New tires made me crash Saturday

[RedValk]

Joe, i'll tell ya' what REALLY sucks. The front tires on RUNES. We have an oddball size on our front tires....150-18......and there is ONLY ONE TIRE in the world made that size. DUNFLOP.....the OEM tire. and...on the Rune...due to the weight and the design of the front end....folks who ride NON aggressively....get about 6-8000 out of a FRONT tire. And by that point, the front tire is SEVERELY cupped on the left side (kick stand side). I mean...there just about is NO tread left at that point. if you ride more aggressively...weigh more....brake alot with front brakes, you get 4-6000 out of a front!. SUPER aggressive riders on Runes are getting about 3-4000 out of a FRONT TIRE!!!!!!!!

and at that point, the tire is WELL beyond the safe point. in fact, those are mileages if you are willing to push the tire to the point of it being unsafe....with no tread. If you wanted to go to when the wear bar shows, your mileage would be EVEN less.

it has folks trying all sorts of alternatives on the Rune. many are running rear tires, installed in reverse rotation. Some are trying smaller tires (130 -18)....just to try and find SOME tire...that will go more than these pitiful mileages. I have to change front tires TWO TIMES........for every ONE rear tire on my Rune (just the opposite of what would be expected on most bikes....with most going thru two rears tires for every one front tire!). i get about 11-12000 on a rear on my Rune. and of course, there are MANY brands/options of tires that work on the rear tire for the Rune. but only one OEM size front!

oh, to change a Rune front tire, requires removing the front fender...and several other parts. Dealers charge 1.5 hours of labor. So....about 100-125 bucks in labor...and the tires run 200+...so every 6k i spend 325 or so with tax....on a FRONT tire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rear tire is easy to change out on the Rune. ALL OUR TROUBLES ...with tires...on the Rune...are with the FRONT!!!!!!!!!!!!

comparitivly speaking, my Valk tire situation is a "dream"...compared to the Rune!  

[Scott in Ok]

I think we have lots of apples and oranges type comparisons going on here.  Joe, obviously, falls into a rather exclusive category when it comes to pushing tires to their limit.  The fact that Joe finds E3's a very bad choice for him doesn't mean they are bad tires.  It just means if you plan on pushing your bike and tires to the very limit on very twisty roads, on a weekly basis for the life of the tires, you might want to look for a different tire.  Do you go through a set or two of footpegs a year because you ground them off in corners?  If you don't, then Joes' recommendation probably doesn't apply to you.

I personally hate E3's almost as much as Joe.  They are noisy, don't feel planted in a corner, and I find myself pushing the bike into a turn with them.  Avon's on the other hand, just fall into a corner effortlessly.  But, I know people who don't like that feeling from a tire.  Like alot of things, its all a matter of preference.

If you like your E3's, thats great.  If you don't, that cools too.

But Joe, keep in mind that very few folks on this board ride like you do.  So keep that in mind when predicting a flaming death with E3's!  (Lots of folks predicted a flaming death from Car Tires too, and you know how that turned out...)

By the way, how the hell do you folks get 20K miles out of ANY tire?




-Scott

[RedValk]

i must admit, i am absolutely amazed i have 22k on those E3s!!!  that is RARE. but, i have got 16-18000 on rear of Avons before. And i do like Avons.

i check my pressures religiously....NEVER ride two up (don't even have a passenger seat on there). I run 42 in rear...and 40 in front on the Valk. i run 45-47 in front on my Rune....trying desperately to make them last more than 6k! i run the same 42 in the rear on the Rune.

i used to really push the envelope in corners a few years back....but find myself NOT pushing as much...as i get a little older....and more importantly, as i've watched more and more of my buddies go down! i only push it hard...if riding ALONE....never in a group anymore. Just too many good friends have crashed and burned in a group ride....which has made me rethink my group riding. So i also aggree with Scott, if i was riding LIKE I USED TO...pushing hard like a JOE....MAYBE...the E3s wouldn't be a good fit???

BTW, for what it's worth....I DO enjoy good debate/conversation like THIS. this is SO MUCH BETTER....than debating about politics and things like that!!!!!!!   

