Newbie with tire and noise question

[Bullfrog]

Well, I've finally got the nerve to post something. I'm mew to the formum but I've been a member since April '04. I have an 04RT and unfortunatly, mostly ride to/from work.(At least 3 days/week which is one nice thing about Austin, TX - yearround riding) I do get out on weekends, of course, but usually only day trips. My wide and I'll be heading for our first long one this May to Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and S. Dakota.

Now, here are the questions. I recently replaced my rear tire with a Michelin Pilot Road but the front is still the Bridgestone that she came with. I noticed that there is an increase in road noise; almost a roar. Is this due to the rear just being new or is it the combination of brands? I run 38 frt/42 rr.
The front tire is wearing oddly. The center and right part seems normal but the left side appears scalloped and left turns get REAL noisy, any ideas?
The tranny seems to rally whine on deceleration. Had the 6000mi service and the shop says she's in great shape. Could this be because I've put on a Cee Baily windscreen or am I imagining things?

This is my 3rd BMW - 1931 R2 given to me by an old German fellow while I lived overseas. Neat stick shift but slllloooowww. 78 R100S wish I still had it. A 21 year hiatus and now the RT.

I'd love to hear from any Central Texas riders who don't mind going slow.

Dave :wave

[dano]

Various brands / models of tires will differ in respect to noise. I've always found motorcycles to be noisy in general, i.e., the engine, exhaust, road noise, wind, etc.

Get ya some good earplugs (seriously).

And yes, the tranny on the RT's do whine, grind, moan, clank, clunk, and make a variety of other assorted "noises".

Once again.....get some earplugs! :thumb

[JCBR1150R]

...The front tire is wearing oddly. The center and right part seems normal but the left side appears scalloped and left turns get REAL noisy, any ideas?...

Dave :wave

If you are having that kind of erratic wear on the front tire you might have an alignment problem somewhere in the front or rear. I have owned several different bikes and never had the problems you describe and those were all traditional telescopic fork set-ups. I bought a bike with a bad front bearing but that made the bike unridable and once that was replaced it was fine; nothing ever happened to the tires because of it. Tele-levers are something I have no experience with. Are both tires radials? Do you have any abnormal handling problems? Dd you happen to know if the front tire was exposed to any wierd solvents that could have deteriorated it?

This is an odd problem you have. I am interested to find out what the root cause is and what (if any) corrective actions are taken.

[LeRoux Strydom]

I think you'll find quite a few RT owners have seen the front tire wear you speak of. Commonly refered to as "cupping". When I bought my (used) '02, the original front Bridgestone had severe cupping (only 7K miles). Yes, it does make the tire noisier. But more distressing, it made the front-end feel "squirrelly" under hard cornering. A new tire and all was well again.

There are several theories as to why a lot of RT's do this. I'm thinking it may have to do with the telelever suspension. Of all the telescopic-forked bikes I've owned, none of them had tire cupping problems.

[Bullfrog]

Thanks to everyone for the information. I'll get some earplugs today. I do a lot of shooting but the muffs sure don't fit under the helmet very well.
I know that when I changed the rear (1 1/2" screw in it) the wear was even. As to handling, I find that rights are much more stable then lefts. I have to correct the line even on constant radius sweepers but I figured that was just me. Food for thought.

[bikerfish1100]

in my experience, i've found that Bridgestones are a tire that has a tendency to cup more than others. personally, i won't run them again, but other folks like them fine. it is cupping more on the left because of the road crown, which puts more contact against the left side of the tire than the right. this is somewhat normal.
your solution is to buy ear plugs (but do so to protect your hearing against wind noise damage, not tire whine), and to shuck the BT and put a Pilot Road up front. the noise should abate, your handling will greatly improve having a matched set of tires, and life will be good again.
FWIW- you should expect in the vicinity of 10K from Pilot Roads, + or -. My buddy has been running the Mileage Maker 880s on his 1150RT, and loves them. they last a long time, and give him plenty of grip. (and he rides his bike as hard in the twisties as anyone i know!)

[username]

bullrog - i get my tires for my r1150r at zabors on burnet road. i had a long talk with paul (he is a great guy) about my front tire cupping, two tire changes ago. my front tire looked like a demonstration photograph, it was bad. all he said was this: be religious about your tire pressure. i was with my second set of tires, and when i replaced those, no cupping, and this was with 1k more miles than the first. i have dunlop d220's on it. theyre soft as heck and get chewed up on our roads down here, but im ok with that.

btw, i match my tires and i replace both at the same time. you may be getting weirdness from having different ones on there, but i'm no expert on this.

hope this helps, and thanks for posting.

