Time for a new front tire?

[kerrfunk]

A quick look at my front tire and it looks like it's going bald.
It seemed to me that I had just gotten new tires not long ago,
but I looked and the last new front tire I got was in June 2017, and it was about 9,000 miles ago.

So my Dunlop D404 100/90-19 has 36 months and 9,000 miles.

Does that sound right?

My rear tire, by the way, has 16 months and 3,000 miles on it, and it looks pretty good still. (Michelin Commander II 130/90-16)

 

[alke46]

Seems like your front should return a lot more than just 9,000 miles. I would be looking more at 15--18 thousand for the front. Usually I do two rear tires to one front one.

 

[alke46]

I just checked on my Triumph and with 9200 miles on it, the rear is getting real close to replacement and the front is showing 2/32". So I won't get the usual mileage on the front but for sure I have to change the rear prior to hitting 10K.

 

[kerrfunk]

Seems like your front should return a lot more than just 9,000 miles. I would be looking more at 15--18 thousand for the front. Usually I do two rear tires to one front one.

I was pretty disappointed with the Dunlop 404 I had on the rear before -- 21 months and 6,350 miles and I could see thru the rubber to the metal!

 

[Redman]

A quick look at my front tire and it looks like it's going bald.
. . . . .

I said that once, then said, ah, good for rest of season.
THen was riding on wet pavement and had to hit the brakes - - I went sideways real quick (I'll leave out the details of what all else happend and what all else all most happend, but could have been real bad real easy).
THen later I looked at the tire again, and said "You big dummy." and got new tires.

 

[RichDesmond]

A quick look at my front tire and it looks like it's going bald.
It seemed to me that I had just gotten new tires not long ago,
but I looked and the last new front tire I got was in June 2017, and it was about 9,000 miles ago.

So my Dunlop D404 100/90-19 has 36 months and 9,000 miles.

Does that sound right?

My rear tire, by the way, has 16 months and 3,000 miles on it, and it looks pretty good still. (Michelin Commander II 130/90-16)

That’s about what I usually get, 6-7k rear, 9-10k front.

 

[Steve]

For a Dunlop 404, that's not too bad. :-k

In my opinion, the Dunlop 404 is just BARELY better than a Kenda Challenger.

There are MANY better tires out there, you can at least upgrade to a Shinko.

If you want to stick with Dunlop, get an E4, but make sure you are sitting down when you see the price.
It's worth it. Good traction and GREAT mileage. :encouragement:

.

 

[zuluwiz]

In my experience, if you're asking yourself if it's time for a new tire, it probably is.

 

[Brendan W]

How much of a difference is there between the left and right sides?
I have this notion that a front has to last long enough to see this emerging.
I have a Conti TKV11 that is at 12000 and still has some life left.

 

[Guest]

How much of a difference is there between the left and right sides?
I have this notion that a front has to last long enough to see this emerging.
I have a Conti TKV11 that is at 12000 and still has some life left.

But does it have some life right?

 

[fbody_mike]

I can never get the mileage that you guys get out of your tires. I am starting to think I just ride like a nut.
I got about 8k out of my Sport Demon Front, and I get about 2k out of each rear. This is on a 85 GS 550e with 100/90-16 and 110/90-18 tires. Which is my worst wearing of tires for my bikes. I just ordered, as in this morning, a set of Battlax 45 for this bike just to see how they do compared to the sport demons.
The life on the radials, like on the GSF1200s is much better than the bias plys, but maybe that is because the contact patch is probably twice the size. But every few months I seem to be mounting a new tire on something. Come to think of it I better order some more wheels weights.

All that wasted rubber is worth it.

 

[Brendan W]

But does it have some life right?

Nice one
We drive on the right side of the road here which is the left so there is not much left on the right side of the tyre.

 

[Grimly]

Nice one
We drive on the right side of the road here which is the left so there is not much left on the right side of the tyre.

My mileage is almost entirely on back roads with equal lefty-righty bend swinging and my front tyres wear evenly.
Beforehand, when I was living in the S of England, the fronts always wore the right side twice as fast as the left, simply because of the preponderance of roundabouts.

 

[Brendan W]

My mileage is almost entirely on back roads with equal lefty-righty bend swinging and my front tyres wear evenly.
Beforehand, when I was living in the S of England, the fronts always wore the right side twice as fast as the left, simply because of the preponderance of roundabouts.

You must be driving down the middle then
I don't think it's the amount of left or right but I tend to be a bit faster on right handers of all descriptions.

 

[Cipher]

are you properly balancing your tires?
driving on chipseal?

 

[Brendan W]

are you properly balancing your tires?
driving on chipseal?

Most of the primary routes are asphalted. The secondary system can be a mixture of asphalt and tar 'n stones which I imagine is chipseal.
Up to recently there were stretches of concrete from way back.

 

[Grimly]

Two words; camber shims.

 

[Gorminrider]

I can never get the mileage that you guys get out of your tires. I am starting to think I just ride like a nut.
I got about 8k out of my Sport Demon Front, and I get about 2k out of each rear. This is on a 85 GS 550e with 100/90-16 and 110/90-18 tires. Which is my worst wearing of tires for my bikes. I just ordered, as in this morning, a set of Battlax 45 for this bike just to see how they do compared to the sport demons.
The life on the radials, like on the GSF1200s is much better than the bias plys, but maybe that is because the contact patch is probably twice the size. But every few months I seem to be mounting a new tire on something. Come to think of it I better order some more wheels weights.

All that wasted rubber is worth it.

despite Sport demons being pretty soft/sticky tires I hear...and maybe that California asphalt is blazing hot too but even then 2000 miles on a rear has got to be pretty crazy riding! They must be smokking! or there's something wrong...

...I don't pay much attention to how many miles/km other people get from tires.On the very same tire that fits several bikes, there are too many variables as to weight of bike, inflation pressures, style of riding .... The only variables of choice I see are cruising (harder) versus sport-expensive-sticky (=softer)... apart from that choice, (that I don't exert!- I just get "cruising/day-to-day trundling) I follow just the manual closely for the bike as to air pressures and I don't see anything to complain about.

...just musing but "Mileage" is kind of contra-indicated if you want super hard-core performance- it's a pursuit you need pony up the $ for.

 

[bwringer]

For a Dunlop 404, that's not too bad. :-k

In my opinion, the Dunlop 404 is just BARELY better than a Kenda Challenger.

There are MANY better tires out there, you can at least upgrade to a Shinko.

If you want to stick with Dunlop, get an E4, but make sure you are sitting down when you see the price.
It's worth it. Good traction and GREAT mileage. :encouragement:

.

Agreed. The 404 wears quickly and turns evil as it wears. Absolute crap tire.

In my experience, if you're asking yourself if it's time for a new tire, it probably is.

I'd say the percentage is more like 99.9% than "probably". ANY smidgen of reasonable tire doubt means it's time for replacement.

Get up close to the tire and/or compare it to a new one, and you'll probably be horrified.

I've also found in almost every case that it's very worthwhile to replace tires as a set, even if the front "looks OK". Front motorcycle tires simply don't wear in the same way as rear tires, and you can't wait for them to go obviously bald like rears.