Uneven tyre wear on rear - Michelin PR3

[Jamey]

How do people.

So the bike (Kawasaki Versys 650, 2010) was in for MOT today and the garage pointed out I had quite severe uneven wear on the back - see attached images (a picture being worth a thousand words and all that). Only thing I'd say is that these pics make it look more mild than it really is. It's actually a bit worse in real life. The more worn side is the right-hand side (offside).

First thing we checked was wheel alignment but it seems fine. Garage checked it using a few methods and when I got home I also checked it both by looking at the notches (fine, both match) and also with a tape measure on both sides (also fine, both matching down to the millimetre).

Now I've read other threads about uneven wear and seen people say it's to do with the camber of the road. I can see how that would account for some of it but mine seems too severe to me. Plus the garage said they hadn't seen anything like it before and if camber was affecting tyres this much you'd think every bike the garage ever serviced/MOT'd would show the same signs... At least often enough that they would have instantly said to me "yeah it's camber, we see it every week" but no such utterances crept forth from their speech holes.

Also my front tyre is fine. It doesn't have uneven wear. So I don't see how the camber could only affect the rear without affecting the front as well.

So what else could be causing it to wear so much faster on the right-hand side? And if it really, truly is camber and there's nothing I can do about it then please can someone recommend me a tyre with a very hard compound and shedloads of meat on it. All I do is commute, I don't even go out at weekends anymore really, so my only concern is longevity. I don't care about cornering or grip or wet performance or any of that. I just want the tyre that will last the longest so please shout if you know which one that might be.

[gavbriggs]

Do you live in Milton Keynes? Possibly on the west side and travel to the east side to work?

[N cee thirty]

I have the same issue with a pilot road 2, commuting on the same stretch of road has worn it down something fierce on the same part of the Tyre as yours.
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Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[bladerunner]

Wow....kudos to you commuting and wearing out the sides of the tire that much! From the pic the left hand side looks like it is also wearing heavily....very odd to see that on a road bike rear tbh! Is it dual compound by chance or does you commute have long fast bends?

Also....ever thought about racing???!
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Current bikes...cbr929, KDX200's, Rd125lc mk2, RGV250's

[Az]

It's common for rear tyres to wear quicker than front tyres.

Do you encounter many roundabouts or right turns on your travels?

Bent wheel could be a possibility, although i'm sure you would of noticed this by now.

Could an out of balance wheel be the cause?

Maybe something is causing excessive or extra weight on the rear, right hand side and is causing it to wear quicker.

[Jamey]

Thanks for the quick replies all.

Not many roundabouts on my commute, which is South-East London to West London.

I go the same way for both ends of the commute, so everything that's a right-hand bend (or turn) in the morning becomes a left-hand bend in the evening. So you'd think it would even out.

I can't honestly say there's anything that should be causing more weight on the right as everything on the bike is balanced, no panniers etc.

It does seem that other people have also experienced this, I just wonder why the garage had never heard of it if it's a common thing, which it does appear to be from what people say.

So... What tyres have the hardest compounds and most meat on them then?

[LongJohn22]

Avon Roadriders have a bit of a reputation for longevity.

[Jamey]

[Az]

[Jamey]

[Confusion]

[Jamey]

Cheers Confusion... What did you switch to after the PR3, out of interest?

And have you got a hypothesis why it doesn't affect the front tyre? This has got me intrigued, I must say.

[Jamey]

Also, I suspect this is probably a retardedly stupid question but I'm going to ask it anyway... If this is a normal wear pattern, is there not an argument for deliberately mis-aligning one's rear wheel in order to attempt to balance out the wear and bring it back to the centre?

I'm not talking about having the rear wheel massively skew-whiff, I just mean having the axle pushed back an extra couple of mm on one side to try to compensate.

I'm sure it's probably a stupid idea but if I don't ask I'll never know.

[SQL]

Arent the PR3's set up like this


Supersoft Hard Supersoft

So that wear would be normal

[Jamey]

[mentalboy]

Time of day travelling could also factor heavily here. Do you get a clear run in the morning, giving it beans and then a traffic riddled commute on the way home?
I've also noticed over the years that there are quite a few riders who sit off centre when riding straights, quite bizarre but if you're one of them it may also factor slightly.
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Make mine a Corona.

[defblade]

It's not camber, it's just that riding on left hand side of the road means that the radius of every right hand bend is larger than every left hand bend, whichever direction your commute is The right hand side of your tyres do a lot more miles than the left over time.

That is impressive wear for commuting though!! Possibly been running with it a bit under inflated as well?

I've switched back to PR2s from PR3s for my commute - seem to give better mileage; wet grip just as good (or I ride within both tyres' capabilities, anyway); no squirrely feeling on the edges; a bit cheaper.
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Honda Varadero 125cc => Suzuki Bandit 650 33bhp => 77bhp =>
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[Richy CB1000]

Two penneth, I get milder version of this on a old BT but can see I go further over on the right than left.

I believe it's just that normally we are more confident over right handers, vision etc... so tend to be over a bit more than a left hander?

[davebike]

Typical ware pattern for a Multi compound tyre used for commuting
by a rider who is prepared to lean the bike
New tyres needed
Also look to 1/3 way across from the right on the front tyre most ware will also happen there


Dave
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Dave
NC750Xdct + others at work !
davebike1@gmail.com

[Fizzer Thou]

[YBR Ric]

[Hugh Farking Cant]

[Vincent]

I did a survey on right/left hand turns a few years ago, after pointing out that I feel much more comfortable on left hand turns. It turns out most, but not all, people are the same way and prefer left hand turns to right hand turns. 'Never discovered why so just put it down to most people being right handed

OP......I can't see how, but I wonder if your tyre wear is connected to the chain drive in some way....and the fact that the drive is one-sided? I also wonder if the new grippier road surface that's being used at Zebra crossings, tight bends, roundabouts etc has something to do with it???
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Space Is Deep

[Jamey]

Yeah I definitely follow the evidence Vincent collected in that I feel more comfortable turning/leaning left than I do right.

So far I've seen the Metzeler Marathon Ultra and Avon Venom, both of which appear to be designed specifically for long life / high mileage, which is great but neither seem to come in my size.

Does anyone know of a tyre that is specifically designed for long life (so single compound, hard, loads of tread depth) AND is available in 160/60/ZR17? Or even just R17, I don't need the speed rating so much.

Also, am I right in thinking that the Michelin PR3's are the only PRs that are dual compound? The PR1's and the PR2's are both single compound, is that correct? Anyone know how PR1's compare to PR2's for life? I'd prefer not to go Michelin again if I can find something made especially for high mileage in the right size but that's looking less likely at the moment.

PS Defblade - definitely not under inflated, if anything I tend to err on the side of over-inflation for the extra mileage, but generally I kep them about right, a little under 40psi at the back.

[Jamey]

I was looking at the Metzeler Tourance Next but noticed that it's dual-compound on the rear which rules it out, I think. The fact that the PR3's are dual compound is what's contributed to this issue.

I looked at FWR.co.uk and used their tyre size selector to bring up everything in stock in 160/60/ZR17, then I clicked on every single one and read the blurb.

Apart from PR1's and PR2's (I'm hesitant to go Michelin again after this) the only three single compound tyres that look like they might have been designed with high mileage in mind are:

[li]Avon Storm 2 Ultra[/li]
[li]Pirelli Angel ST (but I think these might be sport tyres that just happen to have longer life than other sport tyres, rather than compared to road tyres?)[/li]
[li]Avon Storm 3D XM[/li]

I'm starting to despair a bit.