What did you do to your Concours today?

[maxtog]

All valid points (and I don't want to make it sound like one can't damage the ECU or engine with a bad tune, it can and does happen).  I was just trying to say that currently the risk is extremely small (for the Concours/Kawasaki).  This could change.

[tomp]

Mine is out of warranty, so Kawi doesn't care what happens to it.  Steve's reflash will go into it after the homeowner/local government taxes are paid next month.  Was going to ride today, being off, but the rain had other ideas.  If all else fails, I will be riding to work on non rainy days ahead. I love this bike, but as is, just doesn't pull like the 08 did.  The 08 wanted to pull out of my hands, but this one doesn't.  From what I have read here and on ADV, Steve's work will fix that, for sure.

Hope others that can get out, do, and safely too... tomp  dd50

[lather]

Ordered my seventh tire of the year, A Bridgestone 120/70 Evo T30 for $105. Can't tell much difference between the T30s and the PR4s except for $$$.

[sailor_chic]

Ordered my seventh tire of the year, A Bridgestone 120/70 Evo T30 for $105. Can't tell much difference between the T30s and the PR4s except for $$$.

How many miles did you ride this year?

[lather]

How many miles did you ride this year?

26,378 so far. Year ain't over yet. But that was not all on the Concours, I have three other bikes.
I keep track of my total mileage, not by bike. But based on my maintenance records about 18,000 for the Concours.

[sailor_chic]

27k miles and 7 tires? I think there is a problem somewhere.

[lather]

27k miles and 7 tires? I think there is a problem somewhere.

? Explain.

[tomp]

We're just wondering if there were seven tires needed on just the one bike, or did you end up needing tires for all the bikes, that all happened within the year...   4K miles per tire on the 14 would be some fast wearing tires or strong right wrist.  If some for all the bikes needed tires, then seems within reason, as I have gone through tires on various bikes that all needed replacing within a short period of time...

[Jim H]

  Being in the NE part of Pa it is uncommon to ride this late with the weather this nice!  Usually snow would have fallen and roads would have cinders....so far it was a great weekend to ride.  Didn't go nuts but still 160 miles was real nice.....funny the Blue Mtn Ski resort I pass actually had a little snow on the base like they were hoping to start building it up....not happening at 68* though.  So what I did was ride.....yayyyy!  LOL

[lather]

We're just wondering if there were seven tires needed on just the one bike, or did you end up needing tires for all the bikes, that all happened within the year...   4K miles per tire on the 14 would be some fast wearing tires or strong right wrist.  If some for all the bikes needed tires, then seems within reason, as I have gone through tires on various bikes that all needed replacing within a short period of time...

Okay, see y'alls point, I owe some clarification. 18,000 of the 27,000 was the Concours, 4 rears and 3 fronts. But I've only just ordered the 3rd front, expecting to need it before the year is out. So really just 6 tires have carried the C14 18000 miles. But since they were on two wheels it was actually 36000. A couple of tires were changed maybe 1000 miles early due to long trips coming up and not wanting to worry about running out of rubber on the road. So the average is more like 6000 per tire. Not great but better than some who post here.

[VirginiaJim]

Well that made my brane hurt...

[tomp]

Well that made my brane hurt...

Yeah, but I did ask.  He answered in clear, plain English, but like he said, that 6K miles a tire still ain't great, but better than the under 3K I got from a Duke 690.  Why I no longer have it. 

[B.D.F.]

In all seriousness, it motorcycle tire life does seem to be a northern / southern US loction thing, at least for us on the east coast. Your reports of very modest (compared to my experience) tire life seem fairly typical while several of us in the north can get 15K or more out of a set of tires. Of course riding style makes a difference but it seems to come up often enough that the much more rapid tire wear is in the south. It kinda' makes sense too 'cause you folks ride in both higher temps., and have higher temps. for longer in the year. And I personally do my very best not to ride a motorcycle once it hits 80F and higher because I find it so uncomfortable- I would rather take a cage and use the A/C. All of that plus I have seen photos of tires used in the deep south and they look like they are partially melted and making little rubber balls at the edge of the contact patch (Easy Boys!) while I have never seen anything like that in this area (southern New England) on any street bikes. Methinks the heat, and perhaps your local road material(s), are abrading your tires away....

Brian

Okay, see y'alls point, I owe some clarification. 18,000 of the 27,000 was the Concours, 4 rears and 3 fronts. But I've only just ordered the 3rd front, expecting to need it before the year is out. So really just 6 tires have carried the C14 18000 miles. But since they were on two wheels it was actually 36000. A couple of tires were changed maybe 1000 miles early due to long trips coming up and not wanting to worry about running out of rubber on the road. So the average is more like 6000 per tire. Not great but better than some who post here.

[Eupher]

Putting my Farkle list together.

