[BRUTUS32]

What is everyone here averaging on both their front and rear tires? The dealership stated that you should get between 2500 and 3000 on the rear tire and around 6000 on the front if you’re gentle with the bike. If you ride her hard you should get considerable less. Now we all now that Harley dealerships are all about making money so I thought I would float the question to you boys and see what you’re getting. Also if you are going to run a different tire then the Dunlap which one is it? A buddy of mine told me that Metzger makes a real good soft tire that’s great for gripping the road. Any input on that?

 

[Val]

Wow, that's ridiculous. I don't ride hard, so YMMV. But, I got 7k on my stock Dunlops. I switched to Metzelers, stopped having front-tire cupping, and now get a good 10k on my rear and up to 12-13k on my front tire.

Now, if you're racing or doing blowouts...

 

[Nas3car]

I have the orginal rear with 7900 and about 2-3000 left on it and the front has been changed out at 1500 and is ready again but that was due to improper headset preload, too loose.

I am going with Metzlers next time.

 

[lakedrunk]

I had around 4000 miles on my dunlops, I could have kept them longer but they were cupping bad and I decided to go with metzlers :thumb:

 

[Big Red]

rear 5000 but riding hard front still one with 11000 on it should change it soon on the rear now 260 metz with 6000 on it and still probably 2000 more!!!

 

[RaderDX]

I have 5000 on both my stock front and rear Dunlops. I have no wear issues or cupping. No plans to change any time soon....but watching wear none the less. I commute 23-05 miles each way in Houston rush hour traffic and cannot afford a tire problem.......

 

[hamletexpress]

I would float the question to you boys
8500 on rear, 10500 on front, and don't forget about the "girls."

 

[Val]

I would float the question to you boys
8500 on rear, 10500 on front, and don't forget about the "girls."

thank you, dear.

 

[hamletexpress]

thank you, dear.

A deer in the headlights sometimes, and your welcome.

 

[EZE RIDER]

8000 on the front due to cupping. It still had some tread left. 4000 on the rear. Nail.

 

[Tattoo]

7000 on both, original with no cupping

 

[nickbidd]

What a depressing thread - done 2K and if that means I got another 2 - 6K before I can justify fitting a 260 I may have to start doing burn outs!

 

[ShoNoff]

I got around 5500 on the rear before the cords started showing. I couldn't keep it from breaking loose at 6000 rpm. I went to 200 Avon venom and it hooks up hard now. Feels much faster now that it grips. The front tire is cupping badly and it vibrates on corners so its about done now at 6900 miles.

 

[fafafooey]

I was reading the manual for my 08 DX and it says that for VRSC's with ABS if you change your tires size it can cause the speed sensors to malfunction and ABS to stop working. Has anyone gone to a 260 or larger on the rear that has ABS?

 

[Mark Ducati]

I live in the mountains with VERY curvy roads that I like to hammer... as such, I've got considerable wear even at 400 miles on the edge of the tires, my chicken strips are less than 1/4" on the rear...

I'm guessing I'll get a couple thousand miles out of the tires as is, than can get a couple thousand more if it dont smoke the corners... well that's not gonna happen, so I'm expecting to change the tires out at 2500-3000 miles.

As for front/rear, whenever I change the rear tire, I always change the front at the same time, always nice to start off with a fresh set of matching rubber.

C'mon, its a bike, a toy, a luxury... just like a sports car, if you cant afford higher octane fuel or tires, you cant afford the vehicle.

 

[Louis]

"Cupping" is a term I've never heard, what does it mean?

 

[Mark Ducati]

Cupping, which is more accurately described as scalloping (see pictures, but we will use the more common term "cupping" here), is a natural wear pattern on motorcycle tires and it will always follow the tread pattern. It is not a sign that you have bad suspension parts. It merely shows that your tire is indeed gripping the road when you make turns. This cupping develops within the side wear bands of a leaned motorcycle. The extreme forces that come in to play when the bike is leaned in a turn are what produce the effect and when the wear becomes sufficient, one will experience vibration and noise when one banks into a turn.

 

[JDR_ROD]

I just changed my stock dunlop rear w/ 7500 miles on it

 

[Louis]

Hmm. Never seen what you appear to be describing in thirty years and half a million miles of sports bikes. What I am only too familiar with however is the squaring off of the rear, and the triangulation of the front, both of which severely reduce grip and make the bike come of the vertical with an unwelcome squirm. Could that be what you are referring to?

I would expect squaring off to kiss off the V-Rod's rear quite quickly...

 

[Desmo-Kid]

Half million miles and the last poster has not seen cupping on a tire? Happens worse when you are braking into a turn.

The combination of braking into turns and riding leaned over through turns much of the time has my front tire just at the legal limit of tread on the Street Rod (maybe they are harder on tires, maybe the compound on the tires it comes with is softer), both front and rear will be well done at 4k miles.