Tire Budgetting?

[BradfordBenn]

I am putting together my budget for the summer rally. So I am trying to figure out how many miles should I expect to get from the stock tires on a 2002 R1150RT.

Any ideas as to how many miles I should expect?

[knary]

Originally posted by BradfordBenn
I am putting together my budget for the summer rally. So I am trying to figure out how many miles should I expect to get from the stock tires on a 2002 R1150RT.

Any ideas as to how many miles I should expect?

You probably need to be more specific about what tires are on there. The tires that came stock on a particular model of bike seems to vary with the year, the month, or the day.

[kbasa]

I usually figure my tires are toast by 5K.

[knary]

Originally posted by KBasa
I usually figure my tires are toast by 5K.

yeah...but, you don't do much straight line riding. Brad lives in a sea of flatness. You get Lots more miles of tires when the only curves to be found are highway ramps. :cry

[kbasa]

Originally posted by knary
yeah...but, you don't do much straight line riding. Brad lives in a sea of flatness. You get Lots more miles of tires when the only curves to be found are highway ramps. :cry

Very true. The D220s I had on the RS last summer were toast at 6K after I thrashed them across the country and back. That trip was primarily interstates with doses of backroads added for sanity.

[sgborgstrom]

Using 6000 miles as a tire's lifespan....
Mapoint says about 1900 miles South Bend to Spokane (26 hours of drive time with 75mph as a baseline speed for interstate highways) so even with a fresh set to start you'll be looking for a new set fairly soon after getting home. While I would be reluctant to start a major tour with shagged tires, it might be worth looking into getting a set put on either in Spokane or somewhere along the way after you've crossed the Great Plains. Seems a shame to put a big flat spot on a new set of tires just getting to where the riding gets good.

Fresh tires at the Rally, ride Lolo Pass a bunch of times to wear out the sides of the tires and let the center section catch up on the way home?

Steve

[Mr. Frank]

The RT can come with Metzler, Michelin, Bridgestone or Dunlop. The Metzlers last about 8K, the Michelins about 10K, and the Dunlops about 12K according to people I talk to. Bridgestone I don't know about. If you ride and brake hard the numbers would drop a couple thousand.

[BradfordBenn]

D205's to be exact. Went to the DunlopMotorcycle website and no listings of mileage expectations.

[knary]

Originally posted by BradfordBenn
D205's to be exact. Went to the DunlopMotorcycle website and no listings of mileage expectations.

Really, honest, I WILL finish the tire review pages on my site. :)

From those reviews, this is what I found in regards to mileage for your bike:

Dunlop D205 on a R1100/1150R,RS,RT's...
front: average 9,250 miles (14 reviews)
rear: average 10,271 miles (15 reviews)

The only tire that did comparably as well (similarly high scores and similar mileage) was the Bridgestone BT020.

[Mr. Frank]

Originally posted by BradfordBenn
D205's to be exact. Went to the DunlopMotorcycle website and no listings of mileage expectations.

That's what I have. I'm at 11K now with a couple thou left. I'm very easy on tires. I don't brake or accelerate hard, and I run about 75 on the interstate.

I have a set of Pilot Roads ordered.

[BradfordBenn]

I got 6,128 out of my front. :cry I could probably squeeze a little more but with a ride to Branson in a week, safety first.

What I thought was a wear bar, was in fact a wear bar. Yup, Mr. Lincoln did not get taller on the penny.

The rear one on the other hand, looks just fine.

On the plus side BMW of South Bend is having 20% off of tires through the end of the month, so at least I got it at a good time.:clap

[Fang]

TO: Knary

Is it your opinion, then, that Dunlops are a "harder" rubber
compound than, say, Metzlers, which typically go only 8,000
miles?

Does a "harder" compound equate to less traction in the rain?

Does a "harder" compound equate to less traction in absolute
terms, rain or shine?

