K1200LT front tire scallop

[theverns]

The front tire of my bike scallops just to the left of center. The right side is wearing normally. Has done this since I bought it w/50kmiles. It has 70kmiles now.

Handling and general ride are good but handling degrades as scalloping gets worse. Anybody got any ideas as to what causes this?

Scalloping on auto tires is generally due to imbalance/bad shocks. These do not seem to be present on my bike.

I am running Bridgestone Battleax

[brickrider]

The first 3 sets of tires on my 2000 K1200LTC were Bridgestones. They did not last over 6,000 miles per set and were scalloped all over the place. They also howled terribly as the wear progressed. Ultimately ended up using Metzlers. They last to around 9,000 give or take a little, stick to the road like glue even in heavy rain, and don't scallop one bit.

If changing brand of tires doesn't alter the scallop problem, then the rim is suspect for being bent.

[JKERSH1]

Check your front tire pressure. BMW recommends 36 psi, but if you pop over to bmwlt.com you'll find 42 is what most folks are using in front (48 on the rear). This does a lot to reduce cupping. BTW my last 880's went 21K front, and 16K rear, mostly solo with camping gear, and a lot of slab.

[brickrider]

In terms of air pressure, I always abide closely to what is printed on the actual tire by the manufacturer, never by what the book says. This is because the tire technology changes constantly. Sidewall strength is highly dependent upon the correct tire pressure. Personally, I use 42 psi front, 42 psi rear. If very heavily loaded for a trip, the rear tire gets upped a little bit, and the shock dampener gets changed. I have never gotten more than 10,000 miles out of any tire before the treadbars start showing, but then I ride and brake fairly aggressively, too - particularly in the curves. And the moment the treadbars begin to show, that set of tires is outta here. I don't try to save money by running them until the cords show or until UV rays from the sun crack the sidewalls - but that's just me. I'm the impatient type.

Riding styles and personal preferences aside, I have seen lots of cupped tires, but never one that was cupped only on one side due to just the tire technology (or lack thereof), or due to less air/more air. If the tire is mounted properly and evenly, and if that particular tire, or lot# of tire, is not itself defective due to some failure in the manufacturing process, then my money is on the bent rim.