Yes, this is a real newbie question, as I have never had to check this before on a bike.
My 01 GS500 (bought when it had 400 miles on it) is the first real bike I got (not counting scooters) and I mostly did on it my daily commute (48 miles/day, 80% on the highway) and now the odometer shows 8200 miles. I loved every one of them! :)
So I believe that this could be time to change the stock tires (Exedra G550), but am not sure: I would hate to waste money, but would hate more to drive unsafely! :o
To me it looks like the back tire is in worse condition, but to be sure I took some pictures and would welcome any comment from the council of the wise men who frequent this site.
This is the back tire: I know I should be looking for the "wear bars" close to the little triangles on the side of it (in the red circle), but I don't know how they would look like: are the ones in the green circle? (They run along the full tire.)
(http://www.geocities.com/guido_damico/ruote/wearBack.jpg)
What worries me are the cracks I see on the flat part: are those expected to be there?
(http://www.geocities.com/guido_damico/ruote/cracksBack1.jpg)
(http://www.geocities.com/guido_damico/ruote/cracksBack2.jpg)
The front tire seems better:
(http://www.geocities.com/guido_damico/ruote/wearFront.jpg)
Any comment would help: thank you and have fun on this wonderful bike!
Drive
The actual wear indicator is to the left of the green circle, just right of the white speck. They are raised spots in the tread.
You have cracks in the front tire, signs of dry rot. Age has taken its toll.
getting new tires would not be wasting your money. It will drive like a new bike, believe me. :thumb:
The stock tyre is not great, conventional wisdom is that front should last a lot longer than rear. I recently replaced both my Excedras after only about 6300 miles. Both had wear bars showing.
I have BT45s and done about 1200 miles on them and I am very happy. I agree 100% that replacing would not be a waste, probably a sheer delight.
Quote from: DriveMcFriendWhat worries me are the cracks I see on the flat part: are those expected to be there?
That means your tires are old...
If you have the money for new ones, do it...
Thank you for all the replies; I guess I have to start shopping for new tires!
QuoteThe actual wear indicator is to the left of the green circle, just right of the white speck. They are raised spots in the tread.
I can't see them in the picture, but I'll ask to the mechanic, for future reference.
Thanks again!
Drive
Quote from: dgyverThe actual wear indicator is to the left of the green circle, just right of the white speck. They are raised spots in the tread.
You have cracks in the front tire, signs of dry rot. Age has taken its toll.
wait a sec, are the wear bars just those little raised circles that you can see in the first pic?
the idea of wear bars has always somewhat confused me, maybe since on both tires I've replaced on the gs I've had to swap out due to big punctures.
Jake
Wear bars are small recessed bridges found within the tread of a tire. When the tire is worn down to the level of the bar (or near to it) it's time to change 'em out.
Here are hastily drawn profiles of good and bad tread, not to scale and almost entirely useless:
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a135/awangsays/wear1.jpg)
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a135/awangsays/wear2.jpg)
Actually, here's a link to actual photos of wear bars (check the third last photo for a clearly worn tire):
http://www.fjr1300.info/mods/tires.html
take care,
C
Watch out ... here comes OverKill Kerry! :oops: I just took these pics out in the parking lot.
Front Bridgestone BT45H:
(http://www.bbburma.net/MiscFotos/CX7530_0202_FrontBT45H_WearBar.jpg)
Rear Michelin Macadam 50 (thanks Dathan!):
(http://www.bbburma.net/MiscFotos/CX7530_0203_RearMacadam50_WearBar.JPG)
I can't say as I like the slit in the rear tire.... :x
I was wondering if you had pics of this subject yet. ;)
There are wear indicators on the sides of the tires as well as in the center as shown. The little triangles on the sidewall just notates that there is an indicator somewhere across the width of the tire.
when you need pics you can always count on kerry. not to hijack, but I'm on my second pirelli sport demon on the back and it's got a slow leak of some kind. I lose about 5 lbs of pressure a day. Happened with the last one too. Never could find a problem, added a little sealant and had no more probs. Don't know if it's the tires or my rim?
jake
You may want to replace the valve stem core. Cheap and easy to do. You can check it by putting a small amount of diluted dish soap on it and look for bubbles.
Quote from: dgyverYou may want to replace the valve stem core. Cheap and easy to do. You can check it by putting a small amount of diluted dish soap on it and look for bubbles.
i tried it, but I'll check again. Last time it happened I even took the tire back to the place they mounted it and they checked everything over and couldn't find anything.
I just don't have much luck with the sport demons.
Jake