Pirelli Rear Tire WTF?!

[khuygie88]

Today I got home and went to clean my chain and as I walked around the back of my bike I noticed the threads on the tires showing through. WTF?! These tires are 2 years old BUT only have ~4000 miles on them. I've never done burnouts or anything of the sort!!

To top it off, I'm going to have to pay a place to take the tire off/put it on for me, as I'm currently garage-less

They are Pirelli 160/60ZR17M/C(69W) and when I bought them I knew nothing about tires. Recommendations on new tires? The front one is probably 4+ years old and should be replaced....

They are worn in two places (pictured.) Should I completely avoid riding on these til I get them changed or what?!

[OreoGaborio]

Yeah, I'd junk em.

What kinda riding do you do? Any track days in your future? Quick street riding? Just cruising/commuting?

That'll help you with your tire decision (or at least help us help you ).



Actually... I have some race take-offs if you want em. Dragon Supercorsa Pros, front & rear. They'll only last a few thousand miles but you can have em for 75 bucks and you can get em put on next weekend up at the track by the MTAG guys. I'm not sure what they charge, but it's not much. 10-20 bucks a wheel maybe?

[csmutty]

Looks like you do a lot of highway riding. All of the wear going to 1 section of the tire will cause more wear in the center. Which means it will show threads faster. I change my tires about every 3,000 miles as it sits. So 4,000 is about right IMO.

[Slyder]

I've heard of Pirelli wearing unevenly like that before. Now I see it.

New tires, well, the biased NESR opinion will now be Continentals instead of Pirelli.

Personally, I'd not ride your bike till you get her shod with new shoes. Those steel belts just don't hook up on pavement...plus if the belt is showing that tire needed to be replaced long ago.

[khuygie88]

Mostly street commuting, only lately have I been getting up the nerve to hit the twisties a little harder. I rode about 4 miles on dirt everyday last summer, then the rest has been pavement....

Any riding I'd do before swapping them (tomorrow is the only day) would be about 50 miles of commuting...I guess I should just take my truck?! I ride quick off the line but no spinning or anything... I just thought I'd get a bit more life out of them...

So, suggestions for street/cruising tires? No more dirt and no track....

[Mr. Kurtz]

I definitely wouldn't ride on that tire.

I'm guessing, by the fact that it's worn completely away in the center and still looks to have some decent tread depth on the shoulder, that you do a lot of highway and/or commuting? That tire looks like an old Diablo Supersport street tire, not the best for lots of touring miles.

If you're looking to replace the pair, I'm guessing something like Diablo Rosso, Pilot Road 2, or Dunlop Roadsmart might be a better choice.

[OreoGaborio]

But I'll still sell ya my Dragon's... Plenty of meat in the middle!

[darkduc7]

umm 4k miles is reasonable wear for a rear tire, especially if you do a lot of straight, highway miles.

a dual compound tire may help you, or get a set of harder rubbers, a touring tire. ive heard good things about pilot roads.

[R7]

You need to get in the habbit of checking your tires more often That should have been replaced at least 500 miles ago! 4k seems pretty reasonable for a sport tire though, and I certainly wouldn't be worried about that type of uneven wear. Every tire I've warn down to the cords, or seen down to the cords looks exactly like yours.

edit: I wouldn't ride on that unless it's out to do a final smoke show, smoke shows are cool!

[khuygie88]

If you're looking to replace the pair, I'm guessing something like Diablo Rosso, Pilot Road 2, or Dunlop Roadsmart might be a better choice.

I do do alot of commuting, I guess I also didnt know what kind of life to expect out of my tires! Thanks for the input on a new set, now I just gotta get out the check book But hey, a new set of tires for my bike is about the same as 4 tanks of gas in my truck... so its alot cheaper!!

I have been keeping an eye on them for the past 800 miles, this has just developed in the last 50 or so- let them go too far I guess!

I did some quick looking and the Dunlop Roadsmart and Conti Road Attack's both seem popular. Preferences between the two for street riding/cruising?

[Danz19899]

oh ya those are toast, i run Bt-016's and love them but everyone has a different opinion. Changed my last set at 6400 Agressive street miles and they still had a little left. but i spend a lot more time on the sides of the tire then the middle.

Look into Pilot Road 2's if u want a good tire that will last

[MysteriousR1]

That looked like my Motard tire before i got it changed. As my shop said "What, are you kidding my with that rear tire". So ya, stop riding on it. I dont picture a blow out being fun on a bike.

[beet]

I would not ride that! & R7 is right you need ta look @ your tires more. I look @ mine 2x a week min. That tire is close ta failing!

[Degsy]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.508 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

I've heard of Pirelli wearing unevenly like that before. Now I see it.

New tires, well, the biased NESR opinion will now be Continentals instead of Pirelli.

Personally, I'd not ride your bike till you get her shod with new shoes. Those steel belts just don't hook up on pavement...plus if the belt is showing that tire needed to be replaced long ago.

Hah hah. Fyi Boston Moto sells more Pirelli, Dunlop and Michelin street tires than we sell Continentals.

And 4k Is pretty good with all highway except for the 1000 dirt road miles. The dirt road isn't helping either. My vote Is Pilot Roads for you.

[Cheese]

Don't just check the tire wear, check the pressure. If they were low on air you burned them out prematurely.

[MonsterM636]

I had Pirelli Corsas on my bike buy had to change them after 2500 miles and No burnouts just highway riding and hard corners .
switched back to Pilot 2c's personal preference base on my riding style/habits and wallet size

[khuygie88]

Thanks for the feed back everyone! We've established I'm an idiot, and I'm okay with that, hahaha

I just did a bunch of research and I'm at a toss up between the Conti Road Attack- Sport Mileage's and the Pilot Road 2's - I can get either pair (front and back) for 300 shipped online- I'll see what my local place can offer me!

[Chippertheripper]

http://www.ridedirect.com/showProduct.php
done and done.

[toocrazy2yoo]

Jeez, I got 4.5K on my Bridgestone 021's and they're like new and most of that's slab/state routes. That's pretty shitty wear unless they're a soft compound of some kind.

[beet]

I have conti roads on my tl I like um so far

[caddydaddy]

I have 5,000 miles on the Conti Road Attacks on my heavy Sprint, and they are still in great shape!

[nt650hawk]

what pressure were you running them at? and how often did you check the pressure?

[ZX-12R]

I've never done burnouts or anything of the sort!!

Should I completely avoid riding on these til I get them changed or what?!

edit: I wouldn't ride on that unless it's out to do a final smoke show, smoke shows are cool!

I had a tire do something similar to me a few weeks ago so I decided it had to pay for it's sins!

[ZX-12R]

And be thankful you got 4K out of your tire. I go through them in about 2300-2500 miles.

[stoinkythepig]

You are going to be in for a pleasant surprise when you get the new tires installed. The bike will feel vastly more planted and the handling will be so much nicer. I never let my tires get past the wear bars, they feel like utter crap when they are that worn out. I can't imagine how bad your tires feel.