Irregular center tire wear-40% bald/60% tread remaining

My rear tire has 5,700 miles. Approximately 40% of the rear tire has worn down where there is no more tread design left in the very center (contiguous) and the other 60% (again contiguous) has just under 1mm at the maximum where the tread design is still visibile. (So what I'm trying to describe is if you looked at back of the tire and start rolling it, 40% of the circumference is bald and the other 60% to get you back to the starting point has tread. I know why it's worn in the middle and not the shoulders.)

My brother was following me while I rode today and didn't notice any vibrations at the rear tire/sprocket area, so now we're lost on what could cause this tire to wear in such a weird way.

The tire is getting replaced this week, but I'd like to know why this tire wore so irregularly.

Also, could this cause the handling to feel odd (I'm thinking there's no doubt)?

Any ideas would be appreciated!

-Nathan

 

Chicken strips

 

I just saw that on my rear tire today as well. I don't know the percentages, but let's say half of the center circumference is bald and the other half has some groove depth left (about 1-2 mm). Don't know what causes this, though. By the way, my tire is a Dunlop Roadsmart with about 5,500 miles. I haven't noticed this on any other tire I've had in the past. I've got a Pilot Power waiting to be installed, so hopefully this is just a Dunlop thing.

 

Metzeler MEZ4A here. OE tire. I'd like to know if there is something I need to have the dealership look at when mounting/balancing the new tire so this doesn't happen again.

 

Yeah, I'd like to know, too. Bad balancing seems like a possible cause.

 

The fact that it's not wearing evenly, I would say is that it's not balanced. I took a frt wheel in to have it mounted and balanced, then took it home and balanced it on my balancer. It was off by 1/4 of an ounce..... I think they basicly don't take the time to find the right weight.... Just one that's close.... You can get a balancer at HF also a VFR adapter for the single sided swing arm.........

 

consider yourself lucky you managed to get so many miles out of that OEM tire with out crashing. do yourself a favor and get better tires those mz4 are crap.

 

Have you done any burnouts, or rear wheel slides?.... it only takes one time.......

 

No. That's not my thing. Lots of straight-line riding and without much leaning. Rolling into the throttle/full throttle stuff. No wheelies, burnouts, etc. (don't know how).

I think poor balance of the wheel is the issue at hand, too. But it's just odd to not see/feel any vibrations.

***Sorry, I'm on my brother's computer and forgot he has his own account.***

 

Poor balance issue, or an out-of-round tire.

When you have the new tire put on (and it's definitely time), make sure to request that the tech checks the "true-ness" of the wheel.

My suggestion would be to go with a Michelin Pilot Road 2 - I have nothing but smiles to report with mine thus far. Dennis Kirk has them for around $170.

 

I agree with VT Viffer........ PR2's would be a good tyre to use they have better wear in the middle......

 

Wow, 5700 miles?!! Sounds like a good tire to me. I'm lucky if I can get 4k mi. out of a rear before it has to be replaced.

 

Hmm - really need to see photos of the tyre to make even an educated guess as to what has happened. Unfortunately lots of things can cause such uneven tyre wear.

I tend to think a poorly balanced tyre is the most likely culprit. You may be able to see marks on the rim if any of the balance weight have fallen off. However there are a whole host of other causes of uneven tyre wear including defects in the tyre carcass, the suspension, bearings or wheel alignment etc. For instance a small distortion on the rear disc may result in that part of the disc always catching first or snatching slightly, which over time will expose one part of the tyre to significantly greater wear when braking.

Others have already mentioned that this could be caused by over enthusiastic use of the throttle, but likewise you can also skid a rear tyre if you downshift badly and don't let the clutch in gently. Inevitably this is tends to concentrate any skid wear in just one spot. However once a tyre gets a significant flat spot, the tyre balance may be upset enough for it to progressively extend around the tread, as you describe.

If you ever get into track days you will find that tyres and tyre/suspension set up is one of the most complicated dark arts in motorbiking, hence I should stress that diagnosis over the web is not going to give you any certainty.

My only suggestion is that you track down an experienced motorbike tyre dealer/fitter and get them to check the bike to see if there are any obvious faults with the bike before they set about replacing the tyre.

Most good dealers will do this everytime, and some won't charge anything for it. They know that positive recommendations from sites such as this can make a big impact on their sales, so its in their own interest to make sure they help you to get the best from the tyres they supply.

Finally you may want to post a new question specifically to VFR owners in North West Arkansas to see if anyone can recommend a top knotch motorbike fitter to help you sort this out.

Good luck.

Skimad4x4
6th Gen Militia #218

 

I know others have more knowledge on this subject than me, but this does not sound like a balancing problem.

Based on Animalz description, he has a complete flat spot - similar to having locked up the brakes in one spot for an extensive period of time. He's obviously not the type of person that is beating on his bike.

Sounds more like the tire is out of round, slipped a belt , or possibly even your wheel is out of round.

There's no question this flat spot is contributing to your poor handling (as you suspected).

I'll throw my vote in for the Michelin Pilot Road 2, but whatever tire you go with, make sure you have them check out your wheel first before they mount the new tire and balance it.

 

Round or Not?

Is the tire round or not? Is the 40% actually flat?
Since the tire rotates on an axle, place the bike on the centre stand and rotate the rear wheel. Place your runout gauge against the tire and and whatch the needle deflection. A great indication of flat spots. No runout guage? Brave folk might start the engine, select a gear (1st maybe), hold a piece of chalk or crayon lightly agaist the tire and then inspect the tire to see if chalk appears evenly all the way around the tire. Chalk all the way = round. Chalk only on high spots = tire has flat spots. Do not attempt this method as the bike may fall off the stand or something else. You didn't hear this from me.
If the tire is in fact round a possible explanation might be that the mold may have had tread forming ridges which were deeper over a portion of mold. One mm is not great on a bad mold.
Just another thought!