Modern Buddy

The og was done after 4k miles, a conty zippy was next also 4k miles. My current michelin is finished after only 2.5k!-was awesome in the rain though. My front looks nearly new after 10.5k lol. I guess I sit way back in the seat, no top case in back, rarely carry stuff on my rack. I'd ask for rec's on longer wear tires, but I don't want to trade rainy day performance in for longer wear so I guess I'll just deal(and buy an extra rim with tire ready to go). Anyone else burn through them this quick? I'm 180, 5'9". Run them at 30 psi.

I hope I don't burn through them that fast. Especially since you can't just replace the whitewalls apparently.

Should you 'rotate' tires every so often?

4-5 k is just about right for the rear tire. I think that the fronts will last forever (at least until they are hard as rocks and age-checked on the sidewall). New tires feel so good on a scoot!

Chilly wrote:The og was done after 4k miles, a conty zippy was next also 4k miles. My current michelin is finished after only 2.5k!-was awesome in the rain though. My front looks nearly new after 10.5k lol. I guess I sit way back in the seat, no top case in back, rarely carry stuff on my rack. I'd ask for rec's on longer wear tires, but I don't want to trade rainy day performance in for longer wear so I guess I'll just deal(and buy an extra rim with tire ready to go). Anyone else burn through them this quick? I'm 180, 5'9". Run them at 30 psi.

I burned through a Michelin S1 in about that length of time too. I think I got 3k. I wonder if the hot pavement down there has anything to do with it. I, too, loved the rain performance but couldn't deal with changing a tire that frequently.

is 30 psi too low? mine say max 36 and I try to leave them around 34
i got 7k miles before my rear got a flat, tire had more thread and could of been repaired, but I bought a new one

I weigh 150 and rarely haul extra stuff around.

You should not expect particularly long mileage on the rear tire on a small wheeled scooter. Some rubber compounds are softer than others, and some riders brake and accelerate more aggressively so YMMV. Four thousand on a rear tire does not strike me as outrageous, however. Tire replacements are a significant portion of operating costs on a small scooter.

skully93 wrote:Should you 'rotate' tires every so often?

Front and rears are usually different sizes. Most makes are directional tires too. Don't over inflate or you'll just wear out the center faster and you'll have bigger chicken strips.

slusher5 wrote:is 30 psi too low? mine say max 36 and I try to leave them around 34
i got 7k miles before my rear got a flat, tire had more thread and could of been repaired, but I bought a new one

I weigh 150 and rarely haul extra stuff around.

A thread on this is somewhere. I go 30 rear, 25 front with great results. As far as wear, Ericalm(I think) has around 10k on a rear Heidenau K61. I have 2 Heidenau's en route now, and looking forward to changing. Im at 3100 on my maxxis tires and the rear is 75% worn Id say.

Lovin' my Heidenau K61's. Great to ride on. And I'll be lovin' them even more if I get the anticipated 10K on my rear tire!

For scooter tires usually a tire with higher speed rating will last longer. I think the K61 has one of the highest speed ratings for any given size. Higher speeds (heat) is one of the factors that will wear out tires sooner. Tires with higher speed ratings holds up against heat better.

Ride a sport bike, I get 1.5 to 2K per rear tire depending on what season it is when I replace it (slower speeds during the winter). At $170 and up per tire, it's somewhat painful. I also replace the front every other rear, so maybe 4k on the front if I'm lucky. They're usually only $120 and up. So figure $460 and up per year on tires alone for my sport bike.

I just called a cycle shop and ordered replacement OEM tires for my PC800 MC. The price for both plus tax was right at $370.

Looking at my records (which means I scribbled it down in the back of my owners manual) I see I have gotten right at 7000 miles. The rear is very close to the wear bars and the front could go a bit longer but it's not worth the trouble to make two trips, especially since they tell me there will be no installation charge this time.

When I checked with another shop, they charged about $70 per tire to install and half that if you take it off yourself and bring them the wheel.

A scooter would HAVE to be easier to maintain than a 600+ pound MC.

Skootz Kabootz wrote:Lovin' my Heidenau K61's. Great to ride on. And I'll be lovin' them even more if I get the anticipated 10K on my rear tire!

Rub it in why dont ya. Heidenau this, Heidenau that

Southerner wrote:A scooter would HAVE to be easier to maintain than a 600+ pound MC.

I don't know any basis to say that. Scooters eat tires and CVT belts. Most MCs don't have those issues. (not that I don't ride and love the heck out of scoots, just being straight about maintenance)

I mean because it would be smaller and easier to handle.

Southerner wrote:I mean because it would be smaller and easier to handle.

Most maintenance is dependent upon how you ride. I could probably get way more life out of my tires if I wasn't grabbing a handful every time I saw the corner exit, or trail braking into the corners. If you're hard braking, you're going to be changing out your pads more often. The harder you accelerate, the sooner you'll be changing out your chain and sprockets. (every time you accelerate hard, the rear squats, the chain stretches, and you're wearing it and the teeth of the out) And that's just a few of the externals.....

And if you live in a decent size city, you should be able to find a shop that will change out your tire for $25 or even less if you bring it in off the bike.

Raiderfn311 wrote:

Skootz Kabootz wrote:Lovin' my Heidenau K61's. Great to ride on. And I'll be lovin' them even more if I get the anticipated 10K on my rear tire!

Rub it in why dont ya. Heidenau this, Heidenau that

I have over 12K on my rear Heidenau K61. Probably over 13K—can't remember exact mileage. My mechanic said he hates it. Fewer tire changes!

I actually stopped using my top case to improve longevity. It helps a lot, regardless of what tire you have. I mount it as I need it.

Keeping them properly inflated helps, too.

While I was fine with the performance of zippys on the Buddy the rear wore down too quickly. I was very disappointed. according to my recollection I replaced both front and back stock at 7,000 with Zippys. Much to my disappointment, the rear was nearly bald at 3500. I keep the air pressure at 30, am not a heavy person, have no top case, but do transport stuff in my rear basket often. I do like to race off the line though, (but really, who doesn't?)

So at around 10,500 miles asked for a back tire that would be like stock. a Shinko went on the back. I felt weird putting a "cheap" tire on as I don't scrimp on things like tires but I had no issue with the stock tire. At 13,000 miles it is already wearing better than the zippy did, and I like the performance better than Zippy. The front Zippy is still doing great.

The weirdest thing about Zippy is, I ended up disliking it on the Buddy, but like it on the Vespa. It lasts longer than the typical rear tire, I am on my second rear Zippy (other stuff before). I might try the Heidenau on either at some point since the hype on piquing my interest.

What hype?

I keep Continentals S83s on the Stella and though I'm not sure about longevity yet, they perform great for that scoot.

*Giggle* Maybe that's why the Stella still mounts a spare!