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Starting Member
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Last Login: 4/13/2005 5:08:31 PM
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| I have a 2000 Suzuki Bandit 1200S. Most of my riding is to and from work, no turns just straight road and has resulted in wearing the center of the tire (Michelin Pilot Road). It seems to be just enough to make the bike steer abruptly. As I start to turn the bike resists leaning until it "flops" over and turns. Is there a way to reshape the tire. I'd like to restore the smooth radius.
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Advanced Member
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I don't have an answer other than a smart a s s one so I will just say welcome to the forum. 
Torqueman
Battle Creek, MI
Goldwing 03
Torqueman
Battle Creek, MI
V-Strom 06
Goldwing 03
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Junior Member
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Last Login: 5/24/2005 9:32:40 AM
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Maybe. Car racers like to shave down the tread on new tires for better traction in DoT classes. I've not heard of biker racers doing the same thing. But there are machines like big lathes to shave the tread down. If you can find one near you, you might be able to convince the owner to shave your tire for you. But it's probably cheaper to just buy a new tire.
'97 FXDWG: turbocharged
40,000+ miles
'97 FXDWG: turbocharged
40,000+ miles
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Advanced Member
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i have noticed the same phenomena. i cannot find the artical in my stacks that suggests rounding off the corner of the flat worn area with a sur-form tool. thus, the profile of the tire could be returned to a nearly new shape.
this problem is mostly on the rear tire. the artical suggested that the bike be put up on the centerstand and the wheel spun in gear at idle. lightly touching the surform tool to the area of the tire that needs the re-profiling.
i have always wanted to try this. but i am so scared that the tool will grab and i will damage something that i chicken out. this is the kind of thing that makes me want to see a practical demo before i give it a go.
i have some serious heavy duty rasps that i would tend to try before reaching for the sur-form tool.
i have also thought off using a sanding disc mounted in a power drill with some nasty paper on the disc.
i am currently suffering through the last few 1000m of rubber of weird handling before i replace BT020 that has squared off worse than any tire i have ever had.
if you do something like this, let us know how it worked out.
nobody rides half as well as they know how.
nobody rides half as well as they know how.
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Starting Member
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Last Login: 1/1/2008 3:57:44 PM
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I have seen this process referred to as "grooming the tire" and I have done it with some success. The rear tire on a GL1500 I had got squared off like you describe after a lot of straight & level riding across the great plains one year. I just put the bike up on its center stand and ran it in idle 1st gear and used a half-round course rasp. You do have to make sure to keep the tool on the away side of the turning tire. In other words, so it is pulling on your hands and not pushing on them so it doesn't catch. Laying on your back next to the tire takes care of that. Using light pressure I got about a half cup of rubber off in 10-15 minutes. The ride improved quite a bit. I think that if you are careful you will enjoy the result.
Bob
Bob
'04 R1150GS
'01 GL1800
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Advanced Member
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thanx, bob. i wish i had thought of that. that makes much more sense. since my tire is so far gone, i will give it a try at my next opportunity. i may lay a chalk stripe on the tire as a gauge and layout mark prior to my efforts with the rasp.
nobody rides half as well as they know how.
nobody rides half as well as they know how.
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Advanced Member
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after an afternoon of consideration of "grooming" my tire while trying to work up the intestinal fortitude to give it a shot, i did note a few things.
chief among them after personal safety was that the tire will want to wear and square off again at its usual rate. a squared off tire spreads out the load across the face of the square. thus the wear in the middle slows down to the rate of the whole face (mostly).
therefore, a groomed tire will return to its regular feel at the cost of a higher wear rate exactly where there is less rubber. any remaining thread grooves/sipes will disappear faster and the tire will look more like a track slick. traction in the dry ought to be near the same as normal and maybe slightly better. anybody want to make a prediction on what traction might be on a wet, but not flooded, surface? figure a radial, tubeless, "z" rated, 18" hoop.
nobody rides half as well as they know how.
nobody rides half as well as they know how.
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Starting Member
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Grooming doesn't give you any more tire life, it just gives you a better ride for whatever life is left in the tire. Didn't you buy the tire in the first place with a rounded profile? If there are any safety concerns about doing the grooming, I don't think I'd do it.
Bob
'04 R1150GS
'01 GL1800
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Junior Member
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Last Login: 7/28/2006 1:33:27 PM
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I've never had to try and "groom" a tire but I would think that if your tire is so worn in the middle it just might make more sense to get a new tire?? As they say a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link.
Stephen
'03 VTX 1300S ”Naomi”
Stephen
AMA #633811
'03 VTX 1300S ”Naomi”
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Starting Member
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You have a point there, blknaomi. Nobody here is implying that we should ride on tires with no rubber on them. Some people don't lean much and can build up a pretty sharp shoulder on their tire with plenty of tread life left. That makes for an uncomfortable ride and all grooming does is give a better ride for the safe life of the tread that is left. Grooming doesn't take any rubber off of the center contact patch of the tire. It's probably an individual thing as to whether the effort is worth it for the tread life left in the tire. I don't think I'll beat this poor old horse any longer.
Bob
'04 R1150GS
'01 GL1800
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