METZELER Cruisetec - Never Again!

[Protonhound]

Btw I keep my tire pressures at 38psi.

 

[RUN666]

Btw I keep my tire pressures at 38psi.

Not far from the 2.9 bar recommended by Triumph...but still less

 

[Journeyman]

Tire longevity relies on many factors. I typically get 4,000 miles/tire to the wear indicators, regardless of brand. I ride in the rain sometimes, so try not to go much longer than that. Road texture, curviness, and wrist suppleness all figure in.

I've always had uneven wear issues on Avons, including the ones I ran on my '98 Thunderbird Sport. Just not a fan.
I went cheap for a while running Shinko on the front, but they too wore funny and although not terrible, inspired less confidence.
I liked the Cruisetecs, but also uneven wear on front. Can't get 'em, so, "forget da bout it."
I ran Bridgestone Exedra G701 Touring for a while, but they also wore unevenly. These is the second less expensive option after Shinko.
Now on Dunlop Elite- very pricey. I doubt I'll see more mileage, but hoping for more even wear and therefore better performance near the end of tire life.

Uneven Wear

The new Rockets pull to the left. This has been discussed and no one is quite sure why.

The front wheel is slightly offset between the forks, by design, and could be a factor, but . Oh, you haven't noticed? Have a look.

I think the constant, but small, corrective pressure we apply to compensate for that leftward drift accounts for the uneven wear. It's as if you're always making a slight right turn. Also, if you're in the states where we ride on the "right side" of the road , our right hand turns are generally tighter than left turns.

 

[RUN666]

Oh dear, those English...they've designed another motorcycle to curb their irrepressible urge to ride on the wrong side of the road...they're incorrigible!!!

 

[OldBiker72]

Oh dear, those English...they've designed another motorcycle to curb their irrepressible urge to ride on the wrong side of the road...they're incorrigible!!!

Why on earth do you ride on the right side of the road? And why do the USA cars have steering wheels on the left? Who decided that the pilot in a plane sits in the left seat? Ask yourself: What is more sensible and easier to use: Metric or Imperial? Or is it a situation of being painted into a corner and the (financial) cost to correct is "irrepressible"? I'm not difficult - just asking?

 

[Steff]

So more insight is necessary here. Metzeler originally produced a tire for the original Rocket IIIs called the Marathon ME 880. Then they upped their offering to the Marathon ME 888 Ultra. In my opinion, the ME 888 Ultra was substantially better than the ME 880. Better handle, road feel, longer lasting, more forgiving, etc.. I liked it more than the Avon Cobra (but I know that is subjective so I should just STFU), I get it.).

It seems that the one thing a tire company wants to do is SELL tires. So if you sell a tire that wears out quicker, you SELL more tires. From their website, it seems the Metzeler has discontinued the Marathon ME 888 Ultra and replaced it with (as @Protonhound suggests) an inferior tire that requires replacing more often, the CruiseTec.

Two things, I would return to wherever it is you bought it from and have a deep discussion about the wear and the cost of the tire you are showing us above. This may be a bad batch? It happens. How your dealer or Metzeler handle it, I have no idea but it might be worth a shot.

On Fortnine.ca, you can still get ME 888 Ultra in every size BUT the front and rear for a Rocket 3. Go figure. I can get the CruiseTec but I'll likely pass on this and jump on another set of ME 888 Ultra (if I can find it) or back to the Avon Cobra (if I can find it too).

@Protonhound I would ask you consider updating the title of your post to Metzeler CRUISETEC - To be avoided (or something like that). If I can find a ME 888 Ultra in a front or rear, I'm grabbing it with both hands. So to steer all Captains away from all Metzeler's woud be a disservice. My two cents...

I do appreciate the insight so I don't repeat the mistake. Thanks.

For reference. The ME 888 Ultra at Fortnine.ca WAS selling for $599 CAD. The CruiseTec in the same size is $390 CAD. Tells you all you need to know (IMDO).

Still get the ME 888 Ultra over here easily enough at £173 a pop. Correction, they are £200

 

[RUN666]

Why on earth do you ride on the right side of the road? And why do the USA cars have steering wheels on the left? Who decided that the pilot in a plane sits in the left seat? Ask yourself: What is more sensible and easier to use: Metric or Imperial? Or is it a situation of being painted into a corner and the (financial) cost to correct is "irrepressible"? I'm not difficult - just asking?

The answers aren't too hard to find: we drive on the right because the English drive on the left , the metric system is 100 times more logical than the imperial system , the USA has the steering wheel on the left because they drive on the right , changing the direction of traffic was done in Sweden during "dagen H" and it not only generated a beautiful mess, but cost a lot of money... In short, history will teach you everything my friend!

Otherwise, my post was just humor... I could be much more scathing towards our hereditary enemies (even if they do make fabulous motorcycles...)

 

[OldBiker72]

The answers aren't too hard to find: we drive on the right because the English drive on the left , the metric system is 100 times more logical than the imperial system , the USA has the steering wheel on the left because they drive on the right , changing the direction of traffic was done in Sweden during "dagen H" and it not only generated a beautiful mess, but cost a lot of money... In short, history will teach you everything my friend!

Otherwise, my post was just humor... I could be much more scathing towards our hereditary enemies (even if they do make fabulous motorcycles...)

Cool! Just thought I'd ask.... Old Henry built the first mass produced cars - all right hand steering. Regards!

 

[Journeyman]

Why on earth do you ride on the right side of the road? And why do the USA cars have steering wheels on the left? Who decided that the pilot in a plane sits in the left seat? Ask yourself: What is more sensible and easier to use: Metric or Imperial? Or is it a situation of being painted into a corner and the (financial) cost to correct is "irrepressible"? I'm not difficult - just asking?

This explains our mindset nicely ....

 

[OldBiker72]

This explains our mindset nicely ....

Excellent!!! For the very first time I now fully understand! However I am now on a jorney (or is it journey?) to discover the riding position of my Rocket... left- or right hand drive??? I foresee a sleepless night! Regards and thanks again for this gem of humor (I mean humour)!!