Modern Vespa

... picture says it all. what the hell...? doesn't look safe to ride, I can see the light gray woven stuff in a small spot. what can cause this? pressure is good.

Yeah that tire has been toast for awhile. Definitely not safe to ride on. What make of tire is it?

it's bizarre. i started noticing unusual wear about a thousand miles ago, checked stuff - and thought i'd take care of it at the 6k miles services... clearly not possible now, the deterioration has been brutal. i'll check on the brand later. now looking for a shop that changes rear ties (and carries the size) for an MP3 500 in my area.

Looks like a Michelin City Grip. They're normally a long-wearing tire. But conditions vary.

I see the problem here. OP is not leaning the bike over far&long enough. Those edges and sidewalls look untouched. Maybe the bike needs a new rider like Aleix Espargaro???

pressure to low

Maybe it's just the way the pic was taken, but that tire looks like it is off centre and skewed slightly to the right.

There also seems to be more wear on the left than the right side of the tire.

Perhaps a rider posture issue, dragging brakes, hub bearing issue or ????

What is certain is that something changed in the last 1000 miles.

if it cruise miles its fast wear. if its lots of stop and go WOT from, low end its normal. concrete also wears tires much faster than asphalt . my friend just wore exact tire out on his beo 500. he got over 9500 miles. it still looks better than yours. I would say you got gipped on that one.

Used up. Time for another one.

I only got about 5000 out of the CG on my 400. Guess it all depends on how and where you ride.

I rarely got more than 4000 on mine back in the day. Loads of WOT though, and the odd track day!

there is a solution but alot of folks will balk and cry and say it can't be done or it unsafe and and and and and and.................................


go to the dark side

especially since you don't use the edges of the tire.

Probably a defective tire is the verdict. Found a shop near me willing to take on a tire change, and perhaps even service the bike once the warranty runs out (which is pretty soon actually).

I have cooked tires sometimes in 2k miles on a sportsbike, and of course you can destroy tires in just one track day. I did assume I could expect at least one service interval with something as lowly tuned as a scooter... :0) The tire looked overused at only 2k miles, which is pretty ridiculous and makes me assume maybe there was an alignment issue or something... didn't quite think that could happen on a motorcycle, or that you'd easily notice

PS: The bike does get leaned over and it's obvious from the tire wear, too. But pardon me for not testing extreme grip levels when I am out wearing bermudas, a tee and a beanie, which is my suburban summer scooter attire - I am sure you all do

Hi PabloLie Which shop? I'm in the same area and currently have to go to San Francisco to get the rear-tire changed. Spirit Motorcycle in San Jose was only willing to-do the front two tires as those are easy to remove, they refused to touch the rear tire.

I was in fact about to message you, fellow MP3 south bay compadre 😝

it's RMC Moto Repair in Santa Clara. Rick there says he has serviced MP3s before, knew about the front bearing greasing etc.

I'll let u know my experience!

PS: no way I was going to ride up to San Francisco on that tire! and it's nearly $200 to have the bike picked up by a professional transport which seems excessive for a rear tire... 😝

Another way to deal with this is to remove the rear wheel yourself, buy a new tire ahead of time and bring both to any bikeshop.

It's a easy job and only takes 10 minutes for the shop to swap the rubber. I use my local Yamaha dealer and they only charged 10Euro, no appointment needed.

And unlike Piaggio, their customer service is so nice without the snobby attitude of Piaggio, BMW and some other marques that they are far more likely to get my business when I buy my next bike. I really like the T-Max 560 but will probably get the Niken GT, although Honda's DCT transmission really has me hooked.

I will never be a slave to the dealer, and probably a major reason why I hate Piaggio dealership. And I am sure the feeling is mutual since they can't milk the cow with this guy. I figure if you treat your customers this poorly, I can only imagine you service the bikes just as bad if not more so.

I have no doubt I "could", but I am more of a software guy. I did install an after-market exhaust on my MP3, and the guy at the shop today quickly stated "you know you have an exhaust leak, right?", which tells you why I'd rather not mess with key structural aspects of bikes... Maybe the day I retire I'll take some class.

