Strange tyre wear -opinions?

[FJ120086]

Is that the only place on the tire where the "curling" appears? It does not appear to be above or below. If that is the only place on the tire, it could be the glue from the label that was used to identify the tire

[X-Ray]

Hey Gareth, from what I've read and what's been said here that Bridgestone Exedra is made for long, long upright miles. Very hard compound , so maybe not the best choice for the FJ. I recently put a set of Sport Demons on the '94, and they have been great, not expensive either.

[mr blackstock]

G'day,

Sorry for not replying earlier, work interfering with life.  Thanks for the constructive opinions, definitely food for thought.  I was interested about whether cruiser tyres are a bad choice for a sports tourer, so while I was at work I did a bit research.  From what I gathered from the Bridgestone advertising blurb, the Exedra is designed for cruiser use, specifically in cases where a bike is going to carry a large amount of weight, luggage, trailer, and/or passenger, and the rider is wanting high mileage from the tyre and intends to spend most of the time riding upright.  I thought to myself "bugger!"

So I looked a little further, and it seems the tyre is also advertised as suitable for, among other bikes:
Yamaha XVS1100 @ 259 kg
Kawasaki VN 800 Vulcan @239 kg
Honda VT750DC @ 229 kg
Kawasaki VN500 LTD @ 200 kg

All of these bikes are within the weight range of the FJ.

So I thought to call the bike shop that fitted the tyre, it's run and owned by a retired motorcycle racer, "Ords yamaha" in Victoria.  I asked him if I had made a mistake, and I relayed the opinions expressed here.  He had a bit of a chuckle and stated that the Exedra g702 I fitted was fine for the FJ.  He stated that like all tyres designed for specific applications, the rider has to be aware of the trade offs.  Cruiser tyres aren't designed to be used for serious corner scratching like sports tyres, sports tyres are not designed for heavy loads, and road tyres are not designed for gravel roads.  He stated that an rider can ride with any tyre, as long as they are aware of it's limitations.  So no scratching your foot pegs in corners! he said.

So considering my riding habits, and the circumstances in which I ride, the Exedra g702 is perfectly applicable to my needs.  I ride my FJ in all conditions, yes, even gravel roads, and yes, even with a shit load of weight on the back.  My FJ is not a toy or recreational vehicle that is reserved only for sunny day riding through corners between lattes or frapacinos.     

So, back to the actual question, I reckon Fj120086 might have hit the nail on the head.  As the "curling" only appears on one part of the tyre, it might be just the glue.  And I will take some opinions to heart, as the tyre has a harder compound in the middle to what I am used to, I will learn to take it easy going through the gears in the wet.

cheers, Gareth

[PaulG]

He stated that like all tyres designed for specific applications, the rider has to be aware of the trade offs....  He stated that an rider can ride with any tyre, as long as they are aware of it's limitations.

So considering my riding habits, and the circumstances in which I ride, the Exedra g702 is perfectly applicable to my needs.

If you can bear with me for a sec before slamming the door.  My initial response may have been over the top but maybe this will explain it more civilly.

My concern would be that you are needlessly limiting your ability to ride safely.  Putting up with this particular tires limitations to suit your riding style doesn't make sense to me.  There are plenty of touring tires better suited to the FJ than this one that will give you equal longevity and better/safer performance.

I'm sure we all have had experiences where an unexpected fistfull of throttle or a sudden counter-steer or mid-corner correction has been required to save your bacon.  If this should happen those abilities may not be there.  You may ride within your abilities/limitations but the rest of the world doesn't.

Yes there are compromises to be made when selecting the right tire for yourself.  I just think in this case there may be too much.

I'm not trying to be your nanny - or some a-hole who thinks he knows better (though you may disagree by now).  Just my opinion. Hope it works out well for you. 

[ribbert]

He stated that an rider can ride with any tyre, as long as they are aware of it's limitations.  So no scratching your foot pegs in corners! he said.

