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Author Topic: Another rear tire cupped with 3k miles on it.  (Read 3521 times)

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grc

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Re: Another rear tire cupped with 3k miles on it.
« Reply #15 on: August 02, 2012, 08:54:11 AM »

The air pressure I usually run is just what the manual calls for.  When I'm solo 36 in the front and 38 in the back.  When two up 38 in the front and 42 in the rear.  When I drive into my garage I usually use my Pit Bull jack to turn her around and while there I check & adjust the air pressure.  I sometimes run 38# in the front and 40# in the rear solo or two up as between my wife & I we are about 320# combined.  I even had my air gauge checked at three tire places and it's right on.  The only change I can think of would be a damaged rear wheel from pot holes and a new dealer. 

You may be right about about the balancing, I had 5 weights on the new rear and I told them that was way to much.  I would like to switch tire brands, if they are going to wear that fast I would prefer a softer compound to help with cornering.  I gave up burnouts but have improvemed my cornering ability, which is why it is important to have perfectly round tires. 

If you are checking and adjusting the air pressure immediately AFTER a ride, as the highlighted part of your post implies, that may be your problem.  The specs are for cold inflation, and the tires need to be at ambient temps when checking and adjusting the pressure.  The pressure rises significantly as the air temperature in the tire increases during operation, and if you adjust the pressure to the cold inflation specs while the tire is hot,  you will be in fact severely underinflated.


Jerry
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Jerry - 2005 Cherry SEEG  -  Member # 1155

H-D and me  -  a classic love / hate relationship.  Current score:  love 40, hate 50, bewildered 10.

RayG

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Re: Another rear tire cupped with 3k miles on it.
« Reply #16 on: August 02, 2012, 11:45:54 AM »

Thanks for the info on dating the tire, I must have been to tired to see the obvious.  When I check my tire pressure it is always in the morning, I do use the lift but that is to turn it around and get it high enough to use the air gauge.  I do know better than to check after a ride or while it has been in the sun all day.  My numbers are 1512 so I guess they are fairly new.  When the weather clears up I'll go back and try to talk with management about the amount of weights, and try to explain that even though I have between 5/32 & 6/32 I was on a road trip where I was not aware of the situation until it was to late.  Besides I only noticed the cupping while washing her down, plus I knew the weights came off while in PA on the way home.  I knew it was getting tougher on my hands but I thought I was just getting tired.  It really makes for a rough and unpleasant ride.  I'm no expert but I think the dealer is the cause of the tires cupping so quickly, but I'm not letting Dunlop get a free pass either.   

Thanks for all the input & I will contact Dunlop regardless of their position and post the results I get at the dealership.   

Wether they take care of me or not it still does not address the problem with their tires and the proprietary situation we are in with the odd size.  Somebody could really get hurt or worse if a person is unaware of the changes in either tire.  I always look while at the dealerships and often see cupped tires but they are more prevalent in the front, and I have no idea on the mileage or if they get maintained properly.   
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RayG

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Re: Another rear tire cupped with 3k miles on it.
« Reply #17 on: August 07, 2012, 08:22:48 PM »

Ended up going back to the dealership twice since my last post.  The first time the service rep told me that he would call Dunlop and see what they had to say on the matter. 
He checked the mileage when it was installed and what I had at the time.  Of course Dunlop said it was a Harley issue and that they had minimal cupping as of late.  Yeah Right!  Went back last Friday and waited over one hour for the service manager to take a look at my tire.  He looked it over and blamed Dunlop.  He kept walking around the bike saying 'what a shame!  I wish there was something I could do for you' over and over.  I said why not just put a new tire on it since your balancing weights fell off during the trip.  He said the balancing would just cause it to ride rough but would not cause cupping on the rear.  Well nothing but BS from the dealership which is what I expected.  He did say that Dunlops sucked and would not put them on his personal bike regardless of load rating.  I am in total agreement that the tires were never balanced properly since that dealership balanced the last 3 tires. 

Will baby the tires on the bike to get through the rest of the riding season while trying to find good replacements.  In the past I always had them balanced to see how many weights were required and removed them and installed Dyna Beads. 

Thanks for all the help. 
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