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vrod un even front tire ware

4K views 31 replies 13 participants last post by  Rich Moran 
#1 ·
i have a 03 vrod and the front tire wares more on the throttle side than the belt side any ideas
 
#5 ·
something ain't rite here
most vrods in Uhmarika wear the tires on the belt side for debateable reasons
maybe the factory exhaust is still hangin' on it
 
#7 ·
Do you push harder into right hand turns than you would on a left? Everyone has a favorite side.
 
#8 ·
If everything is good to go, flip the tire and run it reverse.

I've done this since 2002 to get extended wear on my front tire and have been able to get 15,000 miles plus. With the cost of tires, screw the manufacturers, get as many miles as you can.
 
#14 ·
Some manufacturers recommend against this, Dunlop is one. Some makers have no objection but will tell you most all these tires aredirectional. For the money, I'll just switch them out.

Since you're US based, right side wear is not the norm.?
If mainly city driving maybe, but 4 lane streets and highways have pitch to either side, crowned in the middle, so running the 2 outside lanes evens things up.
 
#10 ·
When I start to see the uneven wear justify the work to flip it. If you measure the tread depth that will tell you when to flip.

I usually do this when there is 1/32 - 1/16". You can go out further than this obviously, but if you let it go too far, you won't be able to get the mileage.

The other factor is air pressure, I run the front at no less than 39 lbs and no more than 42 lbs.

With the wheel off, access to cleaning everything up is much easier as well, including the wheel.

Because the front end gets smacked with everything first, with the front wheel off, the extra space helps in being able to do corrosion inspection and if neccessary corrosion repair to the front brake hydraulic metal tubing that runs to each caliper too. I finally overcame that obstacle after fighting corroison on the cheap tubing over 60,000 miles as in Hawaii, the tubing if left unattended will rust out rapidly.

With the front wheel off the ground and then installed, then there is fall away to check too.
 
#11 ·
Backwards thinking

This is somewhat different than the gentleman on another post talking about throttle side tire wear. I have on my 09 A model an inordinate amount of left side tire wear and a number of post make me believe that is fairly common. My question, does the removal of the boat anchor exhaust cause this? Is the bike designed to have a nearly 50 pound exhaust on the right and when we balance the unladen bike would it tip it left and put more wear there? If I am thinking backwards, let me know. Does it effect anything, that is, the exhaust removal. Thanks and best to everyone.
 
#21 ·
This is somewhat different than the gentleman on another post talking about throttle side tire wear. I have on my 09 A model an inordinate amount of left side tire wear and a number of post make me believe that is fairly common. My question, does the removal of the boat anchor exhaust cause this? Is the bike designed to have a nearly 50 pound exhaust on the right and when we balance the unladen bike would it tip it left and put more wear there? If I am thinking backwards, let me know. Does it effect anything, that is, the exhaust removal. Thanks and best to everyone.
I've got a v-modded stock exhaust and I get the left side wearing out first too, so I don't think it has anything to do with removing the stock exhaust. This bike wears out tires, especially fronts, faster than any bike I've owned. My other bike has 40° of rake and it doesn't wear out as fast or unevenly.

??
 
#12 ·
Ok so throttle side means belt side. And if you are experiencing wear like this is one of two things. Bad bushings in the swingarm or a loose triple tree. Figure out which and get to fixing....

My phone is better than your phone....
 
#13 ·
Ok so throttle side means belt side. And if you are experiencing wear like this is one of two things. Bad bushings in the swingarm or a loose triple tree. Figure out which and get to fixing.....
Bad wheels bearings maybe and an unaligned rear wheel as well. Tire pressure is also something most ignore.

Neither V has ever had an issue with odd tire wear.
 
#17 ·
Vambo, I appreciate your pointing all of this information out, it is not luck at all that the tires stay together, it is the nature of the design to let the tire perform reverso or not.

here is some "other" input fromthe GSX forum with their input as well:

http://www.gixxer.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-273196.html

Not trying to make an issue out of anything by posting this stuff, but I say it is a crock of shite that stating a tire will come apart, especially a front tire that carries less load and does less work than a rear tire does. Maybe a rear, under hard acceleration and abuse over and over again...but hey, I've seen slicks come apart run in the supposed correct direction.

I've been tempted to flip the rear as well, if I had a tire machine I'd do it, the dealership won't do it for me as I have already checked.

Granted, if there are construction issues, where proper interlock of the materials from molten to plastic and finally hard rubber occur, then the tire is defective and would not make it to the market. If a defective tire makes it to market, I believe it would be in a short amount of time the tire would come apart.

If it is rain and getting wet one is worried about, well so be it, fair weather riding is part of everyones disposition anyway. At some point riding in the wet can push one to their physical limits, especially where cold is involved and then it is probablly best not to be on 2 wheels. In the end, regardless of which way the tire is mounted, your going to get wet.

Anyway, I'll continue to run the tires as needed to get the miles out of them.

Happy motoring!
 
#18 ·
Vambo, I appreciate your pointing all of this information out, it is not luck at all that the tires stay together, it is the nature of the design to let the tire perform reverso or not.

here is some "other" input fromthe GSX forum with their input as well:

http://www.gixxer.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-273196.html

Not trying to make an issue out of anything by posting this stuff, but I say it is a crock of shite that stating a tire will come apart, especially a front tire that carries less load and does less work than a rear tire does. Maybe a rear, under hard acceleration and abuse over and over again...but hey, I've seen slicks come apart run in the supposed correct direction.

I've been tempted to flip the rear as well, if I had a tire machine I'd do it, the dealership won't do it for me as I have already checked.

