Piaggio XEvo 400

Hello I have been trying different tyre pressures on my Piggy. I found the manual suggestions very harsh ie 33 PSI front and 38 rear. Running with 28 front and 30 rear that is solo only. Any thoughts?

Mike on Piggy 400

The manuals pressures seem right to me.

Hi Mike , in my opinion the tyre pressures are set with the load average of each end of the bike taken into consideration , by reducing the pressure you increase the wall flexing which increases the heat build up in the tyre . I feel this will reduce tyre life and increase the chance of tyre failyer.

Thanks guys
I did note that the manual states tyre pressures "with passenger". So I was wondering for solo use there would be a lower pressure, can't see any reference though in the manual .

Also notice that after 2300 miles there is a lot of wear just in the centre of the rear tyre which I know may be caused by over inflation. Tyres are stock Michelins.

Of course this may also be due to my riding style

Regards Mike on Piggy 400

Nothing wrong with your riding style mate ! the centers on thev rear of modern bike tyres always wear first and quickly , I was getting between 6 to 8000 miles max out of my rear tyre on an X9 500 .

Under inflation causes faster tyre wear, if you are not happy with the feel of the bike, if it is riding hard on the back, soften up the rear spring preload, ie allowing the springs more movement to absorb the bumps/potholes.

Okay more pressure it is then as per manual .
Its the front end that seems harsh, rear is very comfortable maybe its the diabolical roads around here

Here is a wear story
My last bike 20 odd years ago was a Yamaha RD400F. Never wore out a front tyre as the machine would tend to paw the air with very little provocation, rear tyre (and I tried many makes) would see 4/5000 miles if I was careful. I setled for Avon Roadrunners.
The stock chain would stretch almost before your eyes hence it needed adjusting every single trip Stock rear brake pads you would be very lucky to see 1500 miles if it was mucky and wet. plus the brakes simply did not work until dried out

What make of tyres did or do you have on your machine heard Pirellis are good

Thanks for your input

Mike on Piggy XEvo 400

Michellin Gold Star was the tyre of choice for the X9 alas they don't make them any more.

I forget the name but I used a 'sport' tyre on mine that gave a much more positive feel and leaned into the corners a lot sharper.

Michelin Gold Standard were developed specifically for the X8/Xevo, they can still be found on line, I ran mine at 28/32 psi.
This was for the 400cc.
Trouble with them was they went off only half lifed, others found this too.
I managed to squeeze 4000 miles out of the rear before I gratefully part exchanged it for the present bike.
Having had the scoot from new I soon chucked out the o.e. pads and opted for the EBC equivalent, the helped a great deal to the feel of the brakes especially in the wet.
Derek, did you mean Michelin Pilot Sports?
I had them on my Aprilia RST 1000, brilliant tyres but only got 2000 out of a rear!
Doing better with the Bonny/Metzelers, expecting 6000 out of the rear!

I had pirellis on the X9 but have run with Bridgestone Hoops on my old 400 Burgman and present Honda Silver Wing. Usually get about 7.5K miles out of the rear tyre at which point it has to be lifted around corners.

Bath Bonnie wrote:

Derek, did you mean Michelin Pilot Sports?
I had them on my Aprilia RST 1000, brilliant tyres but only got 2000 out of a rear!

Them's the ones.

Bob wrote:

...Usually get about 7.5K miles out of the rear tyre ...

Crikey! Have you already done that on your SWing? Doesn't time pass quickly when you're having fun .....?

No Keith that's an average on the scoots that I've had. I had the Silverwing a year to the day on our last jolly to Alton and I've ridden just over 4000 miles in that year. 14th April 2009 - 14th April 2010

Bath Bonny, I am running Michelin Gold Standards and I would agree they have lost something with a strong tendency to white line Mileage is 2300. I note your running pressures of 28/32 which is a lot lower than the spec in the manual I believe .
I guess when the tyres need to be replaced its a scooter dealer job, not something one can do yourself

How much roughly is a replacement rear going to cost me

They can be changed by the rider. I'm fortunate that my mate Bath Bonnie lives about 12 miles away. A new back tyre is going to cost you around £100 to supply and fit at a garage. If you take the wheel off, buy a tyre from somewhere like www.blackcircles.com or www.tyresalesuk.co.uk and take the new tyre and wheel to your local tyre fitter you will probably save £40.

My X9 500 will need a rear tyre very soon so I will be looking for a way to get that done. I use the MGS tyres but there are not so many for sale now or that is how it seems.

BrianG

mike wrote:

Bath Bonny, I am running Michelin Gold Standards and I would agree they have lost something with a strong tendency to white line Mileage is 2300. I note your running pressures of 28/32 which is a lot lower than the spec in the manual I believe .
I guess when the tyres need to be replaced its a scooter dealer job, not something one can do yourself

I found running the half worns at much more pressure had the scoot squirreling all over Caithness roads, which surprised me as their roads are quit sharp surfaced generally speaking, lots of shell grip in the tarmac mix.
Had a few brown trouser moments over white lines/junction markings too.
Strangely though it got better again after it was near worn out, took it from Bath to Southend then on to Norfolk for its last ride on barely legal tyres for the trade-in iand it was fine!
Why do these manufactures do this, make tyres for a specific bike then discontinue them, Metzeler have done exactly the same thing with the Bonneville/MEz2, they are discontinued as well!

Hello Bath Bonny

This reminds me of my days on a CZ250 running from East Sussex to The Mendips (Priddy) to go potholing. I would take a stack of nicad cells on its carrier for our teams lamps ( 3 of us). Fantastic experience to say the least! Oh it was never dry for long . The Hunters Lodge though was always a warm welcome....if you were not riding of course!!