Here Comes the Boom- Unforgiving Suspension 2014A

[s.ga.rider]

I noticed my 14 is riding rougher after 20k miles but im writing it off because i changed seats to a corbin. You still got the factory seat?

 

[Bill Lumberg]

It's the bike, not my posterior. I currently use a Laam, and am very pleased with it.

 

[SkooterG]

Tires. There have been several occasions when I thought my suspension was shot and in need of rebuild but replacing a worn/old set of tires fixed all ills.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

And I'm damn sure not ruling that out. PR4GT's nearing the end of their run, conservatively viewed, cannot help.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

And, after one commute, I'll cautiously say, it's skooter FTW. As I've posted elsewhere, the PR4GT's have been excellent. Longest lasting set of tires I've had on a sport touring bike, bar none. The rear was getting a flat spot, but still had some groove depth. I believe it could have easily gone another 1000-2000 miles. When I'm deciding when to change rubber, I'll admit to being conservative. I'll further admit that, how close to gone a tire looks when I'm evaluating it for replacement never matches up with how the tire looks off the bike after it's been replaced. They always look like I should have a waited a few weeks.

Yesterday I had the rear replaced with a new PR3, a 190, no less. I've only had one run from the mist shrouded foothills of the north Georgia mountains into zombieland for evaluation, but there was no boom. Pavement bumps and imperfections no longer felt like a mallet hitting the bars, and thus no longer harshed my mellow.

My preliminary guess is that the super gnarly PR4GT, when burned almost to it's tootsie roll center, reveals its bulletproof, stone-like carcass. I'll mount PR4GT's again at some point for sheer longevity. But I've got to use the mere mortal PR stock in my garage first.

 

[Joel S.]

good, glad its better,

you said a 190, 190 what ?? 50 or 55 ?? thanks !!

 

[Bill Lumberg]

190/55/17

 

[hppants]

Very interesting - you changed only the rear tire and the problem went away?

Also, and I'm just curious, how many miles did you get from that PR4GT?

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Mileage is super subjective, obviously. I've had to do long slab miles on this set, so the sides were new looking, the center was worn down. 12,000 miles of spirited accel and decel. While season (pavement temp), schedule (slab vs mountains), and what flavor of tire all affect mileage on tires for me, I've never made it to 10k on a rear before. Wasnt worn out.

I've had worn tires cause wobbles, poor handling, vibrations, etc. This one made it feel like both tires were aired up to 60psi, (a description of the symptom that I wish I'd thought of earlier).

 

[roger dodger]

Good catch on the (cheaper) tire replacement.

Now do the front and you'll have a 'sporty' Cadillac!

 

[jammess]

For tire pressure I like 42F/44R and get great tire mileage with no front tire cupping at all. I should say that's what I do on my beemer and now the FJR. Should work as well on the FJR, I hope. Always do my own tire changes and no I don't use balancing beads.

 

[Joel S.]

............. 12,000 miles of spirited accel and decel. ..................).

guess people's ideas of spirited riding are quite different.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. In this case, we are talking about interstate on a GT tire and exuberant use of throttle and engine braking. Which will wear a tire differently than miles in the mountains, to be sure. I've trashed an almost new new front in a day in and around Robbinsville.

 

[Danny G]

Ditch the PR4 GT but stick with the PR4. Stiffer side wall to support weight. My suspension is much softer after 25,000 miles.