BRP . . . An Open Comment To You

[MouthPiece]

I asked this in a previous "tire thread" very similar to this one. Just what is a "reasonable expectation" for the rear tire (note I said rear) and then for the fronts???

Chris

 

[ARtraveler]

I believe the most recent controversy has to do with the fact that the newest tires are not getting the same mileage as compared to the previous iterations.

I am not complaining about 20K on the front tires and 13K or so on the rear tires. I have experienced this over the last 100,000 :spyder2: miles.

What I and a lot of other people are complaining about is the fact that it seems the new tires are getting half or less than the above mentioned miles. I recently spent over $386.00 to have two front tires installed on the 2011. This included the mickey mouse alignment (old way), taking the tires to a tire shop to mount and balance, etc. The original tires lasted 12,000 and right one wore down causing shimmy. I have one good spare with 12,000 miles on it after this.

With costs similar to the above, twice a season, for two :spyder2:'s--if I have to start replacing tires at 8000 or less miles, it is becoming just to expensive a hobby for a retired person like me.

 

[AeroPilot]

Kumho Ecsta put on by Discount Tires

Question about that Michelin tire. Love Michelin's by the way! Longest lasting tire I ever had on my cars!

I hit 8000 2 weeks ago and my stock tire tread is now down to the water damn in the middle of the tire.
So I have some more miles to go but not much.

I am fully capable of removing the rear tire from the Spyder.
But where do you go to get the tire put on the rim?
Any car tire place or does it take a dealer with the proper equipment?

I could put the tire on the rim and BACmaybe try the rope trick to get the bead to seat but would rather have it put on properly and balanced.

Also, do you take off the rear belt sprocket off the rim to balance the tire?

Thanks,
Bob

We also got about 8,000 miles on Tire #2 when it was wore down in the middle. Eeked out another 3,000 miles then I ordered the Kumho as many are using for our 2011 RT, checked out Lamonsters tutorial on removing the rear tire without affecting the belt tension and when I had a couple days down time, used a BAC (big-a---- Crescent) wrench and a 36 mm socket as backup to loosen and pull the axle, drop the tire, slip off the belt pulley and take the wheel down to Discount tire to get the new one mounted up. They mounted it no problem, and I used a static axle rod balancer from Harbor freight to add about 3/4 oz weight that I saved when I cleaned up the wheel. I think I added a bottle of Ride-On, but no other problems getting it back on and belt tracking within an 1/8 inch from the flange. Over 20,000 miles on the Kumho and probably another 10,000 as it looks now. I will probably put Michelin defenders or some other suitable tire on the front now that I have a good laser alignment from Durango last weekend. Also got a 1/2" torque wrench from Harbor Freight so I'm good to go next time with proper torque.

 

[daveinva]

I don't expect (or demand) a lot of miles on the OEM tires (note: I'm talking about the "old" Kendas-- which I was happy with-- not the allegedly inferior "new" Kendas).

Why? Because they're *OEM*. For those of us familiar with the two-wheel world, NOBODY puts great tires on a bike stock. Often the opposite; it's an easy way for a manufacturer to cut corners and lower prices.

That said, those manufacturers realize there are better aftermarket choices available. For instance, Kawi or Yamaha may skimp on the OEMs but you have plenty of choices for your *second* tire-- all choices happily installed by dealers.

BRP has three choices as I see it:
1. Get Kenda to improve their tires;
2. Sign deals with other tire providers giving us additional options;
3. Lift the dealer restrictions on installing non-officially-approved tires

 

[Dan McNally]

It's not rocket science taking three tires off of a spyder,, I took mine off and paid discount tire $10 a tire to mount new tires that I didn't even buy there and balanced them w Ride On tire sealer balancer... There maybe some things on the spyder I wouldn't tackle but not many... The bike that's my avatar / I built that... I'm sure things are gonna get better cause BRP is listening but I'm not waiting for them to fix something I can fix right now.. And as a point of reference there are MANY tires on motorcycles that don't last anywhere near what you guys gals are gettin with the oem tires... I replaced mine just for performance that I thought was lacking in my oem tires / it just so happens they will last a whole lot longer tooooo

