Went down...

[NathanUc]

Today I had my sport demon tires put on at the dealership.

Turning out of the parking lot.. down I went. Was hardly giving it any throttle and there was no loose gravel.

Either way, I fell on the already damaged right fairing and damaged the exhaust can, bar ends, and rear sets (all of which I have aftermarket parts on order; just waiting for them).

Had on my race suit so just my right knee pad got scuffed up (though my left leg really hurts now). What somewhat upsets me the most was it was right in front of the dealership and no one came out to see if I was ok. I saw them peeking out the door, but nothing... I've had nothing but good experiences with them until now.. maybe they don't really care about the customer as much as the customers money.

All-in-all.. fair warning = new tires suck how the hell am I supposed to break them in if I can't take a corner under 10mph.. not to mention 0 confidence in them now. This has just been a horrible month

PICTURES:
The slippery little turds:





Scuffed up/ dented exhaust:



ATGATT ftw:



The worst of it:



Another Angle:



Surprisingly not too bad:



Really going to annoy me until I get it replaced, but nothing bad:

["A"]

Sorry to hear of your mishap... feel better soon.

[kkim]

what is the air pressure in the tires?

[NathanUc]

Originally Posted by kkim

what is the air pressure in the tires?

I didn't check and they didn't record what they set it to. I'm sure it's correct though

[blink]

They are always slick when new, they spray them with stuff (don't know what)
Ride in straight lines for abit.
There are lots of youtube videos showing guys going down on new tires =[
Hope your okay!

[kkim]

Originally Posted by blink

They are always slick when new, they spray them with stuff (don't know what)

who sprays them with what?

[blink]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9zNUPDmnz4

Not sure if they only do it on new models, but I've seen some tires sprayed just to shine them up for better looks while on display.

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by kkim

who sprays them with what?

i think he's talking about mold release...

well new tires are like that. take a few laps around the parking lot before heading anywhere. every time i've seen someone picking up a bike with new tires the mechs always tell them to be super careful with the brand new tires. i've heard some squids saying they always sandpaper their new tires but... yeah.

sorry to hear it.

[Alex]

They may use some water/soap or other lube when mounting the tire to make sure it doesn't rip as it's put onto the machine, but none of it should ever make its way to the tread area.

But new tires are slippery until they warm up and get scuffed in, even if only for a few miles. Glad you're OK.

(here's a link to a thread where we discussed the "mold release" topic)

[kkim]

if the dealer sprayed any crap on the tires at the dealership, they would be liable for any crashes that occurred due to the tires being slippery.

[Alex]

Sure, if anything that was applied had anything to do with the tires being slippery. It doesn't. It's just if someone is watching tire techs work, you'll see them use a spray bottle sometimes, to help mount the tires, and someone might jump to the wrong conclusions.

[NathanUc]

I don't think the dealership sprayed them at all since they weren't on display ever. I had to get them 'custom' ordered. I looked at the tires before and they looked normal to me; not extra shiny or anything.

Should I confront them about it?

[ducducgooseit]

May I suggest doing what I have done the next time you get new tires?

On the last 4 new bikes I have bought and the last two sets of tires I have had replaced, I took a couple of sheets of 100 grit sapphire sand paper and lightly scuffed the front and rear tires before I left the lot. Another 50 to 100 miles of easy riding and I haven't had problems. The scuffing takes a little time and is awkward to do but I haven't dropped any of the bikes and they ranged from .25L to 1.2L.

I make no comment on subject of confrontation with your supplier.

[Alex]

If they looked fine, what's to confront them about?

[randomwalk101]

New tires are slippery. Have to be extra careful and take it easy a few first miles to scrub in. Newbies on the 600rr forum drop them all the time lol.

[whiteboy]

Dealership isn't liable for anything but if they did spray anything on them they should of said something and they should of came out to help u.

[NathanUc]

Originally Posted by Alex

If they looked fine, what's to confront them about?

That's what I thought. I dunno, just never been in situations like this before.

[wtfh4xx]

Sorry to hear man, when I get new tires Ill be super careful first 60 miles or so.

[CC Cowboy]

They probably didn't come out thinking you were already too embarrassed. They didn't want to make it any worse.

[NathanUc]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

They probably didn't come out thinking you were already too embarrassed. They didn't want to make it any worse.

Maybe, I'm over it now. Just put down 90ish miles on them. Still don't trust them in a corner but at least I feel safe accelerating and braking hard now.

The stopping grip on these tires so far is pretty awesome I must say.

OH. I know how much we all love pictures, so I'll post a couple of the damages.

[Yasko]

Originally Posted by wtfh4xx

Sorry to hear man, when I get new tires Ill be super careful first 60 miles or so.

the first 100 miles for me...


I hope you can trust your bike again very soon...

[NathanUc]

Added pics.

I don't think I'll completely trust the tires for well over 100 miles simply because of this:
Since I don't trust them, I don't lean, since I don't lean, that part of the tire isn't getting used. Since that part isn't getting used, it's not broken into. It's a nasty cycle

[Havok]

I will put mony on the tires picked up on wax and polish while it was in the shop, Mine did the same exact thing leaving a shop right after getting it fixed. Same as you nothing on them, i was going a taf bit faster then you though. Glad you were not hurt.

[setasai]

Bummers... Go gear though! That sandpaper idea... does that really work or is it hokum?

[scotty]

When I had my new tires put on. I left my drive way at mabe 1-2mph and gave it the smallest amount of throttle and I drifted the rear end out. Even when I used my back brake my tire would lock up. Just take it easy for a few miles with them.