Honda DCT is indeed awesome - recently I traded bikes with a friend on local twisty roads (not the MP3, my other bike though), and the NC750X is pretty darn nice indeed and quite practical, albeit not as practical as the MP3 500.

I predict Piaggio will abandon the US market other than with the Vespa line, so establishing a good relationship with a good local shot is key. Happened to me still living in Europe when Laverda went bust the hard way, and it was only local shops with passion for motorcycles that kept us going for years.

Is there such a thing as a 12 inch car tire?

I suppose you could use a trailer tire but in my experience they are not the best quality.

yes there is, in fact about 4 or 5 of us had them on in this years cannonball. they performed very very well. still don't show much wear at all on the rear of my GTS.

but the op has a MP3 500 which has the 14" rear tire and that too has been done. Stickyfrog has had one on his 500 for a couple years now and is still going strong.

this is the 12" most of us used in the SCBR that darksided https://www.cokertire.com/tires/brands/michelin-mx-145r12-tire.html

And here are all the reasons why darksiding is a bad idea.

Novel idea, but penny wise and pound foolish.

Your life, your choice.

yup seen that video 3,4,5,6 times.

end of video has 2 reasons NOT to : installation hassles and what he calls handling is shit.

installation was not as bad as he described.

handling is different but not total shit.

based on the op running flat center wear and having large chicken strips he would benefit.

Car tires have been installed on motorcycles way before you were born.

find me a person whom after riding with a CT installed had a major issue. Cant seem to find any myself.

The bead issue and harder durometer are my 2 main reasons why I won't go to the dark side.

A motorcycle tire is made for motorcycles and a car tire is made for cars. Dogs and cats don't sleep together.

Here in Europe, they are extremely stringent when it comes to stuff like this. In other words, they refer to what the manufacturer specifies. That means you cannot stray on size, type or even outside the brand the manufacturer has tested and/or approved. Should you be involved in a accident, even if it wasn't your fault but it is determined you are not running the correct equipment then the liability gets put on you.

Besides, if manufacturers could save several bucks on each bike it pushes out the factory they would have done so decades ago.

And here is a guy who went to the dark side and switched back.



Last edited by sbaert on Thu, 19 Aug 2021 14:40:42 +0000; edited 4 times

I ran a car tire on my mp3 250 and have been running them on my mp3 500 for years. Not a single problem other than a slight rubbing on the right shock of my 500 on my most recent installation. It is a little harder to seat on the 500 but it is doable. Seating is much easier on a 12 inch rim. The difference in bead profile has never been an issue and I've pushed my bike pretty hard at times.

You are correct. The optimum performance for a motorcycle is on motorcycle tires. No dealer would want to sell a bike with a car tire because there is a slight difference in handling but once you get the air pressure dialed in and get the feel for it, performance is not effected much for most riding situations. I once did the Tail of the Dragon on a car tire and I never felt I needed to do anything different than running with a motorcycle tire other than a bit more counter steer pressure.

Would I recommend a car tire for track day or racing? No. Would I recommend a car tire if the bulk of your riding is commuting, touring or riding in the cannonball. Yes. Especially the cannonball unless you just like changing the rear tire on the road often.

As far as the video goes his experience is very similar to mine minus the underside rubbing. Have not had that issue.

Don't forget that many US riders who use car tyres live in areas with long stretches of dead-straight roads. For 100's of miles in some cases. If you hardly ever have to keep up speed in a tight curve then a car tyre could be the 'right' answer.

Perhaps so, but the only thing between you and road is a tiny patch of rubber. It's just not an area where I am ever going to skimp on. I guess it just boils down to economics

Just the same as with helmets. I use a 1500 dollar helmet because I know it will give me a far better chance than a 200 dollar Chinese bucket. And besides, there ain't no spare sparts for the old noggin.

Ditto on clothing. Wearing shorts and a tee is about as useful as putting on a condom after sex. I've seen riders getting their feet and ankles mangled requiring major surgery from incidents at less than 25mph. Just not a smart idea.

