Representin' the K8!!!!!!!!!&#
- Thread starter Warchild
- Start date
How did it go War???
Warchild
Banned
<span style='font-size:17pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:maroon'>D*N*F*!!!!!!!!</span></span>
It was a simple error of not properly test-riding new equipment before going into battle.
The Dunlop SportMax Qualifier, an absolutely wonderful tire in every other respect, was not up for this particular mission with regard to tread-life. I has not run this tire on the Busa prior to this event. Just no time to do that, and this came back to bite me. This is not really a fault of the tire... it's simple a poor fit for this application. The uber-high-speeds, coupled with uber-high-road surface temps, coupled with sustained non-stop operations, all proved to ask too much from the soft Qualifier. Still, based on how long the similarly-soft Pilot Power lasted on the K8 when I ran one last May (~ 4500 miles), I thought for sure the Qualifier could go at least *one* LD event.
I was wrong.
The weekend started out great... I rode with Brian Roberts (who took his silver XX) to the BBQ at the Rallymaster's house on Thursday. I had just mounted the brand new Qualifiers the day before:
Here is the K8, primed and ready at the Start Line on Rally Day (Saturday morning, Jun 28).
Myself, a FJR buddy and Brian Roberts blasted out of Rally Headquarters as soon as the Flag dropped at 7am. We assumed a 3-Flight formation to Wendover, where we split off and went our separate paths. I went south towards Ely and the fast roads in central Nevada. The intent was to bring home a 2K-Day (because this year, I actually had 26 hours to break into the 2K barrier).
Below is a photo of the condition of the rear Qualifier as I discovered it at ~ the 12-hour point and 1073 miles into the event. The location in this photo is ~ 20 miles south of the intersection of HWY 6 and the Extraterrestrial Highway, central Nevada:
As soon as I saw this meltdown here at the halfway point, I knew that was the ball game. I had BTDT just two weekends before at the Cal24 Endurance Rally, when the OEM BT-015 finally wore through it's steel belts 115 miles from home, leaving me stranded at the side of the road. Not this time, bubba. Decided not to gamble it. There will be Another Day. I called the Rallymaster and told him I was DNF.
I rode this tire slowly - painfully - agonizingly slow 55 mph.... the ENTIRE 360 miles back to Rally Headquarters at Salt Lake City. Stopping evey 60 miles to check tread. This was torture, believe me, riding a Busa at 55 mph through central Nevada/Utah for SIX hours..... :blink:
Here is the tire back at Rally headquarters.... I was not about to take this tire back to Washington state:
Close-up of the melt-down....
Thank goodness Wright Motorcycle Accessories in SLC was opened on Sunday till 3pm. They will mount/balance your tire for free if you buy it from them. The only hitch was that I had no center-stand on the K8; thankfully, they let me borrow their rear bike stand. Working in the broiling 94-degree Utah sun, I yanked the rear wheel (taking off the rear axle nut with the stock tool kit ==> FUN!!!), they mounted up a Continental Road Attack, and I just rode back home this afternoon.
Sorry, fellas.... and I was on pace for a 2000+ mile finish!
Pity about the tire causing the DNF, but like I say... there will be Another Day....
It was a simple error of not properly test-riding new equipment before going into battle.
The Dunlop SportMax Qualifier, an absolutely wonderful tire in every other respect, was not up for this particular mission with regard to tread-life. I has not run this tire on the Busa prior to this event. Just no time to do that, and this came back to bite me. This is not really a fault of the tire... it's simple a poor fit for this application. The uber-high-speeds, coupled with uber-high-road surface temps, coupled with sustained non-stop operations, all proved to ask too much from the soft Qualifier. Still, based on how long the similarly-soft Pilot Power lasted on the K8 when I ran one last May (~ 4500 miles), I thought for sure the Qualifier could go at least *one* LD event.
I was wrong.
The weekend started out great... I rode with Brian Roberts (who took his silver XX) to the BBQ at the Rallymaster's house on Thursday. I had just mounted the brand new Qualifiers the day before:
Here is the K8, primed and ready at the Start Line on Rally Day (Saturday morning, Jun 28).
Myself, a FJR buddy and Brian Roberts blasted out of Rally Headquarters as soon as the Flag dropped at 7am. We assumed a 3-Flight formation to Wendover, where we split off and went our separate paths. I went south towards Ely and the fast roads in central Nevada. The intent was to bring home a 2K-Day (because this year, I actually had 26 hours to break into the 2K barrier).
Below is a photo of the condition of the rear Qualifier as I discovered it at ~ the 12-hour point and 1073 miles into the event. The location in this photo is ~ 20 miles south of the intersection of HWY 6 and the Extraterrestrial Highway, central Nevada:
As soon as I saw this meltdown here at the halfway point, I knew that was the ball game. I had BTDT just two weekends before at the Cal24 Endurance Rally, when the OEM BT-015 finally wore through it's steel belts 115 miles from home, leaving me stranded at the side of the road. Not this time, bubba. Decided not to gamble it. There will be Another Day. I called the Rallymaster and told him I was DNF.
