Shinko verge worn to the steel belts

[Hondafarian]

So I haven't been doing anything more than riding around town on errands for the last year and a half. Very little riding lately has meant very little love and attention for STephanie, unfortunately. I was very surprised to find the back tire in this shape last I rode, and it seemed to have happened very quickly. The belts are exposed all the way around the tire. The center of the tread seems to bulge slightly as if the pressure is too high but it's only reading 38 psi cold.

Obviously the tire is toast but why did it wear like this only on the left side? Is this a Shinko issue or something with the bike or, gasp, operator error? Tire has 8,500 miles, and was mounted a little less than 3 years ago.

 

[dwalby]

road crown tends to cause the left side of a tire to wear faster than the right side. Also the thickness of the tread isn't 100% uniform across the entire tire.

after the tire is worn past the wear indicators, the rate of wear tends to accelerate because there's very little rubber left on the tire to absorb heat, forces, etc.

Shinko are on the lower end of the tire quality spectrum, so the two previous points may be amplified by that.

nothing unusual in your photos.

 

[Igofar]

Running the tire about 5psi too low probably over heated the tire.
How often do you check the air pressure?
Do you have a good tire gauge, and have you checked it with others?

 

[Andrew Shadow]

What he said, plus the Shinko Verge tend to wear much faster at the end of their life moreso than any other tire that I have used.

 

[docw1]

Well, here's my picture of shame. 9300 miles on a Shinko verge. Also not paying close enough attention to the tires. But it is straight down the middle

 

[970mike]

Get a new tire and swing by so we can replace it.

 

[dduelin]

More wear on the left side of tires is normal. Road crown is typically 3% or less and while a factor cannot account for tire wear 5, 15, 25, 45 degrees away from the midline of the tire. The major reason for unsymmetrical wear is that left hand turns in countries that ride on the right side of the road have a motorcycle leaned over to the left longer time due to the longer distance the bike travels to complete the turn. The wear is reversed countries that ride on the left side of the road. A tire used primarily in urban traffic vs winding rural roads will make more 90 degree or close to 90 turns that exerbate left side wear.

 

[Hondafarian]

Thanks for all the responses everyone.

Running the tire about 5psi too low probably over heated the tire.
How often do you check the air pressure?
Do you have a good tire gauge, and have you checked it with others?

Larry, looks like the last maintenance I did was an oil change at the beginning of January and I'm sure checked the pressure then, if not more recently, and set it to 42 psi. That was less than 500 miles ago. Pictured is the gauge used. It's relatively new and I had some doubts about it's accuracy but also checked with a pencil gauge and got the same reading.

More wear on the left side of tires is normal. Road crown is typically 3% or less and while a factor cannot account for tire wear 5, 15, 25, 45 degrees away from the midline of the tire. The major reason for unsymmetrical wear is that left hand turns in countries that ride on the right side of the road have a motorcycle leaned over to the left longer time due to the longer distance the bike travels to complete the turn. The wear is reversed countries that ride on the left side of the road. A tire used primarily in urban traffic vs winding rural roads will make more 90 degree or close to 90 turns that exerbate left side wear.

This makes total sense but I was concerned I was listing to the left in my old age. Also, we live 3/4 mile up a twisty, narrow, steep road which I'm sure doesn't do tires any favors.

Get a new tire and swing by so we can replace it.

Thanks Mike. Look what the nice delivery man dropped off last Friday. I had to double check the size, that thing is a beast! It looks too wide for the bike.
205/50R17 is correct, isn't it?

 

[Larry Fine]

This makes total sense but I was concerned I was listing to the left in my old age.

I recently noticed that I tend to sit to the right of center, which makes my bike lean to the left when going straight, and turn to the right with no hands.

Once I center myself, helped by feeling between my thighs and the seat on both sides, the bike rides more upright and the steering is more neutral.

 

[Al st1100]

Shinko are on the lower end of the tire quality spectrum, so the two previous points may be amplified by that.

forgot to add in your opinion.

 

[970mike]

Thanks for all the responses everyone.


Larry, looks like the last maintenance I did was an oil change at the beginning of January and I'm sure checked the pressure then, if not more recently, and set it to 42 psi. That was less than 500 miles ago. Pictured is the gauge used. It's relatively new and I had some doubts about it's accuracy but also checked with a pencil gauge and got the same reading.




This makes total sense but I was concerned I was listing to the left in my old age. Also, we live 3/4 mile up a twisty, narrow, steep road which I'm sure doesn't do tires any favors.



Thanks Mike. Look what the nice delivery man dropped off last Friday. I had to double check the size, that thing is a beast! It looks too wide for the bike.
205/50R17 is correct, isn't it?

Wow!! Let me know when you want to install it.

 

[ST1100Y]

... the last maintenance... at the beginning of January and I'm sure checked the pressure then, if not more recently, and set it to 42 psi. That was less than 500 miles ago.

I'd check it at least once a month, even when not riding, or every second to third refueling...

 

[Andrew Shadow]

...... January and I'm sure checked the pressure then, if not more recently, and set it to 42 psi. That was less than 500 miles ago.

Pressure loss, excluding a puncture, is a function of time not miles ridden. Checking the tire pressure regularly is always a good idea but checking it before riding after it has sat for a while is even more important as there is no way to know how much pressure loss there has been until it is checked.