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How low do YOU go? And other tire questions

4K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  swstiles 
#1 ·
This is more for the 400 riders than the 650 riders...

For those of you using OEM rear tires, how bald do you get before replacing the rear tire? I'm getting a bit nervous. The service dealer tells me not to worry as long as I can't see threads. I ordered a Perelli GTS rear from azmotorsports but it's back-ordered. :(
Another question is, how difficult is replacing the rear tire? Dealer quoted me $100 at 1.5 hours. Should I just pay not not hassle with it?
 
#2 ·
Don't use any motorcycle tire past the wear bar indicators - that little bit of tread that is left is not providing sufficient water dispersion, isn't giving the proper flex for cornering, and won't grip well on an imperfect surface.

The Burgman tires are difficult to break the bead, and to seat the bead on the new tire. You can save probably half that cost by removing the wheel from the bike and just bringing it in - but unless you have a tire changing stand and a long tire bar - I'd leave swapping out the rubber to someone who does. If your local shop doesn't have a tire stand then try to find someone who does. You don't want to have the bead on your new tire damaged - or the tire will always leak...
 
#4 ·
I am due to receive the new tire on the 8th. Hopefully my tire will last until then.
Pirelli Scooter GTS 23/24 GTS24-02 1 33.70
Sport Touring Tire:
130/70P-13 TL Rear
Burgman 400 Bias
(Shipped)

Subtotal 33.70
Shipping 8.95
Tax 0.00
Total 42.65

This completes your order. Thank you for shopping with us.
Since I use my scooter daily and tires seem to be back-ordered so often and difficult to get quickly this is a good indication to order replacement tire well before I need to replace them.
 
#5 ·
Stu

Whip the rear wheel off yourself - easy peasy on these thar' modern sveltes and deliver it for the tyre swap. It will save you a whole load of dosh!

PS: Are you getting angled valve stems fitted? Might be worth considering. :)
 
#7 ·
OK, went and got a far lower quote if I remove it myself and deliver just the tire to them. $29 (+ tax) versus $100.
They did tell me they have no way of balancing the tire. How important is it to have the tire balanced on a 400?
Anyone else here ride without their tire balanced (besides me)?
All I have is the CD service manual (which is very difficult to find anything on). I'm considering buying a paper manual but that doesn't help me with removing the rear tire. I'm not as concerned with removing the tire as reinstalling it properly. Any nuances or hidden things to look for?
 
#8 ·
Selias said:
For those of you using OEM rear tires, how bald do you get before replacing the rear tire? I'm getting a bit nervous. The service dealer tells me not to worry as long as I can't see threads.
Like most everybody above, don't go below the wear-bars. If you are getting nervous about the tread depth, that's usually a good indicator that it's time to get new tires (and have them balanced).
It's your butt at risk and it's no fun worrying about your tires everytime you take the bike for a ride. Those tires and their "footprints" are the only things between you and the road surface and potential disaster. Don't try to save money by stretching them beyond their useful and safe life.
I sure hope your service dealer knows more about the mechanics of your Burgman than he does about tires.

don
 
#9 ·
Stu

I have not got your model Burgman or have access to the manual.

It should be listed in the Chassis Section.

I believe you have to drop the exhaust, wind off the parking brake and then remove the three hub bolts (I think it is three) and then 'Bobs your uncle'.

The only issues on replacing is to clean the stud threads on the exhaust and copperslip them and then the correct torque on remounting the wheel.

I would phone around and see if you can find a shop who can balance as well as mount tyres.

BTW i assume when you talk about removing and replacing the tyre - you mean wheel+ tyre and are going to let a shop do the tyre swap?
 
#10 ·
BTW i assume when you talk about removing and replacing the tyre - you mean wheel+ tyre and are going to let a shop do the tyre swap?
Yes. But I think I will call another dealer (50 miles away) and see if they can/will balance the tire and what their quote(s) are (total job & just tire/wheel). It doesn't encourage my confidence in a service-dealer for them to tell me they can't balance the tire.
 
#11 ·
Alright Norm. This is BurgmanUSA. Repeat after me...tIre, not tyre.

<JUST KIDDING!!>

;)
 
#13 ·
Called the Outpost (the dealer further away) and they quoted me 1 hour labor (rather than 1.5) and they say they can/do balance the tires. I think I'll just pay this time and may do it the next time myself.
Oh, and the honda GW vent part came in today also so I may just put the stock shield back on when I go to cutting up (erm, I mean CUSTOMIZING) my Givi windscreen.
Thanks for the input!
Oh Norm... the heads are a whole other thing on the scooter my friend! ;)
 
#14 ·
I read a performance cycling book that said you should take a look at a motorcycle junkyard and see how many crashed bikes had bald tires. If you have one near you, maybe this will give you an idea what to consider the low end of traction.
 
#15 ·
I read a lot, so I can't recall exactly where I read this, but sometime in the past year I read an article about tires (tyres for the UK brethren) that indicated that 90% of flats occur in the last 10% of tire (tyre) tread life.

The standard depth limit is 3/32" (2.4 mm).

Among the issues you face with reduced tread depth are decreased shock absorption (to the tire (tyre)) and decreased flexion. These result in increasing rate of wear as the depth decreases - just like the fuel gauge! So if it took you 10k miles to wear down from 8/32" (6.4 mm) to 3/32" (see above), you'd expect to get 2k miles on the next 1/32" (.8 mm), however you will probably get less than 1k miles!

Somewhere around 4/32" (3.2 mm) would be the time to order the new rubber.
 
