Front tire wear
- Thread starter Ron_WI
- Start date
Because you live in the USA. Road crown, turn differences, etc.
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Plus, you might be a more aggressive left turner than right. I am faster/smoother on right hand turns.
Crowned roads are my first thought though.
Crowned roads are my first thought though.
Slydynbye
Will ride for Pie
There are many theories such as the crown on the road.
One I like is, it depends on whether you ride a lot with one hand on the bars instead of two
Then there is Tire under inflation.
Defect in Materials or variances in same.
Brake disk dragging on one side or the other.
Wheels bearings going?
I see that the center wear bars are showing and that's when we all seem to notice this uneven wear.
Get a new tire and check the bearings on both sides
Stay up late at night, drink Beer and ponder what it might be.
One I like is, it depends on whether you ride a lot with one hand on the bars instead of two
Then there is Tire under inflation.
Defect in Materials or variances in same.
Brake disk dragging on one side or the other.
Wheels bearings going?
I see that the center wear bars are showing and that's when we all seem to notice this uneven wear.
Get a new tire and check the bearings on both sides
Stay up late at night, drink Beer and ponder what it might be.
As the rim is a solid piece, I don't see how that could be a factor. Single-disc bikes don't pull to one side when braking.
My guess is that your front wheel is in need of an alignment/truing.
What do I win?
What do I win?
I think Slydynbye was joking. Look at his second 'theory' or his last one.
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It's normal wear. In countries like the USA that drive on the right side each turn to the left across the intersection requires the vehicle to make a longer radius turn. The bike is simply leaned to the left a longer period of time to turn left at an intersection.
Slydynbye
Will ride for Pie
I need confirmation from the Brits before I believe it. Do their front tires wear more on the other side?
Might have more to do with your braking and leaning tendencies; I love lefties and seldom brake for them, but am more cautious on rights, and tend to brake more as I lean right, leading to more off-centre wear on the right.
Gus1300
Site Supporter
Picturing the bike above leaned both to the left and to the right from the right lane/top picture, it's very apparent (at least I think it is!) that the road crown combined with the lean angle makes the patch 'higher' on the tire when turning to the left. It is more 'centered' when turning right in the right lane. Ride many twisties?
As mentioned, it's likely a combination of factors. If you think riding with just one hand does it, try riding with none and see how it goes! (J/K, don't do that!)
As mentioned, it's likely a combination of factors. If you think riding with just one hand does it, try riding with none and see how it goes! (J/K, don't do that!)
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As mentioned, it's likely a combination of factors. Tire wear as pictured is likely a combination of riding style and low tire pressure. Road crown has little to do with it.
Wouldn't tire pressure be symmetrically distributed?
yes.
with all the riding experience on this list this would seem to be settled science, but apparently not. ASPC diagrammed it well enough.
OP
OP
Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate the various ideas. The road crown explanation appeals to me. Time for a new tire though, that’s for sure.
ST1100Y
Site Supporter
Yeah, but also check your wheel bearings and alignment while at it...
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UK rider here.
I have noticed this years ago, and yes it was the other side. But It hasn't happened in the last 10 years / 100k miles.
The road camber is one issue. In the Uk, we spend longer leant over on a right hand bend than we do on a left hand bend. It is a greater distance. For USA the same is true for left hand bends. However this but has not been enough for it to show up in recent years. As soon as soon as the surface reaches one wear bar across the width, thats it, the tyre is changed. But there's never any sign of cupping as seen in your pics - not on my current model of tyre.
So what else may have changed to prevent this from happening now?
One is my mechanical experience with the ST1300. Another is tyres.
And I am certainly riding differently from the way that I rode 10k miles ago.
The answer may be a combination of all of them. If something is mechanically wrong, then certain types of tyre will show it up more than others.
Mechanical Issues:
Rough bearings are easy to detect in the garage, but worn bearings less so. One tell tale sign is a momentary 'falling off the edge feeling when you lean the bike that little bit further in a bend. I'm not talking about big lean angles here. It feels like riding on a squared off tyre.
Bearing installation. If your bearings have been changed, they may have been installed in the wrong order. One wheel has to have the left bearing installed first to meet the shoulder in the hub, the other has to have the right bearing installed first.
The second bearing doesn't seat against a shoulder. If they are installed in the wrong order, the front and rear wheels will not be in line with each other.
Front wheel and fork installation. It is important that the wheel is installed following the correct sequence. If not any misalignment can be locked in place when the axle is clamped.
Tyres
That cupping on the right hand side is typical of some tyres where a dual compound is used. Some wear evenly across the join, some don't. For me, the recommended dunlop tyres were terrible in this respect, and one of the Bridgestones (possibly BT021 - I cant remember) was bad. I have photos somewhere showing wear just like yours.
