Member Contributer Adam30 Posted June 19, 2008 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 19, 2008 Well, the new tire will be here friday, and hopefully i'll have it put on early next week at the latest. It actually makes me feel better that this is a defect, and not just how i should expect the Roadsmart to handle freeway miles. Every tire manufacturer has its defects, so im gonna take it easy on dunlop for now.....I did love the tires until this popped up. I'll get the replacement and see how it does over the course of some more mileage. Any signs of poor wear or cupping....it's back to Michelin; i'll pay the extra money from now on, thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 I bet it was your misaligned velocity stacks that caused the tire to go bad! :goofy: Don't tell Dunlop or they might not cover it! :goofy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Adam30 Posted June 19, 2008 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 19, 2008 LOL, LOL.... Yes....the stacks being in the wrong spots caused uneven weight distribution to the front.....thats why they want the taller ones in back; they're more towards the center of the bike. Ahhh....I knew id figure it out! Yep, Honda sure is precise with their engineering and wieght placement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Adam30 Posted June 23, 2008 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 23, 2008 Well, on friday the dealer called saying my replacement tire was in, and that they're covering it under warranty as they feel that it is a separation issue, after seeing the pics. But upon dropping the wheel off saturday morning, I dealt with a different guy in the service dept, who says "well that's obviously a tire pressure issue....i dont see how they're going to warranty that." Since I was waiting for the tire pressure B.S. excuse to come up at some point from somebody, I immediately made it known that the pressure was kept at spec, as I check pressures almost every time I ride. His answer was then, "well you're gauge is probably off....I see that all the time." Now, beginning to get upset, i stated how at my business I have three different digital pressure gauges and they all indicate roughly the same pressures compared to each other; I use them every day, and that all three of them must be off then. We went back and forth, with me ultimately just saying "listen....you tell me the pressure that you fill the tire to when you mount the new one, and i'll take it directly back to the shop and check it with my gauge so we can see how "far off" mine is. Well, if mine is off then his is too, since he told me he filled it to 36 lbs, and mine read 36.2. On a more positive note though, after mounting the fresh tire, I did take the bike out for about a 700 mile ride for the rest of the weekend, with part of the miles being highway and the other half twisties. The bike felt right again, and I still like these tires as far as handling goes. Granted it was only 700 miles so far, but the front is showing no signs at all of poor wear. Hopefully it was just a defect, because other than the wear issue of the last one, Id like to buy these tires again especially considering the price. We'll see.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ULEWZ Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 I just got back from the grand canyon run an have about 2500 miles on them, and no cupping. So far I am happy with these tires. Not much twisty riding to speak of, but loads and loads of boring highway mileage. I am amazed at the very slight flattening in the center when considering how much freeway riding they had on them. I will update when this tire is toast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snake Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Here's some pics of the tire in question...........Dunlop Roadsmart after highway use Dunlop Roadsmart after highway use I can understand and expect after about 3500 miles of freeway use that there could be a flat area worn in the middle, but this seems excessive.....especially for a sport/"touring" tire. The fact that it's also "raised up" from the rest of the tire is strange too... my front pilot power looked just like that after 3000 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btl68 Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 I'm new on the board here. A board member here and a great buddy of mine (snake) called this tire problem to my attention, since I had bought a set of Raodsmarts for my 2005 ZRX1200 Kawasaki. At just over 2k on the front last month, mine looks very similar to your front, but just not as pronounced yet with mine being a bit lower on mileage. Always kept at 36psi with a certified gauge. I bought mine from SWMoto tire online, and I have emailed them for assistance on the subject. I may not get as lucky as you, but I am going to buy a different front next week as snake and I are going to do about 2k vacationing in Arkansas. I too was hoping for a longer lived tire, but I