Is this "normal" tire wear...

[Jarvis]

Alright...... I have 4300ish miles on the bike. But noticed yesterday that leaning into turn the back tire felt like it caused the bike to slide. which kinda scared me. so when I got home an looked at it, it seems that me tire is almost worn out....
When I bought the bike the dealer said the tire should last 8 to 10k
I dont peel out or ride the bike hard
my weight is 200ish so I dont think this is an issue

So I have to replace the rear soon, any sugg. for long lasting tires..........

 

[mpgandfun]

My stock tires lasted 8800 miles (rear) and 13,000 miles (front). You mentioned the bike felt like it
slid when leaning into a turn. Leaning the bike in a turn puts you on the least used parts of the tread.
Should be plenty of tread left on the "sides". Is it possible something else lead to the sliding feeling (sand on the road, oil on tire etc.)?
Pics might help in getting better opinions from others on here.

I replaced the stock Metzlers with Michelin PR3's. I only have about 4500 miles on my rear PR3, but I can already tell they
will outlast the stock tire. These tires do a good job of moving rain water away from the contact point of the wheel. Been in
a couple downpours and felt no hydroplaning. The tread isn't too chunky for someone who spends most of their miles on the
pavement. This makes for good handling in the corners & twisties.

 

[Timtone]

Alright...... I have 4300ish miles on the bike. But noticed yesterday that leaning into turn the back tire felt like it caused the bike to slide. which kinda scared me. so when I got home an looked at it, it seems that me tire is almost worn out....
When I bought the bike the dealer said the tire should last 8 to 10k
I dont peel out or ride the bike hard
my weight is 200ish so I dont think this is an issue

So I have to replace the rear soon, any sugg. for long lasting tires..........

What mpgandfun said....sand / oil / a little deisel is likely the culprit. Another possibility is these little tar repairs the road guys do on cracks in the road. Every region does their repairs different I am sure. But in the last few years around here they use this gooey rubberry/tar mix on cracks. They build it up above the road surface...like a scar....and they are right squidgy. Specially on a warm day. Hard cornering over these rascals gets your attention in a hurry. The front or rear can shift and inch or two easily. Kind of like hitting a small patch of sand.
Also, I like to make sure my tires are good and warm before I enjoy my usual spirited cornering.
I have found the Metzler rear to wear quickly. It was starting to square off a couple of weeks after getting the bike. I like the tires well enough, but my next set will be the PR3's. I have not used them on my own bike, but from what I have read and friends have told me they are a good bet for better wear, great dry handling, and outstanding rain handling.

 

[Old Can Ride]

My stock Bridgestone Touring lasted 12,000. Put on another set of the same at 12,000. I've put a few more thousand miles on the new tires, and I still like them.

 

[StratTuner]

My stock tires lasted 8800 miles (rear) and 13,000 miles (front). You mentioned the bike felt like it
slid when leaning into a turn. Leaning the bike in a turn puts you on the least used parts of the tread.
Should be plenty of tread left on the "sides". Is it possible something else lead to the sliding feeling (sand on the road, oil on tire etc.)?
Pics might help in getting better opinions from others on here.

I replaced the stock Metzlers with Michelin PR3's.

I'm in the same situation with the Metzlers at 7K. I did the 8K service, and the dealer told me flat out it's time to replace the Metzlers! This was not welcome news right after handing him $350 for the repairs!!

Two Questions:
1) is there a definitive way to tell if the Metzlers are so worn they need replacement?
2) Should I order the tires on the Internet then take them into the dealer to have him mount/balance them? (Do dealer's do that?)

When you guys buy new tires, how do you do it?

 

[happy]

You can measure the depth of the rubber left.
I am unsure what is the legal limit, but certainly you should see have say 2mm depth in the threads.
Tire Tech Information - Measuring Tire Tread Depth with a Coin
I also use the coin trick.

And no, they are not slicks and they don't become slicks overnight because you imagined yourself to be Rossi or Hayden.

 

[Chestnut]

Tread minimums are on the swing arm, 2mm front and I believe 6mm rear.
As to the original question, all of the above could be true. Also if your tires see squared off, when you hit that corner it forms you definitely feel it.

 

[StratTuner]

Tread minimums are on the swing arm, 2mm front and I believe 6mm rear.
As to the original question, all of the above could be true. Also if your tires see squared off, when you hit that corner it forms you definitely feel it.

I'll check the swing arm and then get my ruler that measures in mm.

I'd love to go with the PR3s...

 

[Jarvis]

So what I am picking up is PR3's will last me the longest.........

