I put the bike on the center stand, remove rear wheel first (after removing muffler, etc), then jack up the front from under the engine (not touching the exhaust pipes), using a piece of 2x4, remove the front wheel, slide the axle back, and lower the bike on a jack stand in the middle of the axle (with a rubber adapter made for pinch welds), and it's exactly where the bike is with the wheel in place at the lowest height setting. So basically I only put pressure under the engine for less than a minute at a time. Bike is rock solid that way. Hope this helps.

 

First time I read that the Roads cup worse than the RS4s. Hopefully the 6s will be less. My now gone Z8s also cupped, but that didn't bother me at all. I figure the Road 6s HAVE to cup, just looking at the massive spaces between treads. But hope they don't bother me as well. Looks like I might try the RS4s next time. Thanks for that input.

 

38 minutes ago, JCtx said:

I have a recommendation how to deal with the front of the bike while changing tires. Just changed them on my R, but used the same method on my ex-RT. I put the bike on the center stand, remove rear wheel first (after removing muffler, etc), then jack up the front from under the engine (not touching the exhaust pipes), using a piece of 2x4, remove the front wheel, slide the axle back, and lower the bike on a jack stand in the middle of the axle (with a rubber adapter made for pinch welds), and it's exactly where the bike is with the wheel in place at the lowest height setting. So basically I only put pressure under the engine for less than a minute at a time. Bike is rock solid that way. Hope this helps.

 

If you keep doing it that way eventually you will find your motorcycle laying on it's side. Never remove both wheels without strapping the center stand solid so it can't collapse with just the right bump or wiggle.  

[9Mary7]

6 minutes ago, dirtrider said:

Never remove both wheels without strapping the side centerstand solid so it can't collapse with just the right bump or wiggle.  

Fixed it for you....

[dirtrider]

9 minutes ago, 9Mary7 said:

Fixed it for you....

Evening 9Mary7

 

Thanks, I just saw that but you caught it before I went back & re-read it. I fixed it. My fingers were typing with my mind on something else. 

[9Mary7]

2 minutes ago, dirtrider said:

Evening 9Mary7

 

Thanks, I just saw that but you caught it before I went back & re-read it. I fixed it. My fingers were typing with my mind on something else. 

I saw that you were working on several problems at once and I just happened to be reading that thread when you posted..... as always, Thanks for all you do for this forum.

[Stresspuppy]

Well, I decided to go to the local Cycle Gear and order the Roadsmart IVs. We looked them up and then he mentioned he might have them in stock. Sure enough, so made it easy. But the BEST part is they were mis-marked and he said he had to honor that price. So I got both, with road hazard warranty, for $369 out the door. Saved $160. He promptly took the rest off the shelf until he could re-tag them with the right price. Hope it was the right choice, but for the money, I had to give them a try. So new shoes for my trip to START!

 

After a short ride on Saturday, I'll pull the wheels and get them up there to get mounted and balanced.

 

Happy (6 month early) birthday to me... 

[MikeB60]

10 hours ago, Stresspuppy said:

Roadtec 01

Metzlers and their parent company Pirelli have a factory in China. I had a problem with a Roadtec and Pirelli Scorpion II both made in China. No more for me. 

Edited April 11 by MikeB60
Spellin

[Stresspuppy]

3 minutes ago, MikeB60 said:

Metzlers and their parent company Pirelli have a factory in China. I had a problem with a Roadtec and Pirelli Scorpion II both made in China. No more for me. 

I didn't know Pirelli owned Metzler. Interesting.  I ended up going with the Dunlop, we'll see how they are.

[9Mary7]

1 hour ago, MikeB60 said:

have a factory in China

Doesn't everybody?

I just mounted up a pair of Bridgestones on my Guzzi......tires marked "made in Japan"

[MikeB60]

31 minutes ago, 9Mary7 said:

Doesn't everybody?

I just mounted up a pair of Bridgestones on my Guzzi......tires marked "made in Japan"

Makes since that Bridgestones are made in Japan after all it's a Japanese company. 🙂

[Stresspuppy]

3 hours ago, Stresspuppy said:

Well, I decided to go to the local Cycle Gear and order the Roadsmart IVs. We looked them up and then he mentioned he might have them in stock. Sure enough, so made it easy. But the BEST part is they were mis-marked and he said he had to honor that price. So I got both, with road hazard warranty, for $369 out the door. Saved $160.

