Tyre wear rate

[embattle 332]

I had warped discs on my burgman 400 once, no idea how.

[Andy m 23,717]

The service is not unreasonable. 

 

80 minutes is a bit high, they charge as though they wait about for oil to drain when in fact they move to another job. Its a way of hiding the real labour rate. 

 

The diagnostic stuff is a licence to print money. The owner doesn't have the skill to do it themselves so I don't know why they break it down. Warped disc or Warp coil, it's all just hocus-pocus and make the bad stuff go away, ker-ching. 

 

Andy

 

 

[Xactly 5,489]

It cost me about £50 to do the 600 mile service on my NC750X (manual). The cost included four litres of decent oil, leaving a little for top-ups (unlikely to be needed so will be used at annual service), a genuine Honda oil filter and a sump plug washer. I haven’t costed consumables (a bit of grease, skinned knuckle, a few profanities and a cup of coffee). I know the mechanic very well and so does my wife.

Strangely the NC 600 mile service is unique in the half dozen or so new bikes I’ve bought in the last few years in that it is nothing more than an oil and filter change. Usually it includes a general check of bolt tightness and stuff like that.

 I’ll risk potential warranty refusal on the basis that I can prove I only used Honda parts or approved consumables (oil) and that if, say, the instrument panel packs up there’s nothing I’ve done in doing the service that could cause the fault. The other point is that if changing oil and filter is such a specialist job, why does it show you how to do it in the owner’s handbook?

As for diagnostics I’m sure I’ll manage. I remapped my Triumph, balanced throttles, checked sensor values and cleared fault codes easily enough using free software. Same with my Beemers. That said, if I still have it when it’s done 24,000 miles (unlikely) I’ll take my Crossrunner to a good local independent for the V Tech valve check and adjustment. While I’ve done camshaft out shim changes before tbh it’s a faff unless you have a selection of shims so that you don’t have to order them in the middle of doing the job. Then again there’s a fair few VFR owners (same engine) that have taken the view that even if you just ignore the valve check the motor will still run perfectly well past 100,000 miles, when it’ll not be worth much more even if it had proof (whatever that might be - a dealer invoice? Really?) of a valve check.

Interestingly Honda changed the valve check interval on the VFR V Tech motor in 2018 from 16000 miles to 24000 miles. There were no changes to the engine. As there has been a general lengthening of big service intervals in recent years by manufacturers my guess is that Honda were losing sales so they shunted it off to 24000 miles because the majority are bought on PCP deals, so the cost of this service would be kicked into the long grass for the next owner to shoulder, keeping the monthly PCP costs competitive. I doubt that Honda valve seats and valve materials are inferior to Yamaha’s and they had valve servicing in the 20k + range for years...

 

[Blandy199 31]

I too am very disappointed with front tyre wear so far on my nc750 dct. Avons only do 4500-5000 miles, the Bridgestone I have on it now has done slightly better at 6000m but as I'm getting 10000m from the rear tyre this does seem odd. On previous bikes I have always got through 2 rear tyres to one front, now this seems to have switched round! I'm not a heavy braker but I have noticed that the front tyres I have tried even when new seem to have little tread on them to start with.

Can anyone recommend a better tyre for longer life please?

[Steve Case 967]

My Avon Storm front has done 5.5K and I'm still 3 or 4mm off the wear bars, how are you measuring wear?

[Steve Case 967]

Ok correction 1.3mm off the wear bar, so I'd expect at least a 1000 miles if not a bit more.

[Xactly 5,489]

3000 miles on the original front Dunlop cheapo nasty hoop. Maybe another 1000 out of the rear, but I changed the pair of them for decent tyres (Road 5s in my case, but lots of options). 

[Steve Case 967]

had road5 on mine when I got it and those get decent mileage but I don't like the front, I think the Avon front will go to around 7K but the rear should do 11K.

 

I may try the conti road attack I think they are next..

[Empty_Ten 455]

I got 11,000 miles out my Road 5’s with still about 1-2mm to go to the wear marker.  For me, both tyres were at similar wear rates so I replaced both at the time of changing.  On other bikes I’d expect to get 2 rears to 1 front.

