Tire longevity advice wanted

I need a new rear tire on my 750 Seca again. The Shinko Tourmaster I put on when I got it lasted almost exactly 5,000 miles, and I need something within the next week or two.

I don't consider myself an aggressive rider--I've never dragged a peg, and rarely get above 7,000 rpm. I mostly commute, and occasionally get caught in rain. The Shinko handled fine as far as I'm concerned, the XJ with it is far more stable than the CX500 it replaced.

Is 5000 miles 'normal' mileage for a cheap tire? Will a major brand tire last enough longer to be worth the extra price? Specific recommendations for my bike and riding style?

 

I'll probably catch some flack for this :lol: , but the tread life has been intentionally engineered out of modern streetbike tires.

To answer your question more directly, 5-8k miles is typical rear tire mileage for 500+ lb bikes these days, no matter how much you spend on the tire. The exception being big-bore sportbikes where 2-2.5k miles is not unusual unless they've never been ridden uphill or against the wind. :wink:

 

i've had good luck with the bridgestone sp11 on my 700. i've rode on it a few seasons now and I still have a decent amount of tread left. (not sure how many miles the tire has covered but i'd guess 3500+ miles)

 

Avon Roadriders are a good option. Decent mileage and great grip/handling.

 

Edit: Duros, I have Duros on my bike, went in intending to get Kendas, changed my mind because of tread pattern on Duros. Brain fart. Ignore all that Kenda stuff below \/\/

I've only ever put Kendas on my Maxim, one on rear when I got the bike, same model later on the front. You mentioned rain, I picked the Kenda because it was the only tire for the price that had a "rain channel" down the middle. I'm pretty sure I've gotten a good 5k out of that rear one, there is some "squaring off" from not enough cornering, I guess, but I can't complain, rides nice, handles well. No "excitement"

 

I only got 5K~6K miles out of the rear Avon Roadrider AM26 on my 550 Seca. Great tires though.

I've got about 9K miles on the Dunlop D404s on the other bike, and although the rear is not quite done yet, it is squaring off and becoming a bit "interesting" handling-wise.

 

I've got ~5500miles (9000km) on my read end footwear, and it looks brand new still? Odd..

 

Awwww... something broke my sig...

̿ ̿̿'̿'\̵͇̿̿\з==(•̪●)==ε/̵͇̿̿/'̿'̿ ̿ ̿̿

 

I Use the Pirelli Route 66 on my XJ650 (I am not positive but I heard that Metzler makes this tire)

Good smooth ride no wobbles from the black tar road snakes. Corners fine (although I am not over aggressive in the corners) Good on wet roads also

Front I put on about 12K ago
The rear about 5K ago
Both still look new

I bought them because they are cheep and I ride daily to work (100 mile RT) Each set me back about $130 mounted and balanced. (off the Bike)

 

I wound up going with a Bridgestone sp11, in part due to the tread pattern having almost no grooves in the center. Even if the mileage is the same as the Shinko, I won't go back--the Shinko has a zig-zag center groove. Not sure if that is the cause, but the Bridgestone is astonishingly better at dealing with 'black tar road snakes' and other pavement features that would make the bike wobble.

 

If you want your tires to last longer, don't do burnouts or doughnuts etc. I've found with pretty much anything that I've owned, tires are tires, irregardless of what you pay for....

 

I had those on my XJ550, 10,000km on them and about 2/3 worn when the bike was parked up

 

I Should clarify. I have I forget this is world wide and we Americans are stubborn about moving to the metric system


Front I put on about 12,000 miles ago
The rear about 5,000 miles ago
Both still look new

 

I just bought Michelin Commander II from Motorcyclesuperstore.com and after reading reviews it looks like I can expect 15K miles the way I drive. Some reviews went as high as 22K miles. Cost me something like $225 for both, shipped with no extra charge.