Tire Wear & Tear? After first track day

[babaganoush83]

I just had my first track day with ZoomZoom at Thunderhill yesterday. :ride Awesome time and learning experience. Been there a dozen times in various cars up until 2006, but first time with a motorcycle. After four sessions I got my suspension dialed in by Jason at JPH Suspension service and after all the hours of reading, researching, and doing it myself at home and between sessions he got it 10x better than I ever had it. :thumbup Just wish I had it done sooner.

Anyway, I was hoping if anyone here can give me some good insight as to what my tire wear may be indicating. I did feel some loss of grip, particularly in the rear, encouraging a little slide in T14 IIRC. I ran 30psi (f), 32psi (r) cold FWIW.

The rear:

and the front...

Thanks in advance.

 

[jdm123]

i think a wider rear tire will help your slippage problem

 

[Gds7]

i think a wider rear tire will help your slippage problem

:laughing

I've seen worse...What make of tire? Street tires? Did you check the pressure when you got off the track? I would guess 32 (r) cold is a bit much... I was there on Sunday.. I'm running the Bridgestone R10 DOT's.. I ran 30(f) and 26(r) off the warmers... with decent wear...

 

[afm199]

Does not indicate much. Might be whacking the throttle instead of rolling it on during corner exit.

 

[babaganoush83]

:laughing

I've seen worse...What make of tire? Street tires? Did you check the pressure when you got off the track? I would guess 32 (r) cold is a bit much... I was there on Sunday.. I'm running the Bridgestone R10 DOT's.. I ran 30(f) and 26(r) off the warmers... with decent wear...

Michelin Pilot Power (non-2CT) street tires. I did check them after sessions, they were about 36psi (f), 40psi (r)... I think. Can't quite remember.

 

[stangmx13]

for street tires... :thumbup

 

[babaganoush83]

Does not indicate much. Might be whacking the throttle instead of rolling it on during corner exit.

I did catch myself doing that a number of times, but more so whacked it when I realized I could have rolled on sooner. :|

 

[Archimedes]

Pressures seem high to me. And from the look of those tires, you're obviously more comfortable turning right than left. :teeth

 

[babaganoush83]

Pressures seem high to me. And from the look of those tires, you're obviously more comfortable turning right than left. :teeth

I am. It used to be the opposite until I permanently relocated my left shoulder. Up until yesterday I had almost a 1" chicken strip on the left side of the rear tire. But it was easier for me to take pictures of the right half where I parked my bike in the garage.

I was wondering if raising the tire pressure in the rear would actually help... from what I'm reading tire deflection from not enough pressure creates more heat and gets the tire greasy. But hence why I'm posting this up here.


P.S.
If it makes much difference, I weigh about 230lbs w/o gear.

 

[kxmike]

agreed...psi too high...at least the rear...should be around 30/31 cold for those tires.

 

[babaganoush83]

agreed...psi too high...at least the rear...should be around 30/31 cold for those tires.

I guess that's the consensus. I did try 27/30 during the first two sessions, but only changed it after that because the bike seemed hard to tip in. But that got better when I had the suspension done. Probably should have tried lowering the pressure, at least in the rear.

Thanks everyone. I've got more to learn and try out. :thumbup

 

[afm199]

I did catch myself doing that a number of times, but more so whacked it when I realized I could have rolled on sooner. :|

That's what causes the tearing and cupping. Roll it on, never ever whack the throttle. Particularly exiting a corner. Rolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll.

 

[fast4d]

tires looked like they got a little too hot? pressure as others have suggested?

maybe a slight adjustment in rebound based on condition of the leading and trailing edge of siping.

 

[LongGoneJohn]

I'd be more willing to bet that his stock shock is not dealing with the rebound / compression requirement of riding on an actual track as well as he'd like it to. Even when tuned.

You can often adjust the tire wear with pressure to offset, but the reality is it's only masking the problem.

All in all though, that tire does not look bad at all.

 

[babaganoush83]

Thanks again.

 

[jmhamilton68]

As others have said the pressures seem too high. I ran those tires on the track and ran 30f 30 or 29r cold. Usuall you look for a 4 to 5 psi rise in temps once they are heated.

They actually look pretty good. When was your suspension last serviced with new oil and a good cleaning?

Like Ernie said roll on the throttle don't hit it like a whack-a-mole:teeth

 

[babaganoush83]

As others have said the pressures seem too high. I ran those tires on the track and ran 30f 30 or 29r cold. Usuall you look for a 4 to 5 psi rise in temps once they are heated.

They actually look pretty good. When was your suspension last serviced with new oil and a good cleaning?

Like Ernie said roll on the throttle don't hit it like a whack-a-mole:teeth

So I guess I got the front tire pressure right. I'll try dropping the rear tire pressure down next time--maybe next Wednesday if the weather clears up :teeth

The suspension as far I know is original, with just under 10k miles. I am planning on getting them redone after spring semester.

I'll put a sticker on my windscreen that says "ROLL" to remind me. lol

 

[LongGoneJohn]

I used to have one that said: "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast."

 

[afm199]

The reason you roll is simple. Throttle application follows lean angle. At maximum lean angle you don't turn on throttle. As soon as you can see where you are going on the exit of the corner and start to pick the bike up, you start to roll on. You have to roll on. If you whack the throttle as you start to pick up lean angle, you will highside. If you're not rolling on, you're going slow, not fast.

 

[stangmx13]

The reason you roll is simple. Throttle application follows lean angle. At maximum lean angle you don't turn on throttle. As soon as you can see where you are going on the exit of the corner and start to pick the bike up, you start to roll on. You have to roll on. If you whack the throttle as you start to pick up lean angle, you will highside. If you're not rolling on, you're going slow, not fast.

someone make this a sticky or something of the Trackday forum, quick.