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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Is something wrong or it just the way it is? /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1349198825 Message started by grungeant on 10/02/12 at 10:27:05 |
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Title: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by grungeant on 10/02/12 at 10:27:05 Does cold affect how a tire rides? When I leave for work about 1-1:30pm it's usually in the 70's and I can pretty much ride 65-75 fine if it isn't windy. It seems like I feel a little more road vibration than I should, but it is toleratable. When I ride home from work anywhere from 11-2:30am it's in the 50's and it seems I can't really go over 60 even on windless nights because I just feel every little imperfection in the road mostly I feel the grainy road surface, but sometimes... And it could be my imagination because I am cold and tired, I feel some slight oscilation from the back with it. The other night it got me so nervous I pulled over and checked the rear tire and everything I could on the side of the road and everything seemed tight. It seems the colder out it is the worse it is, which also might have something to do with how rigid my body is too. My bike has about 6100miles on it. as far as I know the tires are original, or at least thee original brand with good tread. This is not my first bike, however it is my first bike in about 8 years. I had a KLR250 that I used to ride 75-85 almost everywhere so I understand what a light bike feels like in the wind, but this is different. It's almost like my tire rubber is too hard. Myh commute is 25 miles one way. Mostly highway, and at least 8 miles of the highway is the same road I have ridden other bikes across many times, so I'm oretty sure it is the bike I am uncomfortable with and not the road. I read this post and it seems like I might have the same problem as this guy, but nothing was ever concluded. http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1317996336/0 I suspect my IRC tires just suck even though they have good tread, and based on what I have read I should get Metzeler Marathon 880's and the bike will ride much nicer and corner better. This bike seems to be the worst handeling bike I have ever ridden. With my work gear I am about 180lbs. I raised the rear tire pressure to the 2 person psi and it cornered better, but seemed too rigid, so I lowered it back down to the 1 person pressure, and I am running about 31psi in my front tire. Most of what I feel seems to be coming from the back of the bike, but I am still thinking about lowering my front tire pressure to 29 when I get a new gauge, but something tells me that will make things worse. I have my rear shocks on the lowest setting because on the 2nd setting it was just too painfull to ride with a 25lb backpack, and it is still a little on the rigid side. |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by Serowbot on 10/02/12 at 11:38:07 The stock IRC's ain't the greatest... and 8 year old ones are gonna' really suck... tires dry out... Get some new ones... Shinko, Kenda, Dunlop, Perrelli, Metzler,(in order of longevity, less to more)... all better than the stock IRC's... Try to choose some that will wear out in less than 5 years... PS,.. I used to buy IRC's for my DP bike, and they were quite good... it's not a bad brand,... it's just this particular model of tire... |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by Cavi Mike on 10/02/12 at 12:27:28 It's not the ambient temperature that matters, it's the road temperature. |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by Doug B on 10/02/12 at 14:58:26 I have a new s40(2011 purchased on 8-21-12 from Suzuki) and I, too, have felt the "wandering" from the back wheel/tire and have stopped to check(as you mentioned) it's somewhat uncomfortable - but I know that things are as they should be(tight) :) |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by verslagen1 on 10/02/12 at 16:26:50 IRC's suck Get another brand of tire when it comes time. |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 10/02/12 at 22:50:42 My OEM rear tire never had traction, even on dry roads, it felt squirelly. But, I kept if for 5,000 miles, because I thot riding a rolling tube of snot mite make me a better rider. |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by grungeant on 10/02/12 at 23:36:36 6274637E66737E65110 wrote:
I have never "worn out" a motorcycle tire. How will I know when they are worn out? I replaced the Continentals on my KZ750 because the sidewalls just looked scarey. I replaced them with Bridgestone Spitfires, and had the bike another 4 years and for 2 of those years the bike was my primary vehicle, and for the 1st year it was my only vehicle. I lived in Las Vegas at the time and rode the bike year round from about 30 degrees up to 117 degerees. They still had good tread when I sold the bike, but were starting to look dryrotted around the sidewalls. I was heavier then too, and had 2 people on the bike most of the time, so there was pretty much between 400-500lbs of people/gear on the bike when I wasn't flying to work. I hear people saying they wear a tire out in 5k. That just seems rediculous to me. I commute 50 miles round trip 5 days a week, and if the bike will handle it, I want to make it my primary vehicle except when it is snowing. I put about 20k a year on my car, so I expect to put at least half that on my bike. Which tires will I wear out in 5 years? I'm thinking I want something with good handeling and smooth quiet ride. I like to run 70-80 most of the time and corner fast which I can't currently do with this bike. I forget what came stock on DP. I think they might have been Dunlops? Although I have been told the tires I had sucked that bike was the best handling bike I have ever ridden, so it was probably just a good bike. I used to ride that thing like a crotch rocket. 7B594E517551535D380 wrote:
