Rapid Tire Wear

[Retired At LAst]

What's going on with the front tire on my 1100rt-p? The first set of tires (brand new Dunlops) Lasted only 6,000 miles both front and rear, (I bought the bike with 48,000 miles on it.) I thought this was strange as on previous bikes the front always lasted about twice as long as the rear.

 

So I put on a pair of Pilot Roads and now with 5,000 miles the front is toast and the rear seems to have maybe 3-4,000 miles left. I run the front at 39 psi and the rear at 42 psi. I AM NOT AN AGRESSIVE RIDER...

 

I am replacing both shocks although there is no leakage but the spring and handling is not was it should be.

 

What's going on?? Could worn shocks be my problem??? Is the front end of the RT-P with it's extra battery, crash bars, lights etc, so heavy that it takes this kind toll on the tire?

 

This kind of milage is not very acceptable.

 

Any thoughts????

 

Allen

[bmweerman]

Don't think this is particualarly helpful but that's about the mileage I get riding 2 up on a stock RT...

 

40 psi front 42 psi rear

 

I think overinflation on the front can cause excess wear.

 

Also found that when I started riding Beemers I was oversteering and wearing out my fronts faster than I should have. On an RT you only have to think where you want to go.

IMHO countersteering is counterproductive on this kind of bike.

 

Good luck

 

MM

[Wooster]

What's going on with the front tire on my 1100rt-p? The first set of tires (brand new Dunlops) Lasted only 6,000 miles both front and rear,

 

That's extreme; is wear pattern normal, e.g., flat bottom ?

 

Wooster

[Retired At LAst]

The wear pattern on the Dunlops was weird with excessive wear on the left side. the wear on the pilots was normal and even . Very strange.

[Edgar]

Some folks report 8-10K miles on a set of tires, but I have never gotten over 6K on multiple sets of Z2's and Z4's. The Z6's that are on it now might make it to 7K, a personal record! I do a lot of two up riding on hot Texas concrete.

[Retired At LAst]

If that is the case think I'll go into the tire business. At 18,000 miles a year I'll go thru 3 sets of tires/that's over $1,200 with installation.

 

I used to get 14,000 miles on the rear and 25,000 miles on the front with my FLHTC and a set of Avon Roadrunners.

[tom collins]

this is not a slap at harleys, as i have one myself, but the performance perameters on an RT are much higher than on the harley. for example, look at how round the profile is on the tires meant for the bmw vs. the harley. also, the sidewalls are very different. the rubber compounds are generally softer and wear faster for that reason as well. basically, they have to be built to do more than the harley tires and that takes its toll in weear life. i rarely get over 6,000 on any set i've had on a bmw. i have just accepted it.

good luck.

 

tom collins

[ShovelStrokeEd]

First off, you can't compare the tires on your RT to those on the HD. IMHO you are fitting the wrong tire altogether. By your own admission you are not an agressive rider, why fit a sport touring tire. Put on a set of 880's and you will see your milage return. They, the 880's offer as much or more traction than many riders can even use. They also provide a quite useful life.

 

Some of it might be rider as well. I seem to get much better life from my tires than most here although I do ride lighter bikes. The last set of tires on my 1100S were a set of BT-010 Bridgestones and I got 11K out of the rear and 15K out of the front and that included some pretty agressive riding. I do make an effort to be really smooth with my corner entrances and that can have a big impact on front tire wear.

 

BTW, countersteering is always productive. It's how the thing steers. Counter steering with poor body position is not good, nor is cross controlling which can lead to that abnormal tire wear as well.

[Green RT]

I'm no expert, but my perception is that tire wear is very variable. It seems to depend on:

Type of tire

Type of bike

Weight of bike

2-up vs solo

Aggressive starts or no

Aggressive stops or no

Highway vs Twisties

Quality of pavement usually traveled upon

 

Probably a bunch of others that I haven't thought of. All these variables make it difficult to compare mileage.

[russell_bynum]

Some folks report 8-10K miles on a set of tires, but I have never gotten over 6K on multiple sets of Z2's and Z4's. The Z6's that are on it now might make it to 7K, a personal record! I do a lot of two up riding on hot Texas concrete.

 

Try the Pilot Roads. I was getting similar life out of Z4's, but I get close to 10K on Pilot Roads.

[russell_bynum]

First off, you can't compare the tires on your RT to those on the HD. IMHO you are fitting the wrong tire altogether. By your own admission you are not an agressive rider, why fit a sport touring tire. Put on a set of 880's and you will see your milage return. They, the 880's offer as much or more traction than many riders can even use. They also provide a quite useful life.

 

 

I agree...but I thought you couldn't get the 880 rear in the 18" rim that the R1100RT has.

[Ken/OC]

With touring tires (Pilot Road etc.) I get about 10K on the rear and 14K in front. This is probably about the upper limit on an RT -- I am a conservative rider.

 

Tire costs need not be ruinous. You can probably find a local shop that will change your tires and balance them for about $15-20 each if you pull the wheels and bring them in. See here.

[fatbob]

I understand you can get the radial ME 880 for the 1100's 18" rim, not the bias ply though. I like the bias ply 880 for real high mileage!

 

Bob

[russell_bynum]

I understand you can get the radial ME 880 for the 1100's 18" rim, not the bias ply though. I like the bias ply 880 for real high mileage!

 

Bob

 

Ah...right, that's what it was. I knew it was something like that.

[Paul Mihalka]

I understand you can get the radial ME 880 for the 1100's 18" rim, not the bias ply though. I like the bias ply 880 for real high mileage!

 

Bob

For a long time I used the ME880 bias tires from the K1200LT on my R1100RT using a K1200 rear wheel. When they came out with the radial 880 in 18", I put them on and I got about the same mileage as the belted 880. Main difference between belted and radial is the load carrying capacity, higher on the belted type. The belted has a markedly harder ride than the radial. I get about 10K on the rear and 14K on the front, and I'm still not the slowest guy in town

[aussie]

I think the main point being made here is the front to rear tyre life. It is normal to have approximately 2 to 1 in favour of the front. In this case it is the opposite, why?

I have always had slightly less mileage from the front using Z4 & 020 brands. However, since fitting PR the difference is markedly greater. Can anyone explain why?

 

General riding: Mixture of twisty and pavement approx 75%/ 25%. Tyre pressures 38psi front/40psi rear. Reasonably aggressive on the brakes & brake into corners.

 

Interested in views.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

George,

I find that 2:1 ratio to no longer apply to modern bikes and tires. More like 1.25:1 these days. In part because the geometry of modern bikes places far more load on the front tires and, I think, that tire manufacturers now compound front tires to be a good deal softer than their matching rears. I am pretty gentle with my tires as I tend not to dive hard into corners anymore, depending on more of a slow in fast out technique. I also ride lighter bikes than an RT these days. Currently, my 1100S has been through the most tires at 50K miles and I find that 9K rear and around 12K front is the norm. At least on the one set of tires that I did break up the set. Those were BT-010s and I won't do it again. I much prefer to change tires in sets even though there is still some milage left in the front. It just feels so much better with a new set of shoes at both ends.