Front tire shred!

[Jethro]

Wow! Lucky for sure.Every 1300 I’ve seen wears more on left side(front). Any bike setting issues known?

 

[Indian Express]

@NSPbiker Wow! Glad that tire held up long enough for you to notice it before something bad happened. I've been in your shoes before. Thought I had 3000 miles left on a Metzler rear and was leaving for the NC mountains for the weekend, 1000 miles max...those mountain roads chewed up that tire and in less than 500 miles; I had belts showing. Lucky for me there was a Honda shop in Hendersonville that raped me installing a new tire! Worst thing was I had a new PR3 sitting in my garage!!! Lesson learned!
Check the RAN list on this site maybe someone in the area has a front tire " take off" that will get you home or to a shop that has a new tire.
Good luck!

 

[schlep1967]

I would be interested to see the date code on that tire. There is a good chance it was way past the recommended interval for replacing before you started the trip. I'd say good luck on finding a new tire but.... you already used up your share of good luck getting off the bike while upright with that tire in the shape it is.

 

[mortenk]

All other things being equal, lower pressure means greater temperature.

No - the exact opposite actually. Pressure and temperature goes hand in hand. If you lower the pressure of your tire, the temperature drops. All other things being equal of course...

 

[schlep1967]

No - the exact opposite actually. Pressure and temperature goes hand in hand. If you lower the pressure of your tire, the temperature drops. All other things being equal of course...

I think you have this wrong. If the temperature drops the pressure in your tires will decrease. If the temp increases you tire pressure will increase. Reducing tire pressure will not reduce temperature. Increasing pressure will not increase temp.
Under-inflation is one of the leading causes of tire failure. If tire pressure is too low, too much of the tire's surface area touches the road, which increases friction. Increased friction can cause the tires to overheat, which can lead to premature wear, tread separation and blowouts.

 

[kiltman]

Under-inflation is one of the leading causes of tire failure. If tire pressure is too low, too much of the tire's surface area touches the road, which increases friction. Increased friction can cause the tires to overheat, which can lead to premature wear,

I agree with you on this, I have a strong feeling the OP's front tire was underinflated and that's also the cause of the weird wobble he is experiencing. ( I have personally experienced the underinflated tire wobble)
Once that new tire is on and proper tire pressure, hopefully he reports back that the bike is running smoothly.

 

[Larry Fine]

No - the exact opposite actually. Pressure and temperature goes hand in hand. If you lower the pressure of your tire, the temperature drops. All other things being equal of course...

You're missing the dynamic analysis. A tire with lower starting pressure will get hotter than one with higher starting pressure. Lower pressure means more tire flexing and heat generation. A full tire flexes less, which means less heat gain during riding time.

 

[Jjonahjamison]

Well, you've definitely had your monies worth out of that.
I'm glad you noticed it when you did. I won't kick you whilst you're down, enough have done that already.
It's a PITA replacing good tyres before a trip but it's definitely worse if you don't.
Good luck with the replacement.
Upt'North.

I have replaced tires with 1/3 or more tread left before a long trip quite a few times. It hurts.

One of the reasons I bought tire changing tools last year was so that I could remove a perfectly serviceable tire with decent life left before a trip, and then potentially re-install it later (the economics of having a shop reinstall an older tire simply don’t work). I haven’t done that yet, and may never do it, but it will make me feel better about removing a tire early.

 

[Kevcules]

I think you have this wrong. If the temperature drops the pressure in your tires will decrease. If the temp increases you tire pressure will increase. Reducing tire pressure will not reduce temperature. Increasing pressure will not increase temp.
Under-inflation is one of the leading causes of tire failure. If tire pressure is too low, too much of the tire's surface area touches the road, which increases friction. Increased friction can cause the tires to overheat, which can lead to premature wear, tread separation and blowouts.

Right.
Air pressure should be an agreed science, but often isn't understood. "Proper" air pressure, as indicated by the manufacturer, will give you the best fuel mileage and tire wear. (excluding improper balance)

"Too little air pressure" is where the most problems occur I believe. Too little air pressure makes the sidewalls flex too much and that generates heat. Heat and rubber don't mix too well and can be very dangerous.

I have always run my air pressure in every machine I own to a pound or two above the recommended pressure. I want the best fuel mileage and tire tread wear. Since I lose a few pounds of air every few months normally, I can go at least that long between checks and still be at the target pressure. I've never noticed any center tire wear, as that's an indication that your pressure is too high.

I have heard a few stories over the years by other "humans", that makes me shiver with concern.

1. My car had a vibration on the highway so I let out a lot of air from all the tires and the vibration went away??
2. My motorcycle had a vibration on the highway. I set the air pressure way up to the max stamped on the tire and it went away??

 

[Kevcules]

I have replaced tires with 1/3 or more tread left before a long trip quite a few times. It hurts.

One of the reasons I bought tire changing tools last year was so that I could remove a perfectly serviceable tire with decent life left before a trip, and then potentially re-install it later (the economics of having a shop reinstall an older tire simply don’t work). I haven’t done that yet, and may never do it, but it will make me feel better about removing a tire early.

