Uneven tire wear on my 94 vfr

Hello fellow vfiiers!

I bought this bike a few years ago with 16k on the clock and have put another 7k on. The guy I bought it from said that the bike had sat in a garage for a number of years and I decided to get as much out of the tires that were on it as I could. The bike has been down on the right side pretty lightly, but I don't see anything visibly wrong with the fork or steering and the only issues I've had is head-shake at exactly 50mph on deceleration. I've noticed in the last few thousand miles that the front tire is wearing very unevenly (more on the left side then the right) is this a suspension problem or just a byproduct of old tires that where probably leaning on one side while parked for many years? Also what tires would you recommend for someone who commutes about 120 miles a day?



Thanks for the help!

Danny

 

This is very common on the Bridgestone front tyre. Here in the UK we have the same problem but on the right side of the tyre.

Typically, the tyre wears out more on one side than the other due to the camber of the road. Here in the UK we drive on the left so the trye wears more on the right. In the US you drive on the right so the wear is on the left side.

The other problem that you may encounter with older Bridgestones is a stepping of the tread that causes vibration through the front end.

There is nothing wrong with your bike so stop worrying. It's the tyre sir, they all do that.

 

I would start with a new tire, non dunlop as they seem to want to cup more than others. With the wheel off check to make sure the axle lines up and fits smoothly between the forks. If it is off it may be that your forks need adjustment or have a bend somewhere. I would also suggest to install better springs and change the front shock oil.

 

Though that does make sense, looking at how far off center that wear is, that would have to be one hell of a crown on the road to cause it to wear that far to the side. I think I would be looking closer at a mechanical deficiency.

 

Thats a crazy wear pattern, all thou I wouldn't worry, hard to say could be a bad tire from the get go, as you noted you bought the bike with X miles all ready on it. Yep 90% of VFRs do the head shake unless you have a certain tire :wink: Pirelli Diablos are a great tire for going back and forth on. decent wear millage too. Mine doesn't do the shake no more with them on. It did with BSs can't say whats what with others thou, I did get a call from a member that ran another tire brand and he still had the shakes. If you had trouble in the alignment, you'd know right off the bat by it wanting to always go to the left, since you didn't mention that, I'd say replace the tires both front and rear and move forward. also keep an eye on running the correct air pressure that is a sure fire way of ruining a tire quickly. I run 33-34psi front and rear.

 

you also might want to check and make sure the forks are both set at the same height. check how far the come out past the triple tree and i would also measure the lenght of the forks with it upright on the tires. i measured mine from where the upper forks come out of the lower section to the triple tree. i did this to mine and found no problems with mine, but i did it from suggestion of the bike mechanic that did my tires. he said uneven fork heights could cause this type of wear. also i went from dunlops to conti. road attacks, what a difference the bike handles completely different( for the better). it amazing how just the type has such an effect.