No. 1 is tires.
No. 2 is the ECU flash.
No. 3 is a slipon -- ain't decided which yet.
No. 4 is Canyon Bars.
No. 5 is some kinda cruise control. Still researching.

There's a whole lotta stuff on this list. Mama ain't gonna be happy...

[Eupher]

In all seriousness, it motorcycle tire life does seem to be a northern / southern US loction thing, at least for us on the east coast. Your reports of very modest (compared to my experience) tire life seem fairly typical while several of us in the north can get 15K or more out of a set of tires. Of course riding style makes a difference but it seems to come up often enough that the much more rapid tire wear is in the south. It kinda' makes sense too 'cause you folks ride in both higher temps., and have higher temps. for longer in the year. And I personally do my very best not to ride a motorcycle once it hits 80F and higher because I find it so uncomfortable- I would rather take a cage and use the A/C. All of that plus I have seen photos of tires used in the deep south and they look like they are partially melted and making little rubber balls at the edge of the contact patch (Easy Boys!) while I have never seen anything like that in this area (southern New England) on any street bikes. Methinks the heat, and perhaps your local road material(s), are abrading your tires away....

Brian

I think you're on to something especially with the road materials thing. In Tennessee, for example, they tend to use a substance that comes up somewhat of a brownish-red color which is different than Missouri's straight black. The texture of the asphalt is different too -- very smooth while driving, but if you look at it closely, the asphalt seems like it's got a very strong grit substance to it.

[B.D.F.]

Other folks have commented on TN roads specifically as being abrasive. I have only been there once, and then only into the very corner of the state, so have no real experience with the roads there.

Most of the roads up here are just plain ole' asphalt (or is that ashphalt :-)  ) while a lot of the highways are 'popcorn' asphalt, and neither one seems to be hard on tires.

Then again, I spend a lot of my time riding below 50F and I am quite careful to take it easy as the tires just do not grip as well when it is cold outside. When it is 75F, I have no concern with tire grip, and I suspect those in the deep south spend a LOT of their time riding in the warmer temps.

Brian

I think you're on to something especially with the road materials thing. In Tennessee, for example, they tend to use a substance that comes up somewhat of a brownish-red color which is different than Missouri's straight black. The texture of the asphalt is different too -- very smooth while driving, but if you look at it closely, the asphalt seems like it's got a very strong grit substance to it.

[B.D.F.]

Well, a lot of folks seem to 'sell' farkles as safety gear, and it sure seems to me that everything on that list directly impacts safety.

As a long distance rider, I know the first obvious sign of fatigue is the inability to maintain a specific speed; CC frees us of that concern so that we may ride longer and longer, all the while keeping up speed. And I will say that a Rostra will engage and maintain speed at 120 MPH on a C-14 even if the rider falls asleep..... can't get much safer than that.

:-)

Brian

Putting my Farkle list together.

No. 1 is tires.
No. 2 is the ECU flash.
No. 3 is a slipon -- ain't decided which yet.
No. 4 is Canyon Bars.
No. 5 is some kinda cruise control. Still researching.

There's a whole lotta stuff on this list. Mama ain't gonna be happy...

[tomp]

BDF, if we stopped riding when temps rose above 80, we would ride a couple months a year.   Mid 70's to almost 80 by Tuesday.  A few cooler days and then back up to upper 70's by next Tuesday.    We do have lots of coarse rock asphalt roads, as well as concrete highways with 75MPH speed limits.  Lots of long straight roads, that eat the centers off the tires, too. 

I would love to see 15K for tires on any one of my bikes, but  7-8K is average for my touring bikes and less for the sports ones.  I got almost 9K on a Dyna recently, which was amazing.

[B.D.F.]

I typically get 16K out of a set of Michelin PR2s or -3's, and I take the tires off the bike while they are still showing tread. And most of my riding is done two- up, so the bike is seeing a bit of weight too. Then again, I am one of two people I think (and the other one may have died) who does not hate riding a motorcycle on the highway; if I have to cover any distance, I actually try to ride the slab. Riding a C-14 down an American highway (and I have driven on the Autobahn- IMO our highways are better, overall) at 72 MPH (speed limit around here is 65 MPH) is an extremely pleasant way for me to kill a few of my remaining hours.

Brian

BDF, if we stopped riding when temps rose above 80, we would ride a couple months a year.   Mid 70's to almost 80 by Tuesday.  A few cooler days and then back up to upper 70's by next Tuesday.    We do have lots of coarse rock asphalt roads, as well as concrete highways with 75MPH speed limits.  Lots of long straight roads, that eat the centers off the tires, too. 

I would love to see 15K for tires on any one of my bikes, but  7-8K is average for my touring bikes and less for the sports ones.  I got almost 9K on a Dyna recently, which was amazing.

[VirginiaJim]

I'm not the one that died....at least that I know of...so there were three.