I hate these stock tires....grrrr

[bngboyd]

I only have 1600 miles on these tires and the rear is already starting to show the wear bar.

I commute mostly and rarely tear up the twisties (maybe a total of an hour of drive time).

How many miles did your stock Dunlops last you???

On my 05 B12 I think I got around 4200 miles on the stock tires....am I doing something wrong???

TIA
Bob

[PitterB4]

The obvious things are pressure, suspension settings, rear wheel alignment..  I have no idea without checking what the stock tires are but 1600 miles is supersport/trackday tire like wear.  Abusive wear at that....  Although, the quickest I burned up tires was when I was superslab commuting every day.  Doing that, you're concentrating all the wear right down the middle. 

[Dink_1170]

The stock tyres on "Bonnie" only lasted 2100kms. YMMV

Dink

[bngboyd]

The obvious things are pressure, suspension settings, rear wheel alignment..  I have no idea without checking what the stock tires are but 1600 miles is supersport/trackday tire like wear.  Abusive wear at that....  Although, the quickest I burned up tires was when I was superslab commuting every day.  Doing that, you're concentrating all the wear right down the middle. 

I am finding this is normal for these stock tires. Pressure, suspension, and alignment are things I check weekly. It must be all the commuting I do.

Thanks for all the replys though. My panic attack is over now :)

[ippo]

Rear 3800km front 6500km.
Tyres are horrible.   I recommet pirelli corsa III.and touring metzeler roadtec z6.

[RichB in AZ]

I think I must be getting more miles out of mine than most, about 4000, but the shape the OEM tires are taking is awfull. The first 1000 were good, but then they started to change shape and now I feel every line in the road, leaning in to a corner is a struggle.
They are OK once leaned in, it's just getting there isn't fun anymore.

New ones soon. I wish I could get some thicker (heavier) tires, like the ME880, but that 5.5" rear rim limits the choices.

[bngboyd]

I think I must be getting more miles out of mine than most, about 4000, but the shape the OEM tires are taking is awfull. The first 1000 were good, but then they started to change shape and now I feel every line in the road, leaning in to a corner is a struggle.
They are OK once leaned in, it's just getting there isn't fun anymore.

New ones soon. I wish I could get some thicker (heavier) tires, like the ME880, but that 5.5" rear rim limits the choices.

I hear ya Rich. My rear tire has three surfaces....left side, right side, and the middle. 

Not very happy with the shape and I too have the same problems when going into a corner. Once in the corner it is fine.

Just time to get new shoes for my Black Beast.

[Pidgey]

Garbage !!   I barely got 5000km from the rear and 9000km from the front. I'm now running both Metzeler Roadtec sport/tour, 5000km on the rear, not much wear. 

[banditone1250s]

  I got the Dunlops as stock tires too and I got around 6000 miles out of them. Seems to me that is pretty good comparatively speaking. I did experience a little of the flatness that you guys speak of right at the last so I guess I agree with you guys. The stock tires suck. I have the Avon Vipers on mine now and they are much better. I think that next time I will try the dual compound Michelins. That concept seems to make sense to me so that's what I'll do the next time.. I have been pretty happy with the Avons however they took a little longer to scuff in than the Dunlops did, but again the Avons have a much better tread and a larger contact patch and I have had no problems swinging into a turn at all with them. The seem a little smoother than the Dunlops too.The traction is definitely better and I think that the tire is a little softer too...bandit one1250s...

  There is a thin line between fear and respect...Feel free to drift across it every now and then....

[bngboyd]

  I got the Dunlops as stock tires too and I got around 6000 miles out of them. Seems to me that is pretty good comparatively speaking.

6000 miles on these D218 tires?
That is awesome! I will be lucky to make it to 2000 miles.


It ticks me off because 90% of my miles is just commuting back and forth to work.

[CWO4GUNNER]

Wow I have over 3000 and except for the recent flat fix, my tires still look good. You might want to take a look at your tire pressure (too low). rear wheel alignment, and over use of the rear brake with respect to proper use of the front brake.

[bngboyd]

Wow I have over 3000 and except for the recent flat fix, my tires still look good. You might want to take a look at your tire pressure (too low). rear wheel alignment, and over use of the rear brake with respect to proper use of the front brake.

Tire pressure is checked every other day. Rear wheel alignment is good. Rear brake is almost never even used.

In another forum it seems that 2000-4000 miles is about right for these POS tires. Been riding 23 years and never went through tires this fast. So I doubt it has anything to do with my braking skills.

I am starting to think that it is in direct relationship to wrist action and body weight. Seems getting up to speed quicker just eats these tires for lunch. A slow wrist and even power up to speed results in these tires lasting 3 times as long. I am not sure hence posting in the first place.

Regardless these tires are crap. Feel lucky that your 1250 Dunlop D218 is at 3000 miles.

[SteelD]

  I got the Dunlops as stock tires too and I got around 6000 miles out of them. Seems to me that is pretty good comparatively speaking.

6000 miles on these D218 tires?
That is awesome! I will be lucky to make it to 2000 miles.


It ticks me off because 90% of my miles is just commuting back and forth to work.

I am a gentle rider and use my bike for commuting. I got 2000 miles out of my rear before I changed it. There was still tread on it but the tyre was starting to square off and it felt uneasy on certain road surfaces.

The fact is that the Bandit is a cheap bike so they fit cheap tyres. Cheap tyres are either grippy or have long life, not both. Suzuki err on the side of grip for such a torquey engine and the price we pay are tyres that wear quickly. I now run Pilot Road² tyres which have a hard compound in the middle and soft on the outside giving good wear resistance and good grip in the corners. I've only done a 1000 miles on them so far but am very pleased with them.

[PaulVS]

What irritates me the most (and has for 30 years now) is that the motorcycle companies can't be paying much less for the crappy OEM rubber they put on than they would for a premier tire.

Example:  The 1200 Bandit came with Michelin Macadams, which were horrible on grip, but decent on longevity.  If you wanted to buy those same tires from a discount online tire seller, the prices were more expensive than most really good tires (Like the Pirelli Diablo Stradas or Pilot Roads)

So if the cost is the same or less... why do they continue to put junk on at the factory?

[SteelD]

What Suzuki pay a supplier for tyres and what you pay a local fitter are two totally different things. They will negotiate a special price for thousands of tyres and they will pick the deal that's best for them, not necessarily what's best for you.

Even if the crap tyres are only $10 cheaper than a good tyre, that's $20 saving per bike and if they produce, say, 25,000 Bandits a year with those tyres, that amounts to a $0.5m dollar saving. You will be amazed how much penny-pinching goes on in volume manufacturing because it all adds up to a tidy sum.