Rear Tire

R

Rob the Scott

Member
Local time
Yesterday, 20:53
Joined
Aug 3, 2018
Messages
45
Points
17
Age
63
Location
New Jersey
First Name
Rob
My Ride
2011 Triumph Sprint GT
What rear tire do you use? I have dual-compound tires, and mostly ride 2-up, and this is the result after a spirited ride through the Rocky Mountains. (Sorry, but the photo files are too big).

I am now looking directly at the tire cord under the compound in several patches on the rear tire!! BTW, I am 6’1” and 185#, and my wife is 5’8” and 135#. So, excess weight in the saddles is not likely a primary cause (I know what you were thinking! ).

I think that some tight corners and coarse asphalt, with some spirited driving might have caused this tire to give up the ghost!

Do you use harder touring tires?
 
If you want serious longevity in a rear tire the best you can get is using a car tire. Going to the Dark Side has drawbacks though. I ran a car tire on my Rocket III from 2009 till 2021 and only had to change it once, when I was running the Michelin XXL's I was changing it one to two times a year. That said it affected the steering adversely and had a tendancy to follow road camber so it was constantly needing a steady hand on the tiller.

So to answer your question, use a touring tire if you want to get some extra miles from the tire, but even then depending on the type of riding you do it may only last 10K miles. If handling and grip are essential then stay with the softer compounds and just absorb the expense as part of doing business with the highway.
 
I've never heard of using a car tire, but, from your description, I probably never will. Sage advice on the trade-off between dual compound and touring tire. Since I'm not scraping the pegs on the Trophy (or my Sprint GT, for that matter), a touring tire may be the way to go.

In your experience, is there a great difference between the two in terms of traction? I live in fear of losing traction in a corner with my long-suffering bride as the pillion.
 
Unless you are pushing the edges of traction on the dual compound then no, the touring tire will grip just as well. The delta between the compounds is in their relative hardness or ability to deform to the road surface. Both have adequate traction when heated up, the extra G forces you can apply to the dual compound tire only come into play when you're pushing the bike hard thru corners at lean angles that will make your sphincter pucker and get your shoulder pounded on by your pillion. Since most of your riding is two up there's plenty of grip available from about any touring tire and probably more in wet conditions as they are more heavily treaded than a sport tire. FoR example:

This the Diablo Rosso Corsa on my Thruxton R:
1718631544119.jpeg

And the Dunlop Mutant on my Speed Triple RS
1718631823737.jpeg

Both are very grippy but the Dunlop sheds water better than the Corsa.
 
Keep us posted and review the tire you install! Following. Might be looking into tires next year, so this information and advice is helpful.
 
Rob the Scott said:
That's the tire recommended by the first place I called. A bit pricey, but that's not where I will try to save pennies. I'll continue to explore with that in mind!
Click to expand...
Yeah, they are a bit pricey, but with the extended wear life, may be worth it. Only you can decide. This was a Canadian site, but I am sure you can find it a bit cheaper your side of the border. I would consider it if I stayed strictly on the tarmac.
 
I ordered a Michelin Road 6 GT ($300), which will be installed upon receipt in a couple of days. I appreciate the input, which mirrored the reco from the bike shop. They had Road 6's in stock, and still suggested that they order the Road 6 GT for the extended wear miles (about 10-15%, as they mentioned). Small incremental cost vs. the purchase and installation cost. Since I'm visiting my mother-in-law out of state, I'm not in a position to remove the tire myself, so the installation cost includes removal from the bike ($150).

Remind me to ask what it takes to remove the wheel from a single swing arm bike with a drive shaft should I need to do so in the future! :)
 
IMHO, you made the right decision to go with the better tire. That should pay off in the long run.
 
Thanks for the video! If I had known that it was that easy to remove the rear tire, I would have done so and saved the cost of the technician doing it. Unfortunately, my front tire was cupped, so I will replace that tire, and while they have the bike, service the leaking front forks. About $1,500 dollars from now, I should be ready to go! (Yikes!!)
 
Fork seals can be a bit more challenging than a tire change but can also be the time to fine tune the front suspension as well with better springs, different fork oil weight, adjust damping rates etc. Food for thought before the next service.
 
I took my first ride on the Road 6 GT rear and Road 5 GT front tire. What a difference in terms of stability and traction. I'm not in the habit of scraping pegs, especially on a Trophy SE, but these tires were solid and secure from the start. I followed a local through the canyons of Poudre and Big Thompson Canyons, up into Rocky Mountain National Park (5,000' to 12, 200' elevation! 53 degs F at the top, 94 degs F back in the valley). Most of the roads had tight curves and no room for error (cliffs and rock walls with occasional guardrails). The local "hustled" through the corners, and I followed his lead, mostly.
Upon inspection, I used all of the tread surface of the Road tires, and never wavered on the stability. With only 150 miles on them, early indications are very favorable. They are a bit precious at $300 (190 width rear) and $238 (120 front) respectively, but I'm comfortable that I will enjoy the value over time beyond my first spirited rides!
 

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I had an SE in 2012. Great looking bike that handled well. The problem was it kept losing power, dealer could find no fault. The third time the bike shut down I almost was hit in an intersection. Triumph NA was making excuses so I had my lawyer contact them. He told them it would be cheaper to refund my purchase price than to pay for hospital bill and pain and suffering claims when I did get hit. Triumph refunded 100% and I got a Harley.
 
atomsplitter said:
Unless you are pushing the edges of traction on the dual compound then no, the touring tire will grip just as well. The delta between the compounds is in their relative hardness or ability to deform to the road surface. Both have adequate traction when heated up, the extra G forces you can apply to the dual compound tire only come into play when you're pushing the bike hard thru corners at lean angles that will make your sphincter pucker and get your shoulder pounded on by your pillion. Since most of your riding is two up there's plenty of grip available from about any touring tire and probably more in wet conditions as they are more heavily treaded than a sport tire. FoR example:

This the Diablo Rosso Corsa on my Thruxton R:
View attachment 58132

And the Dunlop Mutant on my Speed Triple RS
View attachment 58133

Both are very grippy but the Dunlop sheds water better than the Corsa.
Click to expand...
I moved on to Dunlops , Roadsmart IV on the Thruxton R and Mission TM ‘s on the tiger . I’m impressed with the grip and the mileage. The Mission is a very heavy tire , probably with good puncture resistance. My GS 1250 friend saw mine and got a set . He thinks they’ll do 30 K km with ease . The Mutant might be the real deal for a Bonneville doing some dirt roads .
 
Vector said:
I had an SE in 2012. Great looking bike that handled well. The problem was it kept losing power, dealer could find no fault. The third time the bike shut down I almost was hit in an intersection. Triumph NA was making excuses so I had my lawyer contact them. He told them it would be cheaper to refund my purchase price than to pay for hospital bill and pain and suffering claims when I did get hit. Triumph refunded 100% and I got a Harley.
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear that you had a Trophy lemon. So far, this 11 year old with 28k miles on it has been great. My other bike is 2011 Sprint GT. The Trophy has superior wind protection, and has been fun to ride longer distances. I have had some issues with the Sprint gearbox resisting upshifts, although that seems to be more so early in the ride. The Sprint is much more agile in the corners, though.

I do appreciate the quiet motors on both of these, although I understand the benefits of a loud engine on the awareness of drivers around you. Personal choices, I guess. I rarely ride in cities or heavy traffic and limit my miles on interstates, reducing the times when a loud engine helps others be aware of you.

I hope that you've been happy with your HD! Which one do you have?
 
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