 

[X-Man]

I changed my Metzlers at 12,000 kms (8000k).I have now put on about 5000kms on my PR3s and am very happy with them.They handle very well, including rainy conditions.I thinks they should outlast the Metzlers. If I can get 20,000kms about a season of riding for me , I'll be happy.

 

[L.B.S.]

I've pretty much only heard rave reviews about the PR3's. Everyone seems to like them very, very, much. If I hadn't gone the more offroad knobby tire route, PR3's would have been my choice hands down.

 

[gpd211]

I have about 6k on my PR3s now. Couldn't get stock tires off quick enough. I will go with the PR2s next time. This is the first set of 3s I've had. While they are great tires I can't feel any difference between the PR2s and PR3s. Wet and dry traction is excellent with each. The 3s are more expensive than the 2s. So for the same performance I will go back to the cheaper 2s

 

[Porkie]

One of the biggest and expensive maintenance issues with motorcycle/ scooter ownership is tire replacement, with 7 to 8,000 miles being the average replacement miles. There are normally 'wear indicators' built into the grove of the tread that when level with the tread show time for replacement.

Tires especially, with maintenance intervals with expensive valve adjustments is the reason that riding bikes isn't much cheaper than owning an economy car, for instance: Lots of economy cars cost less than my new Goldwing, get better mileage and the tires last maybe 70,000 miles and are maybe 1/2 the cost. Valve adjustments and oil changes are running around 8,000 miles now. Insurance is usually less also.

Slipping of the rear tire can be lots of things like sand, pea gravel or my favorite, the always present and slippery tire snakes in the summer months. Obviously, oil, antifreeze or diesel fuel are slick also.

Sam

 

[Naked_Duc]

Alright...... I have 4300ish miles on the bike. But noticed yesterday that leaning into turn the back tire felt like it caused the bike to slide. which kinda scared me. so when I got home an looked at it, it seems that me tire is almost worn out....
When I bought the bike the dealer said the tire should last 8 to 10k
I dont peel out or ride the bike hard
my weight is 200ish so I dont think this is an issue

So I have to replace the rear soon, any sugg. for long lasting tires..........

Can you post picture of your rear tire? I am surprised at how fast your rear tire worn out. Is your rear tire have a worn out flat strip?

 

[yticolev]

I have the stock OEM tires (mine has the Bridgestone Touring) and I often notice a greasy feel as the tires slip slightly while initiating low speed turns. This only happens with throttle increases which are hard to resist, especially coming out of my driveway or on freeway ramps. Never happens on steady throttle turns. Perhaps this is what you are just now noticing?

 

[Jarvis]

I will take a few pics of it this evening and upload....well try to upload them

 

[StratTuner]

So what I am picking up is PR3's will last me the longest.........

I haven't bought them yet, but I've had a good experience with just about every Michilen tire I buy.
They are excellent road bicycle tires.

The PR3s get really good reviews. I'm going with them...as soon as I can afford to.

 

[Fuzzy]

Alright...... I have 4300ish miles on the bike. But noticed yesterday that leaning into turn the back tire felt like it caused the bike to slide. which kinda scared me. so when I got home an looked at it, it seems that me tire is almost worn out....
When I bought the bike the dealer said the tire should last 8 to 10k
I dont peel out or ride the bike hard
my weight is 200ish so I dont think this is an issue

So I have to replace the rear soon, any sugg. for long lasting tires..........

90,000 miles on MP3s and I consistently wear out tires faster than riders in other states. I have met others in Georgia with the same short tire life. I blame it on the chip seal type road surfaces with pea gravel pressed into the surface of the asphalt. In a few months I will know if my NC also has short tire life in our state.

 

[StratTuner]

90,000 miles on MP3s and I consistently wear out tires faster than riders in other states. I have met others in Georgia with the same short tire life. I blame it on the chip seal type road surfaces with pea gravel pressed into the surface of the asphalt. In a few months I will know if my NC also has short tire life in our state.

Wow... 90,000 on the same set of tires? That's amazing.

 

[turbodieseli4i6]

Alright...... I have 4300ish miles on the bike. But noticed yesterday that leaning into turn the back tire felt like it caused the bike to slide. which kinda scared me. so when I got home an looked at it, it seems that me tire is almost worn out....
When I bought the bike the dealer said the tire should last 8 to 10k
I dont peel out or ride the bike hard
my weight is 200ish so I dont think this is an issue

So I have to replace the rear soon, any sugg. for long lasting tires..........

I'm at 10,600ish on my Bridgestones now. The rear is getting close to being replaced. I may be able to squeeze out an Iron but out of it, but it will be close.
I've had a set of PR3's waiting for me to put them on for a while now. From the reviews that I've read, I'm expecting at least 15,000 miles out of them.