guess I'll go back to the Avon Storms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 I just finished a real world test of tires with the following results: 1st Place: Michelin Pilot Road 2's. Second Place: Dunlop RoadSmarts, Third Place: Avon Storms and Last Place: Pirelli Diablo Rosso. Here's how it went down. Three amigos and I left Louisiana in late May for the WSB races at Salt Lake City, then Yellowstone, Black Hills, NE, KS, AR and home. A 4,600 mile round trip. All had new tires mounted a week before the trip. The Michelins were mounted on an 08 Concours 14. Dunlops on my 05 VFR. Avons on a BMW R1200RT and Pirellis on a BMW K1200R. The Concours was ridden two-up for half the trip with the riders wife flying into SLC and joining up for the return trip. He carried the heaviest load for the entire trip. Everyone else just carried a normal touring load for a two week trip. Speeds on the trip were fairly elevated, especially out west. We would sometimes ride at between 80-90 mph on deserted stretches of road from tank to tank. Temperatures for the most part were on the cool side at around 65-70 degrees. All the riders reported good handling from all the tires in the dry. In the wet, the Concours rider and the 1200RT rider reported a few problems including a couple of tank slappers, this of course could be attributed to many other factors, load, suspension settings etc. I can report the Dunlops worked great in both dry and wet conditions. When we arrived back in Louisiana, the Pirelli's were absolutely shot, with steel belt visible. The Avon's showed a few wear bars. The Dunlops had one wear bar barely visible and the Michelins had no wear bars showing. No cupping on the front Dunlop BTW. Due to cost, I think I'll stay with the RoadSmarts for a while. Riding in the south-central or easten part of the country I should get another thousand or so out of the tires at the lower average speeds. The PR 2's however were very impresssive. If cost were no object, I would definately go with the Michelin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDO-VFR Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 My first thought upon seeing the odd wear pattern was that the softer compound on the outside just wore away much faster that the harder center portion. My conclusion, the hardness ratio (durability vs. traction) is too great between the two compounds. That's got to feel real weird turning with that front tire. If you lean angle is just right, you would be riding on the corner of the raised ridge. I just got back from a 5600km ride to Deals Gap on a set of PR2s and LOVED them. I'm with Baileyrock on this one, until there is something better, it's nothing but PR2s for me. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 My first thought upon seeing the odd wear pattern was that the softer compound on the outside just wore away much faster that the harder center portion. My conclusion, the hardness ratio (durability vs. traction) is too great between the two compounds.That's got to feel real weird turning with that front tire. If you lean angle is just right, you would be riding on the corner of the raised ridge. I just got back from a 5600km ride to Deals Gap on a set of PR2s and LOVED them. I'm with Baileyrock on this one, until there is something better, it's nothing but PR2s for me. Brian that sounds about right, especially if your a trail braker , youl wear the sides of you front tire more, if the compound is softer on the sides, it will accelerate the difference. Thats why I dont run the PPOWER 2ct, and run the standard PPower cause of that reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted June 28, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted June 28, 2008 Tino good report. I have two trips in California planned for my Roadsmarts but no fellow VFR on PR2s to compare with ..................the best faceoff I figure. We will see how they do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 that sounds about right, especially if your a trail braker , youl wear the sides of you front tire more, if the compound is softer on the sides, it will accelerate the difference. Thats why I dont run the PPOWER 2ct, and run the standard PPower cause of that reason. When I brake, I do trail break and here's my Road 2 front at 4240 miles. It's to the wear bars on the sides, but not yet there in the center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted June 28, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted June 28, 2008 Good shot of the front BR. Profile still looks adequate/OK. MY BT21 front profile was bad although the rear was pretty good when I retired both at 5K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLO97VFR Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 That tire had internal belt separation not caused by tire pressure! I have had the DuD Lop Qualifiers on my 97 and besides a cheap track tire not worth much for a lasting street tire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer HiDesertMLB Posted June 30, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted June 30, 2008 Update: The just called back after forwarding the pics to their supplier, saying to stop riding on it immediately because its clearly a case of belt separation and is considered a defect. They'll have a fresh tire for me on friday free of charge. Thanks for providing updates with your RoadSmart experiences. The separation on your front tire didn't look good. I wouldn't want to experience the same. I had Dunlops on my 4th gen before, and the front cupped as it wore down. I thought Dunlop would try to engineer a better tire with the RoadSmart, but this doesn't seem to be the case. Comparing w/ Michelin PRs, there was only $20 difference between sets. I went to have my 6th gen shod over the weekend and wound up going w/ PRs. Replaced the OEM BT020s which still had about another 2k if i ground them into the wear bars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Update: The just called back after forwarding the pics to their supplier, saying to stop riding on it immediately because its clearly a case of belt separation and is considered a defect. They'll have a fresh tire for me on friday free of charge. Thanks for providing updates with your RoadSmart experiences. The separation on your front tire didn't look good. I wouldn't want to experience the same. I had Dunlops on my 4th gen before, and the front cupped as it wore down. I thought Dunlop would try to engineer a better tire with the RoadSmart, but this doesn't seem to be the case. Comparing w/ Michelin PRs, there was only $20 difference between sets. I went to have my 6th gen shod over the weekend and wound up going w/ PRs. Replaced the OEM BT020s which still had about another 2k if i ground them into the wear bars. I hope you got the PR2CTs! I just tested my new ones in the twisties yesterday and they are fantastic. Totally transformed my 4th gen bike to something you I can really enjoy and feel confident in the mountains. I felt like I was on rails yesterday up there! I don't think I'll ever consider Dunlops again after this. Along with all the cupping that I had suffered through the years with their tires, they just handled really bad in comparison. I also had better experiences with Metzeler in the past. Beck 95 VFR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Adam30 Posted July 2, 2008 Author Member Contributer Share Posted July 2, 2008 Im presently at about 1500 miles on the new front, with no signs of any similar abnormal wear like the last one, and besides the dreaded possibility of the famous dunlop cupping that may develop, im pretty confident i wont see a wear pattern like the last one had again. I do agree that it was likely a separation issue and not just simply cupping. In dunlops defense, any tire can develop a tread separation...its just something that is either present as a defect from day one, or can happen from an impact of some sort on the road. Either one is a possiblity in my case. So if it was just a defect, then im not worried about it....all tire manufacturers have their defects. Im actually happy to learn it was a defect as opposed to it just being characteristic of the tire, which im learning that its not. If that's the case and this next front tire ends up wearing well, then Id actually have no problems purchasing this particular dunlop model again. I do find the handling acceptable, and the rate of wear seems to be great. Its looking like I'll get about 7k miles or so out of the rear tire, which is about what i got with the PR's previously. So for the time being im being especially anal about my tire pressures just so I can really accurately evaluate the replacement front tire's performance and wear. But at this point its looking ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShayneJack Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Update: The just called back after forwarding the pics to their supplier, saying to stop riding on it immediately because its clearly a case of belt separation and is considered a defect. They'll have a fresh tire for me on friday free of charge. Thanks for providing updates with your RoadSmart experiences. The separation on your front tire didn't look good. I wouldn't want to experience the same. I had Dunlops on my 4th gen before, and the front cupped as it wore down. I thought Dunlop would try to engineer a better tire with the RoadSmart, but this doesn't seem to be the case. Comparing w/ Michelin PRs, there was only $20 difference between sets. I went to have my 6th gen shod over the weekend and wound up going w/ PRs. Replaced the OEM BT020s which still had about another 2k if i ground them into the wear bars. Hey Michael, shayne here, getting the RoadSmarts put on the bike either tomorrow or Thursday, gonna take a SLOW ride up to Big Bear either Friday or Saturday morning. Let me know if you want to go with, gonna stop at Neo's for a big ole' burger... ps. got the RoadSmarts at cost... sick huh. I guess I can part with $156 mounted and balanced... i crack myself up sometimes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 holy cow, that front tire is worn funky! I couldn't imagine riding on that! ~Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 .all tire manufacturers have their defects. Adam, I think Michelin xrays every tire before shipping to try and catch defects in manufacturing. :laugh: I'll get about 7k miles or so out of the rear tire, which is about what i got with the PR's previously. Were you running the original Pilot Road? Boy I thought those things sucked!!! Wouldn't take much to improve on those even with a Dunlop! :idea3: The Road 2's are fantastic tire and are Nothing like the old tire! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Adam30 Posted July 7, 2008 Author Member Contributer Share Posted July 7, 2008 Yeah, my last two sets were the original PR's. They worked well for me....but a good percentage of my riding around here is only limited twisties, and not usually the type you can push hard due to gravel, etc. If I were in an area where I could push the tires more, I probably wouldve noticed its shortcomings. But from a mileage and wear quality standpoint (which is how I judge my tire experiences around here), the original PR's always wore even for me, rain performance was good, and they seemed to last long enough for me. However the rear Roadsmart looks like it'll go about 7500 miles or maybe more; i'll find out in the next week or two. The front replacement dunlop seems to be wearing well so far at this point. Judging by the car business and automotive tires, Ive seen just about every manufacturer have its defects, and with tires sometimes that defect doesnt become apparent for many many miles. Michelins got em too, although even with automotive applications they are one of the better ones from what Ive seen. But with Michelin, you do pay more $$ for it. But with all this, keep in mind that sometimes a separation can come from a bad bump or impact of some sort out on the road, which even couldve been the case with mine. That ride in and to CO took me through various different types of roads, construction, etc. I do remember hitting a couple bad ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Adam30 Posted July 10, 2008 Author Member Contributer Share Posted July 10, 2008 I was at my dealer for a bit last night, inquiring about having them order me a fresh rear Roadsmart, as mine should be worn out by the end of the month likely. In talking to the original guy i bought the tires from, i asked him if he had any trouble sending my front tire in under warranty, because the dude in service was saying they wouldnt take it most likely beecause of "me neglecting the tire pressure". His reply was "of course they took it back.....Dunlop's been having tons of problems with those things...." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Zyvek Posted July 10, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted July 10, 2008 I was at my dealer for a bit last night, inquiring about having them order me a fresh rear Roadsmart, as mine should be worn out by the end of the month likely. In talking to the original guy i bought the tires from, i asked him if he had any trouble sending my front tire in under warranty, because the dude in service was saying they wouldnt take it most likely beecause of "me neglecting the tire pressure".His reply was "of course they took it back.....Dunlop's been having tons of problems with those things...." A- Who's your dealer? Im just south of you and my local dealers prices are way higher than you paid. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Adam30 Posted July 10, 2008 Author Member Contributer Share Posted July 10, 2008 Oh, hey....just saw you're in Kenosha... Im in Cedarburg, and Cedar Creek Motorsports is who I use. Since they caught onto everyone buying their tires online and just using them for the mounting and balancing, they changed their pricing on tires so they can make the tire sale even if their profit is lower. As a dealer in general they're so-so, but for what i use them for (tires, misc parts, etc), theyve been good. I always bring my wheels in to have them mounted. But I know they charge the same either on or off the bike for mounting/balancing. The guy i usually talk to in the parts department said that they get better pricing on average on Dunlops, so they've got a bit more room to move on price. But also, he gave me a price on the Bridgestone 021's last night since we were talkin about tires. $195 for the pair, which I felt was super reasonable especially for a dealer. If you were to buy tires from them, give Corey a call in the parts dept, and tell him Adam told you to call. He's the one i always deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Zyvek Posted July 10, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted July 10, 2008 Thanks for the info Adam, I'll be heading up to Corse Superbikes (MBS kicking in again) a few time in the next few weeks so I'll stop in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.