Tire wear

Check the edges of the worn tire tread.
One side will usually have a feather edge and the other side will have a rounded edge.

If the outer side shows a rounded edge and the inner shows some feathering, you have too much toe in.

If the inner (bike) side of the tire tread has a rounded edge and the other the feathered edge, not enough toe in.

Your leanout looks about right.

Lonnie

Middle tread wear usually indicates too much pressure in the tire.

Rounded motorcycle tires will always wear out the center on a sidecar.

Center wear only with a flat tread auto tire is due to over inflation.

Absolutely Lonnie but the OP sounded like he was more concered about the fact that he got less than a thousand miles out of the tire and with the small contact patch of a motorcycle tire a small difference in tire pressure can make a difference in mileage as can scrubbing from improper toe in. All things being equal of course since tire compound and load can be a factor also.

Yup,
I'd consider a auto 5.00x16 or narrower tire if it fits under the fender.
If this wear is from excess toe-in, I imagine the rear bike tire is going fast also.

Lonnie

I am guessing this is a Harley sidecar? If so my manual says 28PSI. On my Harley rig with 28PSI my tire last a long time. Only problem I have with tire ware is on the rear which I only get about 6k on it.

Your alignment is off and your tire is a bit over inflated. Here is a link showing how to set alignment.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793

What the pros said above. I also converted my sidecar wheel to a utility trailer 12" wheel and tire cause i was tired of replacing tires( i got at least 5,000 miles out of mine). The bad thing is I cant find car tires to fit my Sportster so I am out of luck there.

Man this looks familiar. Have the same problem on my Yamaha V-Star/Velorex rig. The car was running a 350X16 Heidenau tire built for sidecar use. Heard great things about them on this forum. Had to try one. Have just over 2,000 miles on the rig and the tread is gone in the center. Looked for feathering, etc. and could not see any. Mecs at the shop could not either. It looks like the tire is over inflated, but I had it down to just 25 PSI and was fearful of going lower. The rig is in the shop right now getting new tires for the car and the rear. Rear was factory original with a little over 10,000 miles on it. Could have gotten some more out of it but plan on doing some long runs this summer and want to be ready. Going to an Avon sidecar tire for the car. They are also checking alignment of course. Should be done by the middle of this week.

Trying the pic again.

A quick question.
Is it possible this kind of wear could be caused by the wheel bearing not being torqued correctly?

It looks like overinflation, but If the wheel is vertical (many Velorex's are not quite so) you may not have enough toe in.
The OEM Velorex 4 ply Mitas tires are very long mileage tires if the rig is properly aligned and proper pressure is maintained.

Lonnie

Lonnie

Thanks for the feedback. My Velorex is an older model (no data plate) guessing a 70s model. As you noted, the wheel is not vertical when the car is empty. With a passenger, it comes more in true plumb (forgive the terminology) but is still slightly out of true vertical. Toe in seems to be correct. At slower speeds she tracks good. At about 60 it starts pulling right and at 75 the pull is significant. By the way, what is the recommended tire pressure?

Also, I have had no such problems with the other rig, a Royal Enfield G5 with Kozi Rocket. Got over 4,200 miles out of the original tire on that one and could have gotten a little more.

Thanks again.

Mike

Your pull to the right at speed is due to wind resistance. Worse if you have the OEM windscreen. I usually had a shorter sports screen.
Recommended pressure for the OEM tire is 28 to 35 psi. I usually run 28 for the best ride. Toe-in: 3/8" to 3/4" depending on how wide the track is.
Lean-out: 1 degree or more depending on load ratio.

Lonnie