Fricken Tires By Guitarman (Read 1,686 times)

[Guitarman]

You're doing 60 down the freeway with cars and trucks all around you when suddenly your steering gets hard to control. The handlebars feel wobbly and you slowly back it down and move to the shoulder. You look the bike over from top to bottom and can't find anything wrong. At slow speeds it feels like the front is going to buck sideways when you make a turn. When you tried to turn into a driveway, it felt like the front wheel was about to fly off.

Comments?

[kz1000st]

That's why they put steering dampers on big street bikes. Has your front tire been balanced, are your steering bearings greased and tightened properly? If you run a string from your front tire to the rear tire is the frame straight? Believe or not you could have a worn engine pivot and the rear is flopping around slightly throwing things off kilter. Are your tires properly inflated?

[novaraptor]

rear tire could be way underinflated.. you would be surprised how much it can make the front feel squirrly...

[cyborg]

Front disk heat warped? low tire pressure feels like that,,,wheel bearing failure too,, steering stem bearings loose creating a tank slapper?

[jvino]

Everyone seems right on with what it could be. Never heard of this problem be care full until you get it figured out.

[Guitarman]

The belts in the front tire separated. Instant death trap at 60 mph.
I'm ordering a new tire and hopefully that takes care of it.

[davec]

Apr 25, 2014 12:22:56 GMT -6 Guitarman said:

The belts in the front tire separated. Instant death trap at 60 mph.
I'm ordering a new tire and hopefully that takes care of it.

Glad you figured it out, but how did u come to that conclusion?

[cyborg]

do not buy cheap no name tires!!!!!!!!!!!!! it's less expensive in the longrun,,,they run better have a better carcass,,,

[jct842]

As far as I am concerned the tires are the first thing for safety on a bike, scooter or any thing with 2 wheels. Much cheaper is a quality tire than hospital bills/

[Guitarman]

I was going to go and take it for a ride to see if I could figure out what was wrong when I walked up to it and noticed a strange warp in the front tire. After checking it out, I found the belts had separated in at least 3 places. Warps and weird bubbles on the tire surface were the major clue.

I've always had Pirelli's or Dunlops on my regular bikes. What do you think of Kenda?
My Scoot wears 130/60-13 on front and rear.
Check this link:

www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_6?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=130+60+13+scooter+tire&sprefix=130%2F60%2Caps%2C342

[tvnacman]

what engine size ?

I'm waiting on my rear Mechelin for my vespa I mounted the front . Power Pure SC It very tacky and great reviews for wet . mine are 120 and 130 70 12 . Just under $100 shipped .

Check the speed rating be sure it is higher than what your scooter can do .

be safe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

John

[kz1000st]

The Kenda is a fine tire. Unlike a motorcycle with about a 45/55 percent weight bias, front versus rear. A scooter has like no weight on the front. My 150cc is about ready to have a second rear tire (three if you count the original) but the front still looks new after almost 8,000 miles. My Fashion is about the same after the same mileage. It's the rear tire on a scooter that carries the load.

[jct842]

I'll take name brand only with exception to dunlops. I get as sticky as I can, with so little weight on the front I want a decent tire that can stick. The difference in price might be an extra 10 maybe 20 bucks and can make the difference in riding on 2 wheels or riding in a wheel chair.

[Guitarman]

"Cranky" is a 250cc.
I named it cranky because of how temperamental it is. If I don't treat it exactly right then something breaks down. LOL
It will do 70mph downhill with a good tailwind, but normally it runs at 60.

[richardv]

Kenda make excellent trailer tires. Reasonably priced with very good wear. But, the one I tried on the rear of a 350cc motorcycle had very poor traction even on dry pavement.