So I woke up this morning to find that my rear tire is flat. This-- the most perfect day of the riding season thus far, The frustration that I feel is palpable.
I found a screw embedded pretty deeply into the tire and after taking it out (I wonder if I should have left it in?). It will hold no air. Triple A is on it's way with a bike trailer and I'll be dropping it off at garage to which I usually go.
Question: Does anyone have any recommendations for tires? I haven't had any issues with the stock rubber, but I seem to recall seeing quite a few threads suggesting that I can do a whole lot better. My bike has less than 2K on it, so I will only need to replace the rear tire.
On a side note: before I realized just how bad off the tire was, I had it in my mind that I could fire up the compressor, give it some air, and drive to the closest bike place in my area (4 miles away)-- which happens to be a Harley Davidson dealer. The service manager told me that they only work on Harleys. It's not like I wanted a valve adjustment! I wanted to order and install a new tire! So that's how it is....
Welcome, it would of cost less if ya just brought the wheel to the shop, I've used Michelin Tires now goin on 6 years, first PR3, great tires and two sets of PR4's...great for rain, not so good for extreme heat as I found out on my last set, summers are brutal here in LA and riding 250 miles a week really squared them off commuting
No complaints before I got a huge screw in my stock rear tire, but switching to PR-4's made riding appreciatiably more enjoyable , and much more confident in the rain.
Since making my initial post I actually used the search function here! I probably should have done that to begin with! It seems the PR4s are pretty popular amongst the denizens of VFRDiscussion.
First of all, a salute to the Harley service manager for not working on brands he's not up to speed on. You wouldn't want scratched wheels, etc.
Regarding tires, regardless of brand, most are now offering dual compound tires that have a harder compound down the center and softer compound on the sidewalls for long wear and good cornering grip. Many are familiar with Michelins that have that - 2's, 3's and 4's, but there are others. Tires have come a very long way and most recognizable names produce very good products.
I've read in other threads here that I might consider replacing the front OEM Dunlop too due to the fact that it is as old as it is (as mentioned previously, it's a 2010 model).
On one hand— I hate to do it because the I've put only around 2,000 miles on it, but on the other— I want the bike to handle as it should. What do you folks think? Is the five or six years sitting in a showroom a real cause for concern? How about not matching? Is that an issue? I know with my car I'm pretty particular about regular rotations so that they all wear the same, and I'd never consider for an instant having an oddball tire amongst the other three. I wonder if the same logic should be applied with regard to the bike?
This year went with PR4's. First time moving from stock dunlops then to Roadsmart and Roadsmart 2's. Love the Dunlops. But my impression of the PR4's is ace. Just need to see how they wear. Aguess I'm joining the chorus. :-)
I've read in other threads here that I might consider replacing the front OEM Dunlop too due to the fact that it is as old as it is (as mentioned previously, it's a 2010 model).
On one hand— I hate to do it because the I've put only around 2,000 miles on it, but on the other— I want the bike to handle as it should. What do you folks think? Is the five or six years sitting in a showroom a real cause for concern? How about not matching? Is that an issue? I know with my car I'm pretty particular about regular rotations so that they all wear the same, and I'd never consider for an instant having an oddball tire amongst the other three. I wonder if the same logic should be applied with regard to the bike?
Granted a dealer will charge more - a new PR4 front from Jake Wilson is $139 to the door. Unless one is a DIY'er, there's also mounting - $30? So call it $170 on the bike. I always change tires in pairs - I like the stickiest rubber I can get. If that slight extra bit is what keeps me from losing it going around a corner, IMO it's worth every penny. Broken plastic, bent bike, rashed gear, doctor bills - tires are cheap compared to all that. OTOH, I've seen riders take tires down to the cords to 'get their money's worth'. It's all personal preference. Riding is inherently riskier than driving a car, so IMHO it's worth the extra cash to give myself every possible advantage. YMMV
VFRs have just about the easiest rear tires of any motorcycle to remove. Just loosen the lug nuts prior to putting it up on the center stand. Remove/Replace and be on your way. I've actually R/R'ed both wheels after riding to work, taken them in a company vehicle to the local shop for new rubber and picked them up at the end of the day, remounted and ridden home. EASY AS PIE! No AAA or trailer required. I just have a simple 2X4 pyramid placed under the headers when both wheels come off. You'll save quite a bit by just bringing in the wheels!