[Rocketman]

Left turn's are killers with the Rivco center stand. It's hard parts hittin' the pavement with no give and that's a great way to get high-sided into the twight light zone.I had one on my bike about 10 miles and removed it before  it tried to hurt  me or worse     I've talked with other folks that have removed it for the same reason. Flat-landers seem to have no problems 

The rigid footpeg of the center stand touches down and consequently lifts the rear of the bike off the road when you lean the bike hard left.  I haven't looked at it to decide if this could be made "better" by hinging the "footpeg" on the stand or not.

Joe and Madmike:
Thanks for the response.  I just recently acquired a Valkyrie with a centerstand.  That's something to investigate, and to try to improve.  I like the hinge idea.  I'll have to check that one out.
However, Joe knows the kind of roads I call twisty.  I don't have to worry about it until I take a road trip.

[Scott in Ok]

BTW, for what it's worth....I DO enjoy good debate/conversation like THIS. this is SO MUCH BETTER....than debating about politics and things like that!!!!!!!   

The sad thing is we hijacked the thread.  Kevin was actually making a very good point about taking it easy on new tires that aren't scrubbed in yet, and we stole it.

-Scott

[RedValk]

whoops..........sorry Kevin......

[DFragn]

Dunflop E-3 ???? Other than the Rivco center stand I don't think you could put anything more dangerous on a Valk.

Maybe I'm being daft, but:
what's wrong with the center stand?

Mark

The rigid footpeg of the center stand touches down and consequently lifts the rear of the bike off the road when you lean the bike hard left.  I haven't looked at it to decide if this could be made "better" by hinging the "footpeg" on the stand or not.

The only way I could drag the foot pad on the centerstand is if she's laying completely on her side. I don't see how that can be done. You'd be dragging other hard parts before that!

I drag the arm where it turns up to come above the exhaust. And, that's with it adjusted as high as she'll go - a 1/32" from the under side of the pipe. It's so close I have to use a towel when I take it off the stand to keep the arm from slamming the exhaust.

[MarkT]

I hope you are joking about the E-3.  I just mounted one on the rear last weekend,
only about 100 miles on it so far. Didn't notice any real difference over the old style elite.

I don't want to be overly argumentative, but I'm quite fond of the E3's.  I would put them just a bit behind the Avons and I can comfortably scrape the footpegs on E3's.

We had some discussion on the board in the past and it appeared to me that almost everyone who complained about the performance of the E3 was running a car tire on the back.  It occurs to me that could be a bad combination, but then it occurs to me that could be half a bad combination without the Dunlop.

Put 42 pounds in it and ride it like you stole it.  You'll be fine.

DITTO.  I wore out two sets of E3's on my Valk and my wing.  They inspired so much confidence I would take corners 5 mph faster than I did with the previous tires (which I think were Avons).  I didn't push them in the wet - which some claimed is their weakness.   I never push it in the wet.  Never a problem here.  Not saying no one has had problems.  But I am saying that one person's experience is statistically irrelevent - including mine.  There are so many variables - road conditions, riding style, skill level, air pressure, if the tires were scuffed in, if you are using the E3 front with a CT back - and on and on.   I will also say, that I don't believe a major US or European tire maker would release a tire that was patently unsafe.  Though it may be possible a bad lot could get by QA - say with delaminate problems.  I wouldn't put sh|t quality past some Chinese or other Asian makers with the same scruples.

[Dragonryder2]

Every tire made is slick at the begining.  They spray stuff like PAM on the mold to release the tire when it is finished.  You have to scrub that off in the first CAREFUL 200 miles or so before carving cornors on your new tires.

[Willow]

By the way, how the hell do you folks get 20K miles out of ANY tire?

Scott, some of us ride like old women  (No offense intended to the actual old women who frequent this board  ).

[3fan4life]

I put a new E3 on the rear today.

The label on the tire had a warning label.





Check out the part that says RUN-IN:

"Dealers and tire fitters must warn riders that when new tires are fitted, these should not be subjected to sudden accerleration, hard cornering, maximum power or braking for at least 100 miles. Failure to do so may result in loss of control and serious injury".


That's the first time that I've seen this. 

It does fit with what alot of others have said though.

[Black Pearl's Captain]

By the way, how the hell do you folks get 20K miles out of ANY tire?

Scott, some of us ride like old women  (No offense intended to the actual old women who frequent this board  ).

Dang Willow, your ass sure looks fast and fat on that rare bike, Are you gaining your ass back now?

Raymond