Why you should check your tires EVERY time you ride

[Goodman4]

I am pretty mad at myself for not paying attention to my senses this morning. I've been riding my cruiser this week, but got back on the FJR to drive to work today. Unless I'm running late I take the back roads where I've found some good corners and some nice straights through the farmlands. Today the bike handled a little funny and I stupidly told myself I was just having trouble adjusting between very different bikes. I rode it pretty hard to work. When I got there, I found this:

I must have got this on a short ride last Sunday. This tire was in good shape with about 4k miles on it before today. The air was low from the staple and I guess it did this much wear on the tire in just 50 miles:

I rode slow to the dealer which is thankfully close to my work and will have new Metzeler M3s tomorrow. I feel very fortunate to not have had a blown tire this morning while riding aggressively.

Paul

 

[Sno Cat]

Glad to see nothing serious happened. This is actually good news:You now have justifiction to buy Michelin PR3's. Don't waste your Washingtons on Metzlers, been there / done that / won't do it again. The PR3's are better beyond compare, they will transform your bike.

 

[Fontanaman]

Well you could say they are really well scrubbed in now.

I don't check my tires every day I ride on multi day trips. I do check them after the bike has sat for more than 5 or so days. Doing so gives me a good idea of the pressure loss over time.

 

[wheatonFJR]

I have found that checking them in the morning catches the leaks that occur because you hit a nail (or whatever) on your ride the day before. A slow leak from a nail you may not catch when it happens, you can catch in the morning with an air pressure check.

...Learned that on the SE Ohio Ramble 2012.

 

[Chuck35]

this thread reminds me....I want a psi monitoring system....

 

[PhilJet09]

Good advice.

I got to Savannah last Sunday, parked the bike in the hotel's gated lot and left it there all week. This morning I planned to jump on it and ride it to the training facility, then start my journey home after class. A flat rear tire changed that plan, didn't have time to fix before my sim session. I REALLY wish I would have checked it the night before.

 

[phroenips]

Well you could say they are really well scrubbed in now.
I don't check my tires every day I ride on multi day trips. I do check them after the bike has sat for more than 5 or so days. Doing so gives me a good idea of the pressure loss over time.

I do. One morning on the ritual check, the tire visually looked fine, but pressure was only 20psi. As Wheatie mentioned, caught a nail the day before, and only caught it the next morning.

 

[weekend rider]

Your tire was wore out before you took in for that 50 mile ride and riding hard did nit di that

 

[LAF]

this thread reminds me....I want a psi monitoring system....

Been running a Doran for 8 years and it is great to have. And one thing is when it gets below it's set low point a red light flashes and beeps like hell. The only time I saw this is when I hit a rock and blew my front rim and it was imediate. I knew right away to head for the side of the road and get it stopped. I would never ride a bike without it now. Pretty cheap compared to tires and is a great simple system. Been bullet proof for me and only 1 sensor in 8 years and they covered it for me. I have since bought a spare for 24 bucks and carry it with my tools.

 

[ericboutin]

this thread reminds me....I want a psi monitoring system....

Been running a Doran for 8 years and it is great to have. And one thing is when it gets below it's set low point a red light flashes and beeps like hell. The only time I saw this is when I hit a rock and blew my front rim and it was imediate. I knew right away to head for the side of the road and get it stopped. I would never ride a bike without it now. Pretty cheap compared to tires and is a great simple system. Been bullet proof for me and only 1 sensor in 8 years and they covered it for me. I have since bought a spare for 24 bucks and carry it with my tools.

I definitely see a Doran in my futrure! That is really slick. I like the ease and size of it! Thanks for the heads up on this. Price is pretty decent too.

 

[Bugnatr]

Your tire was wore out before you took in for that 50 mile ride and riding hard did nit di that

Yep he's right. Those crappy Metzlers will look like you have a thousand miles left and BAM you have cords showing. Get the Michelins, be happy.

 

[someguy]

https://m.doranmfg.com/motorcycle-tire-pressure-monitoring-systems.htm

Worth every penny.

 

[Goodman4]

Your tire was wore out before you took in for that 50 mile ride and riding hard did nit di that

I am no expert on this, but I had the oil changed at the yammie dealer just 2 weeks ago (less than 150 miles on it since then). I had him look over the tires closely because the front (Metzeler) has been on it for over 10K from before I bought it. He told me I had maybe a thousand left on the front but not to take a long trip. He said the back was better than 50% and in great shape.

And I am not saying just riding it hard had anything to do with it. I believe riding it fast with very low air pressure did it. When I pulled in the lot at work, a friend noticed how low it was.

I don't think this about tire brands, but I was already planning on switching to Michelin PR3s. However I needed the bike quick and he only had the Metzelers in stock. I'm going to pick it up now with the M3's and we'll see how they last. I'll be watching the air closely. I looked at the Doran and am thinking about it, but I think I'd rather pay myself $200 to do the safety check I should be doing every day anyway. It's a nice system, though.

 

[wheatonFJR]

...I looked at the Doran and am thinking about it, but I think I'd rather pay myself $200 to do the safety check I should be doing every day anyway...

You should also never ever pay someone to do an oil change on the FJR for you.

It's stupid easy.

Even I can do it. Really.

 

[Goodman4]

You should also never ever pay someone to do an oil change on the FJR for you.

Walked right into that logic hole I created for myself, didn't I? Good point. I've got to get over that and start doing the oil changes myself, I agree. I guess I have had trouble getting past feeling better about having the mechanic look it over every oil change. I have filters already.

 

[wheatonFJR]

You should also never ever pay someone to do an oil change on the FJR for you.

Walked right into that logic hole I created for myself, didn't I? Good point. I've got to get over that and start doing the oil changes myself, I agree. I guess I have had trouble getting past feeling better about having the mechanic look it over every oil change. I have filters already.

Just go to the FJRTech.NET site for a walk through with pictures and everything.

Changing FD oil is just as easy...so is changing the lube on the splines....

Sounds like there should be a Kentucky Tech Day or something...that way, people can help walk you through that.

You provide enough hamburgers and chips, and they will come...you may even make some new friends as well.

 

[cumberlandjack]

I would go to a Kentucky Tech Day. Or, just come see me in Cumberland City,Tn. and I will show you how easy it is to change your oil. I am located just outside of Clarksville by the TVA steam plant. Who knows, could even go for a ride afterwards.....Hwy. 232?

Jack.

 

[GalaxyBlue]

You definitely got lucky. I check my tires by putting the bike on the centerstand and spinning them. my biggest fear is a blow out in a corner.

 

[mferriter]

You definitely got lucky. I check my tires by putting the bike on the centerstand and spinning them. my biggest fear is a blow out in a corner.

What do you look for while spinning them? You could see gross stuff like nails, screws, large cuts etc. You might miss the small stuff. Tire pressure is a better monitor.

I had one of those ones that screw onto the valve stem (shown below), but did not like that mechanism, since they hold the valve stem in the open position to monitor the pressure. You rely on the seal between the screw on pressure sensor and the valve stem to maintain tire pressure - not ideal.

It is a pain in the ass to check the pressure with one of those little digital handheld pressure gauges due to the position of the valve stems and the diameter of the brake discs (esp on the front). I might try some right angle valve stems at my next tire change.