VFRs have just about the easiest rear tires of any motorcycle to remove. Just loosen the lug nuts prior to putting it up on the center stand. Remove/Replace and be on your way. I've actually R/R'ed both wheels after riding to work, taken them in a company vehicle to the local shop for new rubber and picked them up at the end of the day, remounted and ridden home. EASY AS PIE! No AAA or trailer required. I just have a simple 2X4 pyramid placed under the headers when both wheels come off. You'll save quite a bit by just bringing in the wheels!
No center stand! Chalk that up to yet another thing that should have been standard with this model!
Oh well... AAA for the bike is included in my membership, so it wasn't too be a deal. And the kid that towed me was a complete bike-nut, so we had a lot to talk about. He never saw a big Viffer before and seemed to love it. For a bike that sold so poorly, it sure does turn a lot of heads and generate a lot of conversation.
You will love them. B'stone learned A LOT as the spec tire for MotoGP the past several years. It shows in their new stuff and the price usually kills the comparable Michelins that I used to love.
I would say you couldn't go wrong with any of the of major brand ST tires. But... there have been some recent reports of Michelin tire failures, which kinda gives me pause. Not too sure what to make of these reports, as I cannot fathom something like this happening with proper tire pressure and with normal street riding.
Refers to running the tire over its rated speed however, only by possibly 20mph. Seems like there would be a bit more safety margin built in so it seems like an unlikely cause.
I would say you couldn't go wrong with any of the of major brand ST tires. But... there have been some recent reports of Michelin tire failures, which kinda gives me pause. Not too sure what to make of these reports, as I cannot fathom something like this happening with proper tire pressure and with normal street riding.
Refers to running the tire over its rated speed however, only by possibly 20mph. Seems like there would be a bit more safety margin built in so it seems like an unlikely cause.
For clarity, the rating is "sustained speed" vs. an absolute speed where the tire would self-destruct at 1 mph over its rating. I always thought the rated use time was one hour, but after searching the manufacturer web sites, I suspect they are intentionally leaving that out of the widely published specifications, as it only opens them up to legal problems. Also since the effects of heat and centrifugal force are a product of time x speed, theoretically exceeding the speed for brief periods could be less destructive than a sustained speed at the rated speed. However, given the massive forces involved at the rated limits, and the fact that we are talking about the breakdown of the material, I think a sustained speed at 5 mph over the rating would be playing with fire.
The rated speed is also for a brand new tire, on a perfect road surface, under ideal conditions, inflated to the correct pressure for the load and conditions. The rating drops as soon as these conditions deteriorate: Reasons to not play with fire!
I had a similar problem a few months ago with a couple of my friends.
They had major falls at a recent track day at Eastern Creek, one was a low side, the other was a major fall at 165kmh due to front wheel wash out.
They both had it in their heads that they should be running 30psi front, 28psi rear pressures, even after checking them over a couple of laps.
I brought up the fact that it was 46*C on the day, and track temperature was 75*C, so I thought they should be running higher pressures due to the fact that temperature was already up and way beyond street tyres, but they said that they were told that that was the pressures they should be running.
Common sense should have told them that the info might have been right on a normal day, but this wasn't a normal day.
You can't tell people something when they are sure they have knwedege from stuff they have read.
One low sided his Ducati Supersport 900, the other wrote off his BMW S1000RR.
The "20mph over tire's max rated speed" was purely theoretical, based on mfr published numbers. IF that rear tire came apart at 186mph (that ZX10R's top speed, as mentioned), there wouldn't be much of a bike - or rider - left to take pictures of.
I've been using the Michelin PP front & PR2 combo for a while now. But the 170 rear is harder (not impossible) to find in the current offerings so I got a PP rear this time. It rocks! After a day's ride I am within 1/4" to the edge and I was quicker with more confidence than with the PR2. And that was mated to a PP front with 5000 km on it. I change tires as needed. The bonus is that it's a lot cheaper than the PR 3/4 as well.
No center stand! Chalk that up to yet another thing that should have been standard with this model!
I completely disagree with that. I NEVER want a main stand on any bike I'm riding and don't see why I should have to pay for something I would simply have to take off.
Having said that, I did buy a main stand for my VFR1200, just for maintenance. Put it on when I need and then take it off before riding. It's a relatively cheap and very effective way of supporting the bike while working on it. But if Honda had designed a hollow rear axle, we could have used a rear paddock stand, like other SSSA bikes. Now that I think WAS dumb.
But I cannot criticise Honda for supplying any bike without a centre stand. That's the way it should be.
I completely disagree with that. I NEVER want a main stand on any bike I'm riding and don't see why I should have to pay for something I would simply have to take off.
