Tires...is it me?

[scoobie_paws]

Hey all just a wee query on longevity really. I see alot of peeps saying they get 10k plus on tires and wondered WTF am I doing wrong then. I put conti road attack 2 on the bike when I get her a couple months back and like them apart from wet where they have felt a bit slidy once or twice but nothing major...anywhoo with 2.5k miles done the rear is squared and cant see it lasting much beyond another 1k tbh. I use the bike to commute 40 miles a day some motorway the rest twisty and while i am no rossi i don't hang about either and finally have a bike with no chicken strips left
The road attacks are sposed to be sports tour type so was expecting more milage and will prob change to something else when I change em but I got a smaller capacity bike to save on stuff like this...I got more on my firestorm and that is a tire muncher! Am i too heavy  handed or just not good tire? 

[stevierst]

If it's any consolation, I only got 3000-3500 out of my fz1 rear, and always a s/t tyre.

My 600cc commuter gets about 5000-5500. Same as you, 1/2 motorway, 1/2 scratching.

I'd also love to know how these guys get 10-12k out of a rear :-\

[unfazed]

Same here, if I get 4000 miles from a rear tyre I  would be doing very well. I have got as little as 2000 miles  from Sportec M1 a few years ago but that included a bit of track day fun. The most I got from a rear tyre, was 6000 miles from a Pilot Road 3 on the 600, but over 1500miles of that was around Spain and France which helped even up the wear on the left side.
I could never understand how anyone gets over 10000 miles from a rear tyre.

[lew600fazer]

I had road attacks on my FZ6 out here in Spain, really loved them loads of grip, cannot comment re rain , a rare occasion out here.
I got just over 3k on the rear when I sold the bike on , there was likely another 1k left on it . It was not the centre of the tyre that was gone but the sides were well scuffed. The whole profile of the tyre had gone from relatively round to a distinct V shape.
When I was replacing the tyres on my FZ1 from PR3's I thought about getting Conti's again but decided on Pirelli Angel ST's, only reason was the costs.
I am about 700 mile in on the ST's, great grip, far better than my ability to out ride the tyre, but again the profile is showing change again heading for the V shape.
I do not think there is a lot of difference between tyres these days certainly not on mostly dry roads. I have been told that out here in Spain the road surfaces tend to be very abrasive, seems to be the case, but also when the roads are wet they become an ice rink, all to do with the dusty conditions perhaps

[andybesy]

I think the main difference is weather the rider replaces the tyre when the tread is worn or when its squared.

Beyond that I'm sure riding style and journey type makes a big difference.

Andy

[lew600fazer]

Very true you mile munch down the Motorways on a decent tour you likely as not will see a squared of rear tyre within 1800 miles. I did when I brought the FZ1 down to Spain from Scotland. The PR3's although showing signs of wear still had a decent profile on them. By the time I got down home the rear was nearly like a car tyre as in squared off.

[adeejaysdelight]

I put Metzeler Roadtec Z6 on the 600 less than a month ago. I have done over 3000 miles on them and the rear is still good. Good grip in the dry, and they inspired confidence in the wet (which worked out well as around 2000 miles (at 80-90mph) was in the wet  ). The wear is even, the profile is still round and I'm sure I will get another 3000 miles from the rear easily. This is the first time I have had a tire like this, but I would recommend them to anyone for the 600. I don't know how they would do on the bigger bikes though.

[Skippernick]

I run BT23's and get a good 8/9000 out of them and……
I don't go on motorways, theres your answer.

[Punkstig]

Suspension set up will have an affect on tyre wear.
As for conti's- in my experience they definitely er more towards grip than miles!

[unfazed]

I don't do motorways and by 4000 mile the sides of the PR3 and Metzelers Z8 are gone. 

[Lez72]

I too am running Conti RA2's on my boxeye. The rear is less than 2000 miles old and has already developed a slight flat spot down the centre. Its not at the stage where you can feel it affecting the handling but its definitely there. I would estimate that out of the last 2000 miles there has only been about 100 miles of dual carriageways and motorways where the bike would have been sat on the centre tread for long periods.

I have heard that it can largely depend on what tyre pressures you are running as to how fast a flat spot develops in the centre of a tyre 

[Fazerider]

I'd have expected there to be a good correlation between tyre wear and fuel consumption, but there just isn't… I get similar mpg to stevierst, yet twice the mileage out of the rear tyre.
Very puzzling: it's easy to see how you could destroy a tyre faster by riding more aggressively (or by carrying a heavier load), but the energy has to come from the engine…

[BBROWN1664]

I used to use BT021's on the FZS600. I was getting 4000 from a rear and 8000 from a front tyre.
Not done enough miles on a bike since to work out what they are getting.

[Robbie8666]

I used to use BT021's on the FZS600. I was getting 4000 from a rear and 8000 from a front tyre.
Not done enough miles on a bike since to work out what they are getting.

i just looked at my BT021's and the rear is squaring off, it had a new rear on when I bought it 3 years ago & guess i have done bout 6k on it 

[Phil]

I get 10,000+ out of tyres. BT021/BT23 recently. Similar with Dunlop Roadsmarts before the Fazer. I also get 52+ mpg.
I don't commute or do a lot of short rides, most of my mileage in the past has been touring/trips to BSB/WSB meetings, which involves motorways/dual carriageways/A & B roads. I don't thrash the bike or brake heavily. Tyre pressures are at manufacturers settings, suspension set fairly soft compared to other bikes I've ridden.

[flesh]

11k miles on my PR3's on the FZ1 and I commute 40 miles per day, motorways and city centre. Still look great and just starting to square off now.
I do ride like a fairy though 

I have always got about 8-12k out of tyres on all the bikes I have previously owned (XJR, CB1300, ZRX etc) so riding style could be a contributing factor.
I did manage 24k on a set of Michelins on a GPZ550 in the 90's though 

[midden]

i'm 3500 miles in to the front and rear.  Hardly scratched the surface yet[size=78%] [/size] [/size][size=78%] [/size]