06 Metzler Tires

[painman]

I've had good luck so far with the Metzler's and right at the 6000 mi. mark frankly I'm not sure when this tire is used up aside from the steel belts showing through which mine are not. I've heard of some with only 3000 mi. or less and some that have gone over 9000 mi. We all know this tire doesn't have wear indicators and that the way you ride and on what type of road surfaces depends on how quick these or any tires wear out. Basically my treads look ok and no other symptoms have appeared but as Jeff Ash noted, "the ride all of a sudden seems like a truck". So the question is, how do you really know when the Metzler's are in need of replacement? WFO is coming up and I don't want to have to change tires on the way, especially out in the middle of Nevada. PM. <>< :blink:

 

[Ignacio]

See the faint line in the middle of the tire below?

....it's worn out.

It's an Avon and certainly past the tread indicators....ummm....past the tread actually......and just starting to hit the belts. It was starting to show faint belts signs 500 miles earlier, but I limped it home at or below the speed limit with no problems.

However, if you don't wear a tire out before WFO in like 3 months....I gotta wonder if you shouldn't be riding more? I'm probably going to wear out two.

 

[radman]

If the tread is thin, they have any cupping, any cracking, rear has a definite flat center to the point where the transition to lean is spooky and abrupt, thats when I call it a day and replace. There are probably a few miles left on mine when I swap, but someone else can discover the fringes for me. I'd rather replace them at my convenience than at Jim Bobs Yamaha Cities.

 

[tstaff]

6,000 miles, WFO coming up, it's time.

I had the same issue with my Z6's, 6,800 miles, was thinking I had a couple K left in them, Found myself trying to find a set of tires on a Friday afternoon after seeing the cords showing when I got home from work that day. Only 18 miles from looking Ok to cords showing, I have worn out enough tires in my day, but this was a complete surprise.

Tom

 

[painman]

However, if you don't wear a tire out before WFO in like 3 months....I gotta wonder if you shouldn't be riding more? I'm probably going to wear out two.

I only wish I could do the LDR thing. My problem which I detest is I don't have enough saddle time. I don't have a real job and don't commute and still too little time to play.

If the tread is thin, they have any cupping, any cracking, rear has a definite flat center to the point where the transition to lean is spooky and abrupt, thats when I call it a day and replace. There are probably a few miles left on mine when I swap, but someone else can discover the fringes for me. I'd rather replace them at my convenience than at Jim Bobs Yamaha Cities.

I don't have these symptoms going on only the noticable rough ness in the tires but I do have to agree with this logic. I will probablly order up a set of Avon's before WFO and probablly change them out before I leave. Not too many Storm dealers on Hwy. 50 and you don't want to deal with that on a trip so really money well spent and peace of mind....Thanks, PM. <><

 

[Zodiac]

However, if you don't wear a tire out before WFO in like 3 months....I gotta wonder if you shouldn't be riding more? I'm probably going to wear out two.

I only wish I could do the LDR thing. My problem which I detest is I don't have enough saddle time. I don't have a real job and don't commute and still too little time to play.

If the tread is thin, they have any cupping, any cracking, rear has a definite flat center to the point where the transition to lean is spooky and abrupt, thats when I call it a day and replace. There are probably a few miles left on mine when I swap, but someone else can discover the fringes for me. I'd rather replace them at my convenience than at Jim Bobs Yamaha Cities.

I don't have these symptoms going on only the noticable rough ness in the tires but I do have to agree with this logic. I will probablly order up a set of Avon's before WFO and probablly change them out before I leave. Not too many Storm dealers on Hwy. 50 and you don't want to deal with that on a trip so really money well spent and peace of mind....Thanks, PM. <><

Hey,

The owners manual says there are tread wear indicators! I've been looking for three days and can't find them! I only have 800 miles, but would like to know if the factory tires have them or not! Or am I just blind!

 

[vectervp1]

I'm probably going to wear out two.

Ugh... don't remind me. I've got to order up a set of tires here soon for a little jaunt I want to take. Then of course I'll have to get another set for the Cal24.... hopefully those will last me long enough to get me to WFO and back.

 

[sgoat]

6,000 miles, WFO coming up, it's time.I had the same issue with my Z6's, 6,800 miles, was thinking I had a couple K left in them, Found myself trying to find a set of tires on a Friday afternoon after seeing the cords showing when I got home from work that day. Only 18 miles from looking Ok to cords showing, I have worn out enough tires in my day, but this was a complete surprise.

Tom

This Pirelli Strada (non FJR spec) had only 4000 mi. on it. I had checked it at a fuel stop about 220 mi. from home and it looked fine. Running 85ish with a full load of luggage all the way home. Surprise! :blink:

 

[painman]

6,000 miles, WFO coming up, it's time.I had the same issue with my Z6's, 6,800 miles, was thinking I had a couple K left in them, Found myself trying to find a set of tires on a Friday afternoon after seeing the cords showing when I got home from work that day. Only 18 miles from looking Ok to cords showing, I have worn out enough tires in my day, but this was a complete surprise.

