Have an old ZZR600, riding pretty modestly, running Bridgestones and the front is nearly worn out at just under 4K miles :(. Bit excessive to me, esp as I’m riding pretty smoothly and tamely.

Does this seem reasonable, or a bad batch?!

Recos on long lasting tyres pls!

A Bridgestone what? There are many specs, which one do you have?

I’ve been using BT 020/021/023 (larger number = newer model) for years on a variety of bikes. They are the Sport-Touring tyre.
I have no problems getting 6000 miles out of a rear and 8-9000 out of a front

Which Bridgestones are you running? I’ve had less than 2000 miles from some softer sports tyres but a decent sport touring tyre should give a lot more than 4k miles.

There are some great tyres out there with decent mileage and grip but it really depends on the way you ride. I would always prefer a tyre that will offer more grip – wet and dry – at the expense of mileage.

These are all decent tyres with good grip and mileage that should suit your bike well.
Dunlop Roadsmart
Metzeller Roadtek Z8
Bridgestone BT023
Pirelli Angel ST

I knew a guy who went through a Pirelli Dragon in an afternoon on Gixxer1100 😯 he was doing a lot of showing off.

Depends on whether it is a sticky one, have you been running it at the right pressure etc

I’ve got Michelin road pilot 3s and I’m getting 9k front and 4k back

BT 016 on a S2R1000 Ducati monster. Only get about 2000 miles out of a rear before its pretty squared off. Front still fine after 5500. Going for a full set of BT023 when the front finally wears out.

Mmmm … BT023 … and I’d be chuffed to say I was fast/hacking it, but I’d be fibbing!

And I’m pretty conscientious on pressures … 36 front and 41 rear

Michelin road pilot 3s are all you need for the road regardless of what bike.

Anything softer is a total waste of time.

You should should get 4-6k miles from a rear Michelin on a zzr600 more out the front.

Maybe time to look the forks, head bearings etc

Only 4000 miles out of a BT023 front riding tamely!

You’re either last of the demon late brakers, not riding as tamely as you think or you seriously need to get the front fork set up properly.

Mmm – maybe I’m more demon than I think! The forks / front end are, according to my (decent IMO) LBS in good shape, something I discuss with him each MOT.

Maybe just a poor late braking style, albeit me front pads have lasted well

Now, unless you’re a GP god, it’s not braking that wears out front tyres, it’s cornering. The sides should wear faster than the centre.

When you say it’s worn out has it squared off or have you worn away the tread on the sides?

I ride a 1250 Bandit with Bridgestones (can’t remember the models but the ones with a harder central compound and stickier on the outsides)

I get through about 2 rears per front – change the rears every 5-7k depending on summer/winter and front at about 12k.
I don’t ride them hard by any standards unless I’m on really nice dry roads and in a very good mood.

I tend to wear the front evenly and the rears get squared a bit

Maybe just a poor late braking style, albeit me front pads have lasted well

Late braking wil prolong pad life (it’s dragging them or braking slowly over longer distances that wears them).

CBR6, 8-9k front, 5-6k rear on ‘sport touring’ tyres (various brands over the years)
1150GS, 12-14k front, 8-9k rear on Tourances

I was always heavy on tyres. Bridgestone o2o on the bmw was 6000 front 4000 rear. The fronts use to end up worn at the sides with a weird wear pattrn from pushing the front in corners
Even on the 40 bhp BSA it was under 10 000 miles Generally

Its a lot about riding style. My mate with a zzr 1100 used to get longer from his tyres

900-1000 miles on the rear, 1500 on the front if I’m lucky.

I used to get 7/800 miles on Racetecs off my rear on my R1,&when track daying id change the rear @ lunchtime! ,so it all depends what you want & how you ride etc,do you want longivity or grip!.

Wow flange, you’re my hero.

Wow flange, you’re my hero

Thanks very much

I only use my bike on the track now, hence the low mileage from a tyre (said tyres tend to be quite soft as well, and I ride to and from the track so they don’t last long). Its nothing to do with my riding style, as my mate puts it I couldn’t ride out of sight on a dark night.

