Sudden cupping ?

[Bill Reber]

I have a MPV front tire on my 2010Goldwing /champion trike put it on at about 6K miles in 2012 now have over 21k miles on it and had to replace it due to extream cupping after a short ride this weekend. I keep a close watch on tire presure and I do use the front brakes with the back brakes to make smooth stops. well here is the deal it went from a good looking front tire to a "oh my gosh this tire is trash" with in just a couple hundred mile at speed around 75 mph and bursts up to 80 all interstate riding. Has any one had this issue with the MPV running 41 PSI ?

[tfdeputydawg]

I have a BT45 @ 41psi, reverse rotation on my trike. Now at 18K+ on that tire and have noticeable cupping also.
Not down to the wear bars yet so still running it!
21K is fairly good mileage.
I wonder if you just noticed the cupping as it may just have reached the point you could feel the cupping?
I would find it strange if severe cupping were to occur in just a couple hundred miles!

[Bill Reber]

I have a BT45 @ 41psi, reverse rotation on my trike. Now at 18K+ on that tire and have noticeable cupping also.
Not down to the wear bars yet so still running it!
21K is fairly good mileage.
I wonder if you just noticed the cupping as it may just have reached the point you could feel the cupping?
I would find it strange if severe cupping were to occur in just a couple hundred miles!

I agree that is why I posted this question in over 50 years of riding this is a sudden first for me. Oh the tire was not mounted in reverse.And I agree also it was slowly coming but went way out after one more ride via maybe high speeds but only a couple hundred miles from columbia to Greenevile and back. The MPV was put on the bike at about 6k miles thus it had about 14k on that tire give or take a few.
Bill

[SEABILL]

If you haven't made any recent changes to the front suspension, I would look at the head bearings and the wheel bearings. I read somewhere that you should check the torque on the head bearings at about 20K miles.

[mhgoldwing]

My vote goes to wheel or stem head bearings. My stem head bearings were loose (unbeknownst to me) and evidently a large bump "dislocated" bearing and it did not re-seat correctly. Front tire severely cupped with strange tread wear pattern in just a couple hundred miles.

[Old Fard]

+1 on bearings. Conventional wisdom says the cupping is caused by the tire bouncing. I would look for looseness in the front end. I also agree that cupping generally does not happen in a short period of time. Lousy road conditions can aggravate normal tire performance and can raise h3ll with the front forks, bearings and related parts that contribute to the stability of the front wheel. IMHO)
Thinking out loud.

[Bill Reber]

My vote goes to wheel or stem head bearings. My stem head bearings were loose (unbeknownst to me) and evidently a large bump "dislocated" bearing and it did not re-seat correctly. Front tire severely cupped with strange tread wear pattern in just a couple hundred miles.

This sounds just like what I saw. Did have a new tire installed last week but don't think the bearings were checked , I'll get it to the dealer this week before I take off to Punta Gorda Fl this coming Saturday.
Thanks for the replys
Bill

[tfdeputydawg]

The major cause of cupping is underinflation!
Pretty sure that is what caused mine to start!
While wheel and headbearings should be checked, if a bike only has 21K on it, I would not expect either of these to be a cause.

[1800 06 Champion Trike]

It's something else causing the tire to cup.
I have used MPA's mounted in reverse at 41psi on my 06 trike since new.
Right after I bought it, I had the dealer put on a chrome rim and a MPA mounted in reverse at 41 psi.
That tire was still good at 25,000 miles but I put new ones on all 3 wheels(MPA front, Kellys back) due to a long trip we were going on.
I know have almost 20,000 miles on those and they are still like brand new.
Stay with the MPA and mount it in reverse at 41psi as that is not the problem.
Look at the other suggestions posted above.