Advice please I fitted Conti Road Attack 3 tyres to my Street twin 3K miles ago and have been very happy with them until recently when handling at the front became a bit worrying when pressing on. I checked all the usual suspects, axle etc and everything was OK. The front tyre shows hardly any wear, has not been repaired and there are no cuts or things embedded in it and it doesn't lose pressure ( I run it at 32 psi) when I washed the bike yesterday I noticed that the front tyre wasn't smooth, its lumpy and not consistent not obvious when dry but sunshine on it when wet and it shows. I have added pictures which I hope show the problem. Anyone come across this should I replace it and what is recommended? Thanks in advance.
32psi might be a tad low, if you've lost confidence in the tyre then I'd say change it. Also, very often front end problems come from the rear.
I think in America they call that cupping. I've had it with Road Attack Ils interestingly enough, and my Maxxis used to go like it towards the end of their life. Nothing to be done other than change it, l'm afraid.
Thanks for that I really liked these tyres until a couple of weeks ago. I've ordered some Avon Storms. Are they unsafe to used carefully until the replacements arrive?
I've got those tyres on my Street Twin so I'm interested in this. I couldn't see what you meant from your photos until Smilinjack mentioned cupping. I checked it out, then looked at your pics again and I think I can see the problem. I've done around 3500 miles on the Contis and so far no sign of the issue that you have with yours. Have you thought about going back to the supplier? (Tricky if you bought them online like I did). Or even contact Continental to see what they say. If you tell them that many members of this forum use these tyres and usually recommend them, then they may take notice. If you do that then I'd like to know what happens.
Its a minefield establishing the cause and its not always due to a fault in the tyre from the stuff I've looked at.. I will be checking the suspension set up when I fit the Avon Spirit ST replacements as I have upgraded the shocks and fork springs.
I've only just seen this and was going to reply to say that, from the images posted, it looked like cupping - Smilinjack was way ahead of the game - and spot on - with that one! The usual cause of cupping is inadequate damping so the tyre bounces or patters on the road. Out of balance and out of true wheels can also cause or contribute to the condition. If you haven't noticed any untoward side effects by now I'd say change it whenever you can but don't let it worry you until then. It would probably be worth making a quick visual check for the wheel running true. Couldn't agree more with the use of Avons - I do tend to get a tad proselytic about tyres made in this country (the West Country!) being as good as any made elsewhere. Avons go on all my Triumphs.
Just an update. Haven't fitted the Avon storms yet as there's loads of wear left in both tyres. I've done another couple of thousand miles and basically ignored the cupping whilst ensuring the tyre pressures etc are correct. So I'll continue with them and put the Avons on next year.
I had cupping on my Speed Triple, adjusting the rebound and compression cured it I had to experiment but if I recall correctly the rebound was too firm, once corrected it took a few more miles to smooth the tyre out
I've been experimenting with suspension set up and chose to ride round the slight uneasy feeling when making progress, I've bought new Avons but not fitted them. over 6K miles now and still plenty of tread left on the Contis.
Had the same starting on mine, and on the recommendation of a reliable shop increased the pressures to 40psi rear, 38psi front. Helped the overall handling and after another couple hundred miles the cupping has actually started to smooth out. Shop manager said that the manufacturer recommended pressures from the bike would rarely be what the tire actually needs, almost always resulting in odd tire wear or performance. His suggestion was spot on.
Yes had the exact same on my Bonnie. Bulldog tested it and said there is nothing wrong with you bike but your obsession to go by the manual settings which are no help. They increased the pressure and boy the bike was like a track machine. I did a further 1000 miles on the tyres before changing to avons. Joe.