Tire Question...

[Moto_Geek]

I've got a 95 Kat 600 I purchased a little over a week ago. I had Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tires put on it (it was what they had available and I was on a limited time frame) and have ridden it 2000 miles over the last week or so. The rear tire is starting to flatten out in the middle. This being the first sportier bike I've owned, is there anything I need to watch out for, anything I need to do to combat this, or is this fairly normal and won't affect the bike much?

The unfortunate truth is that everywhere within an hour of me is either dirt or a dead straight road. So I'd have to travel at least an hour away to get some decent twisties to wear the sides of the tire down. Also, my morning commute consists of about 30 miles in a straight line, so I'm sure that's not helping...

Moto_Geek

[Kreylyn]

I've got a 95 Kat 600 I purchased a little over a week ago. I had Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tires put on it (it was what they had available and I was on a limited time frame) and have ridden it 2000 miles over the last week or so. The rear tire is starting to flatten out in the middle. This being the first sportier bike I've owned, is there anything I need to watch out for, anything I need to do to combat this, or is this fairly normal and won't affect the bike much?

The unfortunate truth is that everywhere within an hour of me is either dirt or a dead straight road. So I'd have to travel at least an hour away to get some decent twisties to wear the sides of the tire down. Also, my morning commute consists of about 30 miles in a straight line, so I'm sure that's not helping...

Moto_Geek

The Rosso 2s are less tour, and more sport oriented. They are designed to last longer over all then other straight up sport tires, but they are not quite on the level of lasting as long as the multi compound sport touring tires.

So far, most people's experience here has been the longest lasting but still way plenty of grip tires is going to be the Pilot Road 2s.

If all you do is use the center of the tire though... it's goanna flatten. Not much you can do about that unless you use the sides. The only thing to really keep in mind is that eventually it will effect the performance handling... but at the same time, if your not in a position to use the edges... you won't see that much at all.

If your flattening the center, then riding out on the weekends to hit the curves it would make a big difference. If all you ever do is 99% of the time commute on flat straight roads, your really not goanna see it.

The key thing I would say to remember.... tread that never sees the ground doesn't help you, so... when you wear the center tread low, replace the tires.

krey

[Moto_Geek]

The Rosso 2s are less tour, and more sport oriented. They are designed to last longer over all then other straight up sport tires, but they are not quite on the level of lasting as long as the multi compound sport touring tires.

So far, most people's experience here has been the longest lasting but still way plenty of grip tires is going to be the Pilot Road 2s.

If all you do is use the center of the tire though... it's goanna flatten. Not much you can do about that unless you use the sides. The only thing to really keep in mind is that eventually it will effect the performance handling... but at the same time, if your not in a position to use the edges... you won't see that much at all.

If your flattening the center, then riding out on the weekends to hit the curves it would make a big difference. If all you ever do is 99% of the time commute on flat straight roads, your really not goanna see it.

The key thing I would say to remember.... tread that never sees the ground doesn't help you, so... when you wear the center tread low, replace the tires.

krey

Since I'm new to owning any bike worth mentioning, I just wanted make sure. I'm not opposed to the wear, although it looks like I'll get at least two rear tires to a single front as there is no noticeable wear to the front tire yet. I'm going to try and get out more on the weekends, but with three kids it's tough sometimes. Going to try and do a day trip up through the mountains to a ghost town this weekend, so that'll give me a chance to hit some curves for a bit.

[Wild-Bill]

Krey's pretty well got it in 1.

The thing that makes the Pilot Road 2s so good is that they're dual-compound tires. They have a harder compound rubber in the center for longer mileage/slower wear and softer rubber towards the sides which grabs better in a curve.

Watch for the bike to feel a bit reluctant to start turning and then all of a sudden lean right in and stick. The transition is a bit nerve-wracking the first time you feel it but unless something goes wrong right at that moment you'll be fine. Just know that when you start to notice it, it's time for new tires, no matter how much tread the center has left. With 2k straight-line miles already on those Diablos, it's not going to be too much longer.

[edromero]

At the risk of being obvious...make sure your tire pressures are correct regularly. I usually check them Once a week or so, and if you haven't kept up with the rear, there's a chance it might need some filling.

Riding on under inflated tires can cause "squaring"

[scottynoface]

I have 8k on my Rossos with a decent amount of commuting a few years ago, still look great.