2000 mile tire life

[NightCrawler]

When I first found this forum I remember reading a few posts saying Hayabusas go through tires every 2000 or so miles. Right now I'm at 1450 and my tires are still chunky. Is that 2000 mile thing for the riders who deal with a lot of twisties or something? Most of the roads here in S. Florida are pretty straight so could that be the reason for still having so much tire left?

 

[BusaWhipped]

The stealership told me the Busa I'd be lucky to get 2500 miles out of the rear tire.  I'm replacing mine next week with 4300 miles on it.  The problem with mine is that I don't spend enough time in the twisties.  I wore out a 2" strip right down the from spending too much time on the slab.  Some of the guys here are getting 8000-10000 miles out of their rears.

This is what the tire looked like at 4100 miles.

 

[MrGxr]

First rear tire last approx 4700 miles, but this second tire (same make and model) doesn't seem to be lasting as long. The first 3500 miles were around town, back and forth to work, and an occasional ride thru the mountains. This second set is see a whole lot of mountain riding, this may be the difference in wear.

 

[WWJD]

my center tire wear comes from a bunch of fast take offs and generally getting on the gas. you gotta figure with the power, anytime you hit it, the road is gnawing away at your tire - that plus the weight pressing down has gotta wear it out faster. Betting road surface type has something to do with it also. if you want to wear it down faster, take off quicker and pin throttle in 2nd and 2rd when the environment allows

 

[BentValve]

I got 3K out of mine to the wear bars...another 500 miles past them, this seems about average.

The bike was meant to be ridden hard, bikes like the Busa eat tires, its the way it goes.

 

[vman1300]

As others reported, tire wear is relative to HP, weight of the bike and rider, and riding style. I have seen many Busa's here in the shop get 3k out of a rear even in the mountains of NC.

Normally I get around 1500 per rear. And there again it depends on the tire I use. I have gotten as low as 770 from a M1. When I first got my Busa in 99, I did get over 3k from the 1st BT56 learning the machine and with no hard riding.

I spooned on a set of Powers in the spring and I do believe the rear will last about 2k. I know most will say that is terriable millage, but that will be the most I have ever achieved with a street tire riding hard.

The set I have on know has been to the Gap for two weekends and quite a few blasts here locally. I have around 800 miles on them and I know I have said it before but it bears repeating, the Powers are the best all around street tire on the market today IMO.

 

[CorrodedAlien]

If you do burnouts, HARD take off / accelz, and the like you will scrub off the center quick. IF you can control that you'll get more out of the rear.

I'm at 16k on my 03 and ready to put the 3rd set of rubber on. Have Continental Force MAX as second set. Good tire and much cheaper that the comparables.

 

[shenoyp]

My tyre went bald in 2k miles...

 

[Sithor]

I've got 2,200 miles on my rear right now. It was replaced at 3,300 miles because the last tire got a nail in it, but it still had plenty of meat. I'm looking to replace this one within the next 2,000 miles however the center of the tire is looking thin. I don't wear down the sides fast enough.

What do people think about the Pilot Sports, do they last longer than the Powers? Also what are thoughts on running a different brand of rear tire on the rear than on the front for my front tire still looks great.

 

[Tufbusa]

You may want to take a closer look at one of the dual compound tires such as the Bridgestone BT014 or Dunlop's D218?

 

[mjn]

When I first started lurking around here, a month or so prior to purchasing my busa, I had a hard time believing that the rear could go in 2 or 3K. I don't do any smokey burnouts, but I do tend to ride fairly hard. I live for the curves, but here in Central Wa, you've gotta ride a ways to get to them....
Well, My odo says 2800 miles and I am at the wear bars.
It has worn fairly even, but it is pretty much done.

 

[mjn]

I've got 2,200 miles on my rear right now.  It was replaced at 3,300 miles because the last tire got a nail in it, but it still had plenty of meat.  I'm looking to replace this one within the next 2,000 miles however the center of the tire is looking thin.  I don't wear down the sides fast enough.

What do people think about the Pilot Sports, do they last longer than the Powers?  Also what are thoughts on running a different brand of rear tire on the rear than on the front for my front tire still looks great.

IMO, running different makes/styles front and rear is a bad idea.
I've tried it a few times in 27 yrs of riding and didn't like the results...
Manufacturers make tires in pairs, to work together. You'll get a much more consistent handling machine when you run matched pairs.
Just my .02

 

[vman1300]

What do people think about the Pilot Sports, do they last longer than the Powers?  

The Pilot Sports are being replaced bt the Powers so I have been told by our Michelin rep.

I have made this post before on tires, so here is a little ole cut and paste.




