Increased Front Tire Wear w/Car Tire

[Rio Wil]

I usually get about 15-17K on a front tire. This front was installed shortly after I went D/S and it is about gone at 10K miles.  I am wondering if the slightly increased "hand pressure" on crowned roads to keep the bike pointed straight causes a bit more front tire scrub and wear.  If this is typical, I kinda question the value of prolonged rear tire  wear and a 50% decrease in front tire longevity. Seems like one of those rob Peter to pay Paul things.... 

[Valkpilot]

I don't think that's the cause. 

The front tire on mine is wearing better and longer than any other front I've had, and it's been pushed by a car tire for half it's running life.

I don't recall any other DS rider noticing a difference in front tire wear and there's tens of thousands of miles of experience.

More likely it is something like air pressure or just tire-to-tire variation.

[Bone]

I'm running the D404 front tire and have good mileage from the last two tires. Air pressure is very important in a front tire.

[rangernight]

I have not noticed any more wear on the front due to the D/S. I'm still getting 8-10,000 on my front and 30,000 on the rear.

[Valker]

I get almost as many miles from my 'rear tire on the front' as from my Darkside rear. That said, when I ran a Metz 880 front tire, it wore out pretty quickly.

[dipstick]

I have not noticed premature front tire wear with my DS rear at all.

[Daniel Meyer]

I have not had increased front tire wear running darkside.

Front tire is much more remarkably effected by tire brand and user pressures.

[John Schmidt]

I get almost as many miles from my 'rear tire on the front' as from my Darkside rear. That said, when I ran a Metz 880 front tire, it wore out pretty quickly.

I am surprised with what Valker said though. I now have a Metz on the front approaching 15k and have had the c/t in back over half that. I always run at least 40psi in front, and when I had a 200 Metz in back ran at least 42 psi in that. With that pressure, I easily got 12k and beyond with the rear tire, usually changed out the front about 15k if I was looking at a trip in the near future. I have noticed with the Metz in back....if you use the stock size 180, you don't seem to get as high a mileage. With the 200 in back, the size difference apparently makes a difference in total mileage.

[asfltdncr]

I use the D404 and I don't necessarily run it inflated to the max.
I'm sure with the tread depth, it'll last a long time.

[R J]

Metzler front tire, 45 to 50#, all the time.

DS tire for about the last 130K.

Get in the neighborhood of 25K on the front.

When it is gone, I change out both.

The last time that didn't happen cause I had a DS flat and no one where I was at would mount a DS,  so Motor tire...............   MGM currently has a Good Year Triple Tread with 36#.    I weight in at 265, on a short wheelbase.   About 5'- 8" now, mostly gut..........

[Friagabi]

Strange,,, I run a DS, and have since almost making it home from MN where I bought the bike. Live in Tacoma WA. If it would have been my GW it would have made it home and back but that was a '76 wing. Anyway back to the question. After settling down with a Avon front and deciding that a BFGoodrich T/A Traction is my choice for the rear. I get 25 to 30K out of a set of tires. The last go around I had not replaced the front with the rear and was in Frisco last summer and had to head out to Denver for a new front. No choice but a Dunflop. At 25 to 30K to a set of tires I am more than happy. I just need to keep prepared with a new set in the garage and be sure to change them at the same time. So now I learn what a triple tread with a dunlop will do. It did seem though that the last bit of the last Avon went away faster than I had estimated. And at the end it clearly showed the standard wear on one side more than the other. If one looked close one could always see the unballanced wear, but a the end you could see it from across the road.

[Rio Wil]

WOW......what an amazing variation in front tire mileage.....8K to 30K, are we talking about the same bike!!  I am betting we almost all run with the same tire pressures (42 -+2)  front and rear....is it just riding style?  I ride about 30K per year with about half in the twisties and half on the freeway at 75-80. My rear Falkin c/t looks like it should go 25-30K,  the Dunlop 404 rear tire on front is looking better and better......even with the increased inaccuracy in speedo indication. 

[papa bear]

  I've been running a goodyear triple tread for over 3 years. Got 16000 miles on the front with the DS on rear. I'm running my 2nd front tire with the DS, both have been Metz 880. No problems.