Tire wear -- not on the center

[prachster]

So, I need some expert opinions..

The front tire on my 2004, R1150R is not wearing in the center.. rather it is wearing a bit(1-1.5 inches) on the left side. It is a pretty even wear too - as if I was doing circles - left side.. When I changed this tire, last year, the old tire had worn in the middle as it should be. This one has smooth wear but on one side..

She rides really well, smooth and all. I ride quite a bit too. I really am hoping it is not big things like the shocks, wheel etc..

Thank you,

Sanjay

[grwrockster]

Sanjay,
I'd guess that there's a strong chance that there's nothing wrong at all with your bike or the tyres (sorry, tires). By some chance have you spent more time on this front tire riding on smaller roads (I mean not big flat-top freeways, but 2-lane or single lane roads)?

Here in the UK it is common for a front tire to wear more off to the right side. The wear is because of the built in camber of the road surface for water run-off (that is both shoulders of the road are lower than the crown or centre of the roadway making it slightly convex in profile). So, when you think you are going straight and level, you are actually running on a slight angle relative to the road surface all the time. Also, right-hand turns (in the UK where we ride on the left) actually require a slightly higher lean-angle and subsequent stress on the tyre, and these factors result in the RH shoulder wearing more than the left.

The reason I asked what type of roads is simply because a narrower road has a much more marked camber across it's width than a Freeway (which may be designed differently altogether without camber, but to 'lean' or 'slope slightly toward the median or the shoulder - possibly keeping the lower part to the inside of any curve).

Of course, as you guys ride on the other side of the road to us, then you'd see the greater wear on the LH side of the front tyre. The way you've described the wear on your front tire would be consistent with this.

Also, if your new tire is a softer compound than its predecessor or so-called dual-compound tire, then wear off the centre like this'll be more noticeable.

I have no idea if I'm right, but it's worth thinking about before you get your wallet out!

Best regards, G.

[BoxerSteve]

I've noticed this too, but for some reason, I never noticed it until recently. The following explanation makes sense to me though.

Common Motorcycle Tire Wear Patterns

[grwrockster]

Interesting article Boxersteve. It also makes sense of course that if you ride on the right, then the distance the left side of the tire covers is significantly greater and so greater wear can be expected.

The same applies to us here in the UK, but the other way around .

I can say from personal experience that a front tire used for a continental europe road trip as well as UK miles (so it gets to spend a lot of miles on both left and right sides of the road) wears more evenly just off-centre than when the miles are all on UK roads.

The main point is reinforced by the article though, which is (unless you ride dead straight virtually all of your riding and never make turns above walking pace - certainly not possible here in Wales thankfully as bends are much more fun!) that the the off-centre portion of the front tire, on the side furthest from the edge of the roadway can be expected to show greater wear.

So hopefully from Sanjay's perspective the off-centre f-tire wear phenomenon will be the case and that his bike is just fine! The only query is because the wear pattern seems different to before. In any case I wouldn't expect shocks to be at fault - if anything I'd check front wheel bearings for play before any other mechanical cause.

[prachster]

Thank you Boxersteve and grwrockster. Gtreat article. It also explained why she rides so smooth - so I hope nothing else is wrong with her.

grerockster, this is a different brand (Shinko) tire than the previous one (michellin?). This one is supposed to have the softer rubber compound - so, may be it worn out faster...

Anyway, a new front tire but, peace of mind though..

Regards,

Sanjay

[Ol' Jeffers]

Shinko tyres are well established but I believe have generally speaking softer compounds
than their big brand US/UK counterparts. I always run on Michelin Pilot Road 2 (or now 3).#
They have a good balance of wear/performance.
Speaking personally I would never mix brands or different compounds on a bike. It
can lead to unexpected problems with handling.

[Ol' Jeffers]

Shinko tyres are well established but I believe have generally speaking softer compounds
than their big brand US/UK counterparts. I always run on Michelin Pilot Road 2 (or now 3).
They have a good balance of wear/performance.
Speaking personally I would never mix brands or different compounds on a bike. It
can lead to unexpected problems with handling.