"I have used several different tire brands/compounds since I have owned my Busa(99). Ranging from the stockers, BT010's, Pilot HPX's, M1's and Pilot Race H2's. Mileage has varried from 3500 down to 770 miles on the rear. The 3500 coming from the stock BT56 down to 770 from susprise, the M1.

Talking to different tire reps at dealer shows, they all agree, when refering to a Busa, throw everything you hear about tire wear out the window. All of the reps agree the Busa is a different animal than 99% of the sportbikes on the market. With the weight, torque/hp figures it will eat a tire much faster. Like this is info we already did not know.

Living in the mountains of Western North Carolina, I have great roads within a mile of the shop. I get a chance to unwind everyday after work with a nice ride home. I also push the limits of a tire I want to know what works and when. I am by no means of an expert on tires for the Busa, I just know what works for me.

The BT56's were great. They provided a good balance of grip/mileage. Plus being the 1st tire I ever used on the Busa, I probally wasnt riding that hard. Excellent wet and dry traction.

Next up were the BT010's. Another great offering from Bridgestone. I was able to get about 2000 miles out a rear. I made one trip to Deals Gap with the 010's. Very predictible, traction good at full lean.

When the Pilot HPX's came out I wanted to give them a spin. They were very stable and the best tire in the mountains I had used so far. I wore both front and rear out at 1500 miles. I had never wore a ft and rear out at the same time ever. My biggest problem was the cost on that tire.

After hearing tons of excellent reports on the M1. I gave them a go. I was totally impressed with everything or so I thought. These tires stick like glue and slide very predictable. I put them on a week before a trip to the Gap. I did drop to a 190 rear and it took a little getting use too. I put 440 miles on the Busa at the Gap and Skyway plus a run down into North georgia. When I got home, I noticed the tire was wearing VERY fast. I ended up with 770 miles on the rear. To say I was disapointed with the wear was a understatement.

I taked to a few roadrace guys that I ride with about my experience with tire wear. They suggested I give a true race tire a go. Their logic was I was spinning the rear thru the corners and a stickier tire would grip better. I was really hesistant about using one on the street due to the horror stories I had heard, no rain traction LOOOOOOng warm up.

This summer, I bought a set of pilot race H2's. These are the hardest of the Pilot Race line, they offer the S2(soft), M2(medium) and the H2(highway). From the info I recieved from a Michelin rep, the H2 is designed as a race tire for the street. He told me it will survive many heat cycles.

After one very brisk ride here at home I was hooked. These tires, with their race profile, cornered like a cat on carpet. I had the guys behind me tell me that the rear was not spinning nearly as bad in the corners as the M1. I made two trips to the Gap using this tire. The side to side transition was greatly improved. The rear was wearing very good I thought for a race tire.

I did get caught in a down pour with the H2's. Well it was more of a monsoon, lol. They were able to make it through the rain very well. I would not have wanted to be at highway speeds in a downpour with these tires.

I ended up with 2021 miles on the rear H2. Over double that of the M1 I had previously used, with better stick. The one downside...I ride year round and with temps in the 40's & 50's, there is no traction to be had, even with 28lbs in the rear. I still plan on using H2's but only in warmer weather.

I now have Pilot Powers on the bike and I can wait till we get some good weather to see how they do. I will probally have these on for Busa Bash III and should have some good feedback.

I guess the point of my rant is to say dont let generalized tire statements make up your mind what tire you need to use. If I had listened to that logic I would have never experienced the outstanding mileage and stick of the H2's.

Match the tire to what kind of riding you do. "



I know I have posted that before, it just gives different feedback in my experiences with different tires.

Here is a report I made on the Pilot Powers after the Busa Bash.



"I finally have a little time on a new set of Powers. First off, I am no tire expert but I have used quite a few since 99 on my Busa.

The Powers have a V shaped profile that will take a little getting used too if you are switching from a street tire. Coming off a set of Michelin H2 race tires I was right at home.

The 1st thing, these tires warm up faster than any street tire I have used. On the ride to the Gap from Robbinsville, they felt ready to go after just a few corners.

On Friday when I made my 1st run thru the Gap, I took it sorta easy to see how they would react. The side to side transition was almost equal to the H's and far better than any of the other street tires I have used. The Powers felt really good.

On Saturday I picked up the pace and by Sunday I was running real close to the pace I do with race rubber. I will problally switch back to the H2 in warmer weather and keep the Powers close by for cooler temps.

As for wear, I have about 400 miles or so. Not much to give a good measure off wear. I will be heading back to the Gap next weekend for a little more spirited riding.

For the majority of riders, I feel the Power will offer what you are looking for in a tire"



I hope these reports can help with tire choices. I know there are quite a few options that I havent tried, but I hope this may help in the process.