Pete in PA Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Buddy at work has a BMW R1150R. You know 2 cylinders, maybe 75 HP at the rear wheel. He put on a Metzler ME Z4 rear. Now at 4400 miles has 1/32nd tread left in the middle. :shock: WTF :!: He is thin, maybe 150 lbs. so it's not the weight. Rides conservatively, hell what can you do with 75 HP? He says 38 PSI in the rear. I've got the new Z6's ready in the basement to be mounted. According to Metzler there is no improvement in mileage over the old Z4's. This is the first time I'm pissed at a set of tires before even mounting them! What choice do I have, they're going on. :roll: I GIVE UP! I GIVE UP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matey_peeps Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 in any regards, let us know how they compare mileage and handling wise to your old tires, i'm due for a set mid-summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrdxx Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 I just had a set of ME Z4s installed on my K1100RS a few months back, so I don't have enough time or miles on them to make any judgements. I know I didn't like the Metzelers originally installed on the bike. The set of tires I replaced were Pilot Roads, and I really liked those tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in PA Posted March 31, 2004 Author Share Posted March 31, 2004 Hey, I'll take them off your hands..........gimme a PM......... HMMMMM............... :?: :?: The only problem is I don't know what else to replace them with. :?: :?: :roll: :roll: :roll: I've done run or heard enough of everything else. :evil: Geuss I'll throw them on when my unsat. Avons are toast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warchild Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 I've got the new Z6's ready in the basement to be mounted. Â According to Metzler there is no improvement in mileage over the old Z4's.This is the first time I'm pissed at a set of tires before even mounting them! What choice do I have, they're going on. :roll: Â Not to further bum you out about the Z6's, but they are quickly earning a dogshit reputation in the FJR community. Here's a recent post from a fellow FJR dude who has a set of the Z6's mounted: I've been very happy with the Z6 tires I put on a few weeks ago. So much so that I bought another set which is sitting in the garage. Tonight I got home from a spirited 3 day ride in the NorCal Sierras. The tires have 4200 miles on them. I checked them this morning before we left the motel and they looked fine. The rear has no tread on the center section of the tire so there isn't any wear bar in that area. The only wear bars are on the sides of the tread. I just went outside to take my bags off and glanced at the rear tire. It is worn down below the cord. There are pieces of metal from the steel belt sticking out for about 1/2 the circumference of the tire. It was just about to go. I came down 99, over the Grapevine and through LA at a good 75-80 mph. It would have been very ugly if it had failed then. I heard that Metzler is coming out with a heavier construction Z6. As it is now I would not suggest anyone use what is currently available. The biggest shortcoming is the lack of any method of judging what wear is left. Besides that, trashing a tire in 4200 miles is ridiculous. Â Now mind you, the FJR is obviously bigger than the XX, but only by 45-lbs. And yes, while the FJR does have greater horsepower and torque than the XX, the difference really isn't huge. I'm betting, Pete, that your Z6's won't last for shit on the 'Bird. :???: If it's any consolation, though, they oughta perform well as long as they have tread on them..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in PA Posted April 1, 2004 Author Share Posted April 1, 2004 4200 miles. :evil: Figures. Right in line with my buds beemer. I actually thought the "no center tread" would be a good thing for getting more "legal" mileage. If they can't measure at the center for inspection the tire will be legal. I heard about the heavy duty rear, not available in the US (yet?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJP XX Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 HeyPete, I have my Avon 45/46 combo on my XX and probably have 4200 miles of tread leftover! Currently 15,300 on the front and 11,000 on the rear. Ask Vern as to how well they stick...after all, he dragged many fairings on the Cherahola and the Gap. :grin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkxx Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 Pete, just forget about it! You live in Pennsylvania where no tire lives very long. I think they put glass in the roads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrdxx Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 My clunky, heavy K1100RS and my conservative riding style collectively got about 8000 miles from a set of Pilot Roads, with excellent tracking, cornering feedback, wet weather grip, and even wear. The only oddity was that the front and rear wore evenly, and it was time to replace both at tire change time. I'm already suspicious of the ME Z4s I installed on the bike, and will likely go back to the Michelins or try out the Avons at the next opportunity. The Metzelers have a vague tracking feel, and the front is already showing signs of that stupid squared off wear pattern at only 2000 miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warchild Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 Some more follow-up from that same guy I mentioned above, and his conversation with Metzler: I've had two conversations with the Metzler factory guy today regarding my Z6 experience I told you about. I'm waiting for him to call me back so we can discuss how to tell when the tire is worn out. He wasn't sure so he wanted to have a tire in front of him when we speak.  