Suzuki V-Strom (VStrom) Owners Club DL250, DL650, DL1000 & DL1050
Oily Rag - Dedicated to Pat, Greywolf. 26/06/45 - 04/06/18 => Tyres => Topic started by: chris1200 on August 04, 2018, 06:58:34
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A couple of months ago I set off with a new pair of PR5's on my Wee. 5,850 miles later this is the back tyre. Well actually this PIC was taken while still in France so there is less then the stated mileage on it. The first half of the mileage was two up and the second half was two up but fully loaded with camping gear. Tyre pressures were correct and the stated bike carrying capacity wasn't exceeded. The main part of the tyre held out better then the side walls bit this led to a massive step on the tyre which made going round corners horrendous. I never had this problem on the PR'4s even right upto 8,000 miles. I won't be buying them again. I imagine pure solo riding on them wouldn't create this wear rate or the step, but as a two up touring tyre its useless. The tyre fitters informed me yesterday that he is starting to get similar reports about this tyre coming in but as they are still new on the market it's not common knowledge yet.
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I guess you are paying for the trade off from having the extra grip on sides.
Other than the "massive step" did the tyres perform well I.e. grip?
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Grip was great, just like the PR4's....but only until the edges wore so far down which was far too soon. Like I said, I never had this with the PR4's and they were grippy enough for me. Sigh. Why do they have to change everything....it was bad enough when they took the key off sardine tins.
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Is it not worth getting in touch with them and sharing your pictures and experience?
You never know they may show some interest.
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Nahh, the sardine key is gone for good unfortunately. I did try and launch a massive campa....oh....you are talking about the tyre! Yeah I might send off a mail today if I get chance, in fact that's not a bad idea ma mate. I might get a voucher!
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I'll be keeping an eye on the rear tyre I fitted. So far all is good but it will probably take me 3 years to wear it out! My front PR3 on the strom did something similar but it didn't seem to adversely affect the handling to any great degree.
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That is rather alarming,looks like they got the side compound wrong, not many riders will test it to the edge as you have, I'm hardly surprised that your not best pleased with the wear rate, it will be interesting to hear what the manufacturers have to say....
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That's what I thought, side wall compound all to cock but there again what do I know. I just pay my good money for their tyres. Anyway, I have bashed off a quick email but never spent too much time as I am away again tomorrow. The thing is the tyre was buggered well before the mileage stated and the picture isn't even of it when I pulled up at home. I though I might have overloaded the bike but it was well within the limits stated for the bike and the tyre. Anyway, if someone has cocked up on this tyre he deserves a good slap! :smirk:
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Hope it's just a batch problem,and you get a voucher, these were to be my next set if tyres so I will wait and see.
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Now I am worried as I have just had PR5 fitted to my wee time will tell. I shall up date as the miles clock up 400 miles done so far really pleased.
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How is the front PR5 working out ? I also have an X-Adv and I plan to use a PR5 front and PR4 rear combination on it shortly, hence my question.
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The first half of the mileage was two up and the second half was two up but fully loaded with camping gear. Tyre pressures were correct and the stated bike carrying capacity wasn't exceeded.
I appreciate you say the pressures were correct at the time but what pressures did you have ? Was they at the Suzuki recommend pressures or Michelin's ?
Looking at the picture you provide the tyre looks to me like it's been ridden under inflated.
Under inflation results in alot of extra heat and the outer edges of the tyre wearing prematurely.
When you add two up fully loaded weights to the equation you get accelerated wear.
The recommended pressures are a guide and not exact as different tyres require different pressures.
If you had say a Bridgestone on the rear you would need less psi than a Michelin because of the makeup of the tyre , Bridgestone being alot heavier and harder especially in the side walls however , Michelin's are made alot softer and require more PSI.
Just to give you and example I have a small Honda CB500F with PR4s fitted , 160/60/17 rear and 120/70/17 front . The bike is very light, I ride solo but keep the pressures at 42psi rear and 38psi front.
To be honest Michelin should state their tyres need harder pressures.
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So what pressure should be in Pr5's on a vstrom 650 for solo riding do you think> 38-42?
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I'm not sure what the Suzuki recommend pressures are for a Wee but for solo riding I would add around 2-3psi front and rear if you have Michelin's . Might not seem alot but over the years we have sold PR3's / 4s we have noticed they wear better and are less susceptible to punctures.
Not had a great deal of feedback yet for the 5s but I'm willing to take a bet the 5s are the same .
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If it helps, Dunlop say to run the Roadsmart 3s at 36psi front and 41psi rear regardless of whether solo or loaded...
(Michelin don't list the 5s as a tyre for the Glee/Wee on their website however they do list the Anakee 3 and say 33/36psi as a guide)
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Again I would ask how is the front PR5 holding up ? Also as mentioned above, what tyre pressures are being used ? While I am not suggesting it was the case, it certainly does have a similar appearance to a tyre that was under inflated.
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Hi, sorry for the late reply but I'm in the Czech republic at the moment making my way home. Tyre was set at 42 and checked every couple of days. Once I noticed the wear I upped it to 44. Michelin have been in contact and said they have never seen wear like this on the tyre worldwide so its not a case of under inflation as they would of clocked that immediately. The front tyre is wearing as would be expected and is fine. I've run the same pressures on PR4s under the same conditions and never had a problem.
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Thanks for the response. Def nothing wrong with 42 psi. I would normally run 38 on the rear.
In the interim I got to have a look at a Versys 1000 previously owned by a friend. It also has PR5's and about 2500kms on them. The centre tread of the rear tyre is perfect but the sides are surprisingly scrubbed for a tyre with such low mileage. This somewhat bears out your observation also.
I assume that Michelin have seen the photos as there is no denying the state of the tyres in them ?
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Mine looks to be wearing OK at the moment but you can see where the compound changes.
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Yeah that last picture shows what I saw as it wore. .....I must be knackered as I nearly put xxx at the end of that! Anyway, we were in Spain and Portugal and France in the heat along with the twisty roads....nah, I was trying to find excuses there. Really no tyre should wear like that. Anyway, there you go. That's what happened to my tyre. Very sleepy now for my £9 a night bed in a hostel from a Stephen King novel
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Whoops, sorry ma mate. Yeah I contacted Michelin and they wanted the tyre after seeing the pics. I told them I don't work for them, don't get paid by them, and was half way across France. They are trying to get the tyre direct from Protyre last I heard. We shall see what comes of it.
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Did you ever hear back from Michelin Chris?
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Nope, nothing, nada, nowt. I must confess I expected nothing more.
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Mine too has worn in a similar way, that long groove is very stepped now, not as bad as Chris's but worse than other tyres I've used plus there's only 4k miles on it. Not good enough for 130 quid! Back to an adventure style tyre for me I think.
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I think I'll change back to Roadtec 01's, they felt grippier, bit more expensive than Road 5's but worth it for the confidence they inspire for me I think.