V7Goose
08-24-2006, 10:54 AM
How much affect does a rear tire have on the tracking and unstable feel of a bike? A LOT! Much more than I ever suspected.
In another thread several weeks ago I reported that I had to take off my rear tire before I had a new one available. Because I ride every day, I decided to re-mount an old Brickstone rear tire that I had sitting around for emergency use. This tire was flat as the proverbial fritter and mostly bald, but I figured I could run it for a couple of weeks. I was absolutely shocked with how bad the bike handled! This thing started trying to weld itself into every groove and ridge on the road, and if there was a spot near a light where the asphalt was bubbled or rolled up from the heat and weight of the cars, the bike would pitch hard back and forth as it contacted the uneven surface. Going over a ridge of uneven pavement between lanes was actually scary. All of this attributed to just the BACK tire alone.
Last night after work I finally decided I had to mount the new Avon rear tire. Today, the bike handles absolutely perfectly again! No more tracking, the rolled up asphalt is undetectable, and the bike makes the transition between uneven lanes with hardly a blip. My front tire is an Avon Venom MT90 with 16,000 miles on it - same tire I had on it yesterday when it handled so badly with that old Brickstone rear. Today with a new Avon Venom on the rear, that 16,000 mile Venom on the front is handling every bit as well as I remembered when I first mounted the Venoms. I suspect that the quick handling that we get from the MT90 size up front actually made the impact of that flat rear tire worse than it was when it was still in use with the original front tire.
On another note, anyone who has run the stock Brickstones is undoubtedly familiar with the infamous howl they make as they wear. I can conclusively tell you that the flat rear tire is where that howl is coming from! As soon as I put that old tire back on, the howl was back with a vengeance any time the bike as not being held in a perfectly straight line. The slightest hint of a lean left or right would just make that tire wail!
Stay tuned for the next phase of this impromptu experiment. In about a month, while that new Avon rear tire is still new, I am going to re-mount the old fat Brickstone front tire to see just what effect that tire alone has on the handling of the RSV. I'll let y'all know!
Final bit of information for anyone who has hung in here this far - I use a Harbor Freight tire changer that makes mounting skins a breeze. The learning curve is minor - after about the third tire change, the operation is so smooth and easy that dismounting and mounting a tire is truly a 5 minute operation. If you want to do this work yourself, that tool pays for itself with the very first set of tires you change. For anyone in North Texas who is interested, I'm more than happy to let you come over and use mine s'long as you bring a six-pack with you! :cool10: I can't supervise without a beer, ya know? Good luck,
Goose
In another thread several weeks ago I reported that I had to take off my rear tire before I had a new one available. Because I ride every day, I decided to re-mount an old Brickstone rear tire that I had sitting around for emergency use. This tire was flat as the proverbial fritter and mostly bald, but I figured I could run it for a couple of weeks. I was absolutely shocked with how bad the bike handled! This thing started trying to weld itself into every groove and ridge on the road, and if there was a spot near a light where the asphalt was bubbled or rolled up from the heat and weight of the cars, the bike would pitch hard back and forth as it contacted the uneven surface. Going over a ridge of uneven pavement between lanes was actually scary. All of this attributed to just the BACK tire alone.
Last night after work I finally decided I had to mount the new Avon rear tire. Today, the bike handles absolutely perfectly again! No more tracking, the rolled up asphalt is undetectable, and the bike makes the transition between uneven lanes with hardly a blip. My front tire is an Avon Venom MT90 with 16,000 miles on it - same tire I had on it yesterday when it handled so badly with that old Brickstone rear. Today with a new Avon Venom on the rear, that 16,000 mile Venom on the front is handling every bit as well as I remembered when I first mounted the Venoms. I suspect that the quick handling that we get from the MT90 size up front actually made the impact of that flat rear tire worse than it was when it was still in use with the original front tire.
On another note, anyone who has run the stock Brickstones is undoubtedly familiar with the infamous howl they make as they wear. I can conclusively tell you that the flat rear tire is where that howl is coming from! As soon as I put that old tire back on, the howl was back with a vengeance any time the bike as not being held in a perfectly straight line. The slightest hint of a lean left or right would just make that tire wail!
Stay tuned for the next phase of this impromptu experiment. In about a month, while that new Avon rear tire is still new, I am going to re-mount the old fat Brickstone front tire to see just what effect that tire alone has on the handling of the RSV. I'll let y'all know!
Final bit of information for anyone who has hung in here this far - I use a Harbor Freight tire changer that makes mounting skins a breeze. The learning curve is minor - after about the third tire change, the operation is so smooth and easy that dismounting and mounting a tire is truly a 5 minute operation. If you want to do this work yourself, that tool pays for itself with the very first set of tires you change. For anyone in North Texas who is interested, I'm more than happy to let you come over and use mine s'long as you bring a six-pack with you! :cool10: I can't supervise without a beer, ya know? Good luck,
Goose