Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech tire check

what's a good way to check tire tread (front, back)to see if i need new tires for my speedy?

i have not noticed any cupping or performance loss and the have 17,000 miles, both front and back.

i check the air pressure very week.

thanks for the help

cat

Get a piece of cardboard/plastic etc and put a line on it about 1.5mm (roughly 1/16") from the edge. Stick it in the tread at various points. If the tread's not deeper than the line at any point, you need new tyres now.

At 17000 miles I'd be surprised if there's ANY tread left on your front, and there won't be much on the rear. If you look at your rear from above it'll probably be square instead of round.

Matt

Cat,
That is some impressive mileage. Some of the tire gages come with a depth gage attached. The rear on the Metz is a hard thing to eyeball the way that tread runs, you don't know quite where to measure.

I use a penny. Stick a penny into the tread groove in the center of the tire with Lincoln's head pointing down. If you can see the top of his head, it's time to get a new tire.

Btw Cat, although I've had nail problems with back tires, 17,000 miles is about what I got from the stock Speedmaster tire.

Given the mileage on your tires, you should be as concerned about old rubber as you are with the amount of tread left. Old tires get real hard and loose a lot of their ability to flex. They dry rot, develop lots of little cracks and are slippery in the corners. Treat yourself to some new ones!

Quote:

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Now if only I had a US penny.

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Hey Matt,

Well I did make sure I checked Cat's location before offering that bit of advice about the penny.

So how's the bike rebuild coming?

Derek

cat,

17,000 miles? That is unreal!
I'm on my 3rd set of tires, 2nd set of Avons at about 13,800 miles....!

Either those Metzlers are amazing tires or your roads are made of rubber...

I was watching the rear tire pretty close last summer and my eyeball gauge indicated I could get another couple thousand miles out of it. Even though there was tread pattern visible across the tire (Avon VenomX), my eyeball gauge was about a 500 miles off.

On the upside, I now know that Triumphs handle real well regarding catastrophic blow-outs at 70 mph. On the downside it cost $260 (U-Haul rental & fuel), $60 (motel room), not to mention the new tire, which I would have needed anyway. It also screwed up the end of a great long weekend. Oh, and on the upside, it's great when you're riding with ba.com people like Roger and Sue, who patiently bail you out of a tough spot on the road

I still have the original worn Bridgestones out back, maybe I ought to start packing them around as an insurance policy?

Grump, does that mean you're getting less than 4000 miles per set of tires? Seems like they should do better than that. How long did you get on the stock Bridgestone tires?

I probably should write this stuff down, but I don't...

I changed the Bridgestones out around 5000 miles or so. They still had some miles left but I was anxious to try the Avons. I got about 6000 or so miles out of the first set of Avons and I'm on my second set now. These numbers are guestimates, 'cause like I said, I don't write this stuff down. But I'm getting about 5000-6000 miles out of tires.

And contrary to the "2 rears per front" theory, both need replacing about the same time.

I think the penny method is a good way. Or stop in at an auto tire store and use their gauge. 17,000 miles seems about right for the Metzlers. I would think you could even go 20,000 plus. They just look like they have more tread then the Bridgestones. I have 16,000 plus on my original Bridgestones. But the front is way gone. I'm going with the Metzlers when I replace them. The Avons just seem to wear too fast. I can't afford to replace tires every 6,000 miles.

With the rear brakes wearing out about the same mileage as the tires, I'm having second thoughts about the Avons as well.
Hopefully, by the time I wear this set out, and the other set I have stored in a closet, there will be more info on here as to the best tires for grip and mileage.

Happy birthday Cat and Grump!!!

Cat, are the stock Metzlers on the Speedmaster the Lazer Techs? I saw on another post the Larryshep put on Metzler 880's on his new America. They are listed as high mileage touring tires but are quite a bit more expensive. Wow, maybe a 40,000 mile mc tire???

I believe the front is a Lazer and the rear is an 880 on Speedies.

Thanks for the reply Chy. I think that's what I am going to get for the front this weekend. My front tire is worn and if I take my hands off the bars (not something I do on a regular basis) the front end shimmys badly. Too bad I have to use an inner tube since those tire were designed to be to be tubeless.
Paul

I had the front end shimmy thing with mine on the origional Bridgestone and it continued on with the second tire which was an Avon. Turns out my front wheel needed to be trued, it might be something to get checked.
I run the Metzler 880 on the rear and as soon as I get a few hundred more miles out of the Avon on the front, I'm going to replace it with the 880 as well.

hey, grump and I have the same bday? how 'bout that. i'm 22... miles away from new tires.

it snowed here so i haven't been out to the garage.
i think the rear tire is an 880. don't know about the front, but it looks pretty good.
i haven't had a chance to use the checks people have suggested. i'm thinking new rear at least in the spring.

i guess it sounds like i ride like a baby considering the mileage. it's pretty flat here in Nebraska.

cat

my party guests:

Happy belated birthday, Cat.

I'm 16.. feet from the closet where my spare Avons are stored...
Actually, 53 doesn't seem much different from 52.

I don't ride like a madman either, well, not usually, but we have nothing but hills and bends and stop signs and several different road surfaces here in W.Pa.
The original Bridgestone tires may have worn a bit longer than the Avons do, but the confidence in grip is like night and day. I've been told Dunlop tires are good for high mileage, and now it seems the Metzlers last a long time as well. I guess with that spare set of Avons, I've got plenty of time to do the research for the best tread life and grip and ability to run with tubes before I need to change tires again.....

I finally ordered a front tire. I decided to go with the Michelin Commandor Cruiser tire. It looks like it has the agressive tread I am looking for. The shop said it would be in about Tuesday. They run about $89. I can't wait to get it on, to see how the bike handles.

PES -I've wondered about Michelin mc tires. They make pretty good car tires, why not bike tires too? Never heard of anyone using them though. Let us know what you think.

The tread wear indicators built into the tire would be the easiest way to check wear. As mentioned, they run across the tread face, from the right to the left (or vice versus), and are spaced around the circumference of the tire at maybe 10-12"intervals. Look in the grooves of the tread, and locate where these little lines, or bumps, run across the tread face. On car tires they are at 2/32nds of an inch of tread wear remaining - in other words, when you are worn down to 2/32nds, it will look like stripes across the tread face where the rubber is worn "slick". I would not recommend riding the tires to that point - it is not worth the risk (and they become nail magnets by then, too).

Grooves and ribs in tire tread designs are there to provide grip and traction, and to channel water from under the tire.
When they don't channel water well, you're going to loose the grip and traction.

I had the Michelin Commander tire installed on my bike. so far so good. The vibration and shimmy completely disappeared in the front end. I also like the tread design. I still haven't had it on the interstate yet. will let you know.

thanks for the update pes.