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i had a hard ride last weekend with some mates & during the week i noticed the front tyre is looking like a 50 cent piece!
the bike is a 2002 st4s.
i have been playing with the settings on the front end but this is a worry
any comment

Hi Bill,

Is the uneven wear around the circumference (so the tyre has flat spots viewed from the side) or across the tread (flat spotted looking from the front or above)?

If it's around the circumference then I'd suggest fork chatter, possibly from having not enough rebound damping, allowing the tyre to bounce as the forks extend after a bump.

If it's across the tread then maybe it could be the same problem, or it could be too much compression damping and/or preload, preventing the forks from dealing with things as you're cranking over.

But I hope you're exaggerating it a bit anyway. Because it would ride like a pogo stick with adjustments far enough out to have that effect.



YG

PS Just had a thought. It hasn't thrown a balance weight has it? It would feel horrible but would have that effect with a few hundred miles enthusiastic riding...

i have had a look with a friend at the settings,there all within the boundaries for my weight & style so to speak of riding.
the flat spots as i will call them are 25 - 30 mm off the center line of the Tyre & equally spaced.from near side to off side they are opposite to each other,if that makes sence!
have checked all the front end bearings & weights.
Last thing i think is that i have one of the dodgy MICHELIN tyres.

OK, so it sounds initially as though perhaps you've modified your riding style slightly and are pushing the front a little harder than before. I'm guessing you're coming into summer now, so maybe the combination of better settings (and more confidence), grippier conditions and perhaps a resurfaced and more abrasive tarmac on your route might be the culprit?

It doesn't sound especially unusual wear. I did that on a front Pirelli Diablo Pro (or whatever they're called today) in a morning earlier this year...and another one in the afternoon. Admittedly that was on a circuit and I wasn't paying for them, but they were new tyres when I started and thet were almost triangular when I'd finished.

Alternatively I could be talking bollocks.

But to me it just sounds like you're using your bike the way Ducati intended. Good on ya!

YG