Someone better tell this guy......

https://youtu.be/0ezf0MkCsFM

Noel

[mr blackstock]

G'day,

I hear what you are saying, and in many ways you are right, but my riding abilities come no where near challenging your average sports tourer tyre.  For example, I usually ride with Bridgestone BT45's.  By most peoples opinion a middle of the road tyre, capable, yet not for serious scratching.  In all my time riding, I have never pushed the BT45's to near their limit.  So, in many ways, my choosing the exedra is still safely within my riding habits, I just don't ride that hard, hopefully I won't ride harder than what the exedra can manage.

Sure, there are plenty of tyres to choose from, but as I am on a tight budget, I work full time, expensive house to fix, child, wife, aging fleet of cars, and my bike is transport, a commuter.  So while there may be better tyres, I ain't spending $400 on one tyre, not for just an extra 2000 kms.  If I see a bargain tread, I'll grab it, because the money I save can go towards getting tyres for the car.  Sure there trade offs, hell, I have even considered 2nd hand treads, it's just that the postage bites.

I also used to drive with re-tread tyres on my car.  People I worked with were convinced I was taking my life into my hands every time I drove, they thought I was reckless driving with my wife in the car.  I accepted the limitations of the treads and drove accordingly, never had an issue with them.

I think also that many people are these days are adhering to niche product marketing.  For quite a few years now, companies have been designing products for specific purposes, bikes designed just for corners, helmets for commuting or touring, oils for specific riding habits, and tyres for specific applications.  While this is good, companies focusing resources on good products, trouble is, people become nervous purchasing outside recommended products, fearing they are making an error.  Hell, years ago I used to ride on whatever I could get hold off, fill up with whatever would make her run, wear gear that was what I could afford, and always ride to suit the road, my abilities, and the design of my brakes, I used to ride with drum brakes!  How we got through I'll never know.

There is no end to the better choices I could make, but I guess I do the best with what got and what I can afford.  I can't justify top line tyres for my bike when I don't even ride that hard, when my wife's VW golf tyres are going bald.

The good thing is this discussion made me double check, and become better informed of the choice I had made, win win all round I reckon.

And I never ride like that guy in the link, sticky pirellis or not.

cheers, Gareth

[Bill_Rockoff]

What's your tire pressure? Too high of a tire pressure would contribute to the behavior you are describing. Lower tire pressure won't make an Excedra stick like a track tire, but it will be more forgiving. If the tire is meant to carry a fat old guy and his fat old wife on a fat old bike for 20,000 km of slow upright riding when inflated to 40 psi, you may want to try 30 psi on the back of an FJ. (You may be the first person ever to try to "pull out and pass slower traffic" on that kind of tire.)

I had a similar experience on an old Spitfire S11, a tire with a harder compound in the middle meant to last longer than the softer compound on the sides. My FJ would regularly lose traction under circumstances that didn't seem likely in my past riding experience. I lowered the pressure subtantially (28 psi if memory serves) and it improved to "shitty."   The tire lasted twice as long as the previous one, but it was only half as fun to ride.

I would also be curious to know how long the tire has been sitting. Even on a shelf in a back store-room in a cool dry place, a tire will be worse after a few years than it was brand-new.

A sportier tire will have a different profile, and will make the bike feel different, and it may be more fun. But if the difference between "this tire, at its price and longevity" and "a more expensive and shorter-lived tire" is going to make the difference between "I can ride whenever I want" and "sometimes I can't ride because it needs tires I can't afford this summer" then you have to make the decisions that work best for you. 




Good luck.

[mr blackstock]

Yeah, one of the guys I work with rides a big heavy bike and he suggested that tyre pressure will play a huge part in the feel.  I initially put 42 psi in it, but now I have taken it down to 32 psi.  The guy I work with suggested that as the exedra has a stiff sidewall, due to the expected wieght, that I should reduce my pressure to allow the tyre to flex better.
I'll take her for a good hard spin and judge from there.  Like with most things, i can adjust my riding to suit.  At least me buying this tyre has'nt kicked off another bloody oil thread....

cheers, Gareth

[FJmonkey]

Our Cap'n Ron rides on a Metzler ME880 Marathon for his epic rides. He described the tire as having a very stiff sidewall and more of a challenge to change. Maybe he can chime in regarding tire pressure or other Pros and Cons.