I'm left wondering if you have any actual, personal experience with Darkside tires.
Reason I ask is, your opinion is worthwhile if you do.
Do you know anyone personally, like that you ride with, that has darksided, and shared their experiences with you?
Otherwise your opinion is just an extension of other peoples' opinions (and some actual experiences). But when they are based on people you don't know, well they are worth exactly what I am paying for them. And all the analogies and parallels in the world won't change that. Or to put it your way, your opinion is about as useful as closing the barn door after the horses got out.

I have never darksided myself, in part because I do all my own work, and I work cheap (for some...).

So, since my Can Am Spyder is considered a motorcycle (I need a class M to drive it, after all), what motorcycle tire would you recommend?

A Can Am is not a motorcycle. You can't lean it, you can't back it in. It is a trike at best, or a quad with a wheel missing at worst.

And yes, I have tried darksiding (not on the MP3) on motorcycles. And yes, as long as the road is smooth and straight all seems well.

BUT, as soon as you go just slightly off the pavement the dark side really shows its ugly side by traintracking and weaving

*Just walks away*

Definitely not my experience. Like I said I've ridden on the Tail of the Dragon and many other twisty roads in TN, NC and Georgia. I currently live in Nashville, IN which is in Brown County and has numerous twisty roads similar to more mountainous terrain and zero problems. In fact, there are a few (like highway 45 between Bloomington and Bean Blossom, that will make a man out of you.

The roads here range from smooth, to bumpy with road snakes and some dirt. I have never felt any of the "ugly side" you describe.


Brown County

Brown County

Thx for the suggestion, but car tires on a motorcycle isn't for me.

I got a Mich City Grip installed and shall pick up the MP3 later today. Glad I found a local shop that does it, and it's actually a 30min walking distance from my place! We are desperately short of shops willing to take on MP3s here in Silicon Valley (thanks Piaggio!), so it's awesome to find an independent shop willing to take on the idiosyncrasies of the MP3.

And I shall show a pic of the tire in a month so you posers can see if you match the edge wear in your every day riding...

In before the lock.

totally not true

we had a cat that had kittens and a dog that had pups with in a month of each other. both mothers would take their litter to the other to watch them while they went out side or what ever. they slept together alot.

... what a difference 2 days make.. Mich CG2, let's see how long they last.

The tread looks deeper on the CG2. Anyone else think so or is it just the lighting in the picture?

I think it is the camera playing tricks on our eyes. From the pic, the new tire looks skinnier than the first pic OP posted despite both being the same size.

Bin there only sticky did have to work

sbaert how many Van or mini tyre's did you fit ?

Try fitting stock tyres on a sprinter Van 205/65/ 16 on a 7 J rim its much harder then a 165 55 14 on a mp3 rim

Also bigger mini tyres 12" 165 12" or bigger :+

its Compleet BS that it won't work most riders don't use the whole tyre see the pic above
1 its a Scooter not a ninja bellypan
2 a mp3 can't lean more the 45 degrees
3 if you do so the centrestand will scrape or exhaust
4 a darkside is less scary then a hedenau K66 on a mp3 unless you drive like above (most drivers )

What's wrong with Heidenau K66?

I tried 2 tires during my shortlived darksiding experiment days. One was a Yokohama, and the other a Kumho.

I did not fit the tire to the rim as I do not have mounting equipment.

All I did was remove and reinstall the wheel from the bike and take it to the tire shop. Then drove the bike. Gave each tire about 4-5 weeks but ultimately went back to a MC tire.

Anyway, tried but it is not my bag. Sorry if that doesn't jive with the darkside fanboys but that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

I do have 2 sets of Metzelers sitting in the basement which I am looking forward to test on the MP3 in the nearby future.

Question: If darksiding is the cool mod to do, why has nobody ever done it to a front tire? Yes, it's a trick question.

what m/c or scooter did you try dark siding on?

and yes there has been many whom dark sided the fronts as well.