I have the OEM Metzler tires on my M750. The center of the tire looks like its squaring off a bit. The tread grooves indicate that there is plenty of meat left. Is this "squaring" something I should be concerned about?
When you say OEM do you mean the original tires the bike left the factory with?
Quote from: ducpainter on April 06, 2011, 07:38:15 PM
When you say OEM do you mean the original tires the bike left the factory with?
Yes, the originals. The previous owner said that he never changed them. The bike has only 5600miles on it so I would assume these would be the originals as well.
Since your bike can be no newer than an '02 those tires are at least 9 years old.
I'd worry more about them ozone cracking and just being hard from age more than the squaring.
The general consensus on tires is 3 years...I think 5 would be max.
You should really replace them.
Yeah, its on 01. I see your point. I have a set of Michelin Pilot ROAD 2CT on order right now. I was just wondering if the squaring is also an indication of excessive tire wear.
Quote from: speedknot on April 06, 2011, 08:01:59 PM
Yeah, its on 01. I see your point. I have a set of Michelin Pilot ROAD 2CT on order right now. I was just wondering if the squaring is also an indication of excessive tire wear.
Squaring can be from a couple of things.
If you ride the slab the rear will naturally wear in the center more than the sides. Low pressure will accelerate that.
Low pressure can be a cause of premature wear. It also usually enhances grip.
If your rear tire was out of alignment it could wear faster too, but you'd probably notice a handling problem.
I get about 3500 miles from a rear tire and I never ride the slab, so I think you did OK. FWIW I run the pressure recommended in the owners manual...32/34
Quote from: speedknot on April 06, 2011, 08:01:59 PM
Yeah, its on 01. I see your point. I have a set of Michelin Pilot ROAD 2CT on order right now. I was just wondering if the squaring is also an indication of excessive tire wear.
First of all, holy crap! Those Metzelers sucked, as did their replacement, the M3's. Talk about cold & wet terror. I have the Road2CT's on my 1098, and will probably never even try different ones, I like them so much. Sticky as all get-out and great wear. And my original M1's squared off really badly around '02, and then went to the cords. Sides were great though.
http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=37327.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=37327.0)
This thread may help you decide whether you want to go a few more miles before it is time for a change, but as DP says, an old one will wear pretty quick.
Quote from: ducpainter on April 06, 2011, 08:19:17 PM
I get about 3500 miles from a rear tire and I never ride the slab, so I think you did OK. FWIW I run the pressure recommended in the owners manual...32/34
Hey DP, are you referring to the center of the tire as the slab?
Slab = interstate or other basically straight highway.
Old tires, even if not worn won't have very good grip and can be very unpredictable. Personally I would change them before riding the bike.
Unless you're fortunate enough to only have nice curvy roads right out your door and nearly never have to ride a straight line - then yes seeing a flattened/squared off area in the center of moto tires is totally normal. It's part of life and manufacturers account for it when developing tires - but one cna only do so much.
Normal way they handle it are a bit more thickness at the center and in some cases a harder compound to make the tire last longer, with softer compounds on the sides to still give good grip when the bike is leaned.
But if you're like me and need to ride 20+ miles of highways to get to much decent riding, a squared off tire is inevitable.
IF it's gotten really square, it can make the bike a bit harder to tip in - but you'll only ever notice that it has, when you first got from your old squares to a new set.
Quote from: bikepilot on April 07, 2011, 05:55:39 AM
Old tires, even if not worn won't have very good grip and can be very unpredictable.
Not necessarily. A lot of it depends on how the tires (bike) were stored such as temperature extremes, sunlight exposure, lack of humidity, etc.
A buddy of mine gave me an ex-race front tire with one session on it a couple of years ago that was stored in a closet in a climate controlled room of the house. I put the tire on my wife's bike for her (she asked to run it) last year and ran it until it was bald on the left and right of center. The tire was a Michelin Pilot Race that was manufactured in Sept of 1999 with the older tread pattern. Not once did the tire slide or was it unpredictable for her.