My tire dilemma...
 

So I have my new Pilot Road 2's sitting in the garage. I have not mounted them yet, since it is not raining (got Road 2's for the rain, and commuter miles). The tires on the SH right now are BT-14s. The middle of my rear tire is pretty much flat, and down to the wear indicators. The front has plenty of meat left. I do not know how old they are, as I have only owned the bike for 3 months.


There is very little wear on the edges of the rear. And I still have about a 1/2" chickenstrip. Going on a nice curvy ride with some of the Oregon SH gang on the 29th. :D

Should I:

1) keep my old tires on so I can get some use out of the edges of the old set? Should I be worried about the middle of the rear being worn? I would just put the new ones on when it starts to rain, if you think it's safe.

or

2) put the new tires on and not worry about getting all I can get out of the old ones. I want to put the new tires on, but I don't know if I need to.....it feels like I am riding on the stinky leftovers of the previous owner. :shock: Sloppy seconds. I dont like it.

or

3) put on the rear only until the rain comes, then put the new front on. I would only do this if you guys think the rear being on the wear indicators (in the middle) is dangerous, and I should wear the front out some more.

It is hard for me to make decisions on anything SH related without all of your valuable input, so I had to ask.

Thanks in advance!

I would put the new tires on and not look back.

New tires can be pretty slick for the 1st hundred miles. I'd want them worn in a little before I rode in the wet.

The first hundred miles? I haven't ever had a set of tires that took anywhere near that long to scrub in. I'm careful on a new set of tires for about 10 miles and the first time I lean over a bit. Other than that, new tires are always an improvement over old, worn tires.

I agree with the slow break-in, gradually increasing lean angle.

An MC tire shop I've gone to for over 20 years always reminds you to take it easy until they break-in because the tire manufacturers use a "release compound" to make it easy to remove from the mold.
They've had guys crash turning out of their shop.

I agree with killer . I usually mount em up and hit my favorite road !( as long as its not wet ) I make one pass taking it kinda easy gradually increasing lean angle . Then make second pass full tilt ! Chicken strips are gone within 5 or 10 miles .

Yeah, I guess that would work if the road had enough curves in it.

Yeah, don't hesitate to put those new tires on. You'll be glad you did.

Your tires should allways be what gives you the warm fuzzies.
You can't change your tires if it starts raining when you're on a ride.
Keep the front for when you're poor, so you can buy a back and get some miles.

a) New tires. You have 'em and it sure would suck to find yourself saying (standing beside a crashed SH) "Man, I wish I had mounted the new tires I have."

b) another vote for never giving a second thought to a 100 or 200 mile "break in". Chicken strips gone within 25-50 miles and never a close call. As soon as they get warm, they are as good as they'll ever be. At least that has been my experience.
(as a side note, if 100 mile break in was required, nobody would ever buy new tires just before doing a track day.)

Another vote for mounting the new ones. Squared off tires suck in the worst way. I only got 2500 miles on the stock 204s. The rear was flat spotted badly, and since the 204s suck anyway, I replaced both. Was real glad I did.

You will be too.

Once all surface has been "scrubbed" and heatcycled to sweat of any residual slick stuff... then it's good to go... and that doesn't take a 100 miles... One or two laps at the track or a run in the twisties...:D

And apart from safety in a straight line with a worn tire... Running with a squared of back tire in the twisties is a good way to end up in a ditch... You get all kinds of fun behaviour in the transition between the two surfaces... Imagine that when going from full lean to full lean on a not so perfect surface with a wobbly back tire... That's really fun...:roll:

I'm with Killer, put the new one's on, take it easy for a few miles, then hammer down....

Mount em up dude.You'll be so proud and happy,safe and confident and by the time it starts raining you'll know how they feel and they will be your trusted friends.

Thanks for the encouragement! I am going to try to get them mounted tomorrow. Ill let you know what I think about the Road 2's.

I got them mounted today. I was a little put off right out of the gate. The first reaction I had was: What the hell, it feels like I have a flat tire?!

I stopped and looked at the tires, and they looked like they had plenty of air, so I rode home. Air pressure was fine.

So my question is: Why does it feel like Im low on air? Is it the little nubs? Is it that there is that extra tread depth so it feels squishy?

One way or the other I am going to put plenty of miles on them this week, so I will let you know how it goes.

Thanks!

The extra tread depth of new tires makes for a more compliant ride. You'll probably also notice it falls into turns easier.
But don't trust the shop, check the pressure with an accurate gauge.

I put some more miles on the Road2 rear and 2CT front today and yes, they are very 'compliant', soak up road irregularity well, but no 'squishiness' here. Stuck very good in a variety of corners.