Having said that, I did buy a main stand for my VFR1200, just for maintenance. Put it on when I need and then take it off before riding. It's a relatively cheap and very effective way of supporting the bike while working on it. But if Honda had designed a hollow rear axle, we could have used a rear paddock stand, like other SSSA bikes. Now that I think WAS dumb.
But I cannot criticise Honda for supplying any bike without a centre stand. That's the way it should be.
My eVo4 is far from a standard VFR1200F - the intention was to make it more of a sport naked, so this may be of less relevance to others, but I have recently completed our annual European tour, just prior to which I fitted a pair of the new Bridgestone S21 tyres. These are the replacement for the full sports S20. I previously tried those on my (FireBlade based) FireFighter on a similar trip and they were already illegal before I got back to the UK, after merely 2,400 miles total. I complained to Bridgestone but they unsurprisingly said there was nothing wrong with the tyres.
However the S21 is intended to improve grip (obviously), but also extend mileage as they realised they'd got it a bit wrong with the S20. I fitted the standard sized front (120/70) but a 200/55 rear. This is actually narrower than the 190/55 Michelin PR2 that was on there previously, but does have the slightly larger diameter as it should. Anyway, suffice to say, they work extremely well. After 2,500 miles there's still plenty of wear left. Probably not another 2,500 mile trip, but I'd say they'll go to 4,000 which is pretty good for a full on sports tyre these days, especially on what is not a super light race style bike.
As I said, possibly few of you will be interested in sports rubber on their VFR1200F, but if you are, I can recommend the S21.
As a side note, on the trip I came across 2 of the BMW S1000XR adventure bikes. Both had the original (Pirelli I think) tyres as supplied on the bike when new and both were worn through to the cords before 2,800 miles. That means only a hundred or so to total deflation as they're VERY thin by that stage. Anyway, point being that this is not great mileage from what is after all purported to be some kind of touring bike. It is offered as an 'Adventure' bike after all, but BMW have obviously sought to endow it with race type tyres. No doubt this engenders great reviews from the press, but it strikes me BMW are short changing their customers over this. As indicated by the fact that 2 of them that I saw had been completely caught out by this and nearly had their holidays ruined by the surprisingly short life of the rear tyre on such a bike.
I just fitted some Metzeler M7RR's on the 1200 and they are fantastic. I will list the mileage when they are done. The Metzelers have an easy natural feel to them and they roll over so smoothly that they seem to have less "feel" going over than the PR4's. I think their grip is better, but I'm still getting used to the easy roll-over. The stock Bridgestones only gave me ~2500 miles, and the Pilot Power Rear and PR2 front combo gave me around 3K. The Pilot Road 4's felt every bit as good as the sport tires, but returned 5,000 hard miles. In fact they were squared off on the highway 120/4 ride, and after that I enjoyed trying to cook off the edges only, in order to get my money's worth. The last 1000 miles the centers were flat, so I was really easy on the straights, and hammered them in the corners. It's a different feel when you have to dive past the flat spot to get to the good meat, but then you can just dig in! Any way the PR4's proved they are worth the extra money. I will try them again after the Metzelers and then the Angel GT's.The Angel GT's are on my VFR750 and are perfect from day 1. They were also on the KTM 1290 GT I rode last weekend and there seems to be no learning curve as they have great feedback and great grip the instant you start riding on them. After that I will try another Bridgestone, but the stock tires were so horrible for this bike that I may be overly biased against them.
i know what you mean about the OEM tires .....i have a set of Dunlops in my garage with 200 miles on them...swapped them out for PR4s......they were scary!!! lol
PR4's have been great for me for the last 3k miles. I go with them for their grip in the wet - I've been caught in enough rain (commuting) to want good water displacement and I can only give the PR4's a big thumbs up. Better in a storm than the PR3's on my Sprint. Great grip. BUT - i've never had other tires on the big Viffer. Picked up a 2010 with original tires (really really low mileage) but they were old so I replaced them straight off.
OK, I've now got over 4000 miles on the Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT's and they still look pretty fresh, plenty more miles left in them. I'm really impressed with the tread life on these compared to the original Bridgestones.
Ordering a new PR4 today to match my rear tire. The front is a Metzeler M7RR squared off, and down to the wear bars. The front is twitchy, while the rear being brand new, is perfect. Also I'm thinking, the rubber compound may be different as it gets further down, because when I go hot into a corner and really load the front, it feels like it's bouncing like a basketball. Anyone else ever feel that sensation from a worn front tire.............?
If I do ride, I will be taking it smooth and easy, until I get my new front tire.
End of thread · 31 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 22 Sep 2017
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