TIRE WEAR (again)

[boatzo]

I know this subject has been beat to death, but I have been having a problem with this and have come up with some improvement to my situation. This may have been posted before, but I haven't seen it.

 

My RT was going through front tires at an alarming rate. 3500 miles and the left side was really scalloped badly. That was an Avon Azro that the dealer installed.

 

Installed new Pilot Roads F&R. I removed the wheels and took them to a tire dealer near by and had the new tires mounted. They do not balence motor cycle tires, just left the existing weights in place. No vibration problems, we have all discussed this recently in another post.

 

At 2000 miles I started to notice left side wear on the new front PR. Much more than I thought should be there. Also since the tire change, the bike seemed to be pulling more to the right than before.

 

I asked a dealer service manager to have a look and he said this was normal and due to the crown in the road. I know this has also been discussed here at length.(PTTR etc.)

 

I went to an independent motorcycle shop that had been recommended by a friend and asked the same question. The owner was very informative and really spent a lot of time with me(BTW, no charge). I was impressed to say the least. I shall return in the future for some work.

 

Any way, this is the 1st time I have removed the wheels and reinstalled them. The guy at the shop asked if the front axel installed freely. DING DING No, says I, it was very difficult to remove and reinstall. So I went home and removed the front wheel again. Sure enough the axel didn't line up well with the left fork. I loosened the allen bolts on the lower fork brace (what ever you call it?) and slightly moved the forks until the axel slid freely then torqued the bolts to specs. and reinstalled the wheel. I also followed the procedure of bouncing the front end under load before tightening the axel pinch bolts.

 

I lowered the tire pressure to 36 f & 39 R and rode the hell out of the bike on several long rides totalling about 800 miles, twisties and straight slabs. The front tire wear pattern has some what reversed and while there is still some on the left, it is more equal and appears to be with in acceptable limits. After these miles, the bike now tracks very well with hands off the bars.

 

My son just forwarded a link that I would encourage everyone to read(if you haven't already). Very informative about tire wear and dispells the myth of road crown causing the left side wear. http://www.rattlebars.com/valkfaq/tirewear/

 

Hope I haven't bored Y-all too much.

[smiller]

That's a great link Bill, thanks. Although information like that stands to ruin one of our most popular threads...

[Boffin]

That's a great link Bill, thanks. Although information like that stands to ruin one of our most popular threads...

 

Except my tyres wear more on the left than the right....

 

 

Andy

[boatzo]

That's a great link Bill, thanks. Although information like that stands to ruin one of our most popular threads...

 

Except my tyres wear more on the left than the right....

 

 

Andy

 

And you ride on the left side of the road Andy. (Or is it the wrong side)? So, as the article says, road crown causing this is a myth.

 

I sure don't want to mess up a popular thread, but sometimes a breath of fresh air is a good thing.

[notacop]

Heavens forbid but it may be political! If you're a member of the socialist party are you not more left leaning therefore prone to such wear.

See your union steward and file a grievance for unbalanced wear. It's the right thing to do

On the other hand, the right, I've had tires wear in a similar pattern but gave them up for dead long befor they got that worn.