I put a new car tire on the hack last May, looked the other day and the inside tread is almost gone. I have the bike set up good I think, not a brother to ride 500+ in a day. Any comments will be appericated. Yes there is only 5000-7500 on the tire.
turtleman
Car may be sagging or not riding level (if you have TILT.
Otherwise check the tire wear for sideways scrubbing that would indicate too much toe-in or not enough toe-in.
Sidecar wheel vertical? Worn swing-arm bearings/bushings can allow the wheel to tilt inward at the top.
Lonnie
Did you check toe and lean while under laden weight? One of the reasons I don't like it when people start spouting precise figures for lean and toe is that it changes based on how you load and how you ride. If the lean is setup with an empty bike, it could easily cause this kind of wear when you get on it.
On a bigger bike, I've always felt it was right if the sidecar tire wears faster than the bike tires. Within reason of course. I'd much rather replace that $40 13 inch on the sidecar than the $200+ one on the bike.
I've never had a rear tire designed for a motorcycle that outlasted a sidecar tire. About 6K is all I've gotten with a rear motorcycle tire on a large bike. Automobile tires can go 3 or 4 times farther, or more (depending on how much wear one considers enough).
Lonnie
I have 40,000 on my hack wheel, just down to the wear bars. Honda Civic wheel & hub w/ hyd brake & parking brake. Set up strait laden w/rider & luggage in tub. Rear bike tires last 7,500mi, front Metz lasts 15Kmi, I have an Avon sidecar front on it now, it's a bit softer than the Metz.
My Guzzi did 9,400 miles on the rear of the bike, but only about 7,000 on the sidecar (175R13).
I no longer have a sidecar on it, so it will take me at least 5 years to put that many miles on it again.
The Goldwing has a Dunlop car tire.
My Valkyrie/Ural also had a car tire. The last one, a Bridgestone Potenza had about 18,000 on it when I sold, but I never got more than about 5,000 out of the Ural tires.
It's never bothered me. Like I said earlier, the sidecar tires are cheaper and easier to replace.
Most commonly folks will say that the rear tire on the bike is the one that wears the most and the quickest. However, this depends on what type of tire combinations are on a given outfit. When a car tire is put on th erear of th ebike sometimes it will cause increased tire wear on the sidecar tire. I suppose the reason is that maybe the car tire 'overpowers' the sidecar tire since it is usually smaller.
Sidecar tire camber can also cause it to wear quicker than what may be considered as normal. There is room for debate on what type of stance the sidecar tire shoudl have camber wise. I have typically went with the notion that a sidecar tire shoudl be vertical of maybe leaned in toward th ebike slightly. This has worked well for us for many years. Dave Keesee, formerly of Hannigan Motorsports, who has recently joing us here in Pa. feels that the sidecar tire shoudl elan out a little due to th ecamber of the road. Who is right and who is wrong? Dunno. Maybe it depends on the particular outfit?
Leaning a tire in any dorection will try and create a pull in that direction. Think it out. Hannigan uses a small diameter wheel and tire so maybe this is not as big a factor as it woudl be with a larger diameter tire??
Many GS or Strom based outfits will tend to wear the front tire fairly quick as compared to more conventional outfits. I think this is due to th etendancy of this type of oputfit to understeer if ridden agressively in left handers. An antiswaybar allows some pretty quick conering with a dual sport outfit on hard surfaces. These types of outfits are also many times loaded heavy at the rear wheich aggrivates the light front end.
Like so many things with sidecars we are all flirting with being found wrng if we speak in absolutes.Lots of variables between rigs and riding styles out there.
