rear tire wear uneven

[wyliec]

I've read plenty of posts where the front tires wear more on one side than the other (inside vs outside); but, yesterday I looked at my rear tire and based on the wear bars, the left side of the rear tire has worn more. I don't ever smoke the tire; so, I'm wondering what would cause the uneven wear on the rear tire? I have the original rear tire with just over 16,000 miles. This is the third riding season for the spyder and is an SM5. I also have ride-on in all tires and the rear is set to 30# (at least on my gage it is).

 

[retired1]

Tire wear

Consider yourself very fortunate, for having that many miles on the original tire. I'd love to know how you managed it.
If it has taken that many miles to show uneven wear, I would suspect that the right side axle adjustment is a smidgeon further back than the left side, causing the tire to wear on the left side. In other words, the tire is not running exactly straight down the road.
Just my opinion.

 

[BikerDoc]

That is indeed incredibly good mileage on an original tire.. what pressure do you keep in rear tire??

 

[NancysToy]

I'd have to agree. It is likely either an alignment issue, a bent frame or swingarm, or a suspension failure. It could also be caused by a lot of weight in one saddlebag, and none in the other, I suppose. I think the dealer needs to look at it carefully. It is not typical or normal.

 

[ARtraveler]

Agree with everyone above. 16,000 miles is very good for the rear. I have replaced 3 tires. 1 at 12,000, 13,000, and 15,000. I have not experienced uneven wear on the rear tires--so the suggestion about checking alignment, bent frame, etc. is a good one. Wheel bearings and belt tension might be another possibility.

 

[bikeguy]

I agree with most of the suggestions others have offered, especially the rear axle being adjusted slightly out of true. Although I would think that the axle being out of alignment would also cause a belt tracking problem.

But let me suggest one other possibility. With that many miles on a rear tire, and depending on just how unevenly it is worn, I think it's possible that it's caused by nothing more than the normal crown of the road. I'm not familiar with roads in your area, but in my area most of the roads are two lane and two lane roads typically have a slightly steeper crown than 4-lane or Interstates. If you ride straight down a fairly steeply crowned road, over time, there will naturally be more wear on the left side of the tire than on the right. 16,000 miles is a lot of miles on a rear tire and I think it's enough to see this situation appear. My original rear was worn completely out with just over 9,000 miles.

Cotton

 

[wyliec]

I re-checked the rear tire today. What I thought were the wear bars (the ones with ribs) I don't believe are. The wear bars are directly opposite the diamond shapes on the outer periphery of the tire. It's the center of the tire that is worn. I have 30# in the rear with 20# in the front.

 

[boborgera]

I re-checked the rear tire today. What I thought were the wear bars (the ones with ribs) I don't believe are. The wear bars are directly opposite the diamond shapes on the outer periphery of the tire. It's the center of the tire that is worn. I have 30# in the rear with 20# in the front.

Just like the neg jumper terminal should have a note; Do not to touch,
The rib bars [water blockers] should have a note,; These or not wear bars.
A very common mistake, made by many.

 

[SpydeRider2010]

16,000 on a rear tire is great !!!

I just replaced mine last week, and was only able to
drag 12,800 out of it. and that's with making sure
the PSI was consistent (29PSI). but because of the
Kenda wearing out so fast, I went to a Kumho.

Nancy maybe right. you could have one side slightly
heavier than the other; if you have loaded bags all
the time. I know on HDs, the bikes are left-heavy,
due to the primary case being on the left. and we
did suggest that riders remember that when packing,
just to try and balance their load.

has anyone found a good PSI to run two-up on a
Kumho; for a 2010 RTS...?

 

[boborgera]

Not to one up any one, I replaced my rear tire at a little over 18,000 miles. [28psi]

 

[MikeinGA]

Your rear axle may not be square with the swing arm or the swing bushings are worn and letting the tire roam side to side. If the roads that you ride have lot of sharp corners it can wear the rear tire faster than the fronts, because the tighter the turn the more the back tire pivots and causes a higher tread wear. This would be the first place I would look. I hope this helps.


Mike

 

[NancysToy]

Hey folks, read the posts. The situation was misinterpreted. and will bee readily resolved.