stock tire life ??

just a question, my r1200st has metzlers as stock tires. what is a typical expected range for a set of tires or what folks here have experienced? I'm headed out on a trrip in less than 2 weeks whoch will be a 7200 or so mile ride. right now i have just over 7200 on the bike, and the tires look pretty good, but if i need to have them changed in en route, just want to give a call to a BMW shop on the way to make sure they have some tires and a time slot available.

Thx,

Chris

Chrisrides said:

just a question, my r1200st has metzlers as stock tires. what is a typical expected range for a set of tires or what folks here have experienced? I'm headed out on a trrip in less than 2 weeks whoch will be a 7200 or so mile ride. right now i have just over 7200 on the bike, and the tires look pretty good, but if i need to have them changed in en route, just want to give a call to a BMW shop on the way to make sure they have some tires and a time slot available.

Thx,

Chris

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Metzeler Z6 I suppose? Don't count on getting much more than 12-14k out of a front, and 8-10k out of a rear, if you're lucky. If they are Z6s, see: http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=10110&highlight=metzeler

jacco said:

Metzeler Z6 I suppose? Don't count on getting much more than 12-14k out of a front, and 8-10k out of a rear, if you're lucky. If they are Z6s, see: http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=10110&highlight=metzeler

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Yeah, I have original Z6's with 8500 miles and the rear is done. Front looks like it could go another few rounds.

Lou.

Chrisrides said:

...... I'm headed out on a trrip in less than 2 weeks whoch will be a 7200 or so mile ride. .....
Chris

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7200 miles!!! WOW! Where 'ya goin'?

I was going to ask the same thing! 7200 mile ride, WOW! Anyway, I still have the original Z4ÔÇÖs on my 03ÔÇÖRT. I just hit 7800 and they are getting pretty tired. IÔÇÖm thinking of new sneakers at about 8500. That will put me in a good spot for the yearly inspection and a few other odds and ends.

I would recommend that you just play it by ear. Watch the tire wear and when you start getting uncomfortable, plan a dealer stop. As you said, great idea to call ahead. I have had some great luck with the dealers here in the Northeast. It seems that if you call ahead 2-3 hours and tell them that you are traveling through the area, they will fit you in someplace.

A problem with the Z6 rear is you can't really read the tread life because there are no sipes in the center. Some people report that the first indication of a problem was the exposed cords, which have been jokingly referred to as tread wear indicators. You may be closer to the end than you know. If you check the price of mail order tires, you may find that buying a new tire right before you leave will be more economical than buying from a dealer three thousand miles from now including the extra life you get out of your old tire. To get the last 20% out of your rear tire you may pay 50-80% more.

I would change it or you take the chance of having to take whatever a dealer has in stock. Consider Metz 880s unless you're doing a lot of twisties then stick with Z6s.

More than a few Z6 owners (I am one) complain about the last legs coming on too fast and putting riders in perceived danger.

If you are headed out for a big trip the bike will probably be loaded up pretty well and the rear tire will wear faster due to the load. I'd replace them now. I know it is painful to take off tires with rubber left on them, I just did it to get ready for my P.O.A. tour in July.

John

I would second that suggestion. My Z6's looked pretty good(I thought) at 7300 miles and at 7600 miles before leaving on a longer ride I checked them and the rear tire had cord just starting to show through. Luckily, I had a set of new M1's on hand and could put them on myself that night or I would have had to put off leaving to find tires. The Z6's just have a way of sneaking up on you since there aren't any wear bars in the center of the tread and they tend to get really flat in the center and then just disappear. When the M1's are history I will probably go to Pilot Roads.

Dan Forker

MrFrank said:

A problem with the Z6 rear is you can't really read the tread life because there are no sipes in the center. Some people report that the first indication of a problem was the exposed cords, which have been jokingly referred to as tread wear indicators. You may be closer to the end than you know. If you check the price of mail order tires, you may find that buying a new tire right before you leave will be more economical than buying from a dealer three thousand miles from now including the extra life you get out of your old tire. To get the last 20% out of your rear tire you may pay 50-80% more.

