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Re: Tyres TMax DX

Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 10:44 am
by SH125Paul
Loose Wheels...
Scoots often need the zorst off - not yanked out the way... shock loosend - not yanked out the way...
And I like to make sure the brakes get a clean before they go back...
Plus I clean, as I take apart and re-grease as it goes back...

Re: Tyres TMax DX

Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 11:11 am
by EvilRacer329
No tricks to getting the drive belt out of the way? With a chain you pull the axle, move the wheel forward enough to slip the chain off and to one side, then pull the wheel, but I don't know if the bigger, thicker belt might complicate matters. As for loosening the shock...why is that necessary? Isn't it tucked way up under the bike?

Nick

Re: Tyres TMax DX

Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 11:35 am
by MrGrumpy
EvilRacer329 wrote: Tue Jul 30, 2019 11:11 am No tricks to getting the drive belt out of the way? With a chain you pull the axle, move the wheel forward enough to slip the chain off and to one side, then pull the wheel, but I don't know if the bigger, thicker belt might complicate matters. As for loosening the shock...why is that necessary? Isn't it tucked way up under the bike?
Yes, I think you are correct. Not that I've done this myself - I pay mechanics to do it! They do indeed seem to loosen the belt drive by moving the wheel, then unbolt brakes and remove wheel. On smaller scoots with twin shocks and swing arm mounted engines, shock absorbers & exhaust often need to be disconnected.
Of course, it was even easier on the mk1-3 Tmax without the belt drive!

Re: Tyres TMax DX

Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 12:14 pm
by orange1290
Drivebelt on the Xmax 300 stays in place, nothing touched on that side of the bike at all. Just remove wheel from right hand side after removing exhaust and right hand swing arm bracket. I'm sure Tmax will be the same

Re: Tyres TMax DX

Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 12:29 pm
by EvilRacer329
Interesting; I'll have to have a closer look. It very much seems like a traditional motorcycle swingarm, with the rear pully bolted to the rear wheel like a sprocket would be. That means the whole mess has to come out. On the Xmax I believe it's a traditional enclosed chain on the left. I've attached a couple of photos for reference on how it looks on the T-Max.

Image
Image

Nick

Re: Tyres TMax DX

Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 12:41 pm
by orange1290
yeah, looks different to the Xmax 300 from that photo but the Xmax doesn't have a chain, it uses a belt.

Re: Tyres TMax DX

Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 7:54 pm
by Aaron
I've got Michelin PR4's on my Tmax Mk4. I've now had them for 10,000km (6200 miles) and the rear is still great, but the front is getting a bit low on tread thickness.

Might be only me, but I find the front PR4 to be quite noisy (see pic below), especially on rougher surfaces. As part of its design, the front has lots of cuts in it, and makes me think that's why its a noisy tyre. I might try a different tyre next time to compare the noise level.

Aaron

Re: Tyres TMax DX

Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2019 6:36 am
by MrGrumpy
Aaron wrote: Wed Jul 31, 2019 7:54 pm I've got Michelin PR4's on my Tmax Mk4. I've now had them for 10,000km (6200 miles) and the rear is still great, but the front is getting a bit low on tread thickness.

Might be only me, but I find the front PR4 to be quite noisy (see pic below), especially on rougher surfaces. As part of its design, the front has lots of cuts in it, and makes me think that's why its a noisy tyre. I might try a different tyre next time to compare the noise level.
Never really noticed tyre noise from the PR4s...there again, I can't much over the engine and the wind noise with earplugs in!! Maybe its very surface specific. I find PR4s last more than any other tyre I've had on recent Tmaxs, but I still can't make them last 6200 miles!!!

Re: Tyres TMax DX

Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2019 9:17 am
by EvilRacer329
Hey folks, some interesting data here. I went ahead and ordered a new set of Pilot Road 4 SC's for the T-Max, and when they arrived I made a surprising discovery.

On the current tyres, with 3,300 miles, the front tyre has 3mm of tread in the centre, the rear 5mm. I thought it odd that the front had worn so much more, and figured it was wearing around 1mm per 1,000 miles.

Then I measured the new tyres at 6mm on the rear, and just 4mm on the front. I checked these against a brand new set I had lying around for my V-Strom and got the same measurements. This means that front tyres come with 2mm less tread, perhaps explaining why they wear out faster on bikes like the T-Max that don't wear the rear excessively like more powerful bikes do. It also suggests that the front is wearing at a rate of 1mm per 3,000 miles, suggesting I should be able to get almost 9k before hitting the wear bars.

Question for you Mr Grumpy - when you say you can't make your tyres last, are you running them to the wear bars, or swapping them when they exhibit uneven wear (i.e. squaring off on the rear)?

Nick

Re: Tyres TMax DX

Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2019 12:14 pm
by MrGrumpy
EvilRacer329 wrote: Thu Aug 01, 2019 9:17 am
Question for you Mr Grumpy - when you say you can't make your tyres last, are you running them to the wear bars, or swapping them when they exhibit uneven wear (i.e. squaring off on the rear)?

Nick
I usually don't square off my rear tyre hugely, as I don't do too much dual carriageway riding. I replace them when the tread gets low - I try to run them as low as I dare! I tend to change both at once so the front tyre is the critical factor. There again, sometimes funny things do happen - the fronts especially can wear in strange ways - sort of the opposite of squaring off when the tyre takes a 50p kind of shape. I experienced this with Bridgestones on the mk4 Tmax, and others hear have experienced the same thing. I was rather annoyed to have to throw away a set of tyres after less than 2000 miles, but the handling was awful! I've only bought Michelins since, though I didn't have the problem with the OE B.stones on this mk6.