I never said it was rocket science . . . but it does take some level of expertise, a way to get the Spyder off the floor, and tools . . . At 17 I was pulling engines out and rebuilding them . . . at 66 with health issues, not so much . . . I'm glad you can do your own work, but, as I said, not all of us can. As for mileage? My Spyder is a three wheeled touring machine that does not have the stresses of a two-wheeled bike on its tires . . . so some folks get less mileage on their two-wheelers . . . what does that have to do with the fact that, at just under 5700 miles, the center of my rear wheel is smooth? My point is, that making a better tire is not rocket science, either, and I believe BRP is missing the boat here . . . lots of us would pay top dollar for a first class tire if it gave significantly better mileage before needing replacement . . . because we bought touring machines to tour.

 

[tedlmac]

tedlmac

Just wish BRP would listen to the heat problems on the 2013 ST. Boiling gas should NOT be considered "normal".

Reason for the hijack: I tried contacting BRP about my heat issue a couple times and never heard back.

Have you tried removing the side wind deflectors. I did (replaced the bolts back) and it saved me one complete block of engine temp. Don't know but worked for me.

 

[cptjam]

Another way

How about building a Spyder with Standard size wheels, using commonly available high quality tires? Why pick such an odd size? Really? How about an option, to upgrade to premium wheels and tires. Folks who ride 2000 a year will be fine with the stockers, and the high mileage crowd will buy the premium parts!

 

[murphybrown]

I am NOT you

It's not rocket science taking three tires off of a spyder,, I took mine off and paid discount tire $10 a tire to mount new tires that I didn't even buy there and balanced them w Ride On tire sealer balancer... There maybe some things on the spyder I wouldn't tackle but not many... The bike that's my avatar / I built that... I'm sure things are gonna get better cause BRP is listening but I'm not waiting for them to fix something I can fix right now.. And as a point of reference there are MANY tires on motorcycles that don't last anywhere near what you guys gals are gettin with the oem tires... I replaced mine just for performance that I thought was lacking in my oem tires / it just so happens they will last a whole lot longer tooooo

how great for you that you are able and skilled to do your own work. That is not my area of skill. But that does not make me "less of a person" and that is the judgment I "heard" from your post.

 

[unclegeezer]

BRP

[Action speaks louder then words!!!!!!!!!:sour:

 

[PrairieSpyder]

how great for you that you are able and skilled to do your own work. That is not my area of skill. But that does not make me "less of a person" and that is the judgment I "heard" from your post.

:agree:

And even if one can easily replace a tire(s), the OEM tire quality is an issue!

 

[Illinois Boy]

I believe the most recent controversy has to do with the fact that the newest tires are not getting the same mileage as compared to the previous iterations.

Got it... I was just a little slow on picking that up. Less than 8K is unacceptable by anyone's standards.

8K however, is in line with most motorcycle tires if you ride longer, twisted/curvy routes frequently (Increased and prolonged tire temps, and friction wear causing sooner wear out). If you take short-hops on straight roads, one should be able to increase that by 50%.

Again, I am watching the threads/posts of those using CT's to see if, by majority, they are experiencing any performance issues (i.e., traction loss; especially in adverse environments, road conditions, and bike attitude). I want to know if they see even the slightest problem; because a slight problem can become a huge problem in the wrong situation. opcorn:

 

[MikeP]

Many people change many things on the spyder and if they can't do it they seek out the MANY people who can.. No need to get all sensitive

 

[finless]

Bob I’ve done it now twice.

Initially I thought I could use my 99 buck Harbor Freight tire changer.
I got the old tire off but ended up screwing up the bead on the new tire reducing it to a really nice tree swing.

If you take off the tire & rim then strip it of the sprocket most any tire shop can take the old tire off and put the new one on.
If you leave the sprocket on, the tire guys will tell you they can’t or won’t do it.

They can’t, for reasons that I don’t understand, put it on the spin balancer though.
I went to 4 shops and they all said the same thing. Some a bit with a bit more courtesy than others.

I balanced mine with 4 to 5 oz of Dynabeads.
Figuring out how to get those beads into the tire is an exercise in patience and ingenuity.
If you don’t mess with the adjusters then in theory you won’t lose your alignment and tension settings.
Mine worked perfectly in theory, but the practical required some adjustment.

