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[Billy]

I know that motorcycle tires cup . All my bikes for over 120,000 miles have cupped . My 2014 CVO Roadking started Cupping at 10,000 I changed the tires at 16,000. Way to noises even going straight.     If your tires cup when did they start? I have only had the rear cup not the fronts.  I had plenty of tread for another 5000 miles on the oem tires.     I also check pressure often and ride solo 180# so not to much weight.  Thanks Billy

[mjb765]

I needed both tires at 11,000 due to cupping..the noise was terrible.

[FlaHeatWave]

I know that motorcycle tires cup . All my bikes for over 120,000 miles have cupped . My 2014 CVO Roadking started Cupping at 10,000 I changed the tires at 16,000. Way to noises even going straight.     If your tires cup when did they start? I have only had the rear cup not the fronts.  I had plenty of tread for another 5000 miles on the oem tires.     I also check pressure often and ride solo 180# so not to much weight.  Thanks Billy

'Never had a tire cup until the '09 SERG, (owning HDs and other street bikes since '76).

Going to 41-42 psi in the rear greatly reduced the cupping on the '09 for me. Once the front was recalled, I got > 17k out of it, wearing perfectly.

[srnoyes]

The original front tire on my 09 Road King Classic started cupping within a year or so. I still had plenty of tread on the tire and  never ran them short on air pressure. Shouldn't have started cupping.

[mark]

2010 SESG.  When going thru a turn, rear started making a roaring sound at 15k.  When cornering, I could feel a noticeable vibration in the front at about 15k too.  Just replaced both.  Front had 3/32 of tread left.  Back had 4/32.

[fastfreddy]

my first tire started cupping at about 6k and was wore out at 9k same thing on second rear, replaced both front and rear at 18k, now at 27k and ready for another rear tire... yup three rear tires in two years! all three rears cupped and noisy rite at same miles 6k...more like the center wears a lot faster, probably a lill hard on them too   

[RayG]

I have an 08 with 80,000 miles on her.  I believe I have had 21 tires put on (mostly rears) & it needs two more right now.  Of the 21, 2 were from flats.  I have 2 new Dunlop's ready to be mounted when I have the time.  I ended up purchasing a No Mar unit with the balancer to see if I could get close to 5000 miles on a rear tire before they were so badly cupped I had to take it off.  Now I can balance the wheel, rotate the tire so I can reduce the weights etc.  I check the air pressure every couple of days.  Tried various air pressures, Dyna Beads etc.  In my case I strongly believe cupping is directly related to an increase in aggressive cornering along with deteriorating road conditions.  The economy has left most of our roads in very poor condition, their are pot holes and patches overlapping patches.  In other words very few roads have a new flat surface.  Frost heave season can be brutal for all types of vehicles.  I practiced cornering techniques using the DVD called 'TWIST of the WRIST 2' by Keith Code and I dramatically increased the speed at which I enter and come out of a corner, in other words I'm now making my bike do what it wasn't intended for and the cupping is one result.  Maybe I just sucked and this practice brought me up with the pack, I don't really know.  I'm talking trashed tires in 2,500 miles not 10 to 15,000 mile.  I used to have an occasional front tire cup but it was usually after it had 10,000 miles on her.  At 41,000 miles I replaced a set Bitubo's with a new set and my tire mileage went to hell on the rears.  But that is the same time I changed my riding habits.   I will keep them on until I no longer feel safe with them.  I believe if you drive your bike like a car and try to make them last your tire mileage can increase significantly, but the fun level is gone for me at that point.  I also installed the True Track, installed different motor mounts, changed swingarm bushings, adjusted the neck bearings and did the alignment using the YouTube clip from Glide Pro.  While I get to go smoother & faster with less effort the tire life has not been solved.  I tried Metzlers 800's and they were worn faster than anything I have ever seen.  I have never had a rear tire go 10,000 miles and I would be ecstatic to have one go that far before cupping.  It's also possible that tire manufacturers are playing around with different compounds to get an edge on the competition.  I don't think for a minute that manufacturers are concerned with mileage, it's stickiness for sports riders and cost cutting for the rest.  If I play hard I will have to pay for it.  I enjoy riding this bike in the manner I do, I'm not trashing the gearbox it's not fast compared to other bikes. I learned to position my body to reduce scrapping stuff but it still happens.  I basically learned how to enter a corner carrying more speed safely, something I could not do repetitively before.  I'm certainly in no danger of scraping a knee with these bikes, if anything I save my brakes but go through tires.  Wish I didn't but what the heck can we do? 

