3/32" tread left on front, how much can I use?

T_C

T_C

Joined
Mar 8, 2012
Messages
3,528
Location
St. Louis, MO
Bike
2005 St1300
Prepping for my next long distance run. I've got about 3/32" of tread left on the front as measured with my dial caliper. How many miles do you think I can get out of it?
 
Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: Depends on many variables. Tire pressure, rubber compound, tire age, road temp, road texture, road material, speed, weight, ect. A better question would be, how many miles do you plan on going?
 
You have several miles left on that tire, I would say a minimum of 2000 miles. If you have any question about the tire not making your next trip I would replace it.
 
Next trip is 8k.

Guess I need to find a replacement before then.
Dang... I think my trip is getting pushed up earlier then I had planned. I planned on leaving on the 4th for WeSToc but now it looks like I have to leave on the 31st with a stop in Utah for work.

Thanks for the suggestions.
 
That equals 2.38mm, and with a 8,000 mile trip planned there's no decision other than to change it.

You have a far better chance of punctures, aquaplaning in the wet or just losing the front on wet roads.. and I bet the damage to your bike, or the problem of getting the tyre you want out on the road would be far more hassle than changing it in advance of your trip?
 
Tom,
Another idea is ship your tire from your favourite vendor to your destination and spoon it on. Art Franz did that in my garage a few years back. Mellow's friend sent a tire up to me to be spooned on at his half way point. Fronts are so simple, backs aren't to bad, just depends on the tire manufacture due to stiff or normal sidewalls. You also need a few hours taken away from your holidays to do this too.
Balance was done on my jack stands and his front axle sitting on them.
No risk is to do it before you leave and have no worries.
 
T_C said:
Next trip is 8k.

Guess I need to find a replacement before then.
Dang... I think my trip is getting pushed up earlier then I had planned. I planned on leaving on the 4th for WeSToc but now it looks like I have to leave on the 31st with a stop in Utah for work.

Thanks for the suggestions.
Click to expand...

Well if you have some work in Utah, replace the tire there or somewhere else on the trip. Just plan the replacement timing and make sure you have a tire there.
 
My suggestion is to change it before your trip. I tried to get the last wear out of my rear tire on a trip with my wife this summer. The tire blew out on the road, which we luckily survived without damage to us or the bike as we were travelling at low speed at the time it happened. We then had to have the bike hauled to the nearest Honda dealer (thank you AMA for picking up the $380 cost) and spent 2 nights on the weekend (@ $150/night plus meals) waiting for the dealer to open. I was so shaken by our near miss on the blow out that I had them change the front tire as well for a total of $760.

As my mother use to say, "Don't be penny wise and pound ($) foolish."
 
Yep... doing the online shopping now. Schedule will be tight with the new route and stop. I don't want to spend a few days in some unknown town twiddling my thumbs when I could be riding. One of the goals of the second long trip this year is to hit all states west of the Mississippi, and it won't happen on a flat tire. And since I am double-dark I don't want to hear some motorcycle shop telling me they are not going to mount a rear tire on the front it since it would be against the law and they are just trying to protect me for my own good.

I could probably do it mid-route. I actually got the portable tool box set with carry every tool I need, minus spoons, torque wrench, and jack. Well, since those 3 seem to be required elements in a tire change, it won't happen mid-route, I guess I opt for the change before departure.

3/32" looks a lot deeper then it'll last, huh? But when in the lower levels of the rubber it does wear faster, right?
 
T_C said:
3/32" looks a lot deeper then it'll last, huh? But when in the lower levels of the rubber it does wear faster, right?
Click to expand...

The service limit is 2/32," which means you get a third of what you see left at 3/32".

As the tire wears, its diameter decreases and the circumference does, too. Shorter circumference means more revolutions for the same distance. I did the math, and on a rear tire for the 1300, you lose about 1% of the circumference between brand new and the service limit. Doesn't sound like much, but it adds up.

--Mark
 
T_C said:
spoons, torque wrench, and jack
Click to expand...

Spoons don't take up much room.
Here is the 'torque wrench' I carry, LINKY.
To change the front tire you can use pieces of wood with someone leaning on the back to lift the front end. BTDT.

You're welcome!
:D

(Oh, and I'd change it before I started on the trip too!)
 
Mark said:
Here is the 'torque wrench' I carry, LINKY.
Click to expand...

Well for emergency roadside I could get by without the torque and I could find some rocks to make the jack from. Skip the spoons and use my extra weight in the gut to wedge on the tire. It coul dbe MacGyver'd.

I have seen that torque adapter before.. contemplated it. Nothing else just use it as a 'check' for my other torque wrenches. You like?
 
Yup, for both for checking my 1/2" torque and for carrying next to the spoons.
 
Not to be snarky, but it always surprises me that people will come onto a forum and ask complete strangers their opinions about circumstances that could jeopardize their lives.

Trust me, I'll never ask you guys your opinions about how safe my tires are, or are not.

We ride $15,000 motorcycles. In the grand scheme of things, tires aren't that expensive. When in doubt, go buy a new one!
 
thumperjdm said:
Trust me, I'll never ask you guys your opinions about how safe my tires are, or are not.

We ride $15,000 motorcycles. In the grand scheme of things, tires aren't that expensive. When in doubt, go buy a new one!
Click to expand...

You may not ask, but you did give an opinion. Just being picky. But you did give good sound advice based on how many miles the OP plans on riding.
 
thumperjdm said:
Not to be snarky, but it always surprises me that people will come onto a forum and ask complete strangers their opinions about circumstances that could jeopardize their lives.
Click to expand...

Heck, if we didn't discuss anything that could be directly or indirectly life-threatening, all we'd have is a bunch of threads about pie vs. cobbler and whether or not the airplane on the treadmill would take off.

--Mark
 
What I do is measure and record the tread depth and mileage when mounted. Almost all MC fronts start out around 5/32", rears 7 or 8/32".

Now and then I measure remaining tread depth and get a feel for how many miles per 1/32" and how long the tire is going to go.
 
T_C said:
But when in the lower levels of the rubber it does wear faster, right?
Click to expand...

From wear bar to cord happens pretty fast at least on the rear.
On the PRs the wet handling gets your attention before that.
I wouldn't want to learn that with the front.
 
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