Replacement tires

Thanks for trying that out!

How does this wear ratio compare to other bikes and tires?

I thought that when my first lot of tires was almost due for replacement at 5000km (I could have gone another 1000-2000km legally) it was because of my very frequent emergency stopping practice. I replaced them with original tires and was surprised they cost only AU$140.- fitted for the set. They work well for me, but it looks like they will not go much further than the first set, although I do not often brake hard any more. (I should, though, just to be able to do it well when needed!)

Is another brand likely to last longer and still give good grip?

The tyres should be easy to find as most of the maxi scooters have the same sizes eg Silverwing. The standard tyres work very well, you can wear the panels down quite easily........
The rear tyre wears quickly because of the pressure it has to be at. Front tyres should last twice as long.

My rear tyre was replaced at 6000Km and the front at 9700Km.
I still had a couple of mm tread left but the front especially felt a little squirmy due to feathering of the tread at the edges. Both tyres were replaced with Pirellis as I like the grip/wear characteristics of the original tyres.
Hey Mik, you got ripped off! My bike shop charged $95 and $110 for replacement tyres and balancing.
Concidering the lack of wear on the brakes and stuff all else to maintain on the bike, pirellis are a good investment especially as the wetter months of the year are coming up (in Tassie at least)

Hey Mik, you got ripped off! My bike shop charged $95 and $110 for replacement tyres and balancing.

No, I paid AU$140.- in total, for both tires together!

bugger

Spotted Front tyres (or tires) for $20 here: http://www.higginspowersports.com/eshopprod_cat_3012-25255_product_340978.pilot_sport_12070-14.htm
(if you are states side - which I am not :( )

Are tires difficult to replace? Can they be done by a local Yamaha-Honda-.... repairmen? They are experienced as I serviced my R6 with them.

How is the back tire replaced? What's the procedure? Is any proprietary tools required?

The new manual has full instructions on how to remove the wheels from the bike, so at the very least an experienced tyre fitter will be able to do the wheel

How they intend to balance the rear wheel is an interesting question however, as there is no spindle hole... just a whopping great big gap where the hub motor was!

Is this manual online? On the Vectrix' page, the manual I downloaded, doesn't have specifics, only some text.

I found a copy of the latest manual just by googling "vectrix manual"

It is text with a couple of diagrams at the back of the manual, but the instructions are clear. HAvent tried yet but its well within my capability to do it - and my mechanical knowledge stops at basic servicing of cars / motorbikes.

How aggressively do you guys ride your bike? I have 3,700 miles (~6,000km) and still have well over 60% tread on both front and back. At this rate, I'm expecting to get over 7000 miles (~12,000km) on these tires. I'll probably replace them late this year before the rainy season.

--
larry

How they intend to balance the rear wheel is an interesting question however, as there is no spindle hole... just a whopping great big gap where the hub motor was!

Many motorcyclist who change their own tires will tell you that balancing a new tire produces negledgable results. Bike tires come with a balance dot that should be placed at the valve stem point on the wheel.

More important than balancing tires is to mark the position or location of the rotors and other bolted on parts, as changing the orientation could change the built in balance of the entire wheel.

My Vectrix's wheels were balanced at the factory, and I don't know if that was while the rear was on the hub (doubtful) or if the rotors were in place, but when I change them myself, I will mark all parts for position, place the balance dot where it ought to be, and that will be it.

Hi,
here is the missing Link (right mousebutton to save).
The part with change of tires is on Page 40 and 41. But it is only text...

TO REPLACE THE FRONT TIRE....

.Make sure that the scooter is turned “off”.
.Raise the scooter up on its center stand on a
firm, level surface such that the front tire is off
of the ground.
.Remove the front brake caliper.
.Remove the front axle mounting hardware.
.Move the front axle out of the way and pull the
front wheel from the front fork.
.Repair/Replace the tire on the front rim and
.inflate to the proper tire pressure.
.Place the front wheel into position and install
the front axle.
.Install the front brake caliper.
.Check that the front wheel is secure and that
the front brake is functioning by exercising the
front brake lever.
.Retract the center stand to complete
operation.

TO REPLACE THE REAR TIRE....

.Make sure that the scooter is turned “off”.
.Raise the scooter up on its center stand on a
firm, level surface such that the rear tire is off
of the surface.
.Remove the rear brake caliper from the brake
side swingarm.
.Remove nut, fl at washer, and lock washer from
the brake side of the rear axle.
.Remove the four (4) nuts and washers which
fasten the brake side swingarm to motorside
swingarm near the pivot point.
.Move the brakeside swingarm out of the way.
.Remove the six (6) fasteners which secure the
rear rim to the gearbox.
.Slide the rear rim/ fl at tire assembly over the
rear axle and out of the way.
.Repair/ Replace the tire on the rim and infl ate
to the proper tire pressure.
.Slide the repaired/replaced tire/wheel assembly
over the rear axle and secure to the gearbox
with the six (6) fasteners.
.Place the brakeside swingarm back in position
and secure it to the motorside swingarm using
the four (4) nuts and washers.
.Attach the motorside swingarm to the rear
axle using fi rst the fl at washer, then the lock
washer and then the nut.
.Reinstall the rear brake caliper by sliding it
over the brake rotor and then fastening it to
the motorside swingarm.
.Check that the rear wheel is secure and that
the rear brake is functioning by exercising the
rear brake lever.
.Retract the center stand to complete the
operation.

Greetings Mike

Thanx!

I think this is the previous version of the manual, because the latest one, that Vectrix has on their site, is missing detailed information about replacing tires. It only says, that they should be replaced at a Vectrix dealer.
Probably due to balancing equipment required to do the job.

It only says, that they should be replaced at a Vectrix dealer.
Probably due to balancing equipment required to do the job.

Or because they can earn some money that way...

I balanced the rear wheel of the Vectux myself during the early stages of my attempts to reduce the unacceptably loud, and at that stage also uneven whine of the gear box.

All you have to do is put the scooter onto a concrete block, and let the motor spin the rear wheel at various speeds. The handlebars vibrate more or less, depending on the balancing of the rear wheel.

Then I attached pieces of Blu-Tack http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-tack to various places inside the rear rim, until I found the spot where the wobble was reduced the most.

Next, I varied the size of the Blu-Tack blob until I got the best possible wobble reduction.

Then I weighed the piece of Blu-Tack, and replaced it with the usual kind of self-adhesive lead weight of the same mass, in the same spot. Done! And it works fine.

After the tire replacement I did not repeat the procedure.