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Tyres




Although originally fitted with Dunlop tyres I prefer Michelin Macadams which I believe give better grip and wear well.

I expect to get around 6-9,000 from a rear tyre and maybe up to twice that from the front.

If you are experiencing excessive steering shake it is often worth replacing the front tyre.

The front tyre size is 110 x 80 VR18 and rear is 150 x 80 VR 16

Tyre pressures vary depending depending on load and country of origin
The manual suggests 36 psi for the Front and 41 psi for the rear for most countries
Michelin once told me to try 32 psi in the front and 36 psi in the rear (presumably only for their tyres).

The following table shows the rate of tyre wear I have experienced over the many years I have been riding GTR/Concours bikes. The average rear tyre lasts 5,745 miles and a front one 9,954 (somewhat distorted by the amazing 17,848 miles from an early Avon front tyre - I only changed it because it was beginning to perish!

There doesn't seem to be a conclusive winner in terms of longevity (mainly because so many of the tyres have been Michelin) - I can say I have found the Macadam 50 to be particularly prone to wear (but then they are much cheaper than the 90/100s)

Tyre wear chart for Kawasaki GTR 1000 / Concours

Date
Fitted
Front/
Rear
Maker
Type
Miles
End
Condition
Miles/mm
199309
F
Avon ST22
17848
2.5mm
11898
199404
R
Dunlop 700G
7667
1mm
1277
199410
R
Dunlop 700G
4712
2mm
942
199502
F
Dunlop 700G
7546
2mm
3773
199502
R
Dunlop 700G
7546
1.5mm
1372
199508
F
Avon Venum
13245
2mm
4415
199508
R
Avon Venum
5444
0mm
680
199511
R
Michelin Macadam
7148
1.2mm
1348
199602
R
Avon ST23
4621
2mm
1320
199606
F
Michelin Macadam
12137
0.5mm
3467
199606
R
Michelin Macadam
6690
1mm
1216
199608
R
Michelin Macadam
3496
4mm - Punctured
1398
199609
R
Michelin Macadam
8796
1mm
1599
199705
F
Michelin Macadam
8612
1.6mm
3588
199706
R
Michelin Macadam
4931
1.6mm
1006
199707
R
Michelin Macadam
7445
0mm
1145
199709
F
Michelin Macadam
7797
1mm
2599
199801
R
Michelin Macadam
3279
4mm
1311
199805
R
Michelin Macadam 50
3563
0mm
509
199807
F
Michelin Macadam
6638
2mm
3319
199807
R
Michelin Macadam 90
6638
0mm
1021
199810
F
Michelin Macadam
6413
2mm
3206
199810
R
Michelin Macadam 90
6413
0mm
986
199906
F
Michelin Macadam 90
11769
1.2mm
4203
199910
R
Michelin Macadam 90
6067
0mm
933
200005
F
Michelin Macadam 90
12831
0.5mm
3666
200005
R
Michelin Macadam 90
7811
0mm
1201
200007
R
Metzeler MEZ2
6279
1mm
1141
200009
F
Metzeler ?
5792
2.5mm
3861
200103
R
Michelin Macadam 90
858
5.3mm - Punctured
715
200111
R
Michelin Macadam 90
5578
1.2mm
1052
200204
F
Dunlop K105F
7022
1.4mm
2700
200205
R
Michelin Macadam 90
5414
1.1mm
1002
200209
F
Michelin Macadam 100
11752
1.8mm
4352
200209
R
Michelin Macadam 100
6587
1.0mm
1197
200306
R
Michelin Macadam 100
5165
2.5mm
1291

Date Fitted - the Year and Month the tyre was fitted to the bike
Type - As much information as I have - I didn't used to note the particular type of Macadam
Mileage - The number of miles the tyre covered before being changed - on its own this figure does not give a good indication of tyre life as sometimes tyres are worn out when changed and sometimes they are changed early (before a major trip perhaps)
End Condition - milimetres of tread left
Miles/mm - a guide as to how well the tyre has worn - a high figure is good - this figure is calculated by taking the final tread depth in mm from the tread depth when new and dividing the mileage covered by the tyre by this "tread used" figure



Usual legal cop out: The information on this site is for guidance only - try any of the suggestions at your own risk.

www.kawasaki-gtr1000.co.uk©2003 Chris Stanbury
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