 

currently on Road 6’s and have 7000 miles on them.  Plenty of meat left on them still and I’ll definitely be using them to the wear marker.  Too expensive not to get every single possible mile out of them!

[poldark 1,549]

2 hours ago, Steve Case said:

My Avon Storm front has done 5.5K and I'm still 3 or 4mm off the wear bars, how are you measuring wear?

 

Mine are wearing similarly and I'm happy

[Steve Case 967]

Right just checked theres 4mm tread on a front avon storm so its lost 1.5mm in 5.5K that means i've got another (approx) 4.5K to the wear bar.

[DaveStewart 267]

I just took my NC 750X 2018 for its MOT.3000miles,and got an advisory both tyres will need changing soon.

[Steve Case 967]

Is that the famous "oh theres only 2mm to the wear bar", Ignore it 1mm equates to 3K to 4K miles!

[Empty_Ten 455]

54 minutes ago, Steve Case said:

Is that the famous "oh theres only 2mm to the wear bar", Ignore it 1mm equates to 3K to 4K miles!

^ x1000

 

After a service on the MT10, the dealer gave me the same schpeel.  Spoke to and showed a police biker that night and he said I still had a few mm before I got to the wear marker and that even riding on the wear marker is legal (but on last legs obviously)

[Steve Case 967]

Its to try and sell tyres to people who don't check their tyres or understand what the wear bar is there for.

 

I've had it on advisories for cars and bikes and treat it the same way...

[Blandy199 31]

After 6000m my front Bridgestone is on the wear marker on the offside, nearside is ok for a bit more yet. The Avon storm I had before the Bridgestone went the same way as does the rear tyre, always the offside wears more. According to the local bike shop the camber of the road is to blame for this uneven wear.

[Grumpy old man 4,682]

My brother has a Crf250l with Avon Trail Rider tyres which are 80% road tyres 20% off road, so not at all aggressive.  He's worn down to the wear indicator but there is at least 4/5 mm of tread left evenly all round the tyre  so what's all that about?

[Steve Case 967]

Wear bars on the Storm are about 1.2mm which is correct I believe. never used Trail Rider so no idea.

 

The tyre is worn more on the offside? thats  bizarre unless you only ever turn right

[Blandy199 31]

My last Silverwing was just the same, always the right side wore off first, bizarre!

[Andy m 23,717]

On 12/07/2022 at 13:15, Steve Case said:

Right just checked theres 4mm tread on a front avon storm so its lost 1.5mm in 5.5K that means i've got another (approx) 4.5K to the wear bar.

You can't work on a linear rate. The tyre is getting smaller which means more RPM, more distortion to balance internal air against vehicle weight and hence more heat. You are also working through rubber which was at the central part during the vulcanising process so it's heating and cooling cycle were shorter giving a softer result. You have lots left, but I wouldn't plan to ride to Mumbai on it, the wear rate is increasing. It would be an exponential shaped curve on a solid tyre, on a pneumatic one that shape will still be a big influence. 

 

Andy 

[Xactly 5,489]

Good analysis - certainly empirically once a tyre starts to wear it accelerates rapidly. Never really thought about it before, but that makes perfect sense. Thanks.

[Steve Case 967]

Calm down calm down, yeah i know i cannot accurately predict how much i have... but the main purpose is to stop peeps looking at their tyre with 2 an a half mil tread left and going oh no its buggered i must buy a new one right now.

Matter of perspection innit

[listener 11,276]

7 hours ago, Steve Case said:

The tyre is worn more on the offside? thats  bizarre unless you only ever turn right

 

Or the Gloucestershire roads must have one hell of a camber! 

[Steve Case 967]

Its the old Milton Keynes question where the tyres always scrub out on one side due to the number of roundabouts.

 

Easy answer mind if the tyres wear more on one side the tyre is on that side more often.

[listener 11,276]

21 hours ago, Steve Case said:

Its the old Milton Keynes question where the tyres always scrub out on one side due to the number of roundabouts.

 

Easy answer mind if the tyres wear more on one side the tyre is on that side more often.

 

Just turn the wheels around. Problem solved!