Time for a New Tire

Dont think you have really got 8500 from that tyre, seeing as its now dangerous to ride with it like that LOL... more like 7500 ;)

I went for Mich Power Pures and thought they were great.. all the mags in the UK love those Dunlop Sportmax's so they'll be what goes on next

Just a suggestion... swap the tyres before they get in that shape mate... not worth the risk IMHO

Jza

I ran sportsmax on my bike last year I only ever got 4,000 miles from the rear
Included a couple of standing mile runs
 
I was stuck on the turnpike yesterday with tires much more worn then these shown in heavy rain and wind. My Michelin Pilot IIs never broke traction... thank God, just ordered a new set from Superbike supply for $285 shipped. Confidence in your bike and tires is worth way more than how many miles you can squeeze out of a set. If you need to worry about tire mileage, you may want to consider a moped.......:laugh:
 
Here's an update on the Avon Storm 2's. My mileage is at 18569. I'm just over 10,000 miles on this set. (Again, I'm not a very agressive rider. I have chicken strips about 15mm wide. No burnouts. No tire spins.) The rear tire still have a a little more life IMO, but I expect for it to wear much faster now. The flat strip in the middle of the tire is clearly visible now.

The front tire wear surprised me however. Needless to say, I'm not going to get a 2:1 (front to rear), out of this set. Well I have over 10k on them so, that's probably it anyway. That front tire have a strange knotty look to it. Look closed where I'm pointing my finger, and you'll see some round circles like rub markes. Those circles are all the way around the tire (just on the left side), spaced apart like you see. The only thing I can think of, is that there is an on-ramp onto the interstate that I use, that have an uprise right where you get onto the main highway. At speeds upwards 80mph, when I get onto the highway, from the on-ramp, I can feel the bike wiggle just slightly. It's an uneasy feeling for sure. My speculation is that the tire is rubbing on that uprise.

Avon have the new 3D XM tires that I want to try, but they don't have the rear in a 200 yet. I emailed Avon, and the rep said, it isn't offered as of now, but should hit the market in September. So it looks like I'm going with another set of the Ultra 2's.

front tire 01.jpg


front tire 1.png


front tire 2.jpg


rear tire 1.jpg


rear tire 2.jpg
 
What tire pressure are you running and do you keep it maintained ?

I don't maintain them like I should (I know, that's not a good thing). Initially I started out with 40psi. Honestly, I have on occasion, found them down to 20psi & they looked normal to the eye. But now I like to be between 35 & 40. May even try 30psi.
 
You are really getting some miles out of your tires. I only got 3400 miles out of my OEM rear tire. Hope I get 10k out of my Pilot Road 3 rear. We will see.
 
I don't maintain them like I should (I know, that's not a good thing). Initially I started out with 40psi. Honestly, I have on occasion, found them down to 20psi & they looked normal to the eye. But now I like to be between 35 & 40. May even try 30psi.

Tire pressure and suspension setup, and then the high mileage are the cause. 40 psi is too high, 30 psi is too low.
Front should be around 36 psi, rear should be 38(sport touring tire).
Tire pressure increases 2 to 3 psi or more as the tires warm up too.
Tire pressure is very important.
You also need to make sure the suspension sag is correct. If you have never checked it, it's not correct, as they aren't set to anything from the factory. Sag is also specific according to rider weight, so there is no generic setting. A bad suspension setup isn't helping the tire wear either.
 
Tire pressure and suspension setup, and then the high mileage are the cause. 40 psi is too high, 30 psi is too low.
Front should be around 36 psi, rear should be 38(sport touring tire).
Tire pressure increases 2 to 3 psi or more as the tires warm up too.
Tire pressure is very important.
You also need to make sure the suspension sag is correct. If you have never checked it, it's not correct, as they aren't set to anything from the factory. Sag is also specific according to rider weight, so there is no generic setting. A bad suspension setup isn't helping the tire wear either.

Thanks for the response. When I checked them yesterday, they were low. I will make it a habit to check them more often. I brought the pressures back up to 35psi front & rear.
 
Thanks for the response. When I checked them yesterday, they were low. I will make it a habit to check them more often. I brought the pressures back up to 35psi front & rear.

35/35 is ok for sport tires. 35 is too low for a sport touring tire. 38 is recommended for sport touring tires.
 