I have been trying to solve this issue for a long time.  With very few if any replacement choices and tires not being cheap do they really have to fix the problem?   They are an exclusive size and in some cases we are stuck with what they make for us.   I have to say I'm out of things to try.         

[TN]

Ray, good luck on DIY. I think you'll learn allot by doing so, I did. The No Mar is good and requires little effort when done correctly. I go through tires like you.    I've tried alternatives but right now running the stock 407 180/55/18. I have found the dunlop elite 3 bias 130/70/18 works for me on the front. Dunlop has came out with a 407T, not sure of size available.



Ride On


TN

[RayG]

Hey TN,

On your No Mar have you noticed how easy it is to mount the Metzler's compared to the Dunlop's?  I have the D407 170/60R17.  I'm embarrassed to admit this but I was having such a hard time on the first rear Dunlop that when I was in the middle of the change I took a breather only to watch one on the tire irons start to slip around.  I tried to stop it but it flew off hitting my hand in the process, results were pinkie broken in two places.  I put a pile of electrical tape on the finger and I finally got it on and realized I have to improve my technique or die trying.  It was my fault for not continually centering & lifting the tire.  So much for being in a rush.  Finger has not healed & that was in early May. 

I guess a person has to decide on what to do when his tire starts cupping.  If you keep the cupped tire on you will have no choice but to slow down and change your riding habits as the tire continues to degrade.  Personally I'm not that good of a rider to continually learn how to make the necessary adjustments if I wait to long.  The cornering get awful, the vibration increases, the howling sucks etc.  Once it affects my ride qualities the tire is replaced.  But that's just me a person can continue to ride until it's worn.   Hopefully more tire choices will become available soon.     

[TN]

yeah the 407 is tough. It took me six er so tire mounts to learn why the drop center is important. I made up three spacers shown on their video just for that. I do it without much lube cause I use dyna beads. keeping tire in drop center while mounting is what I focus on.

 riding style influences tire wear so let the safety nannies get their high mileage, I'll stick with changing mine out often. 


Ride On

[Billy]

So  has anyone been able to get Dunlop to warranty the tire, Not much good if we can get 15 to 20 k out of the middle of the tire if it cups at 8 or 10 K  Billy

[Dr.D]

I ride the way I want to and I corner for the thrills. I never get 10K on anything and don't care that much. You play hard you pay hard.

[TXGator]

Is the cupping mainly associated with how aggressive you are in handling or is it something I have to look forward to no matter what?

[grc]

Is the cupping mainly associated with how aggressive you are in handling or is it something I have to look forward to no matter what?

It only became a huge issue when Dunlop went to the Multi-Tread design on the rears.  I've been convinced for a long time that the cupping is occurring where the two different tread compounds meet.  But that's just my thought on the subject; I have no proof one way or the other.

Jerry

[Billy]

My driving style is on the conservative side. I ride a lot of twisty roads but that is still  only about 1/2 the time at most. I have never had a front tire issue on any bike. On my 07 serk I used Metzlers  and had the same problem. I thought at the time that it was because they were Radials. No other choice but Dunlops for now. With the new tires the ride improved 200% . I could not believe how bad the cupping was. My cornering is like I am on rails again. Guess I will have to put on a new rear tire with just 9000 miles from now on. But I do plan on complaining to the dealer and Dunlop when they cup with still plenty of tread left .  Billy