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Average tire wear expectancy

ramble

ohbeemer
This may have been covered but my search didn't help . One up rider, how many miles should I expect on the RT.
 
Alas, this is a good question that doesn't have a good answer.

Many reliably get 10,000+ miles out of several different brands of tires. Others, myself included, are down to the wear bars in 4,000 miles.

Of course tire wear is influenced by tire pressure and riding style, but my personal thinking is that the biggest factor is the type of roads on which one rides. Smooth tarmac is pretty benign. The chip seal country roads I ride on are extremely abrasive and go through tires very quickly.

As the old saying goes, "Your mileage may vary".
 
stooie;1205558 As the old saying goes said:
Very true! A lot depends on riding style as well. If you are gentle with the throttle and brakes and keep your tyres inflated to the correct pressures and do not overload your motorcycle, you will achieve better mileage overall. Riding on rough road surfaces will also lessen the life of the tread. “How long is a piece of string” is a similar question. There are too many variables. I suggest experimenting with different brands of tyres and note how good the wear is and stick with those. Some people have good experiences with certain tyres and others hate them. How they feel to you is the important thing.


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Stooie.....I like that " your mileage could vary". anyone know where and what shape the wear marks are for Metzler?
Ever try to ride in the shade on an interstate
 
Completely depends on the rider's behavior and riding style.

The only comparison between tire brands and models that is worth considering is on the same bike with the same rider in similar conditions.
 
Stooie.....I like that " your mileage could vary". anyone know where and what shape the wear marks are for Metzler?
Ever try to ride in the shade on an interstate
It's been a while since I was on Metzelers but the tire wear indicators on my last pair were iconic little elephants molded into the edge of the tire.
 
I found something on the ST-Owners Forum. Seems that the letters TWI on the edge of the tread/sidewall show the indication. Here's a visual:

Screen Shot 2020-05-13 at 5.23.06 PM.png

Michelin seems to use small Michelin-man logos in the same location to indicate where to look for the wear-bars on their tires.
 
I just look for the letters "TWI" (Tire Wear Indicator). Elephants or Michelin men or scorpions or whatever are advertising but "TWI" is what you're looking for.
 
wbrownell9 - You're incorrect about the marking on a Michelin motorcycle tire. The little Michelin Man symbol in a circle on the sidewalls shows the location of the tire wear location in the tread.

Here's a photo of the sidewall of a Michelin Road 5:

IMG_2016.jpeg


From the Michelin Motorcycle Tire website:

"A Michelin Man symbol on the upper side of your tires means that they feature a tread wear indicator. Similar to little bumps, these can be found at the bottom of the main grooves.

When the rubber has worn down to this level, the tire has reached its legal wear limit of 2/32nds. Michelin strongly advises you to change your tires before reaching this point. Past this point, there is no guarantee that your tires will keep you safe or deliver grip and performance, particularly on wet surfaces."
 
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Tire wear

Below are statistics from four sets of tires and the distances I got riding a 1991 K75RT. Each set was the same brand and model of tire, as shown.

Michelin Pilot Activ
Kilometers 22,012.00
Miles 13,677.82

Kilometers 21,896.00
Miles 13,605.74

Kilometers 23,333.00
Miles 14,498.66

Kilometers 19,002.00
Miles 11,807.46
 
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