[Cliffy777]

here are the first three things to check with cupping:
tire pressure...
tire pressure...
tire pressure
i am with usename on this one. since i got faithful in checking my pressure levels my tires are wearing like they ought to. i usta (maybe) check the air pressure 1x a month (emphasis on the "maybe") now i check it every three or four days - especially when the temps jump up and down.

[RTRandy]

I changed the original Brigestones that came on my 04 RT at a little over 8,000 miles. I probably had another 2,000 to go, but there were a couple of major trips coming up including the Spokane trip so I changed them to have peace of mind. I had pointed out to the dealer that the front tire actually still looked pretty good compared to the rear and they showed me the cupping and advised a matching pair. I went with Metzler's Z6's and have been pleased enough to be on a second pair. For me personally, it's just not worth it to squeeze every last mile out of a tire to save money and risk a flat.

Dano is right on about the ear plugs. Besides the noise protection, they actually help your concentration as well by eliminating one of the senses.

[Bullfrog]

Thanks to all who've commented on my tire question. As far as pressure goes, I check them every saturday morning.
Prehaps my pressures are incorrect but I use the 2 up rates given in the OM. I am going to get the front one changed this week instead of waiting thanks to all your advice. :thumb
One last question: How did you folks get the pictures on your postings? :dunno

Dave

[kbasa]

Take a look here, Dave.

http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2021

[SNC1923]

Hi Dave,

I'm pretty new here, too. You'll be glad you joined.

The first time I rode with earplugs was a transcendent experience. Check it out.

Thanks for asking about tires; I'm getting ready to buy my second set and know little about it.

While you're reading about posting pictures, check out this thread. (http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4417&highlight=affinity) It's a cool and easy way to share pictures with a potentially large audience. I believe there's even a small discount for MOA members.

Welcome to this wonderful cyperplace. :type

[Bullfrog]

OK, Tom and Dave here goes nothing.
Ran around today for about an hour with some -25db silicon plugs....WOW!!!
Quiets down the .308 also.

[Bullfrog]

Dave, followed the instructions and it looked pretty good but didn't seem to upload. Ah,well. Try again.
:p After all, it's about the ride!

Dave

[username]

OK, Tom and Dave here goes nothing.
Ran around today for about an hour with some -25db silicon plugs....WOW!!!
Quiets down the .308 also.

are you using them simultaneously? ;)

[SNC1923]

Dave, followed the instructions and it looked pretty good but didn't seem to upload. Ah,well. Try again.
:p After all, it's about the ride!

Dave

Dave,

After you attach the image, are you PREVIEWING the post? That usually kills it. Don't preview your post if attaching the image.

If you are linking the pic from another server, make sure the HTML syntax is right. (I just push the little "attach image" button).

Try again!

[Bullfrog]

I tend to use them separately. Unlike a horse, one can't drop the riens of a MC and use both hands for the rifle. No, I haven't tried it either. (on the bike) :p

[Mr. Frank]

Dave,

The new windshield would make for more tranny noise because now you can hear it. That may also be part of the increased tire noise. You might want to try BMW 75W140 gear oil for a little less noise and smoother shifting.

[dano]

Dave,

You might want to try BMW 75W140 gear oil for a little less noise and smoother shifting.


Or.....you might want to try MOBIL 1 75w/90. It's much cheaper and more readily available, and every bit as good, if not better, than BMW lubes. :thumb

[Mr. Frank]

Or.....you might want to try MOBIL 1 75w/90. It's much cheaper and more readily available, and every bit as good, if not better, than BMW lubes. :thumb

That's what I use in the rear drive where external heat is not a big issue, but the tranny is right above the cat where heat is a factor. I find the 75W140 allows for better shifting late in a 500 mile summer day.

[Bullfrog]

That's what I use in the rear drive where external heat is not a big issue, but the tranny is right above the cat where heat is a factor. I find the 75W140 allows for better shifting late in a 500 mile summer day.

Frank,
I think I'll give the 75W140 a shot as here in Central Texas, we run in the 90's F about 7 months a year. At least it seems that way. I noticed this past summer that the tranny did seem a bit more clunky after about 300mi. :brow

Dave

[Bullfrog]

This is an odd problem you have. I am interested to find out what the root cause is and what (if any) corrective actions are taken.

The explanation I received from my dealer is that the RT pulls slightly to the right based on the engines longitudinal centerline not being the same as the motorcycles centerline. The result is that the rider tends to put just a touch of left steering input to keep her straight. Not too much to really notice until the tire is about through. He also suggested that the Bridgestones that came with the bike are prone to some pretty excessive wear and odd wear patterns (cupping on one side).

The Michelins so far are great so after about 7000mi, I'll judge them and either stay or try an different brand.

The noise does seem to be because the new Cee Baily windscreen cuts down the wind noise so that I hear the bike more.

Dave