Pete in PA Posted February 4, 2004 Share Posted February 4, 2004 With my second (free) Avon rear 46 at 2/32nds at 2800 miles it's time to try something else. I like the fact that the rear Roadtec has no tread in the middle. That will allow a longer life (legally) since when I wear a tire out it's bald in the middle anyway. I ordered a set from SW moto tires for $212 delivered. :grin: They're cheaper than the old Z4's and priced right with everything else. I will also be mounting and balancing myself, just bought a Harbor Freight setup for $60. Can't wait to use it, but will be awhile till rear Avon is bald. I will let it be known at work etc. that I will be doing tires so I can recoup my $60, lots of guys ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynx60 Posted February 4, 2004 Share Posted February 4, 2004 Please, please let us know how the Roadtecs perform and what you think about them!!! I almost bought a pair for my 03 XX a few weeks ago, but at the last minute I opted for the Metz M1 Sportecs. I too was kind of attracted to the design of the new Roadtecs with no tread in the middle. Also, the tire's profile looks like it gives you a decent sized contact patch when leaned over. I know that the Metz M1 Sportecs just ain't gonna last very long, but WOW do they grip in the twisties. And that's what I'm interested in knowing about the new Roadtecs; namely, how well they perform in the twisties. As you know, the XX is a pretty heavy bike with awesome acceleration, so a tire like the Sportec just ain't gonna last too long. So please keep us all posted. Lynx60 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in PA Posted February 4, 2004 Author Share Posted February 4, 2004 The Roadtecs were developed from tech. from the Sporttecs. similar carcass/profile but diff. compound. Sadly it's going to be awhile till I mount them. I've got nothing but ice on my roads with more coming. :cry: :evil: I also will wear out the Avons first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynx60 Posted February 4, 2004 Share Posted February 4, 2004 Pete, let ask you a question about the Roadtecs. I'm here in Taiwan where it rains a lot and where our roads are often littered with painted lettering, painted crosswalks, painted arrows, and other slippery lettering. I was a bit concerned that the Roadtecs with "no tread in the middle" wouldn't be able to disperse water so easily and would possibly be a bit hazardous, especially when braking on these surfaces. Tell me, what's your opinion about this concern. Would the absence of any tread in the middle make the tire handle more like a race slick on wet surfaces? It was precisely my concern about this, as well as the fact that no one else here has tried these new tires, that made me opt for the M1 Sportecs. Your comments would be most appreciated. Lynx60 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodeRash Posted February 4, 2004 Share Posted February 4, 2004 According to Metzler, they have been doing a lot of rain tests, and have found that the front tire actually clears a path, and moves water out of the way of the rear tire. Metzler claims that it is not necessary to have tread in the middle of the rear tire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chester Posted February 4, 2004 Share Posted February 4, 2004 They say in thier R-D of this tire, that the front cleared a path that the rear followed. They found that having a tread in the middle of the rear just wasn't needed. It makes perfect sence, but why hasn't any other tire company done this :???: ? We will see. In any case, I think this tire will be my next set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northman Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 Something sure isn't right, if Pete is wearing his rear tire out this quickly. I think I have about 5K on my back tire, and it's still close to halfway, but I could measure to be sure. My AV36 went a tad over 6K, and the 46 is definitely going to last longer than that. What pressures do you run? How fast do you ride in a straight line? How long is your commute? How much weight do you carry on a regular basis? Which tires did you run before, and how much life did you get out of them? There's got to be an answer here somewhere. :???: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in PA Posted February 5, 2004 Author Share Posted February 5, 2004 OK North I'll try to answer them all. 42 F@R I'll do some speed runs, not my daily MO. I commute 30 miles 1 way. Just me, 280 lbs of me. :roll: rear tire life of bike: factory 57-----6667 mi. Dunlop 205----4163 mi. to cord. B,stone 54-----6103 mi. to cord. B,stone020-----6407 mi. to bald in ctr. another 205----4460 mi. to cord. another 020----5300 mi. to bald in ctr. Avon 46---------4733 mi. to bald in ctr. free 46----------2800 mi. 2/32nds left in ctr. Joe thinks it's our roads, lots of tar and chipping, You've seen them at NEXXT :cool: I'm very interested in any input from y'all on tire wear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northman Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 I wonder what effect the weight has, as Don & Dave also report very low mileage from tires. Only thing that makes me wonder about that is my GF is on the back of my bike at least 50% of the time, and my tire wear is still very good. The only other difference I see is that I run my tires 36/38 for spirited riding, and 37/39 if I'm going to cover longer distances particularly in straight lines. Avon recommends 36/38 for the XX when using their tires, and that would make sense, allowing a larger footprint, and spreading the wear out in a straight line. Might be worth trying for the rest of the life of the tire, to note any difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in PA Posted February 5, 2004 Author Share Posted February 5, 2004 From talking to John at Avon he said with higher press. the carcass wont heat up as much so it wont be as soft and wear faster. He even said try all the way up to 45-47 psi. :shock: On the other hand, I agree with the fact that a higher press. narrows the contact patch so you concentrate wear in the middle. My quest continues.................