Pls advise... :dunno :confused:

[knary]

Originally posted by fang
TO: Knary

Is it your opinion, then, that Dunlops are a "harder" rubber
compound than, say, Metzlers, which typically go only 8,000
miles?

Does a "harder" compound equate to less traction in the rain?

Does a "harder" compound equate to less traction in absolute
terms, rain or shine?

Pls advise... :dunno :confused:


Tire mileage is more than a question of "softness" and "hardness", but I am in no position to really answer this except with conjecture and sloppy thinking. :)

All I'd really add, is that every tire is a compromise, you just need to, with the help of other riders, figure out which tires best suit your needs. If all you want is traction, a racing slick is *great*, if all you want it milage, a Dunlop 491 is *great*. Most tires, thankfully, fall somewhere between. Mix in different riding habits, bikes, and road conditions, and it can get a wee bit interesting.

This is exactly why I created a site to review tires for BMW motorcycles. Unfortunately, it's been sorta on the fritz for some time now, and I haven't had the time or energy to finish version 2. Soon. I promise.

[Mr. Frank]

Originally posted by BradfordBenn
I got 6,128 out of my front. :cry I could probably squeeze a little more but with a ride to Branson in a week, safety first.


That's pretty bad for a tire that is known for long life.


What pressure do you run in front? I run 38.

[BradfordBenn]

Uh (Sheepishly)

I did not do a great job staying on top of the pressure on this one. The rear one no problem, but the front one well if the back one didn't need it. Live and learn.:cry

[basketcase]

Fang's question is one I've mentally kicked about for a while.

My 1985 K100 (purchased with right at 73k on the clock) came with Dunlops on it. No complaints from me -- I reupped for Dunlops when those wore out.

Next, my 1995 K75RT came with the typical OEM Metzler's installed. I bought it "as new" with 1,150 miles on the odometer.

As I recall, I got about 8k out of the rear tire, and 12k out of the front. I made my first trip to Deal's Gap on that bike at around 6k. Doing the Gap at redline in second gear, I dragged the pegs in the turns.

However, as they wore, the Metzler's became "squirrley," meaning that sometimes, I would sense a wobbling in the handling -- particularly at low speed turns. After reading up on it, I discovered that Metzler uses a different rubber compound at different stages in the tire construction. The Metz was attractive because of its reported superior stickability, but the wobbling ran me nuts -- and I really wanted better mileage for the dollars spent.

So, when I installed new rubber, I again went with Dunlop 491's. They are made of a "harder" compound, which supposedly means higher mileage, but less stickum.

Well, when I went back to Deal's Gap riding on the Dunlops, I again dragged the pegs. Interestingly, one of the few times I've needed ABS occured on that same trip -- in a wet curve at 50 + mph. Another rider was parked on the shoulder of the road, and in typical idiot fashion, u-turned in front of me. I instinctively hit both brakes -- too hard for wet pavement, and (1) the ABS kicked in and (2) the "harder" 491's held under hard braking in a curve on wet pavement.

My take: The skilled, average rider is not going to put a demand on a tire that will overtax the ability of his or her tires. As a result, I tend to shop tires in terms of what tire will get me the best mileage for the buck, and leave the finer points of stickiness to the racing crowd.

[dlearl476]

>You get Lots more miles of tires when the only curves to be found are highway ramps.

I actually find the opposite to be true. Here in the desert, I can wear a set of tires down to the cords in the center in 5-6000 miles, with 80% of the tread left on the sides. On my mostly blue road trip to Spokane, BC, HWY 1/101 to San Jose, then home after shipping to Denver, I got a little over 12,000 miles on a set of Macadam 100s. More time spent on the sides than the center of the tires.


Originally posted by fang
TO: Knary

Does a "harder" compound equate to less traction in the rain?

Does a "harder" compound equate to less traction in absolute
terms, rain or shine?

Pls advise... :dunno :confused:

In the past, yes. Nowadays there are a lot of new ingredients (silica ? mostly) that change that equation. Making for a long wearing tire WITH good grip and wet weather traction.