Tire use update (2nd set of PR3s are done)...

So the 1st set of PR3s (actually the 3rd set of tires to go on the bike after the OEMs, then a set of Pilot Powers) lasted 4951 miles; I was still fiddling with the suspension during this time as well as getting used to the new tires. Those tires had a fair amount of freeway miles on them as well, since I was riding up to the Sierras to enjoy those roads quite often.

The 2nd set of PR3s went on the bike 10776 miles and, with the exception of a little commuting, saw very little freeway use; primarily, they were canyon carvers! It is also fair to say that I am now very comfortable with both my suspension settings as well as the Pilot Road 3 tires ...I push them pretty hard!

Saturday, I replaced them with a 3rd set of PR3s:


...ouch!

By my math this means I got 2868 miles out of this set! Granted I could have eked out a couple hundred more commuting, but they were no longer fun in the canyons; the "V" shape of the front meant that it fell deeply into turns, and there was a definite "ridge" where you were between the top & side profiles of the V that felt less than stable. ...that said, never, not once, did these tires ever give me a moment of pause or loss of grip; just excellent feedback and predictable handling throughout.

...but I could tell they were done! lol

Here's how they compare to the new shoes:

Front:


Rear


As you can see, there was a little left on both tires, but not uniformly (especially the front, which I tend to ride harder on the right side ...probably because rights are always tighter turns and I don't slow down much! lol). Here's another look at the fronts top-down:



I have to say I'm impressed by the very, very small amount of cupping these tires exhibit; I remember how bad the Bridgestone BT-020s used to look when I'd peel them off my 5th gen.

So I'm just posting this as a data-point for anyone looking at tires. ...I'm sticking with them as I think for the performance they wear really well. ...cheap insurance as an old friend of mine likes to say of sticky tires! lol

So here's some garage porn, getting ready to scrub them in Saturday afternoon:


And a parting shot parked at the Rock Store in Malibu. March Madness kept all the squids (and just about everyone else it seems) off the roads ...it was perfect!!!

 

Wooooooooow well worth the $$$$$$$$$$$
You are a hard core Canyon junky........lol

 

Thanks for the write up

 

Ahhhh, to get to live someplace where you get to wear the sides off your tires before the middle. Sounds like a little slice of heaven. Someday. Someday. It'll be Knoxville for me, riding the Dragon every weekend. That's how I want to spend my retirement. Good write-up Bro.

D Dave

 

Another fine write up as usual, Zen.

Curious about your garage floor. Did you do that yourself? I'm actually going to be having this done to my garage (its 22 X 22), and just wonder if you have any comments: good, bad or indifferent.

Sorry - that's way off topic. Maybe I should have PM'd...

 

I watched a video of that being done while I was at Lowes this weekend waiting for them to mix paint for me. Looks to me like the worst part is emptying the fucking garage so you can put the stuff down!

 

Hey Pliskin,

Yes, I did it myself, and it is from UCoat It UCoat It Epoxy Floor Coating.

The kit comes with just about everything you need, but you must, MUST prep your floor properly!!! I actually hired a concrete guy to come in and repair a few minor cracks, patch a bunch of chips that were blown out around the threshold and power clean it with muriatic acid. ...I should have had him grind the floor level, but didn't have the $$$ at the time.

The UCoat It stuff is the best do it yourself type you can get, and is pretty easy to apply, but if you don't properly prep the floor, it will bubble and peel. ...that said, I have had mine down for a couple years, and dropped tools, dragging steel trash cans, bike stands, ...even my bike lift, have all failed to mark up the floor.

I went with a light color to help brighten up the garage, and to get more reflected light into my work area. ...dark floors look cool, but suck if you don't have a TON of light in the shop.

If I could do it again, I would have had the floor professionally leveled, and I would have gone lighter on the flecking as it makes dropped bits harder to find.

The kit also comes with a small tub of aluminum oxide to spread around as a non-slip surface; I would use that VERY sparingly (they give you enough to do a 747 hangar I think). ...it is non-slip to be sure, but it will also shred your coveralls if you're sliding around on the floor, and will chew up your mop when cleaning up ...think 80 grit sandpaper! lol

I really do like the floor though, it has worked out really well!

 

Thanks DD and Zen. I have been researching this all winter, and definitely heard that preperation is they key, so I'll make sure I spend plenty of time doing that. Overall my floor is in decent shape - there's one or two small cracks, but I'm guessing the cost to call a professional in are more than I'd care to spend. Its really just the aesthetics that I'm interested in. I had all the walls and ceilings painted last summer, so time to spruce up the floor a bit.

I, too, delected the lighter color. Sounds like its easy enough to do oneself? I hate paying people to do simple shit for me...

I've also heard to take the flakes and split them up in the beginning - say into 10 different piles (or whatever) - and this way as you do an area of the garage, you know how much flake to sprinkle in that that section.

I think a floor done in the way you have it is such a simple way to really make a garage look like a "shop". It just changes everything.

 

IIRC it cost me about $150 to have the floor prepped. ...if you do not get all, and I mean ALL the oil / grease out of the concrete, your epoxy will come up. It is very important to clean very thoroughly and etch the concrete with muriatic acid. Failure to do either step well will result in an unhappy floor.

 

I think the vid I was watching at Lowes the other day was for a Rustoleum product. It claims to come with all the prep materials to clean and etch the concrete. I didn't check the price. Like I said, just getting all the crap out of my garage would be a nightmare. I'll have to live with my leaf blower cleaning for awhile.

 

A bit off the floor coating subject. I unfortunately live in an area of the US where there are no curves. I am running the PR2's and so far have 8K miles on the rear and 9K on the front. The rear is showing no signs of slowing down. If i had to guess i would say the rear has at least another 3K. The front however is almost done. Is this a characteristic of this bike? Wearing the front away faster than the rear. This is my daily rider/cruise bike and i ride this thing like a grandpa for the most part, Im not a hard braker or accelerator on this bike, just daily commuting with the occasional wild hair. (got the cbr for special occasions) Not complaining about 9K miles just seemed odd the front would go away so much quicker than the rear.

 

That is odd. For me, tires have almost always gone away pretty much two rears to one front. Do the PR2s use an exceptionally hard compound in the center of the rear??