Oops. Meant to post this in the 2018 forum...

 

There you go Fred, moved it over for you.

 

Not too many miles on that tire, was hoping they would last longer.

 

Yea, me too. It has three trips in Texas and one through Arkansas on it, most of them two up and fully loaded. I suspect some of the short life I get out of them is simply attributed to the higher speed limits here, coupled with all the seal coated roads I ride on. I was hoping that by letting the DCT take over control of the clutch that maybe it would increase my tire life, but that doesn't look like it's the case. I can report that the grip on the Bridgestone has been excellent throughout its life.

A new rear Dunlop is about $270 and another Bridgestone is $200. A complete set of Dunlops is about $480 and a set of Bridgestones is $355 though Wingstuff.Guess I better start saving up my retirement money so I can afford to keep tires on my bike.

 

Yes I believe high speed is a very big contributor to rear tire wear.

 

Somebody's got to say it, so it might as well be me:

DARKSIDE

 

I posted an original quote trying to figure out the best tires for the Wing. The conclusion was the :"Stones". I have gotten 10,000 miles out of the stones with Liqutube and nitrogen.. I am open to any other suggestions/advice.

 

I've gotten close to 15,000 miles on the "Stones" on my '06. Just normal air in the tires and recommended air pressures. Today when I refueled I filled up with 4 gallons of gasoline and had traveled 187 miles since my previous fill-up.

 

I'm not sure but something that might need to be considered before going to the darkside is any change in gas mileage, particularly a drop in mpg. Generally as the tire patch contact with the ground increases, gas mileage decreases. In addition the driving range on tank of fuel would also decrease. Any savings in tire replacement costs could be offset by the need and cost of additional fuel. I'd like to know the experience of darksiders on this issue.

 

on my previous 2008 I twice went 300 GPS miles riding darkside on a tank of gas :surprise:. This was riding in the Ozarks in Southern Missouri.
jlbc212, if posting about the older bike got you in trouble then I was double bad for mentioning darkside and my 2008.

 

Looks like the same Bridgestone as the older one in all regards. Going wider didn't do any good.

 

Fred, you'll have to run the next set on 'econo'.:serious:

 

Sadly, I’m not seeing any other tire choice! I’m ready at 10,000 plus! Dunlop or Bridgestone?

 

I'd switch so you know each brand.

 

That is terrible mileage for a motorcycle tire. I have the 6 speed manual and about 4K miles on my tires with little wear that I can see. A tread depth measurement might be in order to get and idea of wear.

 

What kind of “mileage” do you think a motorcycle tire should get? There are many variables that determine tire life and the rider has control over some of them.

:doorag:

 

I hope Michelin steps up, the COMMANDER II already comes in size: 200/55-R17 Rear and it is a great tire.

 

That would be a 1 inch taller tire, wouldn't work with the present gearing.

 

BikeBandit is advertising the Dunflop version. Kinda pricey.


prs

 

Fred, here's a pic of my Bridgestone G709 that I replaced today. It has 17,000 miles on it! That's the most miles I've ever gotten on any motorcycle tire. I guess I'm easier on tires than you young guys. :smile2:

 

I run a stoner G709 on the front at 40psi. Got close to 20K on two, and 21K on one. I check the tire pressure regularly and also check the Schraeder valve, they get just a little lose and need to be tightened.

 

Wow! Now that I see a pic of my front tire...it looks worse than I thought. I may have ridden on that one a little too long. LOL.

 

If your rear tire is leaving the pavement a lot, you are going to eat up the tire in short order. From posts about suspension and cameras aimed on the rear tire and road, it looks like the rear tire is doing a good bit of hopping on the 2018's. I had my rear shock spew its oil (twice) on my 2010 and ended up seeing thousands of expected miles of tire life vanish in several dozen miles. Because there was no dampening, the tire would just bounce a bunch of times off of every bump I hit. The first time it happened, I only had about 5K miles on the tire and lots and lots of tread. I was out on a long ride when the shock spewed and the ride handling suffered. I was about 90 miles from home and by the time I got home, I was on the wear bars. I should have gotten another 10-15 thousand out of that tire. The second time was a much older tire and much closer to home, and again on the wear bars when I got home. Rear shock repair had to include a new tire.

