2nd times the charm

[Maddog]

So, I was needing a new front tire. I stopped in my sons scoot shop "Ruckhouse" in Orlando. I see a new Michelin power sitting off to the side. It's an exact match to the tire needed. It is however an exact match to a tire that I ultimately sent back due to unfavorable ride. See my previous post "Michelin Power".
Yeah, 1and1/2 years ago I ditched this tire and ran the OE Bridgestone.
Trouble is, this tire wore in a cupped pattern and that noise drives me crazy.
So I mount this Michelin power up and it rides like a dream. Not to mention it cost me nothing cause those ruckus guys won't touch a tall tire like this.
I'm glad to have spent time mounting this tire and solving a mystery surrounding my scoot and Michelin tires. Just need to have it spin balanced to be sure it won't cup out early.
I figure I'm getting 12-15 k miles on fronts, is this average? 250cc reflex with lots of highway miles?

[cheapeto]

It's looking to me, like I'll wear out 3 rears for 1 front tire.
I'll be swapping out the rear before I go to CON or Mountain Crawl.
The City Grips are great road huggers, but the wear is not very long, 4-5,000 miles or so.

I'll use them until the front tire needs replaced, and then shop for something else.
A bit less then 5 months for CON, and MC.
I better start the stuff gathering for the trips this year.

[Maddog]

Cheapeto, one member on this site turned me on to the Dark Side. In essence, you mount a car type tire on the rear. I've been on the same rear tire for 20k plus miles now. Lots of tread left, you just have a slight difference in feel during hard cornering.

[bandito2]

Yeah, as far as I can tell 12-15K miles is about right for the Reflex front tire... Well, at least with the OEM Bridgestone Hoops. There are several factors that may give other riders different numbers, possibly even with different brands of tires. But in the main I believe that average is pretty close.

About tire cupping
dunlopmotorcycletires.com has this to say about tire cupping:

"How can I keep my tires from cupping?

You may not be able to entirely avoid cupping. Tire cupping or irregular wear is a somewhat common occurrence on all vehicles. On a four-wheel vehicle, you are advised to rotate your tires periodically to even out wear. Unfortunately, you do not have this luxury with a motorcycle because front and rear tires, unlike those on most four-wheel vehicles, are not interchangeable.

However, there are steps that can be taken to minimize cupping and uneven wear on a motorcycle: Maintain your motorcycle and particularly your front and suspension. Avoid hard braking whenever possible. Braking causes the tire to grab and wear in one direction. When braking is applied to the front tire, the load transfer over-flexes the tire and increases the tendency for cupping and uneven wear. Maintain your tire pressures. Under inflation and overloading of motorcycle tires are significant causes of cupping and uneven wear, particularly in association with hard braking and/or trailer use.

Once a tire begins to show signs of uneven wear, even following these steps may not improve the condition.

Tire companies can, and are, helping to minimize cupping and uneven wear but you, the rider, must do your part. Following the aforementioned guidelines will help avoid uneven wear."

Maddog, glad you like the darkside.

FYI: Not sure if you guys can access this, but here is something I posted over on the mcdarksiders site back in November 2015. It's pretty long. I put a lot of time, thought and research into it. IMO it is enlightening, with more info in one place than what you are likely to find elsewhere on the subject of "The Darkside" for scooters.

http://mcdarksiders.forumotion.com/t7188-for-maxi-scooters-the-darkside-according-to-bandito2-part-1-2

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[Maddog]

Thanks again Bandito, the rear tire has served well so far.
The front has given me trouble getting it balanced, tried the spin balance places and found my axel shaft size too small to allow the machine to run it.
Tried a guy with an old bubble type balancer, was not satisfied.
Removed the weights and tried the " pellets " that get inserted through the valve stem. This though it seemed an unreliable method, has proven to be the best solution so far. I only hope there are no side affects later on.
Has anyone else tried these?

[cheapeto]

I've been using *pellets* for a while now, as when I went to pick up my remounted tire, they were out of wheel weights, and wanted me to come back in a few days, to pick it up.
I had ordered previously the knock off's for Dyna Beads, an used an ounce for the front tire and 2 ounces for the rear, for my Honda Big Ruckus.
The only time I felt *like the tire was weird* was when I was on a road with tar snakes like every 5 feet or so.
Like maybe the flow of them inside the tire was disrupted or something.
I did not feel uncontrollable or anything like that, just weird.
I'll be swapping out my rear tire before my trip this June, and I'm anxious to see them after spinning around in there.

[bandito2]

I use the ceramic balance beads also. No problems and I like the idea that they will always work to keep the tire balanced even if it wears out to an out of balance state.