Tyre wear

[Aussie in AZ]

My rear tyre is wearing on the left side more so than the right.  The centre has a flat spot, I ride every day too and from work, and take the same route on the return ride home so I do as many left handers as right handers but i also have a flat spot on the left side of the tyre.  I don't think I take left corners more aggressively than right, I have been taking mental notes.  I read an article on tyre wear and here is the link http://www.rattlebars.com/tirewear/index.html Does anyone have an opinion for me.  All thinkings are welcome

Cheers
Aussie

[ZG]

Welcome to the new forum Aussie, we missed you brother.

[Aussie in AZ]

Thanks mate
Good to be back

Aussie

[Mister Tee]

Obviously it's not from the crown of the road, since your right side should be more worn if that were the case (left side for us.)  What does your front tire look like?

[Conrad]

Shot in the dark...

Maybe the road is cooler in the morn than in the afternoon and it's making your tire wear more on the left?

[MAN OF BLUES]

Obviously it's not from the crown of the road, since your right side should be more worn if that were the case (left side for us.)  What does your front tire look like?

oviously you didn't read where he lives....Arizona....
I have posted multiple times, prior to the site crash, this syndrome, and attest it is either road crown (in areas as mine where the crown is extreme), and possibly an issue with incorrect frame geometry on the first built (08) models that is being kept under the table by Kaw.

experiment:
with the bike on the centerstand,
stand behind your bike, and look closely at the relationship between the center of the tire, and the pointy end of the fender at the bottom.....
does it look like the tire centerline is offset to either side (right side)of the center of the rear fender?
mine does.

[ZedHed]

Find more right-hand corners.... mate

[Mister Tee]

oviously you didn't read where he lives....Arizona....
I have posted multiple times, prior to the site crash, this syndrome, and attest it is either road crown (in areas as mine where the crown is extreme), and possibly an issue with incorrect frame geometry on the first built (08) models that is being kept under the table by Kaw.

experiment:
with the bike on the centerstand,
stand behind your bike, and look closely at the relationship between the center of the tire, and the pointy end of the fender at the bottom.....
does it look like the tire centerline is offset to either side (right side)of the center of the rear fender?
mine does.

Ooops, my bad!  I guess I know what I'll be eating for lunch today...

[Aussie in AZ]

Check out this theory and tell me what you think.

After reading the article that I linked to on my original post about 5 times, it now sits right in my brain.  It talks about average lean angle when cornering, in that you slow down and speed up subconsciously through corners to what you have become used to and comfortable with (on the street I am referring to, not on the track at this time).  The sharper the corner, the slower you go through it hence the lean angle is similar to that of a wider faster corner.  You are therefor using the same part of the tyre on most corners.
I have 7 inside corners (slower) during my trip to and from work and 7 outside corners (faster) on the same route.  Four of those faster outside corners, the road is particularly nice and I have noticed that I tend to give it a bit of stick during these turns (just because it's fun).  These corners are all left handers hence the tyre wear on the left side more so over some 5000 miles on the same tyre.

Opinions...........

Aussie

[JetJock]

Did you ever make a REALLY HARD stop in full oh-s**t! mode?

[KawiMick]

My rear tyre is wearing on the left side more so than the right.  T
Cheers
Aussie

I'm still looking for something called Tyrees on my bike.........

Are these the stock Bridgestones?  I noticed a little of that on my original "U" spec
BT-021 rear but not much.  Our road crown and the fact that our turns use more of
the left side is why the wear is different left/right.  Also, I corner a little faster in left
handers.  Just got back from CA and there are no chicken strips on the left side of the
rear tire (PR2's with 8K on them) but there is about 1/8" of unused tire on the right side.
Odd that my chicken strips are gone but I've never touched the peg feelers.   

Mick

[Boomer]

I'm still looking for something called Tyrees on my bike.........
Mick

It's not Aussies fault that y'all mutilated our language.
My tyres are black in colour and the wheels are made of Aluminium. 

[Aussie in AZ]

I'm still looking for something called Tyrees on my bike.........

Are these the stock Bridgestones?  I noticed a little of that on my original "U" spec
BT-021 rear but not much.  Our road crown and the fact that our turns use more of
the left side is why the wear is different left/right.  Also, I corner a little faster in left
handers.  Just got back from CA and there are no chicken strips on the left side of the
rear tire (PR2's with 8K on them) but there is about 1/8" of unused tire on the right side.
Odd that my chicken strips are gone but I've never touched the peg feelers.   

Mick





No mate, they are Michelin 2CT (2 Compound Technology)
I just rid myself of my own chicken strips on the left also.  Just posted here http://zggtr.org/index.php?topic=874.msg7979#msg7979

Aussie

[Aussie in AZ]

It's not Aussies fault that y'all mutilated our language.
My tyres are black in colour and the wheels are made of Aluminium. 

Cheers Boomer.  My neighbour spells it like that too 

Aussie

[MAN OF BLUES]

LOOK CLOSELY...
I made a statement above about the tire alligning down thru the centerline of the bike, and I need to do measurements....but this is waht I'm talking about


Now, before you say my fender is hosed, I'll say I looked at that also, it ain't, the centerline of the fender down to the point at the bottom, the complete rear cowling, frame above the tire, bags, and mounts all line up, but the tire is shifted right off center....go look at your bike.....

[ZG]

LOOK CLOSELY...
I made a statement above about the tire alligning down thru the centerline of the bike, and I need to do measurements....but this is waht I'm talking about


Now, before you say my fender is hosed, I'll say I looked at that also, it ain't, the centerline of the fender down to the point at the bottom, the complete rear cowling, frame above the tire, bags, and mounts all line up, but the tire is shifted right off center....go look at your bike.....

My guess is that massive potato launcher you have mounted on the right side MOB is creating a lean due to the excessive weight??
 

[Aussie in AZ]

MOB,
Thanks for the info.  I did stand back and look at the tyre to see if it is in line with the fender (unlike yours) and mine does appear, at least to the eye, to be in line.  When I get down and line things up by eye, it all looks pretty good.
The road crowning here in Tucson is not that great so I have a hard time with that concept hence my posting in the first place.  Both sides of my tyre have flats spots as well as the middle, just more so on the right which "leans  " me toward the theory that I might prefer, even so slightly, left hand corners causing the extra wear on that side.

Aussie