CE-04 Tire thread: longevity, range, replacements

I think we are due for a CE-04 tire thread! Our German counterparts have one already: https://www.elektroroller-forum.de/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=29654 - so I'll kick this thread off by sharing what I've been able to glean from there.

The stock tires are the Maxxis Supermaxx SC scooter tire: https://www.maxxis.com/us/news/maxx...e-oe-for-bmws-new-electric-scooter-the-ce-04/ - specifically in this tire configuration:

- Front: 120/70 R15 / 56H TL
- Rear: 160/60 R15 / 67H TL

Allegedly the Supermaxx is optimized for low rolling resistance/range efficiency, but I haven't seen any data that supports the statement. The folks on the German forum have reported that the Maxxis tires are lasting 4000km-5500km (2500-3500mi), with the front wearing down first.

Other tire options:

- Mitas Touring Force SC
- Bridgestone SC2
- Pirelli Diablo Rossi Scooter
- Dunlop RoadSmart III
- Dunlop ScootSmart
- Michelin Pilot Road 4 Scooter
- Heidenau K66 - 4-season tires with a funky tread pattern
- Metzeler FeelFree
- Metzeler FeelFree Wintec (WINTER TIRES!)

So far, all the tires I've read reports on (Maxxis, Pirelli, and Michelin) all appear to have about the same amount of wear and efficiency.

After 3000mi (5000km), I'm getting fairly close to the wear bars on the front tires, with plenty of life left on the rear tires.

Measured on either side of the wear bar, I'm currently at ~2mm up front and ~4mm in the back. I'm not sure what the brand-new tread depth is, but I'm guessing 6.5 mm. If that's the case, the tire has another 600 miles left before replacement is due.

I have some gravel riding planned for this summer, so I'm thinking about going with the Heidenau K66 as it seems to have the friendliest wear pattern for that sort of thing.

I recently replaced both tires on my C650 Sport. The originals lasted almost 10,000 miles (16,000 km) of mostly city driving with lots of stopping and accellerating.

triangletom said:

The folks on the German forum have reported that the Maxxis tires are lasting 4000km-5500km (2500-3500mi),

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Yikes, that's a lot of tire changes over the course of owning a CE-04. Although a BMW dealer sales lady told me the bike has a life span of five years and becomes kaput when the traction battery dies, because that battery can't be replaced.

Question: is it easy to remove the front and rear tires from the bike? It's child's play on the C 650 GT, less than five minutes per tire, and that includes finding the right tools.

Although a BMW dealer sales lady told me the bike has a life span of five years and becomes kaput when the traction battery dies, because that battery can't be replaced.

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Say what? So a 5 year old CE 04 just has to be thrown into a landfill? Can anyone else verify this as it seems very unlikely.

SeaE04 said:

Say what? So a 5 year old CE 04 just has to be thrown into a landfill? Can anyone else verify this as it seems very unlikely.

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I would categorize it as pure FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt). Traditional dealers fear electric vehicles because it's new, and they don't understand how to market or maintain them. That is, unless the dealer says the same about all of their motorcycles.

The lithium-ion battery module in the CE-04 is also used in BMW i4/iX cars, where it comes with an 8-year warranty. On the CE-04, the battery comes with a 5-year warranty (these numbers all depend on where you live, mind you). Given the warranty, they definitely have the ability to replace the battery as BMW will not eat the cost of replacing the entire bike. Tesla batteries, using similar chemistry, have been measured to only degrade by 12% after 200,000 miles. Tesla only replaces the batteries under warranty if they degrade by 30% or more.

All said and done, battery replacements in EVs are exceptionally rare: motor replacements appear to be far more common. As best as I can tell, the motor in the CE-04 is conservatively designed and should last just about as long as any other motorcycle or scooter. I suspect most of the CE-04s you see on the road today will still be on the road in 15 years.

Getting the thread back on topic: I'm now at 1.8mm of tread up front and 4mm in the back with 3,546 miles on the odometer.

I estimate that with the tarmac composition in North Carolina, you can make it to 4000 miles in the front and 7500 miles before hitting the wear bar - at least with the stock Maxxis Supermaxx SC tires. I reckon the unusual frontward weight bias and the insane 0-15mph acceleration on the CE-04 play heavily into the wear characteristics.

The Heidenau K66 tires in CE-04 sizes are seemingly impossible to get within the USA at the moment, so I'll be replacing the front tire with a Michelin City Grip 2 next week. This seemingly well-regarded tire does not come in sizes that fit the rear tire of the CE-04.

When the time comes for rear-wheel replacement, I may replace both with either the K66 (gravel-friendly) or Diablo Rossi (road friendly), but order them well in advance of installation.

I got to 5,800 miles on the stock tires before i noticed some turns felling a little sketchy. At 6,100 now and it doesn't feel any more unsafe than 300 miles ago. (shrug) I have front and rear Michelin pilot 4's on order and getting them installed next week. I do sit further back on the hump somewhat unless i have a passenger. Plus I don't always take off like a bat out of hell, so I dont know how much of that contributed to it. Maybe just being a new rider. I cant believe I did so many miles in 10 months.

@Rootctrl - I'm curious, do you even see the wear bars any longer?

