| Author | Message | ||
     Dynasport |
My 2010 XT came with Angel STs on it. I have about 5800 miles on the bike now, with over 3,000 of it from the recent Homecoming trip from Florida to Wisconsin on the superslab in hot weather. On the trip I noticed my front tire was cupping. The rear tire is not. Both tires still have plenty of tread on them. So, what causes the cupping? Underinflation? Incorrect suspension settings? Out of balance? Something else? I am keeping the tire on for now, but I will eventually need to replace it and I don't want this to happen again. Thanks | ||
| Davidxt |
What pressure did you have in your tyre? | ||
| Rwven |
I've found that running a few extra psi in the front when superslabbing helps prevent that. I failed to do that on my recent 4500 miler out to CO and I've gotten some minor cupping on my front now. The sticker on the bike calls for 34F and 36R, I like to run 36-38F and 38-40R on long slab runs. | ||
| Ghostrider |
My XT came with Pirelli Diablo Stratas. I just did 1700 miles from Albuquerque to San Diego and back. I found that as I descended in altitude, my tire pressure was reduced and this affected my gas mileage quite a bit. I began adjusting tire pressure at every gas stop and it kept the mileage in an appropriate range. I went through the hottest part of southern Arizona along I-8 and didn't get any cupping on either tire. I kept them 34-36 front and 36-38 rear. | ||
| Union_man |
Low air pressure is most likely the cause. Pressure should be checked prior to every ride I change and balance my own tires. I sometimes get asked to change friend's tires and have found several to be out of balance right off their bike. Tire balancing can be done poorly and could also be the cause. If you have the same problem with the next set of tires...I would change shops (or start changing them yourself) and see if that helps. | ||
| Dynasport |
I was running 36F, although I didn't check it constantly on the trip. I did add air once during the trip,so it is possible I ran the bike for a while slightly low. It sounds like that is the most likely culprit. I had not heard that it was good to increase air pressure on highway trips. I'll try that in the future. As far as balancing goes, these are the original tires so I assume they were balanced at the factory, or is that part of the prep the dealer does? Finally, when I replace the tire, what is the preferred tire for street riding on the XT? I'll be looking for a good balance between handling and wear. THanks again. | ||
| Rwven |
There is no preferred street tire. It depends on what characteristics you are looking for. The Stock Stradas or Angels (I'm not sure which your bike came with.) are excellent motorcycle tires in the sport touring category. I ran two sets of Stradas on mine and I liked them well enough. I've been running a set of Shinko 009 Ravens for the last 6000 miles and I really like them a lot, even more than the Stradas for the type of riding I do. I'm only semi-aggressive in the twisties and these tires work well for me. Great in the rain and seem to be wearing well. I'm hoping to get 1500-2000 more miles out of a set than I did with the Stradas, we'll see... For ultimate stick you might want to look at a pure sportbike tire, though you will get significantly less miles out of them. Some guys swear by the "dual purpose" tires like the Pirelli Scorpion Sync. They might trade a bit of roadworthiness for some dirt capability, but from what I've read here I don't think they give up much. Seem to wear pretty good too. (Message edited by rwven on July 05, 2010) | ||
| Ghostrider |
I have the Scorpion Syncs on my Firebolt. I don't use them for offroad at all on that bike. I like them because of the long life and great grip. Firebolt came stock with Dunlop D207s. Very sticky tire but doesn't last long at all, less than 3000 miles. Syncs go for at least 5000. | ||
| Union_man |
BTW... Not all tire pressure gauges are equal. Tire gauges that can read "high" pressure are less accurate and it is difficult to get a true reading. I use a tire pressure gauge marked "tractor" for these reasons; It is more accurate (1 psi variance vs. 3 psi) It is calibrated from 5-60 psi It is designed to read the pressure of air or fluid filled tires. (very durable!) I paid less that $5 for mine. | ||
| Nadz |
My aft Scorp is cupping after the Homecoming heavy cruise. Anyone ever find an article on how to "read" a tire? I'm used to diagnosing car/truck problems and would like to learn to do it for bikes. |