 

And found out that Dunlop has a rebate going on right now as well, so another $60 off. Feeling like a lottery winner (not quite).

[JCtx]

10 hours ago, dirtrider said:

If you keep doing it that way eventually you will find your motorcycle laying on it's side.

No, I won't. Didn't list everything I do, since others did. My post was about using a jack stand under the axle, rather than leaving the bike supported by the engine for hours (or days).

[Stiggy]

I don't know what I'll get on RS4's vs Road 6's but I've got a set in the garage waiting for both the RT and the 1600B to finish with Road 6's.

There's simply too much anecdotal evidence that you will see an improvement in mileage vs the Michelins (IMO)

[Bernie]

13 hours ago, Stresspuppy said:

 

And found out that Dunlop has a rebate going on right now as well, so another $60 off. Feeling like a lottery winner (not quite).

 

Just a quick note about Dunlop Rebates, they are only given if you buy the tires from a Pro-Dealer.

Cycle Gear is a Pro Dealer, while RevZilla is not. And a lot of BMW dealers are also not Pro Dealers.

 

[Stresspuppy]

5 hours ago, Bernie said:

 

Just a quick note about Dunlop Rebates, they are only given if you buy the tires from a Pro-Dealer.

Cycle Gear is a Pro Dealer, while RevZilla is not. And a lot of BMW dealers are also not Pro Dealers.

 

And I found out not all Cycle Gear stores are Pro Dealers. Lucky for me my local CG store is so I already sent the rebate info in. No sense waiting. Should have the tires in early next week. 

[JCtx]

Also check that you CycleGear has the BMW adapter. The only one where I live doesn't, so they cannot install tires on BMW motorcycles with single-sided swingarms. As an FYI.

 

By the way, I had my tire wear definitions wrong. The pics on post #1 is a common wear pattern in cars too (especially very light ones at the rear), which I thought was called 'scalloping', but turns out it's 'cupping'. I thought cupping was what happens to my tires, which is on the sides, due to aggressive cornering, where the leading edge of the space between treads is more worn, and the trailing edge is raised. I don't feel it at all, but it's there. Now I have no idea what that is called. Ha ha. Anyway, I've never experienced true cupping ever, with my tires being perfectly smooth, and typically very round in profile, even when almost down to the wear bars, due to the way I ride. And yes, once tires are cupped, they make horrible noise, and there's no cure for that. My daughter just rotated the tires on her light little hatchback (front to back), and the rear tires are now making a horrible howling noise at the front, although there's no vibration (strangely). She'll have to replace them due to cupping. Guess she needs to rotate them sooner.

[Stresspuppy]

10 minutes ago, JCtx said:

Also check that you CycleGear has the BMW adapter. The only one where I live doesn't, so they cannot install tires on BMW motorcycles with single-sided swingarms. As an FYI.

 

 They don't (told me when I bought the tires) so he said they will mount both and balance the front but I'll have to take the rear somewhere else to get it balanced. There is a Honda dealer just about across the street from CG that said they could do it but Im' going to confirm before I take it to them.

 

I guess this means one more extra thing needed if I decide to do this myself in the future (I thought about doing it this time but with START so close I thought it would be better not to experiment and end up doing something stupid).

[Stresspuppy]

Many thanks to @Bernie and @dirtrider for the very helpful notes on removing the wheels. It was much easier than I was thinking. Just waiting to get them back and re-install them. Next time I'll try to mount and balance the tires myself I think.

 

 

(Side note: Dunlop Mutants were left off previous posts to this thread. While I'd like to tease @Bernie about holding out on me, I know better than to nip at the hand of someone that freely provides.) 

[Bernie]

I will be trying Mutants the first time around in a few weeks. I just know how well they work on Mike’s GS in the rain. 

[Stresspuppy]

I got the wheels back with the new shoes. Had to take the rear somewhere else because CG couldn't do it but the local Honda dealer right across the street from the CG took care of it. I showed up at 5:58 pm (they close at 6 pm) to slip in and drop off for them to do the next day but he did it while I waited and I was out of there by 6:06 pm (not that I was looking at my watch). Impressive and awesome service. Now to get them back on the bike.