Tom

This Pirelli Strada (non FJR spec) had only 4000 mi. on it. I had checked it at a fuel stop about 220 mi. from home and it looked fine. Running 85ish with a full load of luggage all the way home. Surprise! :blink:

sgoat, as mentioned by some of the previous posts, your tire appears to have a flatened wear pattern at the center of the tire which is a indicator of the life of the tire at its end. And the Strada's are really the same tire as the Metzler's Z6 with no indicator wear bars. I saw this same thing happen to Skyway when we transversed Hwy 36 on the last day before heading home last year. This is not good. What the heck are these people thinking? While the Z6's have performed well for me I doubt I would run either of these tires in the future because of this issue. And the earlier Metzler's had the steel belts seperating with a whole different set of issues. This definetly is a safety matter and the manufactures IMO could be held liable if someone was injured or worse. This is a problem. PM. <>< :angry:

 

[warsw]

Hey,The owners manual says there are tread wear indicators! I've been looking for three days and can't find them! I only have 800 miles, but would like to know if the factory tires have them or not! Or am I just blind!

They're there, keep looking :lol: . They are hard to see when there's a lot of tread left on the tire.

 

[pickax]

This definetly is a safety matter and the manufactures IMO could be held liable if someone was injured or worse. This is a problem. PM. <>< :angry:

Don't think so PM, it's our responsibility to watch our tires go bad and replace as needed. Only 10 months in my case, but new rubber sure feels good. go ahead and do it and enjoy WFO worry free.

 

[dbvolfan]

Holy Crap! That is a scary pic of the rear tire with the belts showing!

How 'bout a front Azera tire? Mine is starting to cup and has some flat spots developing but it doesnt look too bad nor does it sound like a mack truck going down the interstate. Do the fronts have a tendancy to go down hill as rapidly as the rear (probably not but I goota ask)

 

[sgoat]

After that experience, I immediately went back to my tried and true Pilot Roads. Had Z6's on my 03' and liked them, but only put about 1500 mi. on them before I traded for my 05'. In defense of the Pirelli's, they were the best handling tires I've had on either of my two FJR's. Really made the FJR almost "flickable". A friend of mine has the Stradas on his FJR with the FJR spec rear. They've held up well, but he too feels a bit uneasy after seeing my rear tire after our trip. I think for my next set I'm going to give the new Pilot Road dual compounds a try.

 

[SkooterG]

No more Stradas or Metz Z6s for me. Being burned by the *instantly appearing belts* once was more than enough for me.

Previous Thread #1

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Previous Thread #3

 

[escapefjrtist]

Another almost victim of the instantly disappearing tread. 6800 miles on the rear, tread looked "good" however upon closer inspection (thanks to dust on the garage floor) the faint cord pattern was showing. No more Z6's for me...

--G

 

[Mike-H]

Ya.... it's always the tires fault, never the responsibility of the people riding on them.... :fool: .....

 

[MotorSWATCop]

I had the same thing happen with my last Strada. Took a trip to TN over Easter figuring that I prolly had about 1000 miles left in the tire at about 3100 miles on it. Nope...300 and the belts started to become visible. I'll keep running the Stradas though...I love the performance. I'll keep track of my mileage and have an extra in the garage.

 

[New Boots]

They're there, keep looking :lol: . They are hard to see when there's a lot of tread left on the tire.

+1

Look for the letters (TWI) near the sidewall then start looking toward the center of the tire. Piece of cake.

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

6,000 miles, WFO coming up, it's time.I had the same issue with my Z6's, 6,800 miles, was thinking I had a couple K left in them, Found myself trying to find a set of tires on a Friday afternoon after seeing the cords showing when I got home from work that day. Only 18 miles from looking Ok to cords showing, I have worn out enough tires in my day, but this was a complete surprise.

Tom

This Pirelli Strada (non FJR spec) had only 4000 mi. on it. I had checked it at a fuel stop about 220 mi. from home and it looked fine. Running 85ish with a full load of luggage all the way home. Surprise! :blink:

sgoat, as mentioned by some of the previous posts, your tire appears to have a flatened wear pattern at the center of the tire which is a indicator of the life of the tire at its end. And the Strada's are really the same tire as the Metzler's Z6 with no indicator wear bars. I saw this same thing happen to Skyway when we transversed Hwy 36 on the last day before heading home last year. This is not good. What the heck are these people thinking? While the Z6's have performed well for me I doubt I would run either of these tires in the future because of this issue. And the earlier Metzler's had the steel belts seperating with a whole different set of issues. This definetly is a safety matter and the manufactures IMO could be held liable if someone was injured or worse. This is a problem. PM. <>< :angry:

My Z6 looked pretty good, then 200 miles later (7500 total) it looked like the tire above. The front tire was starting to cup too, so got a set of Storms.... peace of mind vs. a few hundred miles of angst wondering when the belts will show? Buy new tires.........