This chap does a great job of explaining and demonstrating how and why tires wear in specific ways. While much he says is two wheeler advice. Some, if not a lot, can be applied to riding on three too.
If I still had my Wing I would agree 100 %, But I have a Spyder so to me this video is only 2 % valid....Our Spyders do not function anything like a two-wheel mtc tire, and that's why they don't look like them.....So what he says about wear and pressure etc. is not valid IMHO.....especially if you switched to car tires for the Spyder. Yes our Spyders are legally defined as Mtc's, but handle like three wheeled cars......also JMHO....Mike
Mike is correct. Even the Spyder's oem tires are more like automotive tires than motorcycle tires. Motorcycles steer via roll angle whereas the Spyder (and automobiles) steer via creation of a steer angle between the front and rear tire(s). Totally different applications requiring totally different different tires.
Teddy & I still learned alot :clap: even tho much doesn't apply to our Spyders, it still helped me to visualize & understand better the whole thing about a tires "foot print" and how that small little patch (at speed - tho, yes I understand its a larger patch with our tires) is all that's connecting you to the asphault:shocked:
I'm a visual learner, so it DID help me alot, and I still thank the OP for posting it. Not ALL of us are as experienced as most on this forum, and its good to learn all that one can, and I also thank those of you that pointed out the differences, caused I learned a little more![]()
Dave, I didn't say what I said concerning the video because I think I am a know -it-ALL......I just didn't want the newer Spyder owner's to POSSIBLY get the wrong (IMHO) impression by what was presented in the video...What happens to MTC tires isn't really what happens to ours....On a touring MTC tire if you get 8000 miles that is very good. On the Spyder 8000 mile means something is very wrong even with OEM tires....Just saying........And you and I pm'd back & forth about tires and nothing I told you had anything to do with MTC tires because it didn't apply....and I gave you correct info and I think you will be Happy with your selection.......:thumbup:
Dave & of course Teddy ,,I'm glad ALL is good I meant no offense and glad you didn't take any Mike..:thumbup:Its ALL good, I'm learning more and more every day :thumbup::clap:Thanks to ALL of you :bowdown:that willingly post your knowledge here on this forum, or both Teddy & I would be up a creek without a paddle:banghead:
:agree: The regulations may require them to be marked as motorcycle tires, but their configurations and the forces acting on them are like high performance automotive tires.
The problem arose while attempting to put a car tire on a Kawasaki MTC rim...which is different from a SPYDER rim....and not mentioned was they were mounting it by hand not a Hydrolic machine.......Missing facts change the whole picture.......and Michelin was referring to TWO WHEEL MOTORCYCLES..........MikeMotorcycle tires are not the same as car tires in many ways. Not so long ago, Michelin issued a bulletin telling the public not to put car tires on motorcycles as it is, in their opinion, not safe. There is also a difference in bead diameters between motorcycle tires and car tires. There is a thread on this forum that tells the different sizes and the problems and expense involved in mounting and dis-mounting car tires from our Spyder rear wheels. However, I could not find it to include it in this response.
I found the post I was looking for. It is from Pogo. Here it is:
There is a small problem with running the 15" car tyre. I first discovered it when fitting a car tyre to the back of my sidecar hauling Kawasaki. A 15" car tyre is 14.968" at the bead. A 15" motorcycle tyre is 15.08" at the bead. the difference is quite significant, over a tenth of an inch in imperial units. Some tyre fitting machines struggle to stretch the car tyre over the bike rim when fitting it, and it can be very difficult to remove. On the outfit I resolved this by having the rear rim turned down.
The Khumo ECSTA AST is not available here in the 225/50R 15 size, so I ran 3 Toyo Proxes on the rear of my Spyder. I was not convinced that they were better overall. They handled well once I got the pressure right, but they didn't wear as well as I expected (16000 km, 18000km and 13000 km, the last towing a trailer on a 12000 km ride), so last change I went back to the Kenda. The job took all day because the dealer had to cut the tyre off the rim! :yikes:
I've got 7700 km on that now, and it is looking a bit worn in the centre, so I've dropped the pressure to see if it will even out. I know that it is a balancing act. There should be a point where the sides of the tread carry more load than stretched centre of the tread, but the wear rate may well be higher overall.
It will be worth one or two tyres to see what works best.ray:
Pogo.