Here's what it looks like on the Maxxis Supermaxx:



Once that bar is in contact with the road, the tire is done for and would fail safety inspection. Local requirements generally require a minimum of 1.6mm or 2/32" of tread depth (typically measured toward the inside of the wear bar, I believe), or if the tire has met its manufacturer-defined limit - the wear bar.

Yes, the wear bar is minimal but there.

SeaE04 said:

Say what? So a 5 year old CE 04 just has to be thrown into a landfill? Can anyone else verify this as it seems very unlikely.

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I’m not sure where this 5 year battery hoax started there is no reason for these batteries to fail any sooner than a BMW i3 or thousands of other EV’s which after 10 - 15 years still have good capacity. Unlike an I3 or EV which is charged and used daily, most scooters don’t have that usage cycle.

Lithium batteries also have to be serviceable. Hard to believe if the pack loses one cell BMW is not going to sustain the cost of an entire pack..In addition all lithium batteries have to be Serviable for disposal / recycle reasons so the pack has to open up if needed.

This disposable battery rumor is as far fetched as someone dumping a $15,000 bike should the battery fail.

Mike

After 4400 miles, I replaced the stock Maxxis Supermaxx SC up front today. It had only 1.5mm of tread left (1.6mm is the legal limit here).



I put a Michelin City Grip 2 upfront - which comes with ~5mm of tread and a more aggressive tread pattern. Unfortunately, this tire does not appear to be available in a size appropriate for the CE-04 rear wheel.

SeaE04 said:

Say what? So a 5 year old CE 04 just has to be thrown into a landfill? Can anyone else verify this as it seems very unlikely.

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"Sales lady" is ignorant and an idiot for saying such nonsense. Battery life depends on total cycles, whether or not it's fully charged and/or fully discharged often, and in what state of charge you typically leave the bike sitting. Take care of the battery, don't keep it parked at 100%, don't discharge to near 0% and you'll have many years of good life. I typically leave my bike at about 50%-60% charge. When I know I'll put some distance on it the next day, I'll charge it up right before I leave. I do similar with my Tesla although I have LFP batteries there and have a little more wiggle room with that.

Since winter is coming and/or here, has anyone found suitable winter tires for their CE-04? The USA typically forgoes winter tires, but as someone born in Sweden, I have a difficult time getting past this idea of not putting winter tires on every year.

While I haven't seen winter tires that fit either, the rear tire size seems to be the trickiest to find a fit for here.

https://www.bmw-scooters.com/index.php?threads/ce-04-front-wheel-replacement-procedure.2924/ mentioned one other tire vendor I had not heard of: Anlas

They don't seem to be selling in the US yet, but they do offer a winter tire that fits in both the back and front of the CE 04: https://anlas.com/en/products/winter-grip-2-sc-500-en/

I've got an update for the tyre life forum. When new, my CE 04 came with Maxxis Supermaxx SC tyres. The Maxxis Supermaxx SC front tyre lasted 3500 miles before it was shot, due to wear facets on the flanks (see the following post: https://www.bmw-scooters.com/index.php?threads/front-tyre-life.2594/#post-22994). I had the Maxxis Supermaxx SC tyres replaced with a set of Michelin Pilot Road 4 Scooter tyres of which the front appears to have lasted longer. Although a wear facet has developed on the right, and to a lesser extent, the left flank, it is not as bad as that on the Maxxis Supermaxx SC after 3500 miles. The wear on the right flank is likely greater because I ride (clockwise) around a lot of roundabouts.

The tread depth on the front is 2 to 2.5 mm at the centre and about 1.5 mm in the facet region. The front tyre is going to be replaced tomorrow although I have probably jumped a little early out of caution. It wouldn't be a great day out to lose the front end on a wet, busy roundabout and we are getting a lot of rain here in the UK nowadays. The rear tyre is a bit squared-off but has just over 3 mm of tread in the centre so I'll leave that for a bit. Currently, the steering feels a bit heavy in the corners, probably due to the flanks on the front tyre. It'll be interesting to see how the new front and the old rear work together.

Here are some pictures of the front Pilot Road 4 after 4000 miles.

Good technical discussion here about our CE-04's battery chemistry and do's and don's to help maximize battery longevity...

Update: the stock Maxxis Supermaxx SC rear tire still has 2mm of wear at the center wear bars, with 5877mi/9458km on the odometer.

I am planning to replace the rear tire when I take the bike in for the 10,000km maintenance. I've been waiting for Heidenau K66's to show up, but they haven't been in stock in the USA for the last 5 months, so I've given up hope at this point. I'm still on the backorder for them, but chances are ll will put another Supermaxx SC on the rear.

I'm still happy with the City Grip 2 up front - they are the only M&S rated tire I've found in the US that fits the CE-04, even if it's for the front only.

triangletom said:

Update: the stock Maxxis Supermaxx SC rear tire still has 2mm of wear at the center wear bars, with 5877mi/9458km on the odometer.

I am planning to replace the rear tire when I take the bike in for the 10,000km maintenance. I've been waiting for Heidenau K66's to show up, but they haven't been in stock in the USA for the last 5 months, so I've given up hope at this point. I'm still on the backorder for them, but chances are ll will put another Supermaxx SC on the rear.

I'm still happy with the City Grip 2 up front - they are the only M&S rated tire I've found in the US that fits the CE-04, even if it's for the front only.

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