trikebldr - 12/30/2015 10:24 PM
. Did you notice if that narrower rim made the tread bow outward more in the center or did it stay pretty flat across?
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I measured the tire tread for uneven wear when I first noticed it was wearing out quickly. It was even all the way across something that I too had been worried about with the wider tire on the narrow rim.
trikebldr - 12/30/2015 10:40 PM
One last thought here. Nobody ever speaks of what kinds of riding they do mostly, like short runs or all highway use. Nor do we hear about what materials their state/county uses to pave their roads. Some states put a lot of recycled glass in their pavements to make it last longer, and that takes it's toll on tires. Hawaii uses a lot of coral. I couldn't get 2000 miles out of rear tire over there on my little Yamaha RD-350!
Missouri uses straight up sand-and-gravel asphalt and concrete mostly, so we don't have any extra-wear issues here. Any idea what they use in your area, Joe?
Did you use balance beads, or wheel weights?
I did see the different wear bars and I am hoping now that I am down to the all season part of the tread that the wear slows down significantly. I have the other tire on hand too in the case that it doesn't last that much longer. It will be interesting to see what the final mileage is.
In the part of WA I live in they use straight crushed rock in the seal coat but it is a larger stone than you would find in asphalt mix. The surface when new resembles a cheese grater and it is hard on motorcycle tires till it gets worn smooth. They re seal coat the roads every other year it seems because of the wear from studded snow tires and chains which are often a must to get around.
Right now I am in AZ. The roads are smoother and the road surface is older here. The tire is wearing slower but still wearing away faster than I had hoped. The tire is balanced with weights. Took very little weight to balance it. There is a TPS unit in it so I was afraid to use beads. I am having a difficult time finding a shop that will mount a car tire on a motorcycle wheel down here. One shop just said no, another said that they expected the price to be around $100 based on previous experience. As it wears down more I will be more motivated to find someone who is willing to change it hopefully for less than the $100 figure.
Joe, that mounting issue is a usual one since everybody is so litigious these days! I am a serious DIY'er, so I simply bought a good set of three tire irons and some rim savers to mount my own. I learned a long time ago that anybody can SAY they will protect your rims, but once it's gouged, it's too late, and all the apologies in the world won't replace a damaged rim, especially from an antique bike that's 32 years old, or more. If ya want something done right, DIY!!!
Tire Rack advises on their website that these Dunlop snow tires are usually only sold in fours since they don't recommend mixing them with other radials. They also tell you straight up that they MAY call to talk to the buyer about this issue and to verify that they will not be mixed! When ordering last night (I ordered two!) I told them they would be mounted on a sidecar. I DID get an email asking me to verify that they will be mounted only on a car wheel and not on a motorcycle wheel. THEY WILL NOT RELEASE THE ORDER IF THE TIRES WILL BE MOUNTED ON A MC WHEEL!!!! So, I simply replied that "...they will be used on a 'car wheel."! Tire Rack cannot possibly control what they will actually be used on once they ship them. What a farce to even try! Why not just post all of the warnings, like they already do, and let it go at that?
I did order two of them since they were at such a low close-out clearance price. Besides, I have two Voyager 1300's and even the second one will get a sidecar next year. (I can't ride such a huge, heavy bike without one.)
Joe, very interesting about the TPS. May I ask why you run one? Is it the kind that gives an actual pressure reading, like the ones on motorhomes, or just a low pressure warning? I know a lot of guys run those when they use a run-flat tire so they will know if the tire loses pressure. Otherwise they may never know with a run-flat until the tire is destroyed! The reason I ask about your use of the TPS is because these snow tires are not ZP's. Just curious! I will also run one if I can find a smaller version that gives actual pressure readings.
The tps came with the rig it was already installed when I bought it. They are just on the motorcycles wheels not the car. It's kind of handy because the valve stems in the back are hard to get to with the car attached. Once you are moving you can push a button and it will tell you the tire pressure and temperature. If and when the sending units die I haven't decided if I will replace the unit with a new one or not. This unit isn't made anymore and when the batteries are dead in the transmitters they are not replaceable. So there is a definite end of life date for it.
It is of handy if when you are driving and the bike feels a little funny to be able to push the button and find out if it is that you are getting a flat. Especially when it is raining outside or slushy, etc.. However I don't like having the senders internal to the rim as it complicates changing tires, especially a car tire or a rear MC tire mounted on a narrow front rim. It's hard to get the tire remounted without accidentally damaging the unit. Somehow we lucked out this time though and it still was fine in the end and still works. I might eventually become a convert to the TPS system. Jury is still out at the moment though. I definitely would not recommend a unit that has a sender that fits inside the tire though if you are considering one on a bike that will have a car tire mounted on it.