I rode this tire slowly - painfully - agonizingly slow 55 mph.... the ENTIRE 360 miles back to Rally Headquarters at Salt Lake City. Stopping evey 60 miles to check tread. This was torture, believe me, riding a Busa at 55 mph through central Nevada/Utah for SIX hours..... :blink:
Here is the tire back at Rally headquarters.... I was not about to take this tire back to Washington state:
Close-up of the melt-down....
Thank goodness Wright Motorcycle Accessories in SLC was opened on Sunday till 3pm. They will mount/balance your tire for free if you buy it from them. The only hitch was that I had no center-stand on the K8; thankfully, they let me borrow their rear bike stand. Working in the broiling 94-degree Utah sun, I yanked the rear wheel (taking off the rear axle nut with the stock tool kit ==> FUN!!!), they mounted up a Continental Road Attack, and I just rode back home this afternoon.
Sorry, fellas.... and I was on pace for a 2000+ mile finish!
Warchild
Banned
Thanks, gents..... truthfully, I'm bumming....
The fact is, I *should* have been more cognizant of the fact that I wasn't subjecting the Qualifier to the more modest 130-ish HP of my old Blackbird.... I do believe the K8 rear wheel sees something on the order of 170-ish HP. That's a mighty hefty jump, and a big jump in torque as well.
Road surface temps were easily in excess of 125 degrees F. And the road surface itself is most definitely not billiard-table smooth, not by a long shot. So when you combine all this with speeds that push the ZR-rating... the rubber says "Adiós" at a fast rate.
Mind you, all this mischief occurs when one is out alone, by one's self, with no other prevailing traffic within sight for miles and miles. Lots of areas still allow such mayhem, assuming you hold yourself accountable for the decisions you chose to make.
Well, it appears I will continue to run the Busa in LD mode for a while longer. There is unfinished business here. A set of Storms, PR2s, or the like, and we'll definitely have a different outcome in the '09 Utah 1088.
The fact is, I *should* have been more cognizant of the fact that I wasn't subjecting the Qualifier to the more modest 130-ish HP of my old Blackbird.... I do believe the K8 rear wheel sees something on the order of 170-ish HP. That's a mighty hefty jump, and a big jump in torque as well.
Road surface temps were easily in excess of 125 degrees F. And the road surface itself is most definitely not billiard-table smooth, not by a long shot. So when you combine all this with speeds that push the ZR-rating... the rubber says "Adiós" at a fast rate.
Mind you, all this mischief occurs when one is out alone, by one's self, with no other prevailing traffic within sight for miles and miles. Lots of areas still allow such mayhem, assuming you hold yourself accountable for the decisions you chose to make.
Well, it appears I will continue to run the Busa in LD mode for a while longer. There is unfinished business here. A set of Storms, PR2s, or the like, and we'll definitely have a different outcome in the '09 Utah 1088.
Italian Trev
Registered
nice try dude and thanks for the update
just out of curiosity why didnt you run another BT15? would it not have lasted longer?
just out of curiosity why didnt you run another BT15? would it not have lasted longer?
wow that totally bites (you must be totally bummed out).... all that time and work for something like that sux...
It is pretty amazing however that the tire did so poorly... I was really looking forward to a positive review of this tire but less than 1100 miles of slab? really disappointing...
Would be most curious what Dunlop would have to say about this... (honestly the tire should have been able to do this dont you think?)
It is pretty amazing however that the tire did so poorly... I was really looking forward to a positive review of this tire but less than 1100 miles of slab? really disappointing...
Would be most curious what Dunlop would have to say about this... (honestly the tire should have been able to do this dont you think?)
Warchild
Banned
Well, to be honest, no, I don't think this is the fault of the tire.... it is the fault of the rider, trying to use a tire who's properties are ill-suited for this particular kind of usage. The Qualifier is simply too soft for this riding environment/abuse.
Too, a review of the maintenance records indicates this Qualifier actually had accumulated almost 1100 miles *before* reaching the Start Line.... so it really lasted 2200 miles before giving it up.
No tire lasts long when you are busting down the Nevada outback at speeds well, well above the Ton....
Sorry bout the DnF man. But glad to hear you are alright, and looking forward to hearing about next years triumph!
I was wondering as well about the fact that the tire failed so soon... I think even uner those conditions that's a pretty quick meltdown.
I was wondering as well about the fact that the tire failed so soon... I think even uner those conditions that's a pretty quick meltdown.
Warchild
Banned
DNF ==> Did Not Finish
Warchild
Banned
I will likely use the Avon Storm next time..... I got a whopping 6000 miles out of a set of Storms last month, should have used them for this event. They are excellent, though not in the same league as the Qualifier for stickiness, etc.
But for this type of work, the Storm is a better fit than the Qualifier, no question.
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