This picture below shows similar behaviour on the BT023 - the rear wheel - due partly to the harder top layer and the softer sidewalls, and partly due to inadequate damping for the load. But here you can see that the left hand side of the picture (right hand side of the bike) is more cupped than the left. The BT023 side treads wore down before the centre ran out of tread. In this case, we can eliminate fork alignment and bearings as the cause. Towards the end of their life, the sensation was one one of 'wallowing' in when leant over in a fast corner. Wallow ? Hippos wallow in mud and seals wallow or waddle their way across slippery surfaces. Yes - 'Wallow' is just about right.
When the harder top layers of the tyre wear to the softer compound, it wears very quickly. Although on your tyre, the uneven effect can be seen at the wear bars just either side of the centre line. The left side of the photo is still legal, the right of the photo shows the wear bar smooth with the main tyre surface. Well beyond legal. So whatever the issue is, it is not just to do with dual compound and leaning over.
I am finding the current Bridgestones T32 GT rated tyre to be pretty good for even-ness of wear. I never get any squaring off and the sides and top seem to wear at about the same rate for my load and style of riding.
Are they inflated properly ? 42psi is the quoted figure for st1300s front and rear.
Is your fork oil damping the suspension properly ? Suspension that pogos - boing-boing-boing - is going to wear the tyre badly, and combined with camber and longer distances on the outside of bends, this may result in what you are seeing.
Is the tyre installed on the wheel correctly. Check the direction arrows. (Although if this had been an issue I would have exoected big chunks out of the surface, not the all round wear that you have.). But check anyway.
Check the rear damping for the same reason. That is more likely to have an effect on the rear though.
How is your rear tyre ?
What make / model tyre do you have on ? They look like the tread on Pilot Road 4s. If so, are they a GT version ?
I have noticed this years ago, and yes it was the other side. But It hasn't happened in the last 10 years / 100k miles.
The road camber is one issue. In the Uk, we spend longer leant over on a right hand bend than we do on a left hand bend. It is a greater distance. For USA the same is true for left hand bends. However this but has not been enough for it to show up in recent years. As soon as soon as the surface reaches one wear bar across the width, thats it, the tyre is changed. But there's never any sign of cupping as seen in your pics - not on my current model of tyre.
So what else may have changed to prevent this from happening now?
One is my mechanical experience with the ST1300. Another is tyres.
And I am certainly riding differently from the way that I rode 10k miles ago.
The answer may be a combination of all of them. If something is mechanically wrong, then certain types of tyre will show it up more than others.
Mechanical Issues:
Rough bearings are easy to detect in the garage, but worn bearings less so. One tell tale sign is a momentary 'falling off the edge feeling when you lean the bike that little bit further in a bend. I'm not talking about big lean angles here. It feels like riding on a squared off tyre.
Bearing installation. If your bearings have been changed, they may have been installed in the wrong order. One wheel has to have the left bearing installed first to meet the shoulder in the hub, the other has to have the right bearing installed first.
The second bearing doesn't seat against a shoulder. If they are installed in the wrong order, the front and rear wheels will not be in line with each other.
Front wheel and fork installation. It is important that the wheel is installed following the correct sequence. If not any misalignment can be locked in place when the axle is clamped.
Tyres
That cupping on the right hand side is typical of some tyres where a dual compound is used. Some wear evenly across the join, some don't. For me, the recommended dunlop tyres were terrible in this respect, and one of the Bridgestones (possibly BT021 - I cant remember) was bad. I have photos somewhere showing wear just like yours.
This picture below shows similar behaviour on the BT023 - the rear wheel - due partly to the harder top layer and the softer sidewalls, and partly due to inadequate damping for the load. But here you can see that the left hand side of the picture (right hand side of the bike) is more cupped than the left. The BT023 side treads wore down before the centre ran out of tread. In this case, we can eliminate fork alignment and bearings as the cause. Towards the end of their life, the sensation was one one of 'wallowing' in when leant over in a fast corner. Wallow ? Hippos wallow in mud and seals wallow or waddle their way across slippery surfaces. Yes - 'Wallow' is just about right.
When the harder top layers of the tyre wear to the softer compound, it wears very quickly. Although on your tyre, the uneven effect can be seen at the wear bars just either side of the centre line. The left side of the photo is still legal, the right of the photo shows the wear bar smooth with the main tyre surface. Well beyond legal. So whatever the issue is, it is not just to do with dual compound and leaning over.
I am finding the current Bridgestones T32 GT rated tyre to be pretty good for even-ness of wear. I never get any squaring off and the sides and top seem to wear at about the same rate for my load and style of riding.
Are they inflated properly ? 42psi is the quoted figure for st1300s front and rear.
Is your fork oil damping the suspension properly ? Suspension that pogos - boing-boing-boing - is going to wear the tyre badly, and combined with camber and longer distances on the outside of bends, this may result in what you are seeing.
Is the tyre installed on the wheel correctly. Check the direction arrows. (Although if this had been an issue I would have exoected big chunks out of the surface, not the all round wear that you have.). But check anyway.
Check the rear damping for the same reason. That is more likely to have an effect on the rear though.
How is your rear tyre ?
What make / model tyre do you have on ? They look like the tread on Pilot Road 4s. If so, are they a GT version ?
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