The front tire on my 929 is worn funny. The tread is not even - it is worn down is some small spots more than others. Basically there are spots on the tire that won't contact the road surface, but it appears that they should (not the groves). When I run my hand over the tire it feels very choppy, however the wear spots are uniform all of the way around the tire. If it were on a car I would certainly think that there was an alignment problem. It is a bridgestone tire. I just got the bike and have not taken it for a long enough or fast enough ride to determine if there's a problem. I didn't know if the tire was just designed this way or if there is another issue such as alignment or bent rim?????????
The bike is in great shape and appears to never have been down.

 

That's a wierd one - I'll be interested to hear the replies on this one.
Obviously if it were on a car, it would be indicating POSSIBLY an alignment issue, but would most likley a bad shock absorber.
On a racebike at 90 mph, man I would think you'd know you had a bad fork pretty fast!
So I dunno, man....let's see what our pals come up with.

 

Speed definately isn't the key here. I would replace that tire as soon as you can. Uneven wear on your front tire is extremely dangerous. Better than 75% of your braking is done with your front tire. The last thing you want to do is get up 70-80 plus miles an hour just to find out there is indeed a problem with balance or worse. If the tire appears to be "Chunking" (as you seem to discribe it) it can mean several things. One possibility is that the guy you bought the bike from was stunting. Another would be that the bike was drivin very hard while cornering. Still another could be that the tire is from a ****ty batch of rubber and that its not holding up evenly to normal use. If the tire feels choppy to the touch as you slide your hand around it then the tire is most likely past its prime and flat out should be replaced. Do you really want to take the chance of a tire failure while on a busy street or at higher speeds? Seriously, its only your life we're talking about. Take it for what its worth.

 

I know that the tire needs replaced and I plan on doing so. I'm just wondering why a tire would wear like this? Hoping it's not some sort of alignment issue. (Bent fork, bent rim, or something of the sort.)

 

Yeah, dragonmaster's got the right causes. My point is I would have thought you'd feel something pretty pronounced while riding, even at a moderate speed.
First step is get it to a good shop and let them change your tire. During that process they'll check the trueness of the wheel, the fork alignment, and of course the balance of the new wheel/tire. Have them check the condition of the steering stops while you're there. If one or both are missing, it indicates a crash or other "trauma" so to speak, that could have led to what you're seeing.

 

Right on Sixs929 and good point about the stops.

 

Or, have the bike/front tire been standstill for a long time? Its possible to develop such "spots" on the tire of its been stored for a longer period of time.

 

No, that wouldnt do it, especially since there are multile spots in this case. Dragonmaster_91 and sixs929 are on the right track. If you just got the bike and it was like that, I would almost bet money its a result of some stunting. Locking up the front wheel during stunts would certainly cause multiple flat spots like that.

redrr where are you located? I have a spare front in my garage (Michelin Pilot Sport) with about 90% tread that I really dont have a use for.

 

Sounds like cupping to me. I have seen it on bikes before when the bike was ridden with the tires underinflated. In some cases, if you are decelerating and take your hands off the grips, you will actually get some wobbling.

 

I HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM WHEN I PUT A NEW REAR TIRE ON MY OLD GIXXER 600 . IT'S RUMORED IF THE FRONT TIRE AND REAR TIRE DON'T MATCH THAT THE OLDER TIRE WILL WEAR UNEVENLY I PUT A MATCHING NEW TIRE ON THE FRONT AND WAS DONE AFTER THAT