Lint Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Hi all, I thought I would ask a question. A little background first. I have a 2005 VFR and it is the stock suspension, for which I weigh too much. I know I need to get the bike properly set up and it is on my list. An article I read said that suspension settings have an effect on tire wear. Click here and read, but I'll quote the part I am referring to, Are the edges of the tread raised? – If you have a raised area on either the leading or back edge of the tread, this is a strong sign that rebound damping on the forks or shock is set either too fast or too slow. Usually if it’s on the leading edge rebound is too slow, and if it’s on the back edge it’s too fast. Now, my rear tire wear indicates that the rebound is set too fast. Is this adjustable on a VFR? If so, am I correct in thinking that I would turn the screw on the bottom of the shock to a softer setting? My front tire is worn pretty well on the middle of the sides and the article says that indicates that the front suspension is too soft, but no real surprise there!!! I ride to the edges of the front, but it is the middle sides that have the most wear, which I had thought was because of me trail braking into curves, but now I think it shows me that I need upgrades. I'm pretty good about keeping my tire pressure up.What are your thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted January 22, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 22, 2015 The tires from your Dragon runs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BusyLittleShop Posted January 22, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 22, 2015 Who are your quoting because cupping, which is more accurately described as scalloping like in your picture 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!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted January 22, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 22, 2015 Are those PR3's in the photo of your bike? I put about 6,000 miles on a set and found they scalloped more than the PR2's do for me (causing head shake when decelerating through about 35mph). I went back to PR2's and after roughly the same mileage the issue has not resurfaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted January 22, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 22, 2015 The tires from your Dragon runs? Hello Hello ? Must be buying more tires . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer YoshiHNS Posted January 22, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 22, 2015 If you are looking for an excuse to spend money on suspension, then the answer is your stock components can't be adjusted and you should go shopping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 I don't see an issue with the tire, no waviness ,no scalloping, but too little rebound is normally felt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Are those PR3's in the photo of your bike? I put about 6,000 miles on a set and found they scalloped more than the PR2's do for me (causing head shake when decelerating through about 35mph). I went back to PR2's and after roughly the same mileage the issue has not resurfaced. Hmmm... So what am I doing wrong? I get 6,000 miles out of four sets of tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lint Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 Hi all. The tire is a pic from the link. I didn't get pics of my tires when I was on the Dragon, but they were similar. I was running PR3 tires and I still have the front on the bike, but it is really worn, as it has over 12k on it. The only issue I have had with the PR3 is that the front hops at speeds over 85. I'm shopping for a new front. I'm actually running a Shinko 005 on the back as I needed to replace my rear tire for the cheap. It's actually a decent tire. Grips hard enough in the Malibu canyons for me to to turn it blue. But, the profile doesn't quite match the front tire, so I have no chicken strips on the PR3 front, but about 3/8"/10mm on the back. So, for now, I"ll just put a matching 005 up front and then I guess get different tires later. I run the pressure recommended by Honda which I had an extensive conversation with Michelin about. I was leery at first to run 36/42 like it ways on the bike, but it works, so I just keep it there. In this video, it goes pretty in depth as to what the wear on your tire means. http://www.onthethrottle.com/howto/dave-moss-unsprung-tire-wear/ Thanks for the info, there is obviously a lot to learn about suspension and the first thing I learned is that my bike is sprung too softly. Maybe I'll stick a Viagra in the tank and see if that stiffens it up. BTW, lets not start a tire thread, I know there is great polarization with Shinko, I was concerned about running them, but so far, so good. I'd not run them on a track, but for my skill and the roads I run, I'm happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Someone else shared this link with me. http://biketrackdayshub.com/motorcycle-tyre-wear-guide/ BR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lint Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Yeah, that is the site that originally got me thinking about this and I have it in my original post. I guess it turns out that with so little adjustment in our stock suspensions, there is little we can do without upgrading. Sigh. On the plus side, I called Suzuki USA to see if they would be willing to offer different suspensions based on the weight of the rider, that could be offered as a factory upgrade that could be installed by the dealer. I look at so many people that weigh more than what the stock suspension can carry and then have to go to aftermarket, so I proposed to Suzuki that they offer factory options for their bikes. No one else does that I know of, so why not? Maybe it will at least help put Suzuki on people's radar, as they seems to be lagging far behind everyone else. I'm going to send them a letter via snail mail also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNRabbit Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 The only thing that will cause wheel hop is an out of balance OR out of round tire. Steering wobble under decelleration is in my experience an issue with steering head bearings. NEVER had this happen as a result of tire isssues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lint Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 Luckily, no steering wobble. I'm getting a new front tire next weekend, so I'll be looking forward to a bounce free ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northwood Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I highly recommend getting a track day with Dave Moss there. He tuned my suspension to a "T" within a morning, on my CBR1000RR. It only cost $40, made the bike feel much much much safer, and I had they same issue as you. I didn't fully understand what was going on. I am going to get the daughtery suspension on my bike and then do a track day with him to tune it in. Highly recommend it. Lint, did you buy my fender eliminator? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lint Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 Northwood, yes I did. I tried to email you to say thank you but it bounced. I am very grateful for it. It really cleaned up the back end of my bike. I will have to pay it forward. I have a couple of stock levers to pass on to someone. The trackday is something I really want to do. I too need to upgrade my suspension and Jaime is my go to on it. I'm saving the money to get both ends done at once. My forks are twisted down all the way and my shock is at max compression so I don't really have anymore adjustment left in the stock setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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