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It's true there is no center groove on the Z6 rear, but there are tire wear indicators (marked "TWI" around the edges of the tread) with three wear indicators at the bottom of a groove (sipe): edge, middle, and center. You have to look for these and learn to monitor the center one or you do risk going into the cord when you think you have a lot of rubber left.

ops .. bridgestones

derr on me ... the tires on the bike are bridgestones ... i must have been thinking of my tires on my old K-GT ...

Where are we going? West, young man ... and then north, and then east!!

Gonna head out with my dad on this trip. he rides an '04 1150RT, is in his late 70's and still is riding, so in his words .. have to make it a good ride, not sure how many are left ...

We'll be starting out in the Albany, NY area on June 20th ... head towards Ann Arbor, MI to visit with my brother. From Ann Arbor we'll head west (prolly on 80) toward the Denver area where we'll turn south west towards Arches and Zion National Park. We'll then head north on 15 towards Salt Lake and continue North through Jackson, WY, the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. Next stop will be craters of the Moon and onward to Boise. This should get us to about June 30th and a planned serive/checkup at Big Twin BMW in Boise. Also, my wife's family is from Boise so we'll spend the next 4 days off the road (and away from holiday traffic) with my wife and her family (she will have flown out in advance).

From this point my wife will hop on the bag of the bike and we'll head North again to Glacier, and then to banff/lake Louise. This will be the furtherst point on this ride ... from then it's onward back to NY. We're looking at a couple of options here ... either rt 2 near the US/Canada border, or the tanscanada highway ... maybe twoards Thunder bay. Anyone have any expereince with the Thunder bay area? On the map it looks kinda cool. In any event, we'll head back toward Ann Arbor through the Northern Penn. and then back to NY.

If anyone has any suggestions for sites to see or great rides along this general path, very much appreciated.

Thunder Bay and east

I can't speak about the Trans-Canada highway west of Thunder Bay, but I can vouch for it east of there. Rt. 17 on the north side of Lake Superior is a very scenic road. I am envious of your travels. Stay safe. carlc

I have a 05, R1200 RT with 6500 miles and the Z6's tires looks like they are new. I run F-36 and R-40 psi the the bike handles great. I feel these tires are regal.

If you are going to do Arches and Zion, be sure you ride Route 12 from Torrey to Bryce Canyon. Some say it's the premier motorcycle road in Utah. It's awesome.

appreciate the feedback ...

Rt 12 it is in the Arches area and Rt 17 east of Thunder bay ...

The anticipation of the ride is getting pretty heavy

Bridgestones Vrs Metzler Vrs Michelin

Chrisrides said:

derr on me ... the tires on the bike are bridgestones ... i must have been thinking of my tires on my old K-GT ...

If you have 7200 on Bridgestones you are doing better than I did. I have a 2005 RT and did a long trip two up with luggage. My rear tire was badly worn after 4400 miles. Replaced with Z6s and got about 7,000 when the steel cords began to show. Now on Michelin Pilot Roads about 2,000 so far, we'll have to see how they wear. They do handle well and seem more neutral than the Metz Z6s.
Short answer put new skins on the bike and leave your worries behind.

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"
If anyone has any suggestions for sites to see or great rides along this general path, very much appreciated."

The best sight you will see at the end of the ride, is your old man's smile.......

already there

ph, my dad is already grinning ear to ear for this trip, although he's now said .. i only have so many seasons left and want to ride to alaska, so looks like that is in next year's plan!! see ... biking keeps ya young!!

tire life

the tech guy at the bmw shop told me i had about 1K or so miles left on my tires ... i have just over 7500 now, so 8500 sounds about right. given that would require a tire change right in the chicago area as i'm on this trip i scheduled the work to be done tomorrow ... rather get this out of the way than mess with doing it en route.

That sounds like a great trip! Enjoy Glacier NP! I was out there last year. The Going to the Sun Road / Logan Pass is something else! My only problem was that I had 4 wheels on that trip BE SAFE!