Guest OldGold Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I have an 83' VF750F and the front tire is cupping more so on the left side of the tread but also on the right. The center is wearing normally. When riding especially in the wind it feels squirrelly and I am not fond of that feeling. Now, I don't just want to put new tires on it I would like to find and cure the cause before spending my pennies on new shoes. Just a little background on the bike it has Dunlop arrowmax GT 501 F tires on it, the forks don't leak I am running 6 PSI in the forks it has the original springs in the forks and to me they feel a little squishy. It has TRAC anti dive but it is useless (have been pondering progressive springs for the front) new EBC HH pads fresh calipers, no binding or vibes to speak of. I ride secondary roads and back roads exclusively (no freeways) I ride fast but not aggressively and don't take corners to fast either I don't know where to begin to look for issues. The bike is bone stock (other than exhaust) so no fancy fairings or luggage. Please help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Road crown, causes the tires to wear on the left faster. Also, most people are more comfortable turning left than right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monk Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Do you trail break? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 That makes sense the crown on the roads here are pretty hardcore and yes I do trail brake, to burn off speed when approaching a stop. But in the corners I try not to but I am a bit of a pussy and tend to do so I love this site you guys really know your stuff Y'all have given me some things to ponder Do any of you know of some good books on technical riding... there is a whole lot I don't know Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer navyhelodrvr Posted June 30, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 30, 2011 "Sport Bike Riding Techniques" by Nick Ienatch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BusyLittleShop Posted June 30, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 30, 2011 CUPPING: To begin with improper balance has nothing to do with cupping on a motorcycle tire. Improper balance will merely cause your bike to vibrate within certain specific speed ranges. Cupping, which is more accurately described as scalloping is a natural wear pattern on motorcycle tires and it will always follow the tread pattern. It is not a sign that you have bad suspension parts. It merely shows that your tire is indeed gripping the road when you make turns (thank you for that Mr. Tire!). This cupping develops within the side wear bands of a leaned motorcycle. The leading edge of the tread does not flex much as it grips the road and the rubber is scuffed off the tire in that area causing a depression. As the tire rotates, the pressure moves to the trailing edge of the tread pattern where the tread flexes more causing less scuffing so less material is ground off the tire. The more complex the tread pattern, the more complex the cupping pattern will be. The softer the compound of the tire, the sooner this cupping will develop. Radial tires are more prone to cupping than are bias ply because the compound of radials is softer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Frogfoot Posted June 30, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 30, 2011 Also, the tyre you're using will be more or less susceptable to it. For example, on my bike, BT020 fronts were always scalloping very noticeably. However, the BT021s and PR2 that I have used since have not shown it at all, with similar riding histories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 My experience has been, most Dunlops that fit VFRs cup more and earlier than most other tire brands, so take it into consideration when you buy you next set of tires. What's bad is, the deterioration that I noticed in handling goes up exponentially with the rate of cupping on the front tire. I did not experience the same on the rears though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I have been pondering getting Bridgestone BT 045 's for it a buddy of mine has them on his SV50 and they seem to be doing pretty good on his ride thought of Pirelli's and Avon's but they are pretty spendy in these parts and it is hard to find v rated tires in my size most have only h rated unless I up size and a lot of places like Bike Bandit ... won't ship them up here, only lower 48 Will have to do some more diggin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDO-VFR Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I have been pondering getting Bridgestone BT 045 's for it a buddy of mine has them on his SV50 and they seem to be doing pretty good on his ride thought of Pirelli's and Avon's but they are pretty spendy in these parts and it is hard to find v rated tires in my size most have only h rated unless I up size and a lot of places like Bike Bandit ... won't ship them up here, only lower 48 Will have to do some more diggin One more time... Check Pete's Superbike, he is near Montreal, ships pretty well anywhere. Prices are pretty good and he can get most sizes. I don't what size your year takes though, so I may be wrong. Seems to me he's got every size of PR2 I can imagine. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trace Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Cupping is caused by using Dunlops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 WOW! thanks for that link Brian! They have pairs for what people are paying for singles here. And I would gladly give my money to a shop from back home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tireguy Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Busy Little Shop explanation is 100% correct. The only thing I would add is that tire wear on the left will always be more pronounced in the US because we drive on the right side of the road. The radius of our left hand turns are about twice as big as a right hand turn, which enables us to also take them a little faster than a right turn and we can lean the bike a bit more. You see more cupping on the front because the wheel is turned, but the inertia wants to keep going straight ahead. For a a really good article on tire wear read : http://www.rattlebars.com/tirewear/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.