Granted, if there are construction issues, where proper interlock of the materials from molten to plastic and finally hard rubber occur, then the tire is defective and would not make it to the market. If a defective tire makes it to market, I believe it would be in a short amount of time the tire would come apart.

If it is rain and getting wet one is worried about, well so be it, fair weather riding is part of everyones disposition anyway. At some point riding in the wet can push one to their physical limits, especially where cold is involved and then it is probablly best not to be on 2 wheels. In the end, regardless of which way the tire is mounted, your going to get wet.

Anyway, I'll continue to run the tires as needed to get the miles out of them.

Happy motoring!
Actually, front tires work very hard when braking. In fact they see much more pressure and abuse due to the dual discs.
 
#23 ·
front or rear

Is the uneven wear for vrod tires generally associated with just the front or rear or both? Both of mine are wearing on the left? Do I have a misalignment problem, swingarm bushing issue, bearing issue, or is the slop on the right side rear axle cam too much? I am not asking you to diagnose my problem, just what is the most likely.
 
#25 ·
Wrap it up to 130. If it shakes then you have a problem. If it doesn't then you are probably more comfortable cornering one way than the other and that might be where your uneven wear is coming from.

My phone is better than your phone....
 
#28 ·
One other point to inspect is the measurement of the left tube that sits above the top triple tree to that of the right tube above the right side of the triple tree.

There is a specific measurement for the adjustment of the tubes and if this is off this may contribute to the uneven wear.

If your using a carpenters rule, don't. Use a machinists rule to get the correct measurement and measure both tubes at the same point of the triple tree to insure the tube clearance above the top triple tree is correct.

One could consider a "minor" adjustment difference in measurement to see if this counters any unusual wear.

Before any major riding is done, be sure the ride is safe and no suprises come from a difference (would do this in 1/64" incroments and no more) as when this adjustment runs the length of the tube and lower leg to the front axle along with the rake, the measurement difference could make a major impact at the center of the axle.

On flipping the tire, I've yet to read ANYWHERE and if anyone has fact and not fiction on tire shredding for street use, please post it where there are specifics that a front tire has come apart.

I've yet to read anything anywhere and see proof in images that flipping a Dunlop front tire on a V-Rod causes failure.

Until some one can show proof positive where not one, but several failures have occured, it's bunk, a myth & it is an old worn out wives tale.

I have 3 worn front tires sitting on the side of the house that I've changed out over the years.

I can take pics to post of these for wear and how well the tires have held up over 17,000 miles that each had delievered if anyone is interested.

There is no hint of anywhere on the tires coming apart.

In fact, if there is interest, I can saw one or all 3 in half and take images of the stranding as well as the lay of the rubber on the stranding to show what is fact and not fiction.

It has been stated many times before that uneven tire wear is due to the radius of the road & hard acceleration and braking in turns. If the front tube adjustment is off, and that is one point here I'd suspect first to check, an dcombined with hard riding, of course that is going to cause uneven wear.

With the belt side of the rear tire, it is not uncommon to see the wear this way, the belt is pulling the tire to the left.

With the front tire uneven wear, I'd start with checking fall away and while the front tire is off the ground.

Then check for ratcheting, where the steering head bearings have zero lube and have worn into the races causing the front tire to track incorrectly, where the tire is not only spinning as it was designed to do, but is being pushed to one side or the other.

Another way to discover how the tire lays on the ground, is to wet the tire and then push the bike forward and check the tire print left behind. Use of a straight edge, such as a 16' X 2" X 4" will aid in straight roll.

To get a longer lasting tire print, mix soap into the solution as this will slow the evaporation of the water used.

If you do this with a cold tire, you will not get a correct imprint to diaganose what is really going on.

Things change at speed as well, as the tire does ballon more so due to heat, so if you see anything off even with a warm tire, it will be off more at speed.

Combining the inspection of fall away, correct tube adjustment, correct air pressure and flipping there should be no reason other than hard acceleration in turns and braking that would cause the tire to wear prematurely.

Excuse me, I have to go check fall away & flip my front tire as it has just hit 1,500 miles since the tire was new.....................happy motoring.
 
#29 ·
This kinda sounds stupid, but I was riding today and while coasting behind traffic, took my left hand off the bars and noticed how the bike was leaning to the left to keep it balanced. I do this a fair amount in traffic and it made me think of this thread and whether it could have anything at all to do with this. How many of us do this?

Seems unlikely, but I thought I'd throw it out there...
 
#32 ·
Not stupid at all, your becoming more perceptive to the road surface as far as being level or not.

You have to consider the crown in the road. Roads typically are sloped to the right to allow water run off and because of this will throw off your point of contact between the bottom of your foot and the roads surface causing you to balance the bike with the weight on one side which would be to the left.

This would be more prevalent on US and other roadways where traffic runs left to right when facing the roadway from a sidewalk or ditch.

If one ever goes to a country where the trafic runs reverso, beware when crsossing the street as when doing so if you do not look right firstyou just might get smacked by a vehicle.

I think the crown fact may have been posted prior as this subject has been hashed out many times since 2003 so I have not gone back to review postings.
 
#30 ·
Run 40psi front/back, You'll be good to go.
 
#31 ·
Most uneven tire wear is due to misalignment and improper inflation. Take your bike into a flat parking lot speed up to 30 mph and take your hands off the bars you should be going straight. If not your out of alignment. If you tend to go to the left the right side of the rear axle is usually too far back. To the right the opposite is true. Due to the slop in the right axle cam, your right side is usually more forward, as was the case with mine. Measure the distance from the center of the swing arm bolt to the center of the axle on both sides. Close doesn't cut it, they must be the same. There is an alignment tool made for this, but a tape measure and a little patience yields the same result.
 
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