According to the factory the standard Z6 rear is definitely the wrong tire for this bike, it has to be the "B" model which they haven't released in the US yet. The tire seems to wear well up to a point and then it goes to hell pretty fast depending on how hard you ride it.  Biggest point for me is how to judge whats left. The MEZ4's tread wear indicators are pretty obvious and strategically placed across the tread. This one has no indicators at the most susceptible point of wear, the center strip. A simple glance is not going to tell a whole lot I'm afraid but lets wait and see what the Metzler guy has to offer. I asked why they didn't put some tread wear divots in the center like they do on slicks. He said they get an edge on them as the tire wears which doesn't look very good so the factory opted to leave them out.  He also said that the '04 catalog got out without mentioning the heavy duty "B" tire due to a cutoff issue so he wasn't surprised that the dealers didn't know it was coming. The fronts are all the same so no problem there. He was pretty insistent that I remove the new Z6 I installed yesterday. I'm curious what he intends for me to do with it. {update} Just got off the phone with the Metzler guy. He wants to discuss this issue with his engineer in Germany before making any further recommendations regarding the new Z6 I installed. He also mentioned the tread wear indicator that is at the bottom of the groove that gets closest to the center of the tread. He felt it would be a reasonable measure of the amount of tread remaining since it is about .5" from the center of the tire. I'll let you know what happens next week. I'm hoping he'll trade me straight across for a MEZ4-J and call it even. We'll see.  Marc Parnes  www.MarcParnes.com  Wheel Balancer and Visual Alert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurricane Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 Is it possible this guy just might be over analyzing the situation with his MeZ6? Yeah, you'd get better wear characteristics from the MeZ6 built for the heavier bikes like FJ 1300, ST's, the BMW's and the Yamaha Warrior, etc but, the MeZ6's that are on my bike handle great from one side of the edge to the other and have proven predictable, stable while greatly enhancing the handling characteristics of my XX. I'll be sure to let you know if I experience the same negative effects he has, although I am doubtful. Obviously, riding styles vary from one rider to the next and play the major part. Then there's the environment to consider. What temps do you frequently ride in? Are you in Montana or in San Diego? Do you gravitate to the highway or exclusively canyon carving. You might be hard on the gas and timid in the corners or any other combination. I've been amazed visiting various sites, to include this one, on how mileage differs on the same type and brand of tires. Yet the aforementioned is rarely a topic of consideration or discussion when choosing tires. Living where I do now, I guarantee I’ll wear the sides off before the centers. And yet, when I lived in other areas of the country it was the opposite. Took a while to get to real corners and the wear on the tires reflected that. It’s not necessarily the tire or the manufacturer. :smokin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aptyp Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 Just a side note, the FJR does NOT have anywhere near the power of the XX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 Everything I've read puts the FJR1300 in the upper 120s at the wheel, with more peak torque than the XX. A little down on HP, but up on torque I'd call that somewhere near. Warchild also happens to own both, so he'd be in a position to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurricane Posted April 7, 2004 Share Posted April 7, 2004 I wondered what the specs on the FJ are. So I went to www.motorcyclistonline.com and found this: ***********Hp*********Torque****Qtr Mile****Roll On**WetWeight FJR1300 ('02) 126.2 @ 7750 88.5 @ 7000 11.02 @ 124.08 3.65 641 Those last three numbers tell ya how heavy the machine is. Real close to being 100lbs fuller figured than the XX. That's allot of lov'in! :smokin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in PA Posted April 13, 2004 Author Share Posted April 13, 2004 They just posted on the Metzeler site about the "B" version of the Z6 rear. http://www.us.metzelermoto.com/metzeler_fu...glio.asp?id=202 Nothing about mounting on a XX. I don't see why WE couldn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnslo Posted April 17, 2004 Share Posted April 17, 2004 When I had a BMW K1100RS, 6500 and the MEZ4's were toast. Front started cupping at @2000 miles. Not impressive performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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