 

As a GW returnee and coming from a tourer HD, I had never heard about that Darkside. Interesting reading for sure, but for me, I paid hard earned $$ money for a motorcycle that I hope the manufacture's engineers have put some effort to put the right combination of rubber to get the most out of the machine. When I had my sport bikes, yes there were "better" tires for getting serious leans in the twisties and I am sure there will be for this bike. But I really don't feel like having to research which Darkside is rounder to have less effect on the curves or have to experiment with pressures to get the same ride I get from the m/c specific rubber. If I want to get more miles out of the rubber, I will take it real easy on the twisties and ride 55 MPH as I know that speed eats tires. But I won't! I bought this fine machine to ride it and I will just have to have change my taste for craft beer to maybe that $4.99 a 12pk brew! Of course JMHO

 

You would need to go to a 190/50x17 to keep roughly the same rear diameter. Of course they could have adjusted the gearing and gone with any size when they were in the design phase but I'm betting the wanted the tallest sidewall to get the best ride and highest load ratings. Or they just wanted to box out anyone but their preferred suppliers

 

This is disappointing. No option for Michelin or Avon? Bummer. On the other hand I've had good luck with both Bridgestones and Dunlops over the years so I guess it doesn't matter. I'm a big Michelin fan. Use them whenever possible on cars, trucks and bikes.

 

I have a avon front on 3000 miles very little wear .ride and handling .cant see going back to brigs .

 

Fred, Fred, Fred, you know you actually have to have air in the tires for them to work well. Actually I have stones on my wing and they work really well. I have over 15,000 miles on mine and they still look good, and many of those miles were two up. Could be those roads in Texas shortening their life.

 

I did my second set of Stones and got a little over 10,000. My service center dude (who rides an 1100 Wing) said that is about you can expect from any tires. He personally rides the Chinese tires, but then again that is what he sells. I know you can get more miles out of a harder tire, but that is not as safe in the rain.



Just my thoughts.

 

I have a 2015 GL1800 and just changed tires for the 4th time. Mileage is 41K. Have gone through 47 of the 48 states in up to 104 degree heat and averaging around 80 mph on the long highway trips. I average about 13K per set of tires. Have always used Bridgestone and my mileage increased from 1st set of tires due to the install of centramatic wheel balancers. Have always bought the Bridgestones from Wingstuff when they had the rebate sale and am satisfied overall with them. Long trips have always been with the wife as well so if you don't have the centramatics I would suggest you try them. I change tires around the 2 1/2 (32's) mark on a tire gauge.

 

Tire life

I think we have shown over and over again that mileage on tires is completely individual. Some people get 5,000 miles out of a set of tires and others get 30,000 miles. I am amazed that this continues to surprise riders here. Face it, if you have a high mileage tire guy, he will get higher than normal mileage out of Stones, Metzlers, Dunlops and alternative tires. The guy that gets 5000 miles out of Stone is not going to get 30,000 miles out of an alternative tire.

 

I ride in ECON mode 90% of the time but with the crap roads in Pa. it may not matter with how many miles I get out of my tires. I have a brand new set of Metzeler 888's from my previous wing I will be trying after these tires are done.

 

The only info here should be how a Bridgestone G852 holds up on a 2018 Wing. I have only had mine for a couple weeks but am over 2000 miles and at the most 1/32" of tire is gone. So at that rate I should hit 12,000 miles. Now I hope that a Michelin Commander II, Dunlop E4, or some other high mileage tire will be available soon so I can get 17,000 or more miles again like previous bikes.

 

2

The only info here should be how a Bridgestone G852 holds up on a 2018 Wing. I have only had mine for a couple weeks but am over 2000 miles and at the most 1/32" of tire is gone. So at that rate I should hit 12,000 miles. Now I hope that a Michelin Commander II, Dunlop E4, or some other high mileage tire will be available soon so I can get 17,000 or more miles again like previous bikes.
[/QUOTE
29000 miles rear tires 12k f 13 k .

 

Hi. Does anyone know what the tread depth is on new 2018 Tour DCT tires (Bridgestones)? I have 5000 miles and just had a state inspection which measured 2/32 on front and 4/32 on rear. I don't have a good idea of the starting point but was surprised that the rear seems to have more life remaining than the front. I think 2/32 is the minimum to pass inspection so wondering what the assumptions are letting you out the door - i.e. am I good for another 1/32 or to zero? I have a trip coming up and trying to gauge how long I'll be good on these.

Thanks.