As for long lasting tyres – I found choosing something with a solid centre section like a bridgestone as oppose to something like a pilot power at least gives the impression they’re lasting longer than they are. That said, when I used to commute by bike I had Maxxis Supermaxx Sports as they were cheap but decent enough

Conti trail attacks on the BMW, plodding up and down the m62, changed at 19000! (f & r)

😯

I used to get under 10 000 on an H100

on my trials bike i get possibly 600 out of the front and maybe 200 from a rear

Michelin pilot road 2’s 5000 for the back and 7000 for the front.

I always use to reckon on 2 rears per front, but last year I was wearing out fronts before rears! Could also be a by-product of ABS and a ‘braver’ style, for me anyway.

The BT’s seem to wear excessively on the front (right side shoulder), due I think to the road ‘camber’. If you look down on them, the kerb-side is still round but the off-side looks like an old Dunlop triangular race-tyre.

OP

Does your riding style involve taking long wide lines around corners on a rising throttle? I think thats what did for my tyres as they wore down the sides

michelin pilopt road 3’s here replaced the OEM BT021’s that were truly pathetic in comp[arison.

4500 miles on the PR3s and they are in amazing shape considering they toured europe last september 2 up with full luggage……….

PR3’s FTW in my opinion……..

Braking into corners will increase front wear.

b r – yep, my rhs of the front tyre is more worn than left, noticeably!

TJ – nope, sound like fun corners but not on my regular commute

1987 VTZ250 here. New tyres in the last three thousand miles, hardly look worn and I’m beginning to suspect that they’ll outlast the cam chains.

If I am lucky I get around 4000-5000 kms out of a pair of BT45. Don’t ask how I manage that but I manage to use them at the same rate.

About 4000 front, 3000 rear from Sportecs on my SV650, or 6000/9000 from Roadtcs. Though that does include riding the rear til it’s square and the front til it’s all sorts of wrong-shape, probably 5000 and 7000 would be more sensible.

4k on front is f’n awful on a 600, not being thrashed.
I would definitely get your suspension setup/checked – costs £50-60
Tyre wear depends on all sorts of factors, rider weight, bike weight, torque, rider style, surface, temp, compound, pressure… Generally you should get 2 rear tyres for each front change.

Fortunately I’m pretty good on tyres. Am pleased to say I’ll get at least 4-5k on a rear, 8k front, including at least 1 trackday and that’ll be on a softish, road legal trackday tyre. Mind you road riding wears centre, track does sides. On a gsxr750

10k and still going on a set of avon roadriders on my F650 beemer. Mind you even miss daisy would ask me too speed up!

Suspension checked… ROFLMAO. Sorry, do you know what I ride?

Thanks all. Some suggestion of suspension/forks not helping. The bike is a 1997 and in good nick, sails thru its MOT each year and the garage (a good reputation) has ‘bounced’ the front forks / checked the headset and said all’s good. I replaced the rear shock 2 years back.

How would / could poor suspension cause such heavy tyre wear? Genuinely interested, and would be keen to know pre asking a garage to assess?

Cheers

‘bounced’ the front forks / checked the headset and said all’s good???

Time to get the spanners out methinks. Grease your head bearings and change the fork oil for starters, don’t rely on some “chap” bouncin them up n down!. Have you looked at the rear suss links an greased those. Do it yourself and you will have a better understanding of what makes your bike tick – same can be said of your Bicycle bits as well.

Tyres – Maxxis supersports 6-8000 miles on a GSXF 750 (an only a wee chicken strip!) Best tyres alongside Avon storms I ever put on the bike, an in 10 years I have had most types on the bike- Metzlers (3 something) were by far and a way the worst, especially in the wet – v/scary.

Oh aye! forgot to add, after checking you have correct tyre pressure, soft underdamped suspension will promote massive tyre wear. Next time you see some hero with bits of rubber hanging off his tyre, its got little to do with his “exciting” riding style, and more to do with his clueless fiddling with rebound/compression damping.

Follow him and see what I mean – bet he can’t hold a line and weaves all over the shop.