3,400 & rear tire is history

[HaulinAshe]

Ride single most of the time. One kid pillion sometimes. All three bags and partially loaded most of the time.

OEM tires, 38 psi rear, 36 psi front.

At 3,400 miles the rear tire is looking close to 1mm at the center. Am I an aggressive rider? Should I plan on buying tires this often?

 

[Thug]

I am surprised at such low tyre pressures? if I have anything less than say 37 on the front and 37 on the rear the bike start to handle like a pig the lower the tyre pressure the piggier it gets...so it's 39 39.5 on the front and 40 on the rear huge difference in handling.

Cheers

 

[GalaxyBlue]

I am an aggressive rider, and get about 5k out of the rear. Do you have alot of chip and seal (gravel tarred down) roads? That will wear tires out QUICK!

 

[madmike2]

Yep....Thug nailed it. I run 40/40, the LD guys run 42/42 (as do I when travelling with everything loaded).

And, yes, you are aggressive. You don't mean to be, its just with so much torque and horsepower on tap, its hard to regulate your right wrist. Trust me, almost all of us have BTDT. I think I got 4000 out of my OEM set of 020s. We've all learned to be "easy" leaving a stop and then roll into the throttle. Even for a bike this heavy, when you are less than careful "on" throttle, the rear tire is spinning slightly enough to use up the tire.

Disclaimer: The above is just one man's opinion.

 

[SkooterG]

Yup. Tire life on the FJR is all about throttle discipline. If you don't care about tire life, and want to whack the hell out of it, have fun.

I get 10,000 - 13,000 out of my rear Avons. But then I probably wait a lot longer than you to replace them too. IOT, I have gotten lots of good miles after hitting the wear bars.

 

[TestPilot]

Ride single most of the time. One kid pillion sometimes. All three bags and partially loaded most of the time.

Why carry all the bags, specially if only partially loaded?

 

[GunMD]

I run 42 and 40, whack the throttle at every opportunity, but run pretty conservative highway speeds...and I can count on needing rubber 'round 6k rear, 7k up front.

 

[Feejer/Weejer man]

The wrist, as mentioned above, is the main culprit but other factors are involved also. Road material has a lot bigger factor than some think. Heat is a factor as well as tire pressures. Pressures listed above 42/42 are preferred by those who travel long distances. I use 40/40 while empty and 42/42 on trips loaded. I get 7-9000 on the rear depending on which brand I have used.

 

[Mike-H]

Tire pressures & wrist control.....ya right, you bought an FJR....to mosey down the back roads with the other junk that doesn't handle or go fast (like anyone is going to believe that) ....oh ya.....I've got some nice land in Florida for sale....& a building in New York.... :blink:

 

[HaulinAshe]

Why carry all the bags, specially if only partially loaded?

I ride the FJR every day that it's not pouring rain. Carry spare helmet in right bag, rainsuit and laptop in top bag. Left bag is usually empty or carrying whatever farkle I just picked up. Would like to do without the top bag, but it really is the only way to carry a laptop to work.

I'll try higher psi on the next set of tires. Probably going to be Michelin Pilot Roads.

Can't resist lifting the front-end every once in a while. Love the ride at 80-90 mph. Almost always brake hard and corner low. But that's why I bought an FJR! Otherwise, I would have sprung for a Gold Wing instead.

But I never do burnouts and hardly ever snap the clutch, so that's why I was a little suprised at the short tire life.

Thanks for all the input!

:dribble:

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

Ride single most of the time. One kid pillion sometimes. All three bags and partially loaded most of the time.
OEM tires, 38 psi rear, 36 psi front.

At 3,400 miles the rear tire is looking close to 1mm at the center. Am I an aggressive rider? Should I plan on buying tires this often?

I have had two sets of Bridgestones and the rear has NEVER made it past 3,500 miles. Avons took me 8k easily and I loved em, but others don't like some things about em. Back to Avons for me.

By the way, I think the quality/types of road you ride on can make a huge difference.

I did notice rubber on the Bridgestones rolling up in little snakes all over the tire after one fairly spirited ride down CA-1 to Morro Bay. I had never seen that before.

 

[twowheelnut]

liquidsilver would sometimes burn off a rear tire in under 2,500 miles. But, rumor has it that he's a bit of a wrist...

 

[TAPnTX]

Not too bad actually, I get less than 2k on the GSXR 1000, and GSXR 600. and that is not doing burn-outs, just riding!

Todd

 

[worldbound4now]

Your lower than recommended tire pressure is a bit concerning. To have the BT020's wear out near the 4k mile mark is not unusual. Mine made it to about 4200 and I put an Avon rear on. I'm at 12k now and still have the same Avon. I also intentionally avoid too many straight paths and attempt to use the full width of the tire when riding. FWIW, read more about the Pilots and the Avons. Both seem to be good tires.

Oh, BTW, my front stock lasted about 5200 miles and was replaced by an Avon as well. Still running that one. I'm quite pleased to be on my second set of tires at 12,000 total miles.

 

[HaulinAshe]

You guys have convinced me to smoke that POS Bridgestone like I ain't got a dime in it!

Guess I better wait until I have a replacement tire in hand.

 

[rickcorwn]

Now you guys have got me worried. I've got an '06 with the BT020s and I plan on riding out to Russell in northern CA, up to Hyder and the home to Mpls. Round trip about 6,000 miles. Right now I stand at 520 miles and I leave on May 19th. If I get them pumped up to 42 psi and behave myself will these last??

 

[catiadan]

I have been trying the various brands and they all seem to wear about the same, around 3k for me. Avons now with the fronts being toast same as the rears, but the twisty riding every weekend is obviously the culprit! :yahoo:

 

[twowheelnut]

You should be ok if you're slabbing most of it.

 

[SMC]

I use to think I rode bikes at a sporting clip, but compared to most of you guys, I guess I am a rank beginner or at least not super heavy on the right wrist.

I have the original Stones on and I am at 8646 with a good amount of tread left...still not to the wear marks.

But 99% of my riding is on highways and very little stop and go city traffic. I very often have to pass trucks and gravel haulers on the highway near my home...roll on from 55 mph to final passing speeds of triple digits.