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Rear tire wearing in center.

10K views 46 replies 26 participants last post by  Bgriff008 
#1 ·
Hello everyone,

This is my first sports bike and I've never seen this happen before so I am a bit concerned. My 2012 has about 5,000 miles on it and while the thread still looks good, the rear tire is wearing in the center somewhat unevenly. Can someone explain to me why and what may have caused it? Is it time to change the tire?

Thanks.
 

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#4 ·
this is pretty normal, especially if you ar eusing your bike to commute or get a lot of highway time. sportbike tires are soft and designed for grip, not necessarily longevity. there are a nol of dual compound tires out there (hard in the middle, soft on the edges) like the pilot power 3s, or you can get something more like the pilot Roads, which is a harder compound.

Its personal preference, really. The longer lasting tires will have less grip, but that wont matter in the slightest to you if you arent ripping twisties at 90mph, and itll save on the wallet :)
 
#9 ·
As stated, this is normal if you do a lot of slab riding. If you're mostly a commuter, get a harder-compound tire next time. Otherwise, you can get multi-compound tires that are harder in the middle and softer on the sides. Metzler M5's and M7's are great examples, and wear really well.
 
#10 ·
Thank you everyone for the answers. I'm glad to know that this is normal. I only commute so I can definitely look into a different type of tires. It rains a lot here...are the Metzler's great in the wet? My current tires are scary in the rain so I'd love to try something else.
 
#12 ·
What you have there is a classic case of "squaring-off." Some might erroneously say your tire is "flat-spotted," but that only happens if you lock a brake and skid your tire for a distance.

My advice would be to do lots of track days to even out the wear. Once they are completely shot, go with a sport-touring tire like the Metzlers mentioned above, or really any brand that gets good reviews. There's no lack of opinions about tires. Mine is to get a set of Bridgestone T30's
 
#14 ·
There's no lack of opinions about tires.
Ha ha. You got that right, Jack. :)

kensington, if you're interested in Metzeler, then I recommend you go to their website to assist with selection. They rate each of their tires based on "grip", "handling", "mileage", "wet performance", and "comfort", so you can figure out which tire best suits your needs. most major tire brands have similar websites.

I liked the Pirelli Rosso Corsa that came with my bike, but yeah, there are much better choices for commuting.
 
#17 ·
So I go outside today and my tire has completely aired down after not riding for four days due to the rain. I checked it and there is a small leak. Guess that tire buying decision was made quicker than I expected.

I am currently running the stock Pirelli Rosso Corsa came on my R streety. Can someone recommend an upgrade? Price is not an issue. I only commute and would like something that is good in the rain. I looked at the Metzeler website and I am still confused by the choices.

Also, should I replace both tires or just one for now? Both tires are the ones that came with the bike.

Thank you.
 
#19 ·
I was in the same situation as you. Had a slow leak on my aging original Pirelli Rosso Corsa with 6000 miles on it. I only commute and don't get out on the fun roads as much as I'd like.

I got a Michelin Pilot Road 4 installed and I love it. It has a harder compound on the center for commuting while transitioning to a softer compound for leaning into corners.

Look into it and read some reviews. Everyone (including me) seems to think it's a great sport touring tire perfect for a commuter.
 
#21 ·
I'm a loyal fan of Revzilla, and buy all of my tires from them; as well as just about everything else. They price match, have free shipping, and have some of the most knowledgable staff members I've ever encountered. Their gear guides are fair and balanced, and tend to be pretty spot on.
 
#20 ·
I agree with folkwagen. I just replaced my Michelin Road 3s, after about 13,000 miles (the front still could have gone a several thousand more). The OE Pirellis lasted 5K. So now I'm riding on Road 4s. Love them. I don't commute, but do ride lots of freeway miles to get to the canyons. I ain't speed racer and don't track, but flying thru the twisties is a blast, and the Michelins feel great to me.
 
#26 ·
Can't go wrong with the PR4. You'll be happy and set for thousands of miles. You'll probably notice the bike wants to fall into turns (in a good way) a lot easier. This is also safer since the bike is more predictable and doesn't just fall as you go over the "corner" of the tire. When I put a fresh set of rubber I had corded my rear and it was visibly square. I found myself turning in so quickly as a square tire takes more effort to lean over.
 
#27 ·
I tried to order my PR4's from Revzilla but they estimated an arrival date of next week so I bought them on Amazon. My current tires have a date of 02|11. What date should I look for on these tires? 2015 or is 2014 acceptable?

Also, to the person who mentioned that Revzilla price matches, read their policy page and you'll see that if you price match, you forfeit your TeamZilla cash which is currently $5 per 100 spent. On $300, that's $15 so unless you find tires that are cheaper than that, it may not be worth it. I love Revzilla as well!
 
#28 ·
From my understanding you should try to stick to:

Sport Tires: 2 Years
Sport Touring Tires: 3 Years
Touring Tires: 4 Years

That's what Total Control (Book/ Course) tells you. Could you get a bit more, possibly, its up to you. I would always try to get the newest tire, definitely not anything from 2014 at this point.

After 4,000 Km my OEM Pirelli's are just starting to flatten in the middle a bit. Sadly we don't have any Canyons where I am and most of the roads are pretty straight, so its a challenge to keep them from rounding!
 
#32 ·
Just got my Pilot's installed and they look great. The bike felt very different though, like I could feel every turn. Not sure how to describe it. I'll have to see if it's just because my tires are new or that's how the Pilots are gonna feel.

Btw, my wheels didn't have wheel weights before but now they do. They are black and on the edge of the wheels...I kinda liked how the wheels looked without them. Is it typical to have weights added and why wouldn't they have had any before?
 
#39 ·
I've put about a 100 miles on the tires now and they are very confidence inspiring. I had read somewhere that these tires don't really need to be scrubbed in and I can say that after about 15 miles, they already felt really stable but I am still taking it easy until the weekend. It may all be in my head, but braking on these tires seems more responsive too as my old set would skid fairly easily. I'm not sure yet, but I'll keep testing em out.
 
#35 ·
I'll be following this thread. I have a PR3 on the front and a PR4 on the back of my Kawasaki. I did some searching, and the Sprint and Speed Triple guys seem to love the PR4, nobody seems to have put many miles on a PR4 on a Street Triple yet. My Triple has the original tires date-coded 2007, so even though they only have 3200 miles, I'm thinking about replacements.
 
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