Back tire gone after 3Kmiles, any suggestions?

I bought my 82XJ1100 in 04/08 and put a new set of Dunlop404's on in 05/08. My front tire looks new but my back tire's center tread is gone after 3.1K miles. I kept the tire pressure at 30 for the front and 34 for the back which is just under the specs for "High Speed Riding". I use these pressures due to commuting on the interstate back and forth to work and would assume 75-90 mph as high speeds.

Any suggestions on tire types, pressures?

P.S. I know what readers will think, but NO burnouts.

Thanks for any responses.

 

you need to find some twisties on the way to work, then take the long way home
3K isn't very good though, i seem be getting good mileage from bridgestone s11's

 

If you are only riding lots of straight roads and not much canyons try a different tire. You can get tires that will last longer but grip will suffer. Usually as long as you do not plan on draggin knee then you should be fine. Ask around to see what other XJ's are running for tires and pressures.

If I remember the d404's were essentially a stock tire. You should be able to get that mileage out of a d501 easily, or look around for some touring or sport touring compounds.Try different manufacturers also. Me I am running a Continental tires. Longevity is really great, over 20000 KM outof the rear and it's 2/3rds the way down and the front is ready to be replaced. Grip is Ok I guess. I havent slid them yet but then again I havent went fast enough in the turns for them to start slipping. Don't want a 5501 lb motorcycle laying on top of me. For my next set I might be getting some Metzlers since the Conti's have had the sidewall crack after only one year of them being on the bike. One more thing try raising the pressure even more. I am running about 40 psi in the front and 43 in the rear. Now when I was racing with the seca 550 I would run 28 front and 30 on the rear. Went through tires every three months.

Sean

 

If your rear shocks are worn out you may not notice a handling deficiency but tire wear will be greater. Also, worn swing arm bushings or anything else that could put the bike out of alignment might contribute. That's a big heavy machine though, I would think there might be a tire more suited to that bike than the D404. I have D404's on my 550 Seca and after almost 2K miles the rear looks new. I too have a high-speed freeway commute, although there are some twisty country roads at my end.

 

A "5501 lb. motorcycle" ? 8O
Does it say cadillac on the tank?

 

OOPPS here let me get the white out to fix that Should have been a 550 lb motorcycle.

 

....and to think I was more interested in the tire that's only 2/3 worn down with twenty thousand kilometers on them.

snip
.......Longevity is really great, over 20000 KM outof the rear and it's 2/3rds the way down.....................................

 

Are you favoring the rear brake, such as not using the front brake unless you need more braking, or givin' it hell when the light turns green?
I've got a Continental that has held up great. Try a different brand tire.

 

rear brake drag?
out of alignment?
error on your tire gauge?

burn outs?

That sounds low for highway useage.

 

So, since I gave a smart-a$$ reply earlier, I felt guilty enough to give a real reply now............. I get around 3,500 to 4,000 mi +/- per rear tire. Some brands are better, but I usually get two summers out of a tire.. That's probably a little low for a tire, BUT I carry a lot of stuff all the time.....I have hard bags w/ quick release brackets, a trunk, full vetter Windjammer IV fairing w/lowers, virago crashbars, a stuffbag, and all the stuff inside the bags and trunk. So, there's a lot of extra weight. Also, most of the roads I'm on are straight as well as hilly (pretty steep inclines into the Mohawk Valley), so I don't get onto the sides of the tread very much. The centers wear down, and the sides look close to new.

fwiw,

dave fox

 

Thanks All for the replies.

Polock,
I do try to hit the "long way home" as often as I can, but time is always an issue.

I'll look into the Brigs s11s.

Thanks

 

Time I'm curious. How would favoring the rear brake wear a tire faster? (assuming you are not locking it up)

 

imagine a small square of rubber at any given place on the treadpattern of your tire. if you're taking turns hard, there are side loads that wear laterally on the rubber. braking and accelerating introduce the same loads, just in the longitudinal direction.

even if the tire is not slipping, you are calling on friction forces to counteract your motion. without any friction, the tire would immediately slide. these forces of friction that the tire is enacting on the road are made up of the particles of rubber moving relative to one another. this generates heat and wears on the material.

 

Interesting and well put. Thanks