Pic of my tire and question

[kml]

ok im a little lost here... maybe I have never seen actual wear bars before, but to me, his tire looks fine, but everyone is saying that it is shot... Can someone help me out here? Because i let my tires go WAY farther than that... maybe a photo-edit marking the wear bars would help?

The circled portion of the tire shows where the wear bar is showing in the tread pattern. The squared portion of the tire shows the an identical tread pattern on the tire that does not have wear bars. On your side wall it will say TWI that stands for tread wear indicators. Follow that groove with an you will see small bumps in the bottom of the groove. They can be hard to spot, but they are there. Not marked in the picture, but in the groove right above the square you can see where the tire has not worn down to the wear bar.
I never run my tire past the wear bars.


Webshots.com Links Do Not Work

cheers
ken

 

[FloydV]

I think we are saying the same thing. I put red arrows on my pic to show where I think the wear bar is (between them). The groove in the tread should continue on like the others in the pic, but it is interrupted by a wear bar.

You don't want to run 180 with tires like mine.

 

[FloydV]

question

Isn't point A on this tire on its way to becoming like point B? I just want to make sure I see things correctly.

 

[Mr Bogus]

Re: question

Isn't point A on this tire on its way to becoming like point B? I just want to make sure I see things correctly.

yep it is, by law those indicators are 2/32 of an inch from what is considered "completely toast"

keep in mind that the tread depth is not always the same from the center to the sidewall either.. they can vary quite a bit even new... the point is that the center of the tires contact patch is pretty flat.. as you roll off that "flat" area, you are going to get into a very "narrow" patch before going wide again on the sidewall.. that is one of the big differences in feel of a new tire vs old... (also why I trailer the bike when on soft tires)

 

[Mr Bogus]

here is a tire with 400M on it.. (Busa Bash) almost all twisty riding..

This last picture shows the "profile" this one is actually more triangular than when the tire was new..

 

[kml]

Re: question

Isn't point A on this tire on its way to becoming like point B? I just want to make sure I see things correctly.

correct!

cheers
ken

 

[FloydV]

It seems to me like these bars on my tire just suddenly appeared. I think I just wasn't looking close enough. But less than 4000 miles--I guess I'm more throttle happy than I thought. I agree with someone else who posted that under hard acceleration, the rear tire slips enough to wear a lot.

I think the front tire is so worn from hard braking. I'm always coming up to lights and stops signs, suddenly realizing how fast I'm going, and then having to grab the front brakes a lot harder than I anticipated.

It's OK though. I'm thinking about Michelin tires for replacements. Which Michelin is the softest? I don't care about mileage, this is my toy. Going with soft and sticky and no riding in the rain, which tire (any brand) will handle 180+ mph and really grab the pavement?

 

[FloydV]

Excellent pics Mr. Biscuit

You did say 400 miles, correct? My bike which sees a lot of in town mileage has that "chicken" stripe down the middle. That's just gonna happen unless you do a lot twisties. That stripe does cause a rough transition, as someone else pointed out, when you lean over and onto the side of the tire more.

Has anyone ever really seen sparks off the things on the foot pegs?

 

[danath 34]

ok, that clarifies it alot more. Thanks alot, it makes more sense now.

 

[vmaxmyer]

If you can go on-line and find out when Reg Pridmore or someone like him is having a 'Track Day' class at your local raceway...take it. The money will be well spent. Pridmore's instructors will have you follow them around the track, then they'll gradually pick up the pace. By the end of the day your tires will be scrubbed down near or at the edge and you'll have the confidence of knowing you can lean your bike alot more than you're doing...Also, if you can, hook up with someone that is a much better rider....follow them through the twisties OR if you're in the San Francisco/Santa Cruz area you might want to check out some of the Doc Wong Clinics, you can find him on-line, (he'll often lead groups through the Santa Cruz Mountains backroads)...most of these clinics are free and the rides are at safe speeds...BUT GET 'NEW' TIRES...PEACE/RIDE SAFE....

 

[gtrpimp76]

 

[gtrpimp76]

Oh yeah FAV. You've got plenty of rubber. Just ride the c.r.a.p. outta that tire. traction management is all in the right wrist. be smooth and linear with throttle application and don't go full bore until you've got it off the edge. Also, read up on Keith Code's "Twist of the Wrist II" on the chapter discussing "Bands of Traction." Code most eloquently discusses that topic better than I could ever imagine.

 

[HillbillyTom]

Also, read up on Keith Code's "Twist of the Wrist II" on the chapter discussing "Bands of Traction." Code most eloquently discusses that topic better than I could ever imagine.

I'm going to have to read "TotW2" I guess. Watched the video version of the first "TotW" book and was rather disappointed with it's pretty much basic instruction content. Hopefully 2 goes into more detail than where to focus your "$10 worth of attention".

 

[Big Red]

Don't worry about what it 'looks' like...pick up your speed and dust the 1K's...I do...

Good advice!