Thanks for the tips Roger.

When they said they would not balance it, did you leave the bearings in?
One guy here said the car tire place would do it if the bearings were removed as then it would fit the balancer.

Bob

 

[Dan_Ashley]

Again, I am watching the threads/posts of those using CT's to see if, by majority, they are experiencing any performance issues (i.e., traction loss; especially in adverse environments, road conditions, and bike attitude). I want to know if they see even the slightest problem; because a slight problem can become a huge problem in the wrong situation. opcorn:

Here is a thread where I asked if there were any people dissatisfied with car tires on the Spyder. Over 3,000 views and nobody reported dissatisfaction. Incredible level of customer satisfaction, I think. http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...745#post812745

 

[Illinois Boy]

Here is a thread where I asked if there were any people dissatisfied with car tires on the Spyder. Over 3,000 views and nobody reported dissatisfaction. Incredible level of customer satisfaction, I think. http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...745#post812745

Thanks Dan...

 

[billybovine]

If you take off the tire & rim then strip it of the sprocket most any tire shop can take the old tire off and put the new one on.
If you leave the sprocket on, the tire guys will tell you they can’t or won’t do it.

I had a tire shop change my tire and they needed to take the sprocket off which is no big deal. They could not balance it. I then took it to a local motorcycle shop and they balanced it for me using a static balancer. It balanced up well.

 

[billybovine]

Got it... I was just a little slow on picking that up. Less than 8K is unacceptable by anyone's standards.

8K however, is in line with most motorcycle tires if you ride longer, twisted/curvy routes frequently (Increased and prolonged tire temps, and friction wear causing sooner wear out). If you take short-hops on straight roads, one should be able to increase that by 50%.

Again, I am watching the threads/posts of those using CT's to see if, by majority, they are experiencing any performance issues (i.e., traction loss; especially in adverse environments, road conditions, and bike attitude). I want to know if they see even the slightest problem; because a slight problem can become a huge problem in the wrong situation. opcorn:

I was reluctant to try a car tire. All the talk was longer tire life and the common reason given was harder rubber. Well that's not what I wanted. The Kenda would break loose too easy as it was and if the rubber was harder that would make it even worse. Well I decided to try for myself and put on a Kuhmo. It was quite a surprise it is stickier and a lot harder to break loose and spin. So the extra traction is in the the thread pattern or the harder rubber theory is BS. Coming home from Quebec I drove for an hour in heavy rain with a lot of ponding on the roadway and was very pleased with the performance. Better I feel then the Kenda could do.

 

[MikeP]

I was reluctant to try a car tire. All the talk was longer tire life and the common reason given was harder rubber. Well that's not what I wanted. The Kenda would break loose too easy as it was and if the rubber was harder that would make it even worse. Well I decided to try for myself and put on a Kuhmo. It was quite a surprise it is stickier and a lot harder to break loose and spin. So the extra traction is in the the thread pattern or the harder rubber theory is BS. Coming home from Quebec I drove for an hour in heavy rain with a lot of ponding on the roadway and was very pleased with the performance. Better I feel then the Kenda could do.

The Kumho ECSTA and the Federal EVO tires are sports car spec tires / More grip wet and dry,, I have over 1500 mi on this combination and am VERY PLEASED No down side n cheaper ,, how can you beat that ??

 

[KX5062]

I had a tire shop change my tire and they needed to take the sprocket off which is no big deal. They could not balance it. I then took it to a local motorcycle shop and they balanced it for me using a static balancer. It balanced up well.

I did the same, but my local motorcycle indy shop has a spin balancer and it worked fine. With some of the new super fat (phat) rear motorcycle tires, a Spyder rear is right in the ballpark for them to handle.

 

[Dan McNally]

. . . How much more, are you willing to pay? :shocked:

I'd pay considerably more than they ask for the OEM tire, if I was reasonably sure I wouldn't be replacing the darn thing every year . . . the time involved getting an appointment and having the tire replaced, to include the labor charged to replace the tire, would make a more expensive tire cost effective, in the long run.