Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

The original D208 front fitted to my ZX12 is just about shagged after only 7500 km. There is also an unusual wear pattern - it is a bit 'lumpy', that is some high spots all round the circumference. Not huge ones but you can see & feel them. I had the same on my previous ZX12 with a Pilot Power on the front. A friend reckons it may be because I am either loading up the front too much or not enough and should be resolved by making some suspension adjustments. I've never touched the suspension since I've had the bike. I always run 30-35 psi so pressure is not the cause. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

30 psi is a little too low for the road and will tear up your tyre quicker.
I run 30 at the track and 34 to 35 on the road.

MadKaw wrote:30 psi is a little too low for the road and will tear up your tyre quicker.
I run 30 at the track and 34 to 35 on the road.

I'm with Dave
I run 36psi on the front of my 12

the other thing, called 'scalloping' you get on the front
is from suspension setup
..or road camber (wears the right side quicker than the left)


hth

My front was doing the same thing, the tyre guy said not to worry about it is just from the road camber.

I run 36psi in the front minimum. 30 is way too low, I suspect this is distorting the front tyre and providing you with unusual wear.

BTW the stock dunflops have a reputation for being shite, you may find better grip, wear and longevity with a better tyre such as a Pirate Power (rrrr...) or similar spec tyre. I only got 4,000 out of the stock dunflops, they dont wear well.

Bounce your Pressure up to front 34 min rear 36 min, I'd also set your preload to 35mm rider sag front & back. It's not rocket science
As for the Tyre Yep they ARE a Crap Tyre the Dunnies 208. The New Qualifier are much better.

Champ Go a set of Shinko Stealth 003's, for more durability the Bridgie 014 or 002.
Or even the Metzler M1, M3 Or Racetechs.

There's lots of good tyres out there so theres no need to put up with crap anymore

hth

Everything said above and "apparently" the Shinkos are the go on our 12's as the price compensates for how soft they are (from the oz zx12r site). Also heavier bikes tend to "push" the front into corners and can result in the scalloping too, but it can be tuned out with suspension ("apparently")

But I agree with the rest, them pressures are WAY low no matter what brand you are running. Careful when you put the right psi in as you will run up the gutter of the first corner you come to

PeteZX12 wrote:....The original D208 front fitted to my ZX12 is just about shagged after only 7500 km.....

that is pretty-much normal wear for the stock 208's.

pontikat wrote:....The New Qualifier are much better.

White man speaketh the truth. Pilot Powers are also great, but wear pretty quickly (quicker than the 208's in my experience). I can't fault the Qualifiers at this point, have about 7k so far on fr/rr, wearing well (no scallops, lumps etc), and they hang on great.

Highly recommend the Qualifiers for a 12, if you want stickier tyres for the track go with the Metzie Racetechs ( and get the suspension done to suit them.)

I run 36fr, 38 rear on the road (commuting), and drop this by a few psi for Sundays

Pilots only/use to have a 1 ply rating (i think)and really are not suited for the weighty 12r IMO. A little bit of scalloping is normal as they get near the end of their life.
I ran 40-41psi in mine on bridgies.(recomended by MTM) depends on what conditions you mostly ride i think.