Front Tire Wear

[lragan]

Guys, I have the Dunlop K555F on the front of my '96.  Somewhere I recall reading that the groove down the center of the tire is meant as a "wear indicator". 

Is this true?  If so, how shallow should this groove get before I replace the tire? 

The tire seems to have plenty of tread near the edges.  Perhaps I don't countersteer hard enough in the turns?

[Magnum Magna]

I believe the wear indicators are, the little slashes that are about .5 inch long about .5 inch from the center of the tire.   When the little slashes are gone you FAIL.

[SkyRide]

Auto part places sell a tread depth guage for a couple bucks.  It lets you watch the tread decrease over time.

For the one cent solution, from the edge of the coin to the top of Linclon's head is 1 to 2 mm.
Rick Frankenberger

[rjb/AKA Bob Barram]

I think the front tire wear depends a lot on how aggressive you ride in the curves. If you spend any amount of time 'peg/boot scraping' in the curves you might see more even wear. Most likely regular riding wears down the center of both tires before the sides are worn. This means you may need new tires while there still seems to be good tread on the side. There is no way to even out the wear on a tire unless a person aggressively rides the curves as much as you 'scenic' ride.

[hootmon]

I've mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating..
My Magna developed a shimmy whenever I was in a turn. It wasn't bad, but very noticable.
I figured the front tire had some cupping and was causing the issue.
The rear tire was much more worn than the front (and more flat in the middle as Curtis will attest to, "what curves in Florida")
When I replaced the back tire, the shimmy went away... So I presume it was a function of the bike coming off of the flat spot and riding on the developed ridge... I was just amazed that a rear tire could cause such a shimmy.

[mainerider]

Guys, I have the Dunlop K555F on the front of my '96.  Somewhere I recall reading that the groove down the center of the tire is meant as a "wear indicator". 

Is this true?  If so, how shallow should this groove get before I replace the tire? 

The tire seems to have plenty of tread near the edges.  Perhaps I don't countersteer hard enough in the turns?

Hi lawrence,
The recommended minimum is 1.5 mm front, 2 mm rear.  Use the centerline groove on the front tire to measure.
Joe

PS
They say that 90% of flats occur in the last 10% of tread life. I always change mine sooner rather than later; a flat is always a hassle.

[lragan]

Thanks, you guys, for the advice.

I ordered a new tire from Cycle Gear in Austin today.  Should be in tomorrow.  Plan to take the front wheel in to get the tire mounted.  They quoted $112 for the tire, $20 to mount and balance, but you have to bring them the wheel.  Looks easy enough.

[lragan]

So the shiny new tire (I buffed off the mold release with a fine grit sandpaper) is mounted and the wheel is back on the bike.  Not difficult at all.

For the record, the new tire measures 3.9mm in the center groove, and 2.5mm in the "wear indicator" (as noted above) marks along each side of the center groove. 

So, when the wear indicators are no longer visible (mine were on the verge of becoming so), the center groove should still be there, and, if wear is even in this area, should measure 1.5mm or so, as Joe notes above.  Seems reasonably consistent.

Other tires will probably have different criteria, I don't know.

[roboto65]

Heres a trivia question of sorts I bet one side is worn more than the other I bet it is the left side as it was on the bike LOL

[lragan]

Well, its a shame you didn't bet a piece or pie or a barbecue sandwich, because I wear the right side more.  I almost never drag a boot heel or peg on the left, but it is all too common on the right.

I know this is backwards to most folks, and I am not even left handed!!

Is a puzzlement!   

[roboto65]

Well it not because of which side you lean or such but because of which side of the road you drive on and the way the roads slope to the outer edge for run off so the left side wears because we drive on the right side....

[Magnum Magna]

Heres a trivia question of sorts I bet one side is worn more than the other

I would bet the outside of the tire is worn more then the inside of the tire.

[Charles S Otwell]

I don't know Robert, the last tire I took off, the inside of the the tire was slick as a button.

[Greg Cothern]

Valk riders will notice that their tires will wear more on one side of centerline versus the other.....  It is due too.......  DRUMROLL please??!!! 

TORQUE of the engine...

Obviously the engines are quite different between the Magna and Valkyrie.

[lragan]

Valk riders will notice that their tires will wear more on one side of centerline versus the other.....  It is due too.......  DRUMROLL please??!!! 

TORQUE of the engine...

Obviously the engines are quite different between the Magna and Valkyrie.

Drumroll, Torque, or whatever, I don't ever recall seeing a tire on a motorcycle in as sad shape as yours at the last MOOTMAG in OK.  Did you ever determine a cause?