Ducati Monster Forum

What does the wear indicator on a tire look like?  Is it that small bridge of rubber that connects some of the tread on my tire, or is it something embedded in the rubber that will show up when I wear the tire down enough? 

Thanks!

It's that small bridge of rubber that connects some of the tread.  The tire is "done" once the tread is worn down to the same height as the bridge.

IF you look in the tread grooves there will be a little bridge down in that groove.  Once the tires worn to the point that is now meeting the road then it's time for new skins.

Though if you do a lot of highway riding aka straight the tire may wear out before you hit the wear bars since you'll have run out the center of the tire and the bars are off to the sides a bit,

This tire is at the wear bars and needs to be changed.  I think this one was two tires ago and I'm about at that point again.  I think I need a new rear tire at least once a year on average.  :P

(http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/WearBars.jpg)

+1

Scott's pic is good, but I just got back from WSBK and my front is cooked.  Might be able to make a good pic of it as well, along with the new tire waiting to go on.

That does seem to be the general conscensous for a lot of people, but my wife and I routinely run ours down to look like this old rear tire of hers.....or worse...

(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d32/Kramer_Krazy/rear_tire.jpg)

We usually run them until there are bald sections or cords are showing. The only time we may change them out before this is if they start to slide on us.

That's pretty much what I do too.

With the cost of tires and how many we go through, we need to get as many  miles out of them as we can. This is a picture of our spare tires from October....all of them are gone, now...

(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d32/Kramer_Krazy/tire_stack.jpg)

A few weeks ago when Cycle Gear had the sale on Diablos ($169 per pair) I *had* to buy four sets of them. If I could have swung some more money, I'd have bought a few more sets.

it is pretty scary though to take a utility knife and cross section the tire when they are that gone - you are trusting your hide to less than a millimeter of material...

I change them closer to Scott's pic.

mitt

mitt

Yeap, I wait till they are like Scott's, and then do a burn out till they look like desmo demons [thumbsup]

Of course, make sure you are close to home, and already have a new tire waiting for ya.

A utility knife won't do much all all to those steel cords, but yes......we run them like this all the time. You should see the tire I just took of the wife's R1 and the one I took off my ST2......and we run mis-matched tires, and I'll patch them and reuse them (I once patched a tire three times by the time I threw it away), and I've run used tires, and tires that are up to seven years old, and only change tires out in pairs when both are worn out, and any other "taboo" that you can think of concerning tires.

When we've run through 18 tires last year, 14 the year before, and we are already up to something like 8 tires this year, we get the most we possibly can out of them. Now, if we only rode 2000 miles a year and a set of tires lasted 10k miles, I'd probably think a lot differently, but I believe we have a pretty good understanding of how the bikes handle and what to look out for when the tires get below the wear bars. Look at it this way, during each month of the year, we are riding on at least one tire that is below the wear bars....that's EVERY month.

I have my own tire changer and the 748, ST2, R1, and the Paso have a spare set of rims. I'm still casually looking for a spare set of rims for the GSXR.....and maybe now for the Monster.

DesmoDemon, you guys ride a *lot*.
I understand you want to get your money's worth out of 'em.
You obviously watch them carefully, as you've gone *right* to the edge repeatedly, and apparently haven't had a problem.

For the *average* rider I see come into my shop, Scott's picture defines worn out.
Unless they're very vigilant, riding beyond that is flirting with disaster.
Rear tires wear very quickly past that point.

I was able to cut my tire in half relatively easy if you go with around the circumference and not across it.

mitt

here is a really good close up of the "wear bars"

(http://i.pbase.com/u32/wingman26/upload/20938497.treads.jpg)

Cool....I'm going to change out another couple of tires this week. I'll have to try that with one of them. It may make for a good wall hanging.

I used this as an indicator
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v327/vwboomer/0504081655.jpg)

Definitely got your money's worth out of that tire.  :o

Desmo Demon

I don't understand the logic of what you do? You have so many bikes and can't afford tyres.
You ride a R1 with tyres down to the banding. Are these tyres stable at high speeds 130mph+ are they safe. What happens if you hit standing water at speed? Where is the tread to clear the water? Metal on tarmac must give you really good grip? Most countries have a minimum tread depth law, so they are illegal. If you fall off and you need to claim, it gives the insurance company an "out" they don't need to pay. Punctures are more likely.

In short a false economy

Maybe you just ride around town, in which case get a communter bike and save loads of money on tyres.

