Cupping Tires
- Thread starter sccrvettel82
- Start date
Ok, The bike is a 2006 LE with 1,700 miles on it. It is only the front tire that is showing this kind of wear pattern. I do run a lot of corners but I will also take 100+ mile interstate trips traveling between 90-120 with the same lower amount of tire pressure. However, I normally notice a 3-4psi increase when the tires are hot. This would put the tire between 37-42 PSi when hot.
I have not hit any hard pot holes or wheelied the bike. The suspension is set at the factory settings. I have not seen any leaks from the front fork tubes and the suspension feels great to me. Is it possible that the suspension can feel fine but have a bad spring? IF it deos have a bad spring it would have to be a factory defect.
I have not hit any hard pot holes or wheelied the bike. The suspension is set at the factory settings. I have not seen any leaks from the front fork tubes and the suspension feels great to me. Is it possible that the suspension can feel fine but have a bad spring? IF it deos have a bad spring it would have to be a factory defect.
Taken from the link above
upping, which is more accurately described as scalloping (see pictures, but we will use the more common term "cupping" here), is a natural wear pattern on motorcycle tires and it will always follow the tread pattern. It is not a sign that you have bad suspension parts. It merely shows that your tire is indeed gripping the road when you make turns (thank you for that Mr. Tire!). This cupping develops within the side wear bands of a leaned motorcycle. The extreme forces that come in to play when the bike is leaned in a turn are what produce the effect and when the wear becomes sufficient, one will experience vibration and noise when one banks into a turn. Upon examination of the pictures at left of our sample rear Avon, our dusted front VTX Dunlop D256, and the picture of our chalked Dunlop D206 one can see how the cupping follows the tread pattern. The leading edge of the tread does not flex much as it grips the road and the rubber is scuffed off the tire in that area causing a depression. As the tire rotates, the pressure moves to the trailing edge of the tread pattern where the tread flexes more causing less scuffing so less material is ground off the tire. The more complex the tread pattern, the more complex the cupping pattern will be. The softer the compound of the tire, the sooner this cupping will develop. Radial tires are more prone to cupping than are bias ply because the compound of radials is softer. As one can see, the simple tread pattern of the Avon pictured produces a simpler scallop pattern while the more complex VTX D256 Dunlop is somewhat involved, though still easily seen in our photo. Cupping on the Valkyrie Dunlop D206 is very hard to photograph because of the complex tread pattern. Low tire pressure will exacerbate this wear pattern and you will lose many serviceable miles by running low. Improper balance has nothing to do with cupping on a motorcycle tire. Improper balance will merely cause your bike to vibrate within certain specific speed ranges.
upping, which is more accurately described as scalloping (see pictures, but we will use the more common term "cupping" here), is a natural wear pattern on motorcycle tires and it will always follow the tread pattern. It is not a sign that you have bad suspension parts. It merely shows that your tire is indeed gripping the road when you make turns (thank you for that Mr. Tire!). This cupping develops within the side wear bands of a leaned motorcycle. The extreme forces that come in to play when the bike is leaned in a turn are what produce the effect and when the wear becomes sufficient, one will experience vibration and noise when one banks into a turn. Upon examination of the pictures at left of our sample rear Avon, our dusted front VTX Dunlop D256, and the picture of our chalked Dunlop D206 one can see how the cupping follows the tread pattern. The leading edge of the tread does not flex much as it grips the road and the rubber is scuffed off the tire in that area causing a depression. As the tire rotates, the pressure moves to the trailing edge of the tread pattern where the tread flexes more causing less scuffing so less material is ground off the tire. The more complex the tread pattern, the more complex the cupping pattern will be. The softer the compound of the tire, the sooner this cupping will develop. Radial tires are more prone to cupping than are bias ply because the compound of radials is softer. As one can see, the simple tread pattern of the Avon pictured produces a simpler scallop pattern while the more complex VTX D256 Dunlop is somewhat involved, though still easily seen in our photo. Cupping on the Valkyrie Dunlop D206 is very hard to photograph because of the complex tread pattern. Low tire pressure will exacerbate this wear pattern and you will lose many serviceable miles by running low. Improper balance has nothing to do with cupping on a motorcycle tire. Improper balance will merely cause your bike to vibrate within certain specific speed ranges.
Dude, I melt my tires at trackdays,
but I have never had them cup....
Do you have any pics??
but I have never had them cup....
