• Welcome to the BMW R18 Forums. Member registration disables ads and allows you to post and share. Register Here.

Front tire R18 FE (19"/ 120 wheel)

  • <i class="fa--xf fal fa-check "><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" role="img" aria-hidden="true" ><use href="/data/local/icons/light.svg?v=1789222567#check"></use></svg></i> Discussion starter Discussion starter Ulrich
  • Start date Start date
Ulrich

Ulrich

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 18, 2022
Messages
1,805
Location
Southern Oregon
Visit site
Bike
BMW R18 FE / '66 Pan-Shovel
So ... I have now something over 20 000 miles on Uschi ... after 8000 miles my front tire, that was factory mounted looked like this:

Michelin Commander III
Front Tire CIII.jpg

I didn't like the tire anyway (it ran really loud) and I swapped to a Metzeler 'Cruisetec' and
I really liked the way it rode, but after @ 5000 miles it was already showing 'cupping'

Metzeler 'Cruisetec'
Front Tire Cruisetech.jpg

I ended up getting @ 8000 miles out of it ... so I figured I try the 'Ultra 888' from Metzeler ...
it says 'Ultra' maybe that is a good thing ... well Here is just over 4000 miles in:

Metzeler 'Ultra 888'
Front Tire 888.jpg

Has anybody else experienced this? ... Is it just the way I ride? or is the bike just a bit too heavy
for this relatively narrow tire?

I do ride ... hmmm ... spirited, but not nearly as bonkers as I did when I was much younger :LOL:

I am just wondering if anybody else has/had similar experiences ...
 
It is a bit hard to see ... but it is wearing really uneven and some of the thread is already 'cupped out' (if that is a word) down to the bottom of the thread.

IMG_20260510_125213345_HDR.jpg
 
I don't know how to more visualize it for you ... but be assured that this is some bumpy wear and in well over 40 years of riding I never had tires wear like this ...
 
Ulrich said:
I don't know how to more visualize it for you ... but be assured that this is some bumpy wear and in well over 40 years of riding I never had tires wear like this ...
Click to expand...
Oh it's that bad huh? I'm sure in real life it's noticeable ... I'll try and remember to look at my tires tonight.
 
Too high of compression damping on your front suspension can cause something like this. When the compression damping is too high the tire will tend to skip slightly when hitting bumps and does not follow the road surface properly causing strange wear patterns. You may want to change your fork oil - I have heard of some forks being overfilled from the factory. Unfortunately there are no damping adjustments on these forks.
 
Whatever it is.. at least it's consistent. There's no way in hell all 3 different tires are at fault, so my bet is on the suspension.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LBV
Hmmm that sounds like something to look at ... the fork feels soft enough ... but maybe a lighter oil might be something easy to test out ... lets see what I can come up with on the weekend .. we have enough off-road shops 'round here they should have a variety of oils on hand ... Thanks all!
 
Ulrich said:
So ... I have now something over 20 000 miles on Uschi ... after 8000 miles my front tire, that was factory mounted looked like this:

Michelin Commander III
View attachment 21207

I didn't like the tire anyway (it ran really loud) and I swapped to a Metzeler 'Cruisetec' and
I really liked the way it rode, but after @ 5000 miles it was already showing 'cupping'

Metzeler 'Cruisetec'
View attachment 21208

I ended up getting @ 8000 miles out of it ... so I figured I try the 'Ultra 888' from Metzeler ...
it says 'Ultra' maybe that is a good thing ... well Here is just over 4000 miles in:

Metzeler 'Ultra 888'
View attachment 21209

Has anybody else experienced this? ... Is it just the way I ride? or is the bike just a bit too heavy
for this relatively narrow tire?

I do ride ... hmmm ... spirited, but not nearly as bonkers as I did when I was much younger :LOL:

I am just wondering if anybody else has/had similar experiences ...
Click to expand...
Yep, that tyre looks terrible.
 
The older Metzeler 880 tires used to cup like that on the front of both my Valkyrie and R1200C. Once cupped, they would howl when leaned over at speed.
Running higher pressures up front (40 - 42 psi) did reduce the cupping, but didn't completely get rid of it.

Even with that, I never had handling or grip issues... but I did change to different tires after they quit making the original 880 for the more expensive 888.
I haven't run Metzeler tires since, so I can't be sure about the exact models you're running.
 
CajunRider said:
The older Metzeler 880 tires used to cup like that on the front of both my Valkyrie and R1200C. Once cupped, they would howl when leaned over at speed.
Running higher pressures up front (40 - 42 psi) did reduce the cupping, but didn't completely get rid of it ...
Click to expand...

Hmmm ... that would be an easy test .. I will up the pressure slightly above the recommended pressure ... the only problem with that is that 'round here it gets mighty hot in Summer and that will raise the pressure even more ... but I cross that bridge when I get there ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top