Tire Wear

I remember that article. I think that the testers were surprised that a heavily loaded Gold Wing had less tire wear than a couple of lighter bikes. When they checked with a tire engineer, they were told that the aerodynamic drag on a bike is sufficient that the tires slip slightly at highway speeds.

I have been riding Harley baggers for the last 15 years and always got 17,000 miles or more on a rear tire, a few were closse to 20,000 miles. I rode with a guy that had similar results on a similar Harley. Heavy bike, lower HP engine probably adds to the tire life.

I wonder if tire companies build a harder rubber compound tire for Harley baggers thinking that most riders will never push them to their limits, where a sport-touring rider might run a bit harder and there fore get a softer rubber compound for more grip.

PR4 over the PR5s

Plus one for the PR 4s. I ran a couple sets of the PR 4s and like them, great mileage,
18,000 to 21,000 miles, but never pushed them hard. Ran a set of PR 5s and got about 5,000 less miles then the PR 4s. Both of the tires felt good in all weather, the 5s just wore out faster. These were on a 2004 1150rt, now I have a 2019 gs and just made it to 10,000 miles, with the front tire gone (all road with a little gravel/dirt).

jimmymiller said:

Plus one for the PR 4s. I ran a couple sets of the PR 4s and like them, great mileage,
18,000 to 21,000 miles, but never pushed them hard. Ran a set of PR 5s and got about 5,000 less miles then the PR 4s. Both of the tires felt good in all weather, the 5s just wore out faster. These were on a 2004 1150rt, now I have a 2019 gs and just made it to 10,000 miles, with the front tire gone (all road with a little gravel/dirt).

Click to expand...

Especially, front PR5's. Great handling in a turn, but never had a tire wear that fast...

Tire wear seems to obsess many motorcyclists, but it's the wrong thing to worry about.

First and foremost you want handling. And safety.

A few years ago Dunlop produced a tire called 491 and lots of guys with Airheads that cared most about tread life fitted them. Turned out you needed to avoid wet pavement as your chances of being down were pretty high. One guy went down driving straight on a freeway. Then there was the K1200LT (light truck) and some guys that fitted "mileage" tires couldn't make it out of their neighborhood in cold weather without going down.

You know, of course, that for cars there are summer tires and winter tires and of course "all season" tires that many refer to as "no season" tires. The winter tires are different rubber chemistry and highly suggested for use when temperatures are 45 degrees F or less ... snow or dry. Winter tires are exempted from listing wear life specifications.

Perhaps somewhere there are winter spec tires for motorcycles--not in the USA afaik--but having a spare set of wheels is a pretty big deal for motorcycles.

So, tread mileage ought to be down on your list of priorities. Be careful if it's not ... especially when it's wet or cold or both.

Cost of doing business ... or in the case of motorcycles having fun safely. Motorcycling is an expensive hobby ... no shame in that and no reason for guilt.

rangerreece said:

A big thumbs down on the Road 5 from me on my 2016 RT. changed them out way early because the tread pattern created a sympathetic hum in the pegs and bars that was so pronounced I could hear it. At 45mph my hands would go numb on long rides.

Currently just went over 10,000 miles on my Donlops Road Smart 3’s.

Next set will be Pirellie Angel’s, not because the Donlops aren’t totally awesome; I just want to check them out based on an objective review I read two years ago, from my friend Doc Stickle.

Click to expand...

Yeah... I quoted myself. Several months into Pirelli Angel GT’s 2 on the rear 1 on the front. Even better than the Donlops. Awesome grip, quite, smooth.