Do you have any pics??
Kinda like this tire. small dents going around the tire. I will try to get pics of mine tomorrow
marlboroman71818
Registered
Street, I could smoke the rear tire while in a power wheelie, I switched to M-1's and they gave me plenty of traction. Now I have an M-3 on the rear, cant wait to get home and test it with the new turbo!
Is that even possible? I just got 3K on front and it done.
marlboroman71818
Registered
Ive got over 10,000 on the battle axe front and its still good. The rears wear out every 3000 thought
What ^ Said.
I would be willing to bet that the cupping is not due to suspension but how you ride your bike.
If you are trying to turn the bike by pushing the bars, you will be scrubbing the front tire and causing it to cup. Try leaning more and as I have found, the cupping will go away completely.
My stock Battlcrap cupped terribly but I was a NOOB and had to learn how to ride all over again... coming from a Harley. When I changed to my M3's I found a new way to ride, took some classes at Road Atlanta and have never had the issue again. Learn to get your arse off the seat and lean into turns.
Watch this video: http://davidawilks.com/Hayabusa/HayabusaCompilation.wmv
Look at how the rider is going through the turns, yet the bars are moving very little. Watch how he uses his body to steer the bike. By doing this you will increase the life of your tires and the enjoyment of riding by allowing you a much safer turning.
Learning how to ride has also saved me quite a bit of money in that I have consistently reached over 7K miles per set of Metzler M3's on the last three sets.
Best of luck!
If you are trying to turn the bike by pushing the bars, you will be scrubbing the front tire and causing it to cup. Try leaning more and as I have found, the cupping will go away completely.
My stock Battlcrap cupped terribly but I was a NOOB and had to learn how to ride all over again... coming from a Harley. When I changed to my M3's I found a new way to ride, took some classes at Road Atlanta and have never had the issue again. Learn to get your arse off the seat and lean into turns.
Watch this video: http://davidawilks.com/Hayabusa/HayabusaCompilation.wmv
Look at how the rider is going through the turns, yet the bars are moving very little. Watch how he uses his body to steer the bike. By doing this you will increase the life of your tires and the enjoyment of riding by allowing you a much safer turning.
Learning how to ride has also saved me quite a bit of money in that I have consistently reached over 7K miles per set of Metzler M3's on the last three sets.
Best of luck!
vman1300
Never Forgotten
I wonder if the "V" shaper profile was the culprit, IE not having that much tread on the pavement when in a straight line.
I know the M1 has a rounder profile.
Used them both, however my focus is all toward twisty/track riding and IMO the Power is a far better tire for that purpose.
Tango that is a good Vid and who ever did those remakes on those songs rocks good riding tunes
Sorry to thread jack but anyone know the name of the band that did those remakes.
I weigh between 180-185 at 5' 9" I also do a lot of leaning and don't feel like I am turning the bar much at all. I am starting to think it might also have to do with the steep V profile, lower pressure, and excessive heat. My bike before the Busas was an R1, so I am pretty used to leaning and moving around on the bike.
vman1300
Never Forgotten
I really dont think it is "V" profile at all. I am 340lbs and when I use street tires, the PP are my choice.(sccrvettel82 @ Apr. 26 2007,10:47) I weigh between 180-185 at 5' 9" I also do a lot of leaning and don't feel like I am turning the bar much at all. I am starting to think it might also have to do with the steep V profile, lower pressure, and excessive heat. My bike before the Busas was an R1, so I am pretty used to leaning and moving around on the bike.
I run them at 30 rear and 32 front, but keep in mind, all playground miles, so I am after max grip.
I am with others, I feel it may be something in the fork set up.
Take a look at Jinksters Suspension thread, it will help you a ton. Jinks is about 220 when he wrote that thread.
I will certainly look into the Suspension. Any ideas about that article though. It was saying that the cupping is "not" caused by faulty suspension components??? So is it possible that the suspension may not be set correctly but not really faulty?
vman1300
Never Forgotten
The tires I have experienced cupping with were due to low air pressure and in a case on a older GSXR, a leaky fork seal.
I really push hard in the mountains and I have never experienced cupping on any of the sets of Powers I have used.
It is possible your suspension components are fine, just need to be set up for your weight.
Thank you to everyone for all of the input. I am starting to think it is being caused by low air pressure, excessive heat, corner carving and extended high speed interstate runs with low air pressure.
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