Am I the only one who likes the Shinko 005 Advance tires? I get deals on them, paying 200 front and rear tires, with the rear being a 200 series.....Installed! I got a guy here who owns a shop called Wicked Moto, and he hooks riders up. No robbery, or overcharges!
 
Is it good to change the rear tire to 200/60 instead of the 190/50 from the factory.
I want bigger tire for the rear as well as more contact patch on curves.
 
change both tires! BT 016 front and BT023 back is a good option, that will happen in my case.. and I paid 140 dollars to the dealer for the job to get done:banghead:
 
When I got my 08 busa it had CONTINENTAL brand on it by the looks of it here there not very popular they seem to be OK and not sure how long they have been on the bike what OEM brand does the busa come with ? a friend said something pilot brand is good but ? forgot who makes that brand :thumbsup:
 
ahah, chicken strips! I never managed to clean them off either bike on the street. I's so NOt worth the risk of wrecking a big bike like the busa. If you're up North like me, forget it. 5 months of good riding, dusty roads in Spring, potholes and gravel chunks throughout the Summer, by the time things start to look relatively safe and you're getting into your groove, winter is about to set in again. HAHA, glad to know another rider who will admit to getting over 3000 miles out of a rear tire!! I once got 10k!!! Past the wear bars to the bottom of the tread but still!! I usually get about 6-7k and I think keeping a front on there double time is prudent economy but if it's a few years old might be best to change it along with the rear unless you are going to just do straight touring miles with the bike until the next tire change. The rubber gets hard and it's more important to have grip in your front tire than your rear.

I mounted my last set of tires myself. The rear wheel is not too difficult. The front requires almost twice as much force. Balancing is easy to do but IMHO, not an absolute must on a motorcycle (you're already getting 7000 miles out of a tire, FCOL!). You can pick up a balancing stand for about $100 or less so it's a good thing to do just to be sure you did a 100% job. If you do this yourself, buy the right tools and prepare to set aside an entire day the first time you do the job. Last thing you want is to mar up your rims or scrape a bead surface. Tire changing with irons requires a lot more force than any other wrenching I have done. The OEM rims are very strong though...I don't think it would be likely they could bend from tire changing but you will wonder as your prying down on a couple 15" irons. You also will have tires on your hands now that you may have to pay a fee to dispose of at the local dump.

Far as letting a shop do it, find a good one that will assure you they won't let your rims get scraped. Mine were scraped by the dealership shop the first time i changed tires. They will get it done quickly however and dispose of your tires for a small fee (unless you let them do the whole job of removing and installing wheels) + they can get the tires you want for a 10 dollars more than you find online (unless you come across a great deal online). If you don't change tires often, doing it yourself isn't economical. If you take a lot of satisfaction in doing your own wrenching, GO FOR IT!

Here's my tutorial I wrote for the Gen1 ZX-14. Same applies to the busa or any other sportbike tire. Refer to the busa service Manual for removal and installation of wheels.

Tire Removal and Mount

BTW, since you plan to keep the old front on there, why not try something different than OEM on the rear? The front is not going to have optimum grip anyway since it is an old tire. I'd try a 190/55/17 on the rear for a few mm of lift. I like that on my 14 but that bike does not turn in as good as the busa. If you're staying with the old front, might not be of much use to get a real sticky rear because you prolly shouldn't be pushing your cornering with a sticky back and an old front....in which case, new OEM on the back may be best.
 
and you'll see some round circles like rub markes. Those circles are all the way around the tire (just on the left side), spaced apart like you see

Those round marks are where the tire has worn down past the top layer of tread into the underlying carcass. They are WELL past the point of safety.

They are on the left had side because when riding on the street all left hand turn are of a greater radius and hence longer than right hand turns. Think of the difference in distance traveled when going through a intersection when making a left hand turn as compared to a right hand turn. The same effect is present in all corners. As the sides of the front tire only contact the ground when turning and the front tire is under the greatest force when turning thus most front tire wear is on the sides. Braking is probably a greater force but as time spent braking is a small percentage of the total time/mileage accumulated it accounts for much less wear than turning.

Buy a good set of sport touring tires from any manufacturer, change them when they are worn down to the wear bars and you will be fine.

Here's a link to an excellent article explaining left side wear and tire cupping. WELL worth a read!

Motorcycle Tire Wear

cheers
ken
 
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