Can stones cause punctures? Is my tyre dodgy?

[Snorty]

Just pulled over to find a stone embedded in my front tyre, pulled it out and it's left a nice little hole.

Was wondering how likely they are to cause punctures?

Also, my front tyre is a bit dodgy... it seems to be that the centre of the tyre is more raised than the rest... picture to explain...

https://img94.imageshack.us/img94/1169/tyrez.jpg

Where the arrows point to the tread pattern, if you run your finger across the gap, you can feel that the rubber in the middle is higher than the rubber after the tread pattern.

This is kind of what I mean, but obviously exaggerated due to poor MS Paint skillz.

https://imageshack.us/a/img15/9650/detailsm.jpg
____________________
Current: Yamaha FZ1 '07 | GSXR 750 SRAD

Past: CB125TDC | TZR125 | GPZ500 | CBR600F3 | ZX9-R | GSXR1000 K4

[DrDonnyBrago]

Hard to tell about the stone holes from a pic but the tyre profile is pretty typical of a part worn front tyre.

The edges wear heavily during cornering giving it that profile. My fronts always have the same lipping around the tread marks too.

[Snorty]

The handling feels a bit off as well.

It's a combination of absolutely shocking roads around here and perhaps the tyre, not sure though.

Basically if I'm riding and there's a bit of an imperfection, for example a thin line where they've dug it up, it throws the bike off it, so to speak. Seems to direct my bike for me, which obviously I don't want.

When I'm tipping in to the corners, the handlebars feel like they're resisting further input as well. Say I'm turning left, to tighten the corner, I want to turn the handlebars to the right, but the handlebars seem to want to turn to the left. I realise this is probably what usually happens, but since riding the CBR I am looking after, it doesn't feel quite right.
____________________
Current: Yamaha FZ1 '07 | GSXR 750 SRAD

Past: CB125TDC | TZR125 | GPZ500 | CBR600F3 | ZX9-R | GSXR1000 K4

[DrDonnyBrago]

[mickie]

the little bits in the tread are your wear indicators, if they stand proud of your tyre its time to get it changed.

[stinkwheel]

Stone holes are normal. You'll know if one gets through the carcasse because your tyre will go flat.

The wear is also normal. You obviously have a dual/multi compound tyre. They're harder in the middle than round the edges so they don't square off too much if you do a lot of riding in a straight line.

Yours have done the opposite so you obviously corner more than the tyre was designed for. I bet it's feathering across the tread pattern too.

All that aside, it's worn out, you're down past the wear bars round the edges. Tracking along linear defects is a common effect of riding on worn out front tyres. For what it's worth, unpleasant though it might feel, it doesn't seem to cause any actual problems.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[T0MMY]

Might be worth checking your headset bearings too...if they're notchy it can feel a little like you've described.

I wouldn't say stones are that likely to cause punctures. I work on a site where the roads are covered in very sharp bits of broken gravel and I have to pick out literally hundreds of stones from my car and bike tyres over the course of a year. Only once has one gone all the way through in 4 years (that was in the car) so they can do so but it's relatively unlikely I'd say.
____________________
ZX6R + CBR600RR

[Acemastr]

Yes they can! this happened on my driveway, Pilot Road 2 on 7k miles
https://acemastr.com/tyre.jpg
____________________
2017 KTM 350 XC-F - 2014 Yamaha R6 - 2005 Yamaha YZ125
2016 Toyota Tacoma Limited

[DrDonnyBrago]

[Acemastr]

everyone says it's cheese, damn sharp cheese!
____________________
2017 KTM 350 XC-F - 2014 Yamaha R6 - 2005 Yamaha YZ125
2016 Toyota Tacoma Limited