#16 ·
DonRich90 said:
Selias said:
For those of you using OEM rear tires, how bald do you get before replacing the rear tire? I'm getting a bit nervous. The service dealer tells me not to worry as long as I can't see threads.
Like most everybody above, don't go below the wear-bars. If you are getting nervous about the tread depth, that's usually a good indicator that it's time to get new tires (and have them balanced).
It's your butt at risk and it's no fun worrying about your tires everytime you take the bike for a ride. Those tires and their "footprints" are the only things between you and the road surface and potential disaster. Don't try to save money by stretching them beyond their useful and safe life.
I sure hope your service dealer knows more about the mechanics of your Burgman than he does about tires.

don
The thing about the wear bars is that there is a lot of tread left right next to where the wear bars were (the middle of the tire on the bottom.
the wear bars went pretty fast. I don't think the wear bars are showing and accurate indication of the tread life. I wish they did. But by going by what the manual says (.080 ) rear I would think that you should be fine if you don't go below that. If I remember correctly the wear bars were acctually gone by about 3,500 miles. I now have 9,300 and still have a little ways to go before I reach the .080 mark. I will be ordering a tire before long but it seems like and awful waste of money to go by the wear bars (if I'm correct on what the wear bars are they are the little narrow tread part right at the end of the bigger tread in the middle of the tire)
That part seems to go way before the tread depth is anywhere near
the minimum.
 
#17 ·
swstiles said:
DonRich90 said:
Selias said:
For those of you using OEM rear tires, how bald do you get before replacing the rear tire? I'm getting a bit nervous. The service dealer tells me not to worry as long as I can't see threads.
Like most everybody above, don't go below the wear-bars. If you are getting nervous about the tread depth, that's usually a good indicator that it's time to get new tires (and have them balanced).
It's your butt at risk and it's no fun worrying about your tires everytime you take the bike for a ride. Those tires and their "footprints" are the only things between you and the road surface and potential disaster. Don't try to save money by stretching them beyond their useful and safe life.
I sure hope your service dealer knows more about the mechanics of your Burgman than he does about tires.

don
The thing about the wear bars is that there is a lot of tread left right next to where the wear bars were (the middle of the tire on the bottom.
the wear bars went pretty fast. I don't think the wear bars are showing and accurate indication of the tread life. I wish they did. But by going by what the manual says (.080 ) rear I would think that you should be fine if you don't go below that. If I remember correctly the wear bars were acctually gone by about 3,500 miles. I now have 9,300 and still have a little ways to go before I reach the .080 mark. I will be ordering a tire before long but it seems like and awful waste of money to go by the wear bars (if I'm correct on what the wear bars are they are the little narrow tread part right at the end of the bigger tread in the middle of the tire)
That part seems to go way before the tread depth is anywhere near
the minimum.
I really hoped I would get a reply from some of the members like Pauljo. I know he must have gone through several sets of tires over the years. I respect and admire his opinion. I would really like to know if I'm correct. Come on Pauljo ( and some of the rest of you ) get your feet wet. :lol:
 
#18 ·
I'm very conservative regarding tire replacement from a safety standpoint. The money I'd save by maxing out tire usage would not compensate for one crash, particularly if I was injured. On the rear tire, if a wear bar surfaces, the tire is replaced. On the front, I look more at tread condition than tread depth. Often the front tire tread can become badly cupped or chopped well before the wear bars surface. This can significantly affect handling. When I don't like the "feel" of the front tire, it gets replaced.

It's my money, my bike, and my skin. I feel that I'm reducing risks to my bike and my skin by replacing the tires a bit earlier than absolutely necessary. I've always taken that approach to motorcycle tire replacement, and I probably always will.
 
#19 ·
pauljo said:
. On the rear tire, if a wear bar surfaces, the tire is replaced.
l.
Pauljo, thanks for the reply, but now I'm confused. You said "if the wear bar surfaces" I thought the wear bar was the little narrow tread at he end of the bigger tread and that it would wear away (be gone, not surface) could you please elaborate? I'm not sure I understand what the wear bar is.

Steve
 
#20 ·
The wear bars are small horizontal bars buried at intervals within a tread groove. You don't see them until the tread groove wears down. When the tread wears down sufficiently, the wear bar appears as a little "bridge" across the groove. This is supposed to give a clue that the tire is due for replacement. The Bridgestones, and many other brands of tires, have had these wear bars.

Now I'll throw you a curve. As far as I can tell, the Pirelli GTS tires do not have wear indicators at all..... So I have to use a small metric ruler to actually measure tread depth. Some guideliness for replacement depth have already been given in this thread. I don't know if this will become the norm, but manufacturers are switching to newer, more cost efficient production processes, and I believe that Pirelli is one of the early leaders in doing that (perhaps one of the reasons that they cost less than Bridgestones). Just a guess, but if the new process involves cutting the grove into the tire rather than molding it, the wear bar would become difficult or impossible to create.
 
#22 ·
wear bars

pauljo said:
The wear bars are small horizontal bars buried at intervals within a tread groove. You don't see them until the tread groove wears down.
Now I'll throw you a curve. As far as I can tell, the Pirelli GTS tires do not have wear indicators at all..... .
Thanks Pauljo, I finally found what your talking about. They were not in every groove, in fact I could only see them in a couple of tread grooves so at least now I know what I'm looking for. I guess they just started to appear. I've got just a little over 10,000 miles on the 400 now and I'll be getting a new rear tire pretty soon now. All in all I guess 10,000 miles ain't to shabby. I think I'll still go with the OEM's Anyway thanks again Pauljo and everyone else for your comments.

Steve
 
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