New Tyre Advice

I'm currently running an Avon SM (speedmaster) II on the front that's due
for replacement and would like any reccommendations on what to get next.

I've only managed to get just over thirty thousand on the current one and
am rather pissed off at the performance. No matter what I do I can't get
it to wear right to the edges. When it's new, it's worse, I can only get
about a third of the tread to make contact with the road. As it nears the
end of it's life it gets better (up to three quarters) but I suspect that
it's only because the profile becomes overly square.

The guys at the sports performance shop snigger behind my back when I ask
so that's why I'm asking here. It's not that I don't trust them or
anything. They once diagnosed a persistant problem I had when running
Optimax. They told me it was fouling my plugs and, sure as shit, on the
way home I heard a definite 'cluck cluck' coming from under the petrol
tank. As per their suggestion I now only run unleaded. It rattles a bit
now but they tell me it's because of the rattle snake oil Caltex adds at
the refinery. Good stuff. So good in fact that there's no way you'll ever
find it on sale to the public! I mean, these guys know their stuff.
They've all worked for the most reputable shops in Australia - Peter
Stevens and Frasers!

Anyway, they tell me that I need to ride more twisties. I tried to explain
that no other Harley has _ever_ passed me on the Old Road. If that wasn't
enough to get them guffawing you should've heard them after I said I've
never, ever scraped it around a corner! Mind you, it was a Friday arvo and
I suspect they were on more than just the usual Tooheys Lite.

So, suggestions please folks. I get an easy 80k outta the rear. No way I
wanna fork out $150 for a front that only gets 30k, tho' if I could get it
to use all the tread that may be acceptable.

--
Pete ....hoping Bobby doesn't think I'm gay 'cause my tyres are like
intact kneesliders!

The journey IS the destination.

Ok, all jokes aside, if you want to reach the edge of your tyres the only
way it's gonna happen is if you lean the bike over. The thing with hard
tyres (and you're seem to be, if you're gettin 30k out of them) is that you
won't want to lean it over as you have a natural sense of when the grip
might be thinking of letting go. Having said that, I ride an '03 Blade and I
haven't used all of my front tyre either. You tend you use all the rear but
not the front so much. When you go to a race track, that's when you can
fully utilise the whole tyre. If you're utilising it all on the road all the
time chances are you're probably going a tad too quick. Then again, the
profile on the tyres on your Harley are no doubt a little less agressive
than on the sportsbikes.

blah blah blah .. whatever ....

summary: Buy some soft tyres and go apeshit, you'll use more of them!

Cam
'03 954


Pisshead Pete wrote:
 > I'm currently running an Avon SM (speedmaster) II on the front that's due
 > for replacement and would like any reccommendations on what to get next.
 >
 > I've only managed to get just over thirty thousand on the current one and
 > am rather pissed off at the performance. No matter what I do I can't get
 > it to wear right to the edges. When it's new, it's worse, I can only get
 > about a third of the tread to make contact with the road. As it nears the
 > end of it's life it gets better (up to three quarters) but I suspect that
 > it's only because the profile becomes overly square.
 >
 > The guys at the sports performance shop snigger behind my back when I ask
 > so that's why I'm asking here. It's not that I don't trust them or
 > anything. They once diagnosed a persistant problem I had when running
 > Optimax. They told me it was fouling my plugs and, sure as shit, on the
 > way home I heard a definite 'cluck cluck' coming from under the petrol
 > tank. As per their suggestion I now only run unleaded. It rattles a bit
 > now but they tell me it's because of the rattle snake oil Caltex adds at
 > the refinery. Good stuff. So good in fact that there's no way you'll ever
 > find it on sale to the public! I mean, these guys know their stuff.
 > They've all worked for the most reputable shops in Australia - Peter
 > Stevens and Frasers!
 >
 > Anyway, they tell me that I need to ride more twisties. I tried to explain
 > that no other Harley has _ever_ passed me on the Old Road. If that wasn't
 > enough to get them guffawing you should've heard them after I said I've
 > never, ever scraped it around a corner! Mind you, it was a Friday arvo and
 > I suspect they were on more than just the usual Tooheys Lite.
 >
 > So, suggestions please folks. I get an easy 80k outta the rear. No way I
 > wanna fork out $150 for a front that only gets 30k, tho' if I could get it
 > to use all the tread that may be acceptable.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->