Why run sports tyres with such high millage, buy something more road orientated, like pilot road II.

If you are using so many tyres, then I suggest you try get a volume discount or better yet if you have a company you can use try to contact the distributer direct rather than through retail channels. You are probably buying more performance tyres than the average small bike shop in a year.

I can honestly say been there and done that, trying to high millage on a sports bike while earning a living from it. The tyres basically came straight out of my pay check. A few years later I had a rear tyre blowout, destroyed six cars and was very lucky to escape with my life.

The fact that the tyres were obviously in good condition at the time saved me from Jail.

It is a topic close to my heart!

It only needs to happen once to change your whole outlook!

 [roll]  ...good thing I'm bored at work.....

Yeah, most people don't understand, even moreso those who don't live in mountainous areas and don't go through 10+ tires a year, but, it is quite a common occurance in these parts. As for not being able to afford tires, at 18 tires last year and average prices being $150 for a rear and $120 for a front, how many people (other than racers) do you think *want* to afford $2500+ a year in tires...over $3000 with mounting and balancing? I only have $2700 in my last ST2 purchase, so it's not a matter of how many bikes we have, because, for the cost of a new base-model 1098, we opted to buy five bikes instead of one (and if you notice, the newest one is six years old).

We've never had a problem with the bikes up to 160 mph, as we opt not to ride stupid when the cords are showing, and even with cords showing in the center, we have no problems going nice and hot in the curves, as the outer edges still have good tread....

If we are past the wear bars, we slow down and take it easy. If the bikes seem to slide a little, we slow down even more, but.....usually if there is a chance of rain, we ride a bike with tires that have more tread......

You'd be amazed as to the amount of traction you have when riding on cords in a straight line. With the Pirelli tires I tend to run, there is also rubber between the cords. The last, really beaten rear tire on my 748 hit cords earlier than I had expected and had to ride an additional 100 miles home. When I got close to the house, I was nailing the cr@p out of the throttle to try to get it to spin, and it never would. Not even in the slightest. When I got home, some of the cords were starting to fray.

I really don't think I care much about what may or may not be legal. If this were the case, I'd never ride. I'm sure I broke the speed limit at least 5 times on my way into work this morning and rolled through a stop sign. BTW, I don't worry about insurance claims adjusters. For what most of my bikes are worth, I only carry liability because they are worth more in parts than as a complete bike. If I wreck one, either I will repair it or part it out.

I commute on my Harley. It's tires last me around 22,000-25,000 miles. All the sportbikes live 90% of thier lives on mountain twisty roads.

High mileage?!!!  [laugh] That Dunlop D220 of my wife's that I first showed only had something like 2200 miles by the time it hit the wear bars. That IS a sport-touring tire, and if you noticed, there are no chicken strips on it. I can burn to the wear bars on a Dunlop Qualifier in 1600-1800 miles. Pirelli Diablos in 2200 miles and the Pirelli Stradas in less than 3000 miles. We usually ride 300-400 mile days and have put in 1600 miles in a Fri-Sun. We probably average an easy 600 miles per weekend when we have a babysitter. This past Memorial Day weekend, my wife logged over 1300 miles and I squeezed in about 1100 miles.

Which is why I stock up when Cycle Gear runs their special of $150-$180 for a set of tires. This last sale, I bought four sets. I would have bought more if I had more spare change laying around.

Very sorry to hear that and I'm glad you weren't injured worse than you were.

BTW, I was sitting at the Suzuki Bridge at Road Atlanta when Mladin's rear tire blew at 180 mph on the back straight. I realize that even new, hand picked, x-rayed, and expensive race tires can blow. If I let everything that *may* possibly happen while on my bikes worry me, I'll leave them at home.....I appreciate your concerns, but I'm more concerned with the people driving left of center or trying to run me off the road when I pass them........my wife is disabled from a head-on with a car that was on the wrong side of the road in a blind curve.....we also have a side fairing on the wall that shows guardrail wounds from being forced off the road by a truck. I think potentially blowing a tire in its last 200 miles of its life is the least of my worries.

Me Too ;D

Cant really argue with any of that, different opinions I guess

About the insurance, whatever happens to ourselves we accept as riders, I was more concerned with cover for third parties. i.e. hitting a kid or someone on a bicycle or something like that. More likely in urban areas I guess.

Lucky you having such roads so close, I have 50 miles of urban in every direction!