ahirsch Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 It appears my 1100 RT pulls to the right. My new tires after 1000 miles are already wearing and leaving a ridge on the left side. When I bought the bike the tires that it came with were also worn heavily the same way. What can be done??? Help??? Link to comment
Jake Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 You're screwed. This website is actually a big put-on. None of us actually own BMW bikes, and you are the unwitting recipient of a cruel practical joke for buying a beemer. We've been waiting for you, and it's been a long time coming. Leslie - you can send the boobie prize, we have a winner! We all are riders, no doubt. But the PTTR phenomenon is well known amongst us, and to wit we have avoided purchasing the famed BMW motorcycle for that very reason. The damned, dirty PTTR, destroying tires and the confidence of riders worldwide. There's nothing you can do - many have tried. Some of the pitiful attempts at remedies are: - Removing the shim in the back wheel to more closely align the track of the rear with the front - useless. - No longer ride in America - our roads are crowned for drainage - fruitless. - Make three rights instead of one left - this is still under investigation and might have merit. - Buy ME880 tires to thwart off the early onslaught of the left-side groove apparent in the softer tread of more performance-oriented tires - hopeless. - Hang off to the left as a part of your normal riding posture, thereby leaning your bike to the right. Only Russell does this, but he doesn't ride a BMW anyway - goofy. You can do a search on "PTTR" - but you may need to go back a few years for a more detailed explanation than this silly reply. The only serious thing I've said of course is "You're screwed". They all do that. Link to comment
Zot Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 So dragging my right foot on the ground probably won't make a difference either. Link to comment
topdal46 Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 Nope, dragging the right foot won't help, but dragging the left might, I'm on ME880 tires right now, and I see a less PTTR and wear compared to the MEZ4's I had on it before..... Link to comment
notacop Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 No matter how hard I try, my tires wear out after 6-8 thousand miles. Some show the left side wear, some fronts cup from too much brake on curvy rodes, some wear the middle droning the interstates from here to there. It's a conspiricy of the DOT and the tire people. Link to comment
Zot Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 No matter how hard I try, my tires wear out after 6-8 thousand miles. Some show the left side wear, some fronts cup from too much brake on curvy rodes, some wear the middle droning the interstates from here to there. It's a conspiricy of the DOT and the tire people. It's actually a "service" provided especially for BMW owners, who aren't happy unless thier complaining about something or other, related to the cost of owning a BMW motorcycle. This way if everything else is running "tickety boo" on our bikes, we can at least "fall back" on what it costs to keep rubber between us and the pavement, until the the next cost crises rears it's ugly head. Link to comment
ahirsch Posted June 23, 2007 Author Share Posted June 23, 2007 I love the responses!! Figured I was screwed and will just have to deal. The ridge that is building is way bigger in my mind and thus causes nightmares and concern. The nightmare is going to be realized when 3000 miles occur however, because I will probbaly be looking at a new set of tires. Maybe I will try a harder tire, as I am on the z6 now. The previous set were Z4. Switching brands won't help? Less tire pressure? Link to comment
T__ Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 It appears my 1100 RT pulls to the right. My new tires after 1000 miles are already wearing and leaving a ridge on the left side. When I bought the bike the tires that it came with were also worn heavily the same way. What can be done??? Help??? Ahirsch, there have been many threads on this site about PTTR (pull to the right) & L/H tire wear.. Here is a thread from a short time ago with about the same question.. Click Here PTTR Twisty Link to comment
Zot Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 I love the responses!! Figured I was screwed and will just have to deal. The ridge that is building is way bigger in my mind and thus causes nightmares and concern. The nightmare is going to be realized when 3000 miles occur however, because I will probbaly be looking at a new set of tires. Maybe I will try a harder tire, as I am on the z6 now. The previous set were Z4. Switching brands won't help? Less tire pressure? I just switched from a Z4 to a Z6 a while ago, so far no noticable wear pattern but I've only put on about 500 miles. My experience is that it's the last 1000 miles where the uneaven wear really start to show. I would also point out that I have been in situations were going around a curve (too fast) I felt that there was "no way" that I was coming out unscathed, and the Z4's held the road and gave no sensation of slide. So that being said, I would rather change tires a little more often knowing that they will "stick" when the need arises. Link to comment
Green RT Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 Maybe I will try a harder tire, as I am on the z6 now. The previous set were Z4. Switching brands won't help? Less tire pressure? Andrew, I seem to have less of this effect on the Z6s (last 3 or 4 sets) than I did on the Z4s (first 3 or 4 sets). I also get about 12-13K miles in contrast to others. It appears that mileage varies greatly amongst subscribers to this forum with no obvious reason for the differences. I did remove the shim on the rear wheel which seemed to reduce the PTTR and may have influenced the uneven wear. It didn't change the total mileage on a set of tires. Link to comment
Haynes Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 Past discussions on PTTR have ranged widely in their logic and intent. Apparently, the PTTR is widespread but I refuse to believe that the problem can't be diagnosed or corrected. I used to be an advocate for engine torque causing the problem until it was pointed out that not all BMW, or other shaft driven bikes, pull to the right. My favoured hypothesis is a misalignment of the fron and rear wheel axis. I cannot however explain why misalignment never causes a pull to the left. If the alignment was as in the diagram below, it would cause camber thrust in opposite directions on the front and rear causing the bike to continually turn one direction. If this geometry was in error, then it should be able to be corrected by making an adjustable bush on one side of the front telelever. Adjusting it back or forward would tilt the steering from side to side and either correct or counteract the PTTR. I don't claim it to be THE answer, just an idea. Link to comment
Bud Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 You are screwed. It is either PTTR or it is the crowned US roads and left turns are longer than right because we drive on the right. Pick which belief you choose and make it your religion around here. Radical believers for both. Now that is out of the way, do you want to talk oil and oil filters (some of which are "crap" and you can see it by just looking at them). A word to the wise: Don't mention Fram. Link to comment
BUSTED Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 What tire pressures are you running? Some abnormal and premature tire where can be attributed to under-inflated front and over-inflated rear tire pressures. Link to comment
Haynes Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 We ride on the left side of the road and PTTR still prevails. It's puzzling to think that if an error in geometry exists, why does it always favour PTTR and never PTTL? Link to comment
T__ Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 We ride on the left side of the road and PTTR still prevails. It's puzzling to think that if an error in geometry exists, why does it always favour PTTR and never PTTL? Haynes, they pull to the right because they are heavier on the right.. The trans gears & rear drive shaft, rear brake, etc are right of center.. Put some weight in the L/H pannier & they will go down the road fairly straight.. Look at most of the oil head fall over damage,, it is usually on the R/H side (ever wonder why?) Twisty Link to comment
jbr7t Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 Put some weight in the L/H pannier & they will go down the road fairly straight.. Look at most of the oil head fall over damage,, it is usually on the R/H side (ever wonder why?) Twisty +1 I always keep a couple things in my left sidecase. When I load up for a trip I make sure the heavier items are on the left and the bike actually tracks pretty straight. One time I even experienced pttL yes, left...of course I had all the parts for my 12,000 mile service in my left case! Link to comment
Haynes Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 The weight distribution is very unlikey to be the absolute cause as the severity of the PTTR varies from bike to bike. Both the R1150RTs that I've owned have tracked perfectly straight without any steering inputs from me and without weight compensation. However, around two years ago I was asked to ride a friend's bike to measure the PTTR which was quite prominent and wearing on even a short ride. Weighting the left side compensates but does not correct the geometry. Link to comment
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