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86gn Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 Your road surfaces must really suck. I have 5k on my Avons with over half of that with a passenger and I think I will get at least another 2k out of the back. The front still looks good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northman Posted February 6, 2004 Share Posted February 6, 2004 From talking to John at Avon he said with higher press. the carcass wont heat up as much so it wont be as soft and wear faster. He even said try all the way up to 45-47 psi. That would be great for very high speeds, in hot ambient temperatures, for long periods, but will work against you during "commuting", IMHO. My vote is for over-inflated tires. Make sure you're checking them with a digital gauge, too. Some gauges are way out on accuracy. I ran my first set of Avon's at 41/43 once, due to a faulty gauge, and was less than impressed with traction, to the point that I was going to replace the tires. I found the gauge problem, corrected it, and was thoroughly impressed with the grip, and the overall feel of the tires after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in PA Posted February 7, 2004 Author Share Posted February 7, 2004 Metzeler just e-mailed me and said for max tire life on the XX, 36-38 front and 38-42 rear. I'm not far off so that isn't the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The XXorcist Posted February 7, 2004 Share Posted February 7, 2004 Northman what pressures did you end up running after getting an accurate tire gauge? I just got my 45/46 on my bike and was curious what air pressure other bird owners were running? I do mostly 75% normal play riding and 25% wide open anything goes :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northman Posted February 8, 2004 Share Posted February 8, 2004 42 F@R You're too high, Pete, and I'll bet money that's contributing to your low mileage out of tires. Try it, and see if there is actually a difference. I'm running 36 front/38 rear with my 45/46 combo, and it works well at that (at least for me). The 46 can be a little slick when it's cold, but seems to work nice once warmed up. Not as much grip as the 36, and nowhere near the 40, but adequate for all but the most insane street riding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonW Posted February 8, 2004 Share Posted February 8, 2004 Pete, When you say "free", are you saying that this was a replacement for one that came from that bad batch....or was it from a road hazard warranty? I couldn't find the thread about the bad batch to find the #'s, but figured I'd ask since it hasn't been mentioned here. I've only got about 2500 miles or so on my 46 and it seems to be wearing pretty fast also. Of course, 1000 of that was at speeds over 100 for hours on end......the NeXXt attempt. :roll: 40psi F&R for the trip. Normally, I run the same pressures as Chris..36/38. Does anyone have a handy link to the thread about the batch that was wearing prematurely....or know the #s? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in PA Posted February 8, 2004 Author Share Posted February 8, 2004 It was a free tire for the early batch. It was never established what the DOT# range was to my knowlege. Call Avon at 1-800-624-7470 and ask for John. Have your DOT # ready. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in PA Posted February 12, 2004 Author Share Posted February 12, 2004 Got my Z 6's yesterday, looks like a good set of tires. For those interested: Front has 6/32nds in the middle. Rear has 8/32nds as close to the middle as you can get. IRL the middle no tread part isn't as wide as it looks in pics. Looking forward to running them but will be awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynx60 Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 Pete: Keep us posted on the performance & handling of those Z 6's. And don't baby them once you've scrubbed them in. We want some true feedback on those tires. Lynx60 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 Pete I have a Harbor Freight in my town as well. What came with the setup you bought? Did you have a part #/item description that you could post? I would be interested in purchasing this as well. Please keep us posted as to how well the setup worked out for mounting and balancing. The price you got the Z6 for is the lowest I've seen. Been searching Google on these tires. So far, there hasn't been a negative review. Most are impressed with the neutral handling characteristics, especially while leaned over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in PA Posted February 22, 2004 Author Share Posted February 22, 2004 www.harborfreight.com Click on automotive, when that comes up, click on auto shop. It will be there. 34542-9VGA $34.99 for the car changer. 42927-4VGA $39.99 for the motorcycle attachment. I caught them on sale at an even lower price. I haven't used it yet for tubeless. I did mount a tube type though. It works great. Just to have a way to solidly mount the rim helps a lot. I've done it with just tire irons before and you can't get the leverage without the rim moving. Also check out www.clarity.net/~adam/tire-changing-doc.html has more info with balancing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 I'm there! thanks for the #'s. Not sure how much it normally costs to mount & balance a set of tires, but it seems like that should pay for itself within 3 sets. Not to mention avoiding the embarrassment of asking a dealer that you didn't buy the tires from to mount them. :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVLXX Posted February 29, 2004 Share Posted February 29, 2004 280....... that definetly has an effect on your tire wear.... if you don't have your tire at the right inflation. The million dollar question in some raceing circle is tire pressure. The lower the pressure the hotter the tire will get, which makes it stick better but wear out faster. The higher the pressure, the less tire deformation, the less heat and wear but also the less traction in the twisties. Years ago I researched this at lenght, calling manufacturers and raceing friends. How do you know if you have the proper inflation? As you can imagine, my friends responces all were "you can feel it".... well I don't race enough I guess and I wanted a better answer than that so, I called Manufacturers. At the time the only company that was will to say anything was Metzler (I didn't try Avon). They said... as a general rule, the best tire inflation is when the inflation pressure doesn't vary more than 10% during its heat cycle. But not to exceed 44 psi. So for me, after severall rides , checking air pressure, adjusting, and feeling the tire (by hand), I arrived at 38R/36F for my D205's. I understand the tire should feel Hot, like the outside of a coffee cup, not so Hot that you don't want to touch it, but hot enough that you don't want to keep your hand there either. I also way 210, so I am just assumeing that you need more air than me. I consider those pressures my normal rideing pressures, comuting and long road trips, but I drop them by 2 psi. if I hit the twisties for a day. I recently purchased a Mini temperature gun, to messure the tire temperature, but haven't been able to use it yet. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in PA Posted April 13, 2004 Author Share Posted April 13, 2004 http://www.us.metzelermoto.com/metzeler_fu...glio.asp?id=202 Apparently WE aren't supposed to use this "B" tire on our bikes. I don't see why. When I wear the non-"B" out, maybe I'll put the "B" one on since I'll still have a good amount of mileage left in the front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdie_xx Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 Pete, do you have two stands (the blue and the red one), or just one with 2 different top attachments ? It brakes the bead as well , correct ? Cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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