| Author | Message | ||
     Debueller |
After reading some speculation about tire cupping on another thread (steering bar shimmy) I am wondering what causes cupping? I did a quick search of the knowledge vault, and didn't find much. My use of the search function probabally could be better. My sisters '03 Kawa Concours cups the front tire like crazy. She's running Avon Azaro's, we static balance them, and she runs about 36 psi in the front. The bike seems to ride, brake and steer fine. After about 5K miles the front starts looking pretty cupped, but still has plenty of tread. (the rear looks normal). At about 7.5K the front starts looking very cupped. We may try another brand, but other than the cupping she really likes them. She is due for a set of new bolognas very soon. not sure to change brands or keep trying the Azaros. This is the second set and they both did the same thing. (Message edited by debueller on September 13, 2006) | ||
| Punkid8888 |
My old Yamaha Fazer cupped the front tire real easliy. I found out it was a combination of just the tire design with that bikes suspension. it also had air charged front forks and I guess if they dont have the exact same pressure it will increase the likly hood of cupping. I am not sure how her front forks are designed, but I would look into it. | ||
| Holling |
On a car, cupping is usually caused by worn out shocks. | ||
| Dragonbuell12r |
5k miles is probably near the end of a tire's life, right? I only got 4k out of the rear (208's) and I don't ride it the hardest. I swapped my front at 5.5k and it was cupping and still had tread on it. It vibrated a lot though. | ||
| Debueller |
Azaro's are a sport touring tire. I've heard of people getting 10K+ out of them. I was getting about 6-8K out of them on my FJ1200. My sis runs them to at least 8K but the cupping concerns me. She rides very conservetive and acts like she dosen't notice anything weird as they wear. Maybe I will take some time and help her to check her fork adjustments. | ||
| Tunes |
Tread pattern, tire compound, road surface, riding style, tire air pressure, age of tire, fork oil, suspension set-up, motorcycle type, etc... all effect cupping. I like to run my suspension on the soft side cause of road conditions here in NH. If I could, I'd adjust the suspension a little stiffer. I believe it would help tire cupping a little. In my experiences with 100's of front tires, I averaged 5K miles before cupping was noticable. Some tires do better than others but, that depended on the variables I mentioned above. Some people do better than others because of their riding style, tires, etc... again, as I mentioned above. Personnally, it's been the tire pattern that seems to have the biggest impact on cupping on my bikes. | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Debueller - I run Michelin Pilot GT's on my Concours. the stock dunlop was ridiculously cupped at about 5k miles. The Michelin Pilot GT's are designed for the Honda GL1500 and as such only come in one size, but they are taking the concours world by storm. I run them and at about 3k miles there is hardly any wear and no sign of cupping. They are quiet, smooth, and track well through turns even though they have a slightly less aggressive profile than stock. I genereally run about 40 PSI front and rear. A higher pressure has been known to reduce cupping on the Connies. The taller tire will reduce highway RPM's marginally, and will make it easier to get on the centerstand. It will raise the seat a bit on an already tall top-heavy bike, however parking lot maneuvers seem easier. Whatever handling changes there are, quickly become old hat once you put a few miles on them. i wore them to the edge in WV, and they offered no surprises in wet or dry conditions. I ran them at 90 MPH for hours on end and they performed flawlessly. I didn't really answer your question about cupping in general, but I figured I'd offer an option for your sis' Connie. I will keep using them. | ||
| Debueller |
Johnnylb, Thanks for the info. She's been thinking of switching tire brands but there seems to be somewhat of a limited selection of tires for the Connie due to the odd combination of rim dia's. I believe that the front is a 18" and the rear is a 16". Your recommendation sounds good, I will talk to her soon, and maybe we'll try them next. We'll be checking things like suspension settings, fork oil, tire pressure, and maybe even headset bearings. (thanks tunes) She dosen't have a lot of money, and she really needs to get her money's worth out of a set of quality tires. (they cost so much and tend to wear so fast). Maybe the Azaros are not a good match for the Connie. Thanks all. (Message edited by debueller on September 14, 2006) | ||
| Noangel |
I've always been told that front wheel cupping was due to heavy/excessive use of the front brakes. Now I can't comment since I have a tendency to use both my front and rears in conjuction for a more balanced brake load. I'm on my second set of rubbers and I've yet to cup my fronts after 19,000kms (just shy of 12,000 miles). Like most, I'm harder on my rears (about a 2:1 wear ratio). | ||
| Jaimec |
It all depends on the tire brand, inflation, riding style, etc. I've never cupped a tire on my Buells, but my K1200LT originally came with Dunlop tires and I constantly cupped the front tire on that thing. I'd go through two front tires for every rear tire. My dealer suspects it's how I ride, as it would be the sides of the tires that would get trashed leaving the center looking almost like new. I've since switched to Metzeler ME880s on that bike and they wear out together; no cupping observed. Now that I think of it, I think I can remember cupping occurring on the Dunlop tires on my old M2 Cyclone before I switched to Metzelers on that bike. I don't know about the Lightning as I didn't keep the Dunlops on long enough for them to get worn out. |
