• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

Tires replacement

P777

P777

Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2021
Location
Los Gatos, CA
Moto(s)
Kawasaki Vulcan S
Name
Alexey
A question for highway commuters,
How often do you replace tires, and at what mileage? Do you replace both tires at once or one at a time?
I've read recommendations in online publications and would like to learn your opinions from experience.
 
Very simple. Replace when worn out.

Only replace both if both are worn out or I am planning a trip longer than both tires are likely to make.

Flip
 
If you’re rolling in $$$ sure replace both but for blue collar folks that’s completely unnecessary.
 
Also depends on the bike and how it’s used. I always replaced both at the same time. Honda ST1100 used primarily for commuting.
 
On most of my bikes I have generally used two rear tires for each one front tire. I think one time with a Ducati Monster I put a sport touring tire on the rear (longer wearing) and a sport tire on the front so that they would wear more evenly.

For off road, replace when the knobs are worn down enough that they don't do much anymore. The tire that I recently replaced on my KTM would have been good for another thousand or two street miles, but was done for off road use.

For street riding, replace when you're down to the wear bars. The tire in the photo below went too long before being replaced. One side looked okay, but the other was through the cords. I only noticed this when I was ten miles from home. I rode back very carefully. I cut it open to see how thick it really was.
 

Attachments

  • WornTire.jpg
    WornTire.jpg
    81.2 KB · Views: 8
Replacing front & rear tires is the single least expensive way to make it feel like you have a new(ish) bike again. When both tires are new ( and matching ), the machine will want to corner much easier with less effort to turn in. As tires get miles ( esp freeway miles ), they tend to flat spot / square off. New tires will always have a much rounder profile that make the bike feel sooooo much better.

In the real world, we see lots of riders replacing just one tire as needed. If your primary need is to slab serious freeway miles, the need for both tires to be the perfectly round profile might not be as important,
 
I agree with all the above. I'd add, don't be silly and try milking out the last 50 miles from any tire. You KNOW there's almost no rubber any longer- so far protection from a puncture flat (and you know there is no spare). Its like gas- you want to ride, you need it.
 
I definitely don't use mileage as my guide. Generally I replace the rear once I hit the wear bars (usually in the center first, *sigh*) and I replace the front either when I hit the wear bars, or once it's been through two years as it's usually way out of shape at that point and makes turn in feel weird. I prefer to replace as a matched set, but if I'm doing road trips the rear tends to get killed much faster than the front and I don't like wasting a good tire.

In cases where a manufacturer has the same profile for their sport and sport touring tires I'll run a sport tire on the front and a sport touring tire on the rear which gives a better chance of both tires being worn out at roughly the same time.
 
As others allude to, tire wear is dependent on the tire, the bike, your riding behavior and the type of miles being ridden. Specific to your question, I run Anakee 3s and find the front and rear wear approximately evenly. For the set, I get anywhere from 14K-18K miles. They are replaced when they hit the wear bars. The majority of my miles are freeway commute miles.
 
cal scott said:
As others allude to, tire wear is dependent on the tire, the bike, your riding behavior and the type of miles being ridden. Specific to your question, I run Anakee 3s and find the front and rear wear approximately evenly. For the set, I get anywhere from 14K-18K miles. They are replaced when they hit the wear bars. The majority of my miles are freeway commute miles.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. I posted my question with the idea to collect info from others on mileage made on a set of tires. That part about replacing tires when they hit the wear bars is well understood, plus rainy days to consider when tires get worn out. I use Dunlop, making over 10K miles a year, mostly highway. On the previous set I made 15K, coming close to the limit. This time I replace them at 6K, but it is mostly for a personal mistake of not checking tires pressure for long.
From what I hear 14K-18K miles on a set of tires is a lot. I will consider MICHELIN next time.
Opinions on replacing only one tire or both seem to split. Same I see in online publications. This site https://roadandgarage.com/motorcycle-tire-replacement.../ says you do not have to replace both at once. However, another source, https://motorcyclehorizon.com/should-you-replace.../ , recommends replacing both tires in "Pros and Cons of Replacing Motorcycle Tires in Pairs" section. I guess it is a personal choice, depending on the budget available vs cost of potential medical bills if either tire passed its due date.
 
For hiway riding you don't need the big-name brand tires ultimate tire. Cheaper tires are good these days, Shinko and such. Wear rates will match other brands of the same category. And yes go by the wear bars. If the shop has a tire that was run down to the cords you could see/feel just how thin what's left is. Scary.
 
There's so many variables on tire replacement!
 
Just did both on my bike. Headed to pick it up in a few minutes.
The front probably had 500 miles on it left (the rear less than 100), but I will usually do both because my rides are sporty not commuting.

I hate when I fluff reading the tire and the road conditions that affect their wear.
Since they are my lifeline to the road I typically do both.
 
N4teTheGreat said:
In cases where a manufacturer has the same profile for their sport and sport touring tires I'll run a sport tire on the front and a sport touring tire on the rear which gives a better chance of both tires being worn out at roughly the same time.
Click to expand...
Smart move. I've done that also. Plus a nice slightly sticky front feels so fun :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top