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by Alex

Sure, if anything that was applied had anything to do with the tires being slippery. It doesn't. It's just if someone is watching tire techs work, you'll see them use a spray bottle sometimes, to help mount the tires, and someone might jump to the wrong conclusions.

Not to mention, they will be handling a lubricated chain and might touch the tires with soiled hands.

[Alex]

Touching a tire with even the dirtiest, oiliest, greasiest hands isn't going to matter a whit in terms of the tire becoming more slippery afterwards, such that it makes it likelier to lose grip in a turn. Putting a bike down blows, but even the slightest implication that it was the tire tech's or the dealerships fault is, IMHO, mis-aimed. New tires are slippery, and we need to be careful on them for a few miles until they both warm up and scuff up a bit.

To the OP - I hear you on the repeating cycle, but now that they have a few miles on them, just take some gradual turns at a gentle pace, leaning a little more each time, and within a few minutes the tire will be good to go at any pace one can dish out.

[ducducgooseit]

Sandpaper worked for me and those that told me about it. That's the best I can provide as references. Perhaps being careful contributed more but the two things together has, in my experience, been successful.

[NathanUc]

Originally Posted by Alex

Touching a tire with even the dirtiest, oiliest, greasiest hands isn't going to matter a whit in terms of the tire becoming more slippery afterwards, such that it makes it likelier to lose grip in a turn. Putting a bike down blows, but even the slightest implication that it was the tire tech's or the dealerships fault is, IMHO, mis-aimed. New tires are slippery, and we need to be careful on them for a few miles until they both warm up and scuff up a bit.

To the OP - I hear you on the repeating cycle, but now that they have a few miles on them, just take some gradual turns at a gentle pace, leaning a little more each time, and within a few minutes the tire will be good to go at any pace one can dish out.

I hear ya. In my anger I think I put too much of the 'blame' on them when I should have done my research first. A warning would have been nice but over all I suppose it's not their job/place to teach me about proper tire care.

I've gotten the right side worn in pretty well and these tires are amazing! The left will take me a bit longer, but at least I know I can trust them again haha.

[blink]

No worries, it's one of those things that no one expects...unless you come across it somewhere like I did on youtube; now I know they are slipper when new =]

[Alex]

Originally Posted by NathanUc

A warning would have been nice but over all I suppose it's not their job/place to teach me about proper tire care.

I'd go a little further than that, I do think it would be wise for them to warn any and every rider riding away on brand-new tires that they may be slick. I get that warning every single time I mount a new tire at a local shop here, to the point that it almost gets bothersome. But I can see how it's important information for folks who are changing their tires out for new ones for the first time, and the shop did drop the ball by not giving any warning at all. Doesn't necessarily make them legally liable, but is something they certainly could do better at.

[Apex]

I baby new tires for 100 miles myself. At least with riding a bicycle, there is zero break in time.

[oroboros]

My BT 003s felt sticky to the touch. My driveway is gravel and after I put them on and rolled out of the garage tons of little rocks stuck to them. Almost like the exact opposite. It took a few miles to get unsticky and now we are balling up the rubber to the edge

Glad to hear you are alright. Its never fun to fall over.
Posted via Mobile Device

[TrueFaith]

Actually, I'm pretty surprised they don't have a warning printed on the tire itself by now. You can't buy anything remotely hazardous to your health without it coming with dozens of printed warnings these days.

[JamesNZ]

I did the exact same thing when I first got my sports demon's. The day after I got them put on it was pouring with rain. I approached a Roundabout really slowly. As soon as I went to turn, the front just slid out. Afterwards I checked the tire pressures that the shop used - something like 33-34 for the front and I think 38ish at the back. ( I usually stick to 28-32 or a tad higher)

Anyway they're super sticky now! They're good in the wet too.

[pilotgeorge747]

I agress with them POSSIBLY not wanting to embarass you when you went down. When I dropped my bike a few days ago one guy in a truck saw it all and slowed down. When he saw me get up he kept driving. I remember thinking to myself "Just get up, pick the bike up and get out of here before I make an even bigger scene!" I didnt even realize my hand was broken til I was pushing the bike home lol.

[Big John]

The slickness is the mold release. It comes from the manufacturing of the tire. Temperature makes a big difference as well. A warm tire will grip better. This is even more true with a stickier compound tire. They can become very slick when cold. I have seen guys go down leaving the parking lot when temps have dropped really fast and their bike has been sitting in the cold.
First taking off on a brand new tire on a cold evening is about as slick as it gets. Just rolling in a straight line for a bit will warm it up and it will grip better.

Even with that, I high sided my GSXR in a corner once because I hit the tiniest oil patch on the road (the tires were cold as well). I am going through a corner briskly and all of a sudden my RPMs peg and the back end of the bike starts to come around on me. Of course without thinking I drop the throttle and over the top I go. The only thing I found was a spot of oil the size of a baseball.

[ricochet08]

when i got my new tires, the dealer made me sign a paper stating that new tires are slippery and they aren't liable for any damage if i slip.

Glad you're ok!

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Big John

The slickness is the mold release. It comes from the manufacturing of the tire.

Most tire manufacturers haven't used mold release for many years, here's a thread that includes links to quotes from all of the majors. New tires are slick, but it isn't a release compound that causes it.

[2fiddy]

Sorry to hear that man. They should have warned you to be careful with them at first before you drove off.