TYRES
Tyres : Odd Notes Concerning Wheel Removal and Tyre Replacement
- When replacing tyres, see Cautionary Notes for Front Wheel
Removal/Replacement before removing/refitting the front wheel.
- If you take the front wheel out, you'll need to remove the brake calipers first. If
doing this, it's worth putting something like a piece of wood between the brake pads
to be sure that if the brake lever should get squeezed, your pistons won't end up
popping out. Having taken them off, hang them by a piece of string through the bolt
holes to take the weight off the brake hoses.
- At the back, it will make getting the wheel back in afterwards a great deal easier if
you unbolt the caliper from the hanger before taking it out.
- After the wheels have been balanced, make a note of where, and what size if possible,
balance weights have been fitted. Why? Well whenever anyone comes onto the board
complaining of a vibration or wheel wobble that's come on all of a sudden, one of the
first questions they get asked is usually "Have you lost a balance weight?" And they
don't know - because they didn't know where they were. A rough sketch made after tyre
fitting, showing the position of the weights relative to the spokes/valve would
enable you to say straight off yes or no. And possibly avoid a lot of mucking
around over a wheel wobble that was caused by a weight that wasn't stuck on
properly.
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Tyres : Sizes
Front - 110/70 ZR 17
Rear - 160/60 ZR 17
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Tyres : Popular Fitments
As far as I know, the standard fit on the Fazer in the UK is Bridgestone BT57 or Dunlop
D207.
These apart, another common choice is Bridgestone BT010 or BT020. The 010 is available
in both front and back sizes, while the 020 was for a long time only available to fit
the back. This led to the combination of 010 front and 020 rear, which Bridgestone
officially described as an 'untested combination', but which the vast majority of
Fazer owners who had tried it appeared more than happy with.
Recently an 020 has become available to fit the front, which should help remove this
source of uncertainty.
Latterly the Avon (AV45/AV46) combination has become a popular choice, due in no
small part to Avon's guarantee to replace tyres suffering punctures within the first
1mm of wear - a guarantee which has left a number of FOC-ers feeling very grateful,
and others envious.
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Tyres : Front Wheel Wobble - description, and possible causes
The problem here is a front wheel wobble which can start if you take your hands off
the handlebars (I know, easy answer to that one, isn't there?)
It seems to be pretty widespread, possibly something to do with the weight distribution/seating position of the Fazer.
It becomes most noticeable with advanced front tyre wear; I've had
it with a BT56 and a BT010, both times with upwards of 3000 miles wear, at which point
the shoulders of the tyre were quite worn - especially the right-hand side (must be
all the roundabouts around here).
Here's what happens:
After taking hands off the bars at between 30-40mph, a gentle wobble begins which
fairly quickly gets pretty violent and if you're daft enough to let it go will
probably have you off the bike.
So, if it happens to you, then (1) it's nothing new, and (2) it's probably best to keep your hands on the bars.
Fitting a new front tyre will probably make it go away (until that, too, gets sufficiently worn) but I'd go with (2)
until wear makes that necessary. Like I say, I've had this, and it's never been noticeable enough under normal (ie
sensible) riding conditions that I've ever considered replacing a tyre just to get shot of the wobble.
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Tyres : What sort of mileages?
I won't quote other peoples mileages - different people have differing riding styles
leading to differing tyre lives; if I tell you what I've seen with a variety of tyres, that should tell you how they compare to each other. I guess I'm about a middle of the range rider. I mix commuting and leisure riding about 50/50; the commute's pretty uninspiring, but I like to ride it fairly hard when I'm leisure riding, that kind of thing. So far, the tyres I've had on the Faz have lasted like this:
Front:
BT56 - 9000 miles;
BT010 - 8000 miles;
Macadam 100 - Still going strong after 5000 miles (traded bike in).
Rear:
BT57 - 5600 miles;
BT57(2) - 4800 miles (Note - This probably would have matched the mileage of the first BT57, but as I wanted to replace a front and back at the same time, and the front was shot, the back went a bit earlier than I could have made it last);
BT020 - 8000 miles;
Macadam 100 - Still going strong after 5000 miles (traded bike in).
From what I gather, some people have managed more from similar tyres, while others have managed a good deal less. I think the record is about 11000 from a pair of BT57s (original set) by someone whose use is largely commuting.
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Tyres : Fitting Wider Sizes
The issue of fitting a wider tyre into the rear of the Fazer occasionally comes up
on the FOC-U board. My personal opinion (based in part upon discussions with people
who work within the tyre industry) is that it is not something I'd be in a rush to try.
The theory goes that by fitting a wider tyre, you end up with a bigger 'footprint'.
However, as it was explained to me, if you decide to put - say - a 180 on, you are
squeezing a 180mm wide tyre into a 160mm rim. This has to make the profile of the tyre
more oval, as opposed to the round profile it was intended to take, leading to (among
other things) reduced straight line stability.
I prefer to stick to the standard 160 - if I want a bigger tyre, I'll get a bigger
bike.
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Tyres : Repairs and Sealants - pros and cons
I'm not really sure how I feel about these. I used to be happy with the idea of puncture repairs and sealants. Then a technical bloke working for one of the tyre companies described how the structure and strength of a tyre can be affected by an object piercing the tyre, and after that I wasn't quite so happy.
That was until I got a puncture 4-500 miles into a brand new tyre, and was faced with the prospect of £110 for a replacement.
A lot of places won't repair Z-rated tyres (on which the Fazer runs) apart from Michelin. If you can find someone who will, expect to pay anything from £10+vat (which my last repair, in May 2003, cost me).
Then there's sealants. They've come a long way since I squirted my first moped tyre full
of Finilec (I think it was called). Then you had to be brave or a tight-fisted/skint 16-year-old. Nowadays, you'll see Ultraseal advertised on the BMF webpage.
Ultraseal is typical of this kind of product. It's gloopy stuff with something suspended
in it (non-technical description) which you squirt into a (good) tyre. There it sits,
coating itself around the inside of the tyre, waiting for a puncture. When one comes,
the solution goes out of the hole; the suspended muck helps to plug it, and after a
while it hardens, giving you a repair which (it is claimed) bonds to the tyre rubber
over a period of time.
Slime is another one along similar lines, never tried it though, so can't comment on it.
I've just got some Ultraseal, and will probalby be sticking it in at some time in the
near future. If there's anything to be said on it, I'll do so here.
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Wheel Bearing Sizes
Dave G says: "Sizes are 6204 2RS (2 of) and one 6206 2RS (one of) if anyone is interested."
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