Great idea. I'm going to modify my manual car tire changer to make it easier to change tires and will add another mod for motorcycle tires and start doing my own. There's always the ty-wrap method, which I haven't tried yet.
Just a thought, if you remove a previously balanced tire and don't have a tire balance machine. You could mark your tire with white paint right at the valve stem. That way, it goes back on the rim in the same spot. Should work.

 

[Larry Fine]

You guys who want to swap tires in and out should have a second pair of wheels.

Don't dismount and remount tires, just swap wheels.

 

[ChriSTian_64]

You guys [...] should have a second pair of wheels.

Don't dismount and remount tires, just swap wheels.

Yeah, but Larry, you also need to change tires on your other set of wheels.

Unless you have a third one.

 

[ST Gui]

1- Your tire is dead, and need to be replace right now.

I'd have thought many mile before right now.

 

[mortenk]

You're missing the dynamic analysis. A tire with lower starting pressure will get hotter than one with higher starting pressure. Lower pressure means more tire flexing and heat generation. A full tire flexes less, which means less heat gain during riding time.

You are missing the "all other things being equal"...dynamic analysis adds a lot of other things...

 

[mortenk]

I think you have this wrong. If the temperature drops the pressure in your tires will decrease. If the temp increases you tire pressure will increase. Reducing tire pressure will not reduce temperature. Increasing pressure will not increase temp.
Under-inflation is one of the leading causes of tire failure. If tire pressure is too low, too much of the tire's surface area touches the road, which increases friction. Increased friction can cause the tires to overheat, which can lead to premature wear, tread separation and blowouts.

Your are adding a lot of other things, and the statement clearly says "all other things being equal". I am simply saying that if you let air out of your tire at standstill, the temperature will drop (and vice versa). We all understand that riding with a low tire adds more friction which generates heat, and hence increases pressure. This is the main reason you start with low tire pressure whenever you are riding on a race track. The aggressive riding will heat up the tire more than normal, so you need a lower starting point to arrive at the "correct" or ideal riding pressure

 

[Bush]

The OP must be on his way by now, as he was last seen here on Sunday and is probably thinking he was well enough chastised already to come back to say any more. Story over.

 

[NSPbiker]

FOLLOW-UP to my original posting. I'm home now, overall a great trip with my wife (GL1800 FSB) of about 3500 miles.

Wow, as some noted I got ROASTED, especially as I posted on Long Distance Riders on Farcebook. I way prefer you guys here! That said, here's my story:

The Yamaha dealer in Sturgis did not have a tire. All area Honda shops are closed Monday, but the Yami dealer in Rapid City did have one. As someone here noted, they were super nice, great to deal with.

The old tire was a Dunlop, and came off the bike at 35 PSI. Since I had recently purchased the bike, I texted the former owner to ask the age/miles and he told me it was about 3 years old and he'd been sunsetting his riding the last couple of years due to age. Also, it had been replaced once under warranty due to a bubble. Back in "the day" I liked Dunlops because they're nicely sticky, but me thinks the compound is pretty soft. The replacement tire is a Metzler me888, apparently marketed towards heavier cruisers with really good wet performance. I'm good with this. Pressure was set to 41psi.

Considering your contributions of ideas, some pondering of life and comments from the tech that did the swap, my conclusions are thus:

• The mechanic noted that the front axle had not been torqued/installed properly and the wheel was some distance to the left, leaving less than a mm between the rotor and the fork tube. Unknown if this may have caused a cant of some degree.
• I tend to ride on the right side of the roadway to give me more time vs drifting cages. Our roads in the west are crowned as you know; more wear that left side.
• The mechanic asked the same question one of you did regarding favoring left turns of right. I'd never really considered that, but some thought and later observation while riding reveals that yes, I am stronger entering and pulling out of left-hand turns.
• The temperatures got as high as about 101 during flat-land cruising at speeds close to 90+ for many miles.
• The hands-off wobble is gone. The odd vibration at 100mph is gone. And I'm still alive!

I just ordered a combo air pressure/tread depth gauge. I have learned a bunch from the experience about tires, riding, myself and internet trolls. I am stronger and safer by some factor.

When I picked this bike up it was to accompany my wife to transport her "forever bike" (I don't think there's such thing) and rationalized it as a "test ride" to see if I liked it as replacement for a GSX1100G that I've sold. Other than too much time straight-lining the freeway, the ST1300 is a winner in my book and likely ideal for my 60-yo ass to still run some curves. I'll keep my Africa Twin, and I'll keep my ST.

Thanks gang, cheers to y'all!

Tom
NSPbiker (NSP is for the National Ski Patrol, almost 30 years)

I just noticed it, after days of hard riding (and having a blast!). My front tire is showing broken steel cords and it’s 7pm Saturday at Sturgis SD. I was going to post tonight to ask about an odd wobble I get when hands-off, but I may know. I cannot safely ride, live in Washington. Any ideas?

 

[Igofar]

This would mean the left front wheel spacer was installed incorrectly (backwards) which may have caused some other issues as well.
Call me on the white courtesy phone, and I will walk you through a few checks and inspections.
Igofar
(u.s. ran list, Arizona)
Standing by.

 

[Indian Express]

Glad everything worked out for you! What's life without a little excitement!?

 

[ChriSTian_64]

Thanks Tom.

Nice detailed follow up.



Impressive to see how quick a tire can sometimes deteriorate. A lesson for all of us.