Tire Question?

[BigLenny]

Hey Folks, I have a question that maybe some could answer for me.

 

Back in the last week of September, myself and a couple of my friends were going to ride about 3 hours away to attend Bikes Blues and BBQ. The weather for the first couple hours was predicted to be heavy rain, and then clearing. No big deal. The night before we left I was doing a final check of my bike and I noticed my rear tire was way thinner than I had thought, especially considering we were about to run in heavy rain at highway speeds. The next morning I checked with every dealer in town for a new set of Metzler ME880's like I usually run, or even a set of Elite 3's or something. Nobody had those in stock, or they were so backed up in service it was going to be the next day before they could install. So, I made the on the spot decision to have a reputable Suzuki dealer put a set of Pirelli MT66 Route tires on since they could install them right away. I rode the bike for 3 days on that trip and noticed the bike would wiggle when I crossed a seam in the freeway, and if i was at speed in a turn that maybe had some dips in it, the bike wiggles a little. That never happened with the Metzler tires i used before.

 

The question I have is; does anyone know if this is characteristic of this tire, or do I maybe have something else that I might need to look for? My bike is a 2007 RSTD with 38K miles.

 

My wife and I got the bike out yesterday and rode it for 150 miles. That was the first time we had ridden it in a couple months due to a serious surgery she had, and it was doing the wiggle thing. Wasn't dangerous feeling, just annoying.

[utadventure]

I haven't ridden much on the Pirellis but I do know that they are a softer rubber than what you're use to with the Metzlers. I'm sure that has contributed to what you're feeling. Might try some different air pressures to reduce it.

 

You'll also probably need to replace the tires somewhere around the 6K miles mark, as they wear faster.

 

I was on my 4th set of Metz when the rear threw a couple of chunks after only about 2k miles. Loved them but went to a Michelin for now. Keep an eye on them.

 

Dave

[etcswjoe]

I was thinking about the Pirelli's myself but to only get 6K out of them I will have to say no. The only time I ever noticed the shimmy you described is with a loose head bearing.

[2WHEELSFORME]

I'm using the MT 66 myself but not enough miles to see how long they will last. The pricing was much lower than the Metzs or Elites. Maybe the MTs are so much better they fell the small level change in the painted stripe where the less feeling Mets do not. Yea I'll go with that for now. On the other hand this bike flops around so much with any tire I've tried that I just don't care about handling anymore. I love it for the comfort it offers.

[MikeWa]

Check your air pressure. Especially the rear. It sounds like you may be a little low.

 

Mike

[Blackjack]

The ME 660 is a great tire, but only on a right-sized bike. The front tire will likely give you decent-to-good mileage, but the rear tire can't tolerate the work and load on such a heavy bike.

[BigLenny]

Thanks for the input so far. The Pirellis were so much less than what I pay for the Metzlers, even if the rear only lasts 6-7K, it won't be an experiment that hurt the pocket book too much.

 

I ran them at 36PSI in the front and 44PSI in the back.

 

The stearing head response makes me worry a little.

[BigLenny]

Even though the owners manual says 36 in the front and 41 in the back, I always ran 48 in the back with the Metzler because the tire liked that psi.

[kevin-vic-b.c.]

Even though the owners manual says 36 in the front and 41 in the back, I always ran 48 in the back with the Metzler because the tire liked that psi.

 

Go by the tire not the motorcycle, the motorcycle don't know what tire you have, and bet it is way different than the tire that came from the factory on the bike. Check the sidewall of the tire and pump it up to the pressure that Tire Manufacture recommends, what ever that may be.

 

FYI the Fork Brace and the Progressive Springs will give you a completely new moto to ride. I consider them must-do items as these bikes age.

[2WHEELSFORME]

Where would I find this fork brace for a 2nd gen?

[midnightventure]

Probably the tread pattern. The stock D404s acted like that on my bike whenit was brand new.

99000 miles now and I make sure the treads don't run straight with the tire.

[djh3]

I had Pirelli on my 900 vulcan. I got about 8k on them but it was a lighter bike. I liked them well. This bike being bigger and heavier I went back with tires folks had proven out for my first time.

On your issue I would definatly look at tire press first. Look at sidewalls ans see what max is and go maybe 1lb or no more that 2 under what it says. The bike recomende pressure is going to be for ride not handeling, so pretty much toss it out. Once pressure is set look at rear shock for leakage. How much pressure are you running in it? See if you got any leakage of oil.