Before I go accusing my neighbour of taking a stanley knife to my tyres.... My bike's been stood outside all winter under a cover in my garden, as it has for quite a few years, and I've just been giving it a spring checkup and found these splits across the middle of my rear tyre. I'm hoping it's just damage due to the endless cold weather and nothing more sinister. I didn't reduce the pressure when I laid it up for winter, but I never do and have never seen this before. Tyre is (was) Pirelli Diablo, which I've also never used previously. Does this look 'normal' ?? Has anyone had this happen to them? The tyre is a couple of years old and needed replacing soon anyway, but it's still bloody annoying as I'm about to put the bike into storage for a while and wanted to enjoy one last ride on it before doing so.:frown:
Not normal in my experience and doesn't look like malicious damage either. What it does look like is the rubber has aged and hardened and then been subject to stress from cold. How long ago was the tyre fited and how many miles has the tyre done on what sort of riding ? I'd e-mail Pirelli with the photo and get them to comment.
You beat me to it and I've now learnt something. I've never let my bike tyres get shagged so even more reason to continue chaging them before the tread wear indicator blends into the tread. Thanks. Andy
Thanks for the replies fellas. Just checked my file and the tyre is in fact 3 years old - fitted April 09. Strewth. Only done ~6200 miles on it since, mainly twisty A roads. I'm not a hooligan and don't abuse my tyres but I don't potter about either. I guess the rubber's just hardened with age. I might email Pirelli - good idea Android.
6200 miles! I'm surprised it lasted that long... You would have noticed it being squared off a long time ago which would be my first warning. PR3 rear lasted 4000 miles, scorpion less than 3000 when I had my multi
Thing is, it doesn't look particularly squared off so I didn't really notice the wear. It hasn't done many straight-line motorway miles. Don't think I've had 6000 from a rear before. Is the regular Diablo considered a hard-wearing tyre?
Had a Diablo Corse on the back of my 853 which lasted about 270 miles... and no I haven't missed a zero off just warm summer days and 270 laps of the Brands Indie circuit. Seriously though much like the other posts here, 2 to 3000 miles is more common. Andy
Yep, combination of wear and left in the cold. It's had a good innings tho, 6500 miles, you've had your moneys worth
^ what he said... I had the same thing with a metzeler on my old cbr, if the tyres doesn't have a centre groove or tread that goes to the centre, its easy for the thee to get this low without being noticed.
Yep looks normal for so many miles. Bike looks like SS. On m900 at about 5500 I have slicks or there about, at 6k wires and 6.5k accident. That is on good year, pushing it rear goes at about 4k.
Aye, it's a 900SS. I can stop worrying that I've upset someone with my open pipes then. Thank fook for that.
At 6'000 miles (how do you manage to do so many on a tyre?) and 3 years, I'd reckon I'd had more than my money's worth. I would waste no time in binning it, getting a new one and forgetting about the whole thing. Doesn't look like a whole load of tread in the centre of the tyre in any case. I bet you'll be amazed when you put a new one on.
Tyre too high a pressure, ridden more or less upright, too old, too much welly and toooooo many miles - no wonder it's fucked. Tightwad.