What does the road temp do to the tires, or the handeling trates? I have ridden 100mile trips through NJ winters down to about 10degrees, but that was about 10-12 years ago and mostly on an enduro which showed no change at all, and the rest was on a KZ750 which I also do not recall changing, and the tires on that bike really sucked when I first got it. |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by 87 savage on 10/03/12 at 02:23:02 3D282F343D3F3B342E5A0 wrote:
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! :o |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 10/03/12 at 04:17:00 When its down to the wear bars & will not pass inspection, its wore out. That can happen in less than 5.000 miles. I wore one out in 3,000. Cheap as that tire was, & as well as it stuck, I didnt want another one. |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by grungeant on 10/03/12 at 09:35:21 37282E2934330232023A28246F5D0 wrote:
NJ doesn't do motorcycle inspections anymore. What are the wear bars? Is it possible I am wore down to the wear bars even though the tread depth seems good? What tires did you have that were cheap and rode good? Like I had mentioned before this is my first bike in about 8 years, and between 2000-2004 I rode alot. I knew about riding. Not bikes. I got my Suzuki in July and I am learning how great my old bikes were because I never did anything to them except change the oil and plugs and air filters, and put front brakes on, and had the tires changed. Which I did all myself except the tires. I never adjusted valves or carbs other than turning the idle up or down. I can't imagine how good those bikes would have been if I actually took care of them like I was supposed to. |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by Charon on 10/03/12 at 09:51:02 Seems to me as if every bike forum and every bike review complains about whatever tire comes stock on every bike in the world. They can't ALL be bad - can they? |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by Serowbot on 10/03/12 at 10:09:59 Grunt,.. with the amount of miles you intend to be riding,.. I'd go with the longest lasting tires... Metzler 880's... They are 50% more expensive, but will last twice as long... (usually in the 20k range)... so, you'll likely get 2 years out of them... Wear bars,.. are small ridges of rubber, in between the tread of a tire.. when the tread gets a low as the wear bars, it's time to go shopping... You can also use a penny... put the penny head first into a gap between the tread pattern... and if you can't see the top of Lincoln's head,.. it's shopping time... http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/tiretech/pennyfront.jpg PS... get new tubes as well.... and ask for a 90' valve stem mounted brake side on the rear... (makes air checks much easier)... ;)... |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by grungeant on 10/03/12 at 10:13:33 133831223F3E500 wrote:
Nope. Although people told me my stock tires on my 1998 KLR250 sucked, I thought that was the best handling bike I have ever ridden, and very rarely broke traction on pavement, and when I did it was always my own fault and usually from stopping too fast. You could put that bike almost horizontal at pretty much any speed, and even accelerate and shift while almost laying sideways. So light weight and perfectly balanced! I could not even imagine how great the bike would be with better tires if the ones I had "sucked" I rode that bike year round in all kinds of weather too from an NJ winter to a Las Vegas summer. If that bike had less of a plastic dirtbike look to it, and just a little more power I would have gotten another. I rode that thing as hard as it could be ridden almost everry time I went out and it still got over 70mpg, and was capable of cruising at 80 smoothly. I think Suzuki could pull off an even better bike if they made a TU with a bigger frame, and like a 400-450. |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by grungeant on 10/03/12 at 10:47:55 2137203D25303D26520 wrote:
Oh man I just had my rear tube replaced a few weeks ago because I got a flat. It cost me $75 too! I didn't know you could get a 90 valve stem for a bike. I had a 90 degree air gauge specifically because of my rear tire, but it was digital and after a month or so it started reading like 30-40psi higher than what was actually in the tire. You meant if I can see the top of Lincoln's head it's shopping time right? I was wondering could this be my imagination? When my rear tire was flat I had to ride about 20-30 miles to the closest place to get my tire fixed, and alls I had was a bicycle foot pump, and I could only get about 25psi in the tire between the tire leaking and the chuck not sealing too good. It was in the low 80's that day and I could only ride 5-10 minutes before the bike got too squirrely and I had to pull over to put more air in. I was going about 45-50 between stops and got slower the worse the bike rode. When I got to the bike shop it seemed like the center section of the tread looked darker than the rest of the rubber, and I know the tire itself got fairly hot. So maybe in my mind (or possibly reality) I am thinking I wore the center