What's wrong with my front tire?

[ride4now_imp]

If you can see it in this photo, my front tire is wearing unevenly. Along the side of the tread, you can see the unevenness... there's actually ridges becoming noticeable where some spots of the tire are worn more than others, and these two sections are right next to each other. And I only have 3000 miles on the bike. In addition I noticed yesterday that my rear tire looks like it's ready to be replaced. Is this normal at 3000 miles? I went 10,000 on the Harley before I replaced its originals tires... Thoughts?

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[dsan1964_imp]

what pressure are you running ? Looks maybe too much?


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[Lord Popgun]

My stock Dunlops have ~3500 mi. And do not look like that. The front has more wear in the middle (it's flat here and no real twisties). The front tire left side is just starting to show wear like your left side (right side looking at your picture. I had to look close to see it, but could feel the scallops.

Edit to add. Is just my observation. I have no idea what causes your kind of wear.

 

[the Ferret]

Dual compound tires can show this kind of wear. To me it looks like too little. Bump it up to 38 and see if it straightens out. i replaced my original tires at 8500 and the first replacement set at 19,100 ( or about 10,500 on the second set and they still looked nice just down to wear bars) . I run 38/40 f and r

 

[4 Paws_imp]

On a previous bike I had the uneven wear and "bumps/lumps" in the tire very early on. Irritated me since I am overly anal about air pressure. Replaced the tires with a well known brand and never had the problem again.
No idea why, figured it was just my luck. My CB is showing front tire fatigue syndrome earlier than I expected but wearing well, once I see some wear bars I'll replace. OEM tires are a bit of hit and miss.

 

[ride4now_imp]

I normally set the pressure to the levels listed on the vehicle id sticker. I must admit that I'm not a regular in checking the pressure though. I'll check it next weekend... thanks because that's probably it.

 

[Inhouse Bob]

I normally set the pressure to the levels listed on the vehicle id sticker. I must admit that I'm not a regular in checking the pressure though. I'll check it next weekend... thanks because that's probably it.

Two things I noticed when over time I let the pressure drop to 33 on the front. One, I got similar wear. Two, when turning at a slower speed, the front end seems to "fall" into the turn. Running 36 pounds has taken care of both. Now I check pressure at each fill-up. Your results may vary.

 

[mattmcuomo@yahoo.com]

I'm getting the same wear, 6400 miles. I keep 36 in front and 42 in back per Honda. Almost all of those miles are freeway miles, not the smoothest roads either. I'm thinking it's a combination of things. My back tire is just wearing in the middle.... friggen chicken strip!

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[CIP57_imp]

Tire is cupped pretty bad and looks more on the right side, mine wore like that only more on the left due to the crown in the road. My front i replaced I believe about 2500mi and was in similar condition only less tread. Nothing wrong with your front end because my PP3's ran clean, I had put 5K before I sold it. Time for new tires.

 

[Toddman_imp]

Cupping...things that make you go hmmmm. I've heard all kinds of reasons why but I can tell you this, tires that are raced on or track day tires don't seem to cup. It may have something to do with the tire heating up and not shredding any rubber, cooling down and folding in on itself. Track day/race tires get the rubber shredded off and I'm thinking when the tire cools and shrinks, the rubber has room to contract.
Just a thought.
Front tires seem to cup worse than rears.
At the track, the front tires are scrubbed pretty good during braking and turning. They heat up and the rubber peels off.

 

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Cupping...things that make you go hmmmm. I've heard all kinds of reasons why but I can tell you this, tires that are raced on or track day tires don't seem to cup. It may have something to do with the tire heating up and not shredding any rubber, cooling down and folding in on itself. Track day/race tires get the rubber shredded off and I'm thinking when the tire cools and shrinks, the rubber has room to contract.
Just a thought.
Front tires seem to cup worse than rears.
At the track, the front tires are scrubbed pretty good during braking and turning. They heat up and the rubber peels off.

Good to hear from a track hound. Agree. You've got cupping there. I got it with my stock Dunlops, got it with the Bridgestone BT54's as well.

I have no prescription other than to say run the tire at the specified pressure as too low a pressure will cause this.

I know Ferret mentioned running 38 psi; be aware the contact patch will be smaller and thus traction reduced. Don't know if this is an officially recommended adjustment but the tire does state it will take a higher pressure on the sidewall, if I recall.

The Conti Road Attack 2 Classic Race show no signs of it. I run the front at 33 and the rear at 39 but am 142 pounds. Seems to be perfect.

 

[the Ferret]

Tire pressures, like suspension settings, are factory recommendations, and come from the factory for a supposed " typical" rider..lets say 5'9" 165 pounds, leisurely rider. (Just an example). These are merely a starting point for owners to set the bike up for their particular needs and preferences. Each CB1100 comes from the factory with the exact same settings and tire pressures even though we as owners and riders are not exactly the same. Weigh 125, or 205, ride aggresively, or ride sedately, or ride two up with luggage and front and rear suspension settings with 4 adjustments each and tire pressures within a several pound range should be adjusted accordingly.

 

[Tezza_imp]

My Dunlop D205 on the front had the same wear pattern. Also caused the front to shake mildly at low speed. Problem went away when the tyres were replaced with Pirelli sport demons.

 

[12cb96vfr_imp]

mine did the exact same thing

 

[gbpack89_imp]

My front cupped like that by 2500miles. No noticeable effect on handling yet. I did up the pressure after I noticed the wear

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[CA200_imp]

Since I sold and mounted motorcycle tires for many years I think it
time for me to give you my take on "cupping".
As most of us know radials cup more then bias tires. Radials flex more. Most industry people will tell you its a natural wear pattern.
If you do a of lot stop and go riding everyday and you have good brakes the tire cups faster. One industry person explained it to me this way, tires today are made very directional and every time you
brake you are putting a large force in the opposite direction then it was built to "run". So it flexes and tries to step over its self.
This is why bikes that spend most of there time on the highway
or people who don't brake well don't have much cupping. Also
bikes with poor brakes and bias tires don't have much either .
You rarely see cupped tires on HDs.
That's my thoughts hope it helps.

 

[Ulvetanna_imp]

My Dunlop D205 on the front had the same wear pattern. Also caused the front to shake mildly at low speed. Problem went away when the tyres were replaced with Pirelli sport demons.

The Bridgestones don't do that, not nearly as much, anyway. Those Dunlops had a real comfy ride and gripped well, sometimes the OEM tires are that way, to give a good initial impression of the bike. There are some pretty good tire choices now for this bike, bias-ply and radial, even production racing tires (Conti Road Attack 2 CR).

 

[LongRanger_imp]

I think CA200 nailed it. I think it's related to braking. Also, the CB1100 isn't exactly a lightweight bike, so the tires take the brunt.

 

[dave]

My front tire did the exact same thing. It will continue to get worse, to the point where it will cause the handlebars to shake if you take your hands off the handlebars at speeds between 40 - 50 mph (this is where it was most noticeable). My 1976 Honda CB750F used to do the exact same thing also. I have heard various explanations for the cause from balance to pressure, and have tried everything I know to cure it on my '76 with no success. Only time will tell if the CB1100 does this to the tire I replaced the original with.

 

[ride4now_imp]

Ok... I checked it today prior to my ride... and the pressures were in the low 20's, both tires. Here's the problem... and perhaps why I hate putting air in these tires. It's almost IMPOSSIBLE to put air in these tires... the double disk in the front means you have find just the right nozzle on the air hose or you can't put any air in.... The rear is a bit easier... but still difficult with the normal nozzle on many air pumps. Any suggestions? Is there something to buy that you can carry with you to make it easier?