New tyres

[ThunderGuts]

So, getting some cupping on my front tyre and slightly squared rear (4k miles on Scorpion Trail 2s); this is on a 2019 CR. My two questions please are;

1) Is "cupping" normal or indicative of something not quite right, e.g. suspension settings? I always keep my tyre pressures bang on the 36/42 recommended in the book.

2) What are the current favourites for the bike? I'm thinking Michelin Pilot Road 4 SE as I've heard good things about the PR4?

My typical riding is weekend fun 80% of the time, plus the odd short tour. I avoid motorways and straight roads wherever possible and I'm fortunate that I don't need to commute on it so can choose the roads I ride.

Cheers.

[Corringdon]

Choice of tyres is a very subjective thing and, as member Skids has mentioned many times in past threads, it depends a lot on what you intend to use the bike for.
Cupping on the front tyre is not normally indicative of a fault in the bike but how the tyre reacts to certain input. For instance Road 5’s are renowned for cupping badly on certain machines.
The OEM tyres fitted to new bikes may bear the same name as a tyre bought over the counter but to keep costs down for the manufacturer of the bike the tyres are of a slightly inferior quality than the shop bought item.
You say you use the bike mainly for weekend fun in which case any good sports/touring tyre from a reputable manufacturer should suffice. Some manufacturers like Bridgestone and Dunlop even recommend a sports style tyre like the S22 or the Sportsmart 3 for the Crossrunner.
As with all things the choice is with the rider and what suits one will not necessarily suit the other.

[Lars]

Hello,

I honestly am not sure what cupping is and had to google it. I have never seen that on a motorcycle before but looking at the google results it comes from a bouncing tyre.
If its your front tyre then I would assume there is not enough weight pushing on that tyre, be it because of the suspension being set too hard in the front or maybe the rear suspension is not set up correctly ( not enough pre-load ? maybe too soft ? ) or the weight is not distributed properly. No - I am not calling you fat- I just remember having such an effect years ago on my CBF600 when I rode around with an misadjusted rear suspension and - and that was the culprit- a hopelessly overloaded topbox.

My personal tyre favourite is and has been the Michelin Road 5 for the last 4 sets of tyres. it makes the bike handle like a bicycle and lasts long enough for my standards. turns out my riding style is fairly aggressive it still lasts around 6000 km when going on local fun tours and 9000 km on relaxed long tours. I know tyres last differently for everyone just to put it in perspective.

Lars 

[voodoo]

The road5 lasted about 16.000km on my CR, I must drive like a slug.....
But albeight it being a good tire I prefer the Pirelli Angel GT.

Most of all I think the big brands don't make bad tires, so whatever you choose it will be good enough for weekendfun.

[Skids]

Never experienced cupping so can't help you there I'm afraid.

As has been said, depending upon your riding style and preferences plus the type of rides you do, you wont go wrong with any of the major makes but in particular PR5, Angel GT and my favourite, the Metzeller Roadtec 1, of which I'm on my 5th or 6th set. Excellent dry & wet grip, even on overbanding, good stability under braking, turn nicely and last a good 8k miles+. Very confidence-inspiring tyre.

YMMV.

[ThunderGuts]

Cheers all. Ordered some Michelin Road 5s - it was between them at the Roadtec 01 SE; with the free fitting deal from Michelin they were actually cheaper so went with them this time around.

Looking forwards to jettisoning the ST2s!

[onesimplclik]

I haven't had any issues on my Scorpion Trial 2's. Front is definitely due for a change though. I've gotten around 12k out of the front, and around 10k out of the back.

Personally I run 36 in the front, and 40 in the back.




Considering trying out the Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR's

[Newbs1ok]

Hi
Could I be bold enough to add my experiences on tyres for the CR

I scrubbed the OEM tyres in about 3k miles mainly the front tyre tyre edges as I  mainly counter steer on the twisty bits

I did some research and replaced them with a Michelin PR4s , it totally transformed the bikes handling and grip in the wet

I have since done 6k miles and the tread on the front tyre is 3.5 mm on the front and 4mm to the rear

I only use my bike for touring and days out

These tyres suite my riding style

I hope the info helps

Newbs

[Skids]

Thanks for that Newbs.

The original OEM tyres were rubbish and any change to a decent more modern one made significant improvement in handling.

[ThunderGuts]

My Road 5s have been on for about 1500 miles now, no visible wear at all (there's even the slight "groove" from the mould running around the centre of the tyre on the rear still visible!). Handing is much improved, especially in the wet. Great tyres.