of the tread flat and that's why my bike corners like crap either because I think it does, or because it actualy does in reality? And if this has actually happened would that also explain why I feel every grain of the asphault on the highway? I haven't stuck a penny in the tread, but they look like they are decent. I will have to check them and look for the wear bars. when I go out later. |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by SALB on 10/03/12 at 21:30:09 If you liked the Bridgestone spitfire on your other bike, go for it. I put a set on mine last spring, and at 3000+ miles, I'm just starting to see signs of wear. ;) |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 10/03/12 at 21:57:02 I could probably pick the brand name out of a multiple choice list, but I cant remember,, Im sorry,, they stuck good, & the first one gave me a good 5,000 miles, the 2nd only gave me 3,, Some of that was, Im sure, due to my increased aggressiveness after getting rid of the stock tire, then getting that 5,000 miles of good handling, |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by grungeant on 10/03/12 at 22:40:35 696A697D6B636D080 wrote:
Bridgestone would have been my first choice simply based on past experience and the fact that my girlfriend's bike has different model Bridgestones than I had that actually look cooler than the Spitfires and her bike also rides and corners very nice, so I just assumed Bridgestone must make a good motorcycle tire in general. Have you found a Bridgestone that comes in 140/80-15? I have not. The only ones I have found sold in America that come in that size are IRC, Dunlop, and Metzeler. I have also heard of Pirellis being available in that size too, but they must be discontinued because it doesn't come up on their website. |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by SALB on 10/04/12 at 19:24:50 796C6B70797B7F706A1E0 wrote:
Bridgestone would have been my first choice simply based on past experience and the fact that my girlfriend's bike has different model Bridgestones than I had that actually look cooler than the Spitfires and her bike also rides and corners very nice, so I just assumed Bridgestone must make a good motorcycle tire in general. Have you found a Bridgestone that comes in 140/80-15? I have not. The only ones I have found sold in America that come in that size are IRC, Dunlop, and Metzeler. I have also heard of Pirellis being available in that size too, but they must be discontinued because it doesn't come up on their website.[/quote] Ya, the Bridgestone only comes in a 140/90-15, but the good news is it fits, and according to a few on the forum, corrects the speedometer. :-/ |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by verslagen1 on 10/04/12 at 19:48:31 696A697D6B636D080 wrote:
Not few... many, myself included. and it corrects the optimistic speedo. 8-) |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by grungeant on 10/04/12 at 23:04:45 4F5C4B4A55585E5C5708390 wrote:
Not few... many, myself included. and it corrects the optimistic speedo. 8-)[/quote] Is this the tire size that I was reading fits after you grind something inside the fender or is it a simple bolt on swap? Does it ride/handle any better or is it just easier to find the rubber? What is wrong with the speedo? |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 10/04/12 at 23:13:47 What is wrong with the speedo? Nothing serious,, its just a minor character flaw. It lies a little,,Its telling you your bike is faster than it really is. |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by verslagen1 on 10/04/12 at 23:16:51 687D7A61686A6E617B0F0 wrote:
All tires vary in size, and how you set your shocks vary. Every tire install needs to be checked for clearance. changing out the side rail bolts for button head allen bolts will give you a little more clearance. Quote:
every speedo reads a little faster then you actually going. or every time you got a speeding ticket you'd run down to the dealer to complain. |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by grungeant on 10/04/12 at 23:34:05 23302726393432303B64550 wrote:
All tires vary in size, and how you set your shocks vary. Every tire install needs to be checked for clearance. changing out the side rail bolts for button head allen bolts will give you a little more clearance. Quote:
every speedo reads a little faster then you actually going. or every time you got a speeding ticket you'd run down to the dealer to complain.[/quote] Yeah, I know most speedos read about 1-2mph faster than what you are actually moving. I just wasn't sure if the Suzuki one is extra off. The strange thing is I sent Ryca an email asking how far their speedo would be off on a stock bike, and the reply I got was something to the effect of Pretty acurate as it is the same ratio as a stock bike and 90% of all Jap bikes. That didn't really make sense to me. I don't think I'll be swapping tire sizes if the only reason to do it is that it makes it easier to find rubber and the speedo is closer to accurate. |
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Title: Re: Is something wrong or it just the way it is? Post by verslagen1 on 10/05/12 at 00:06:37 5643445F5654505F45310 wrote:
speedos aren't geared to read a precise speed in direct relationship of how fast the wheels are turning. they are geared to spin a magnet which creates a torque on a plate with a clock spring. these plates are calibrated to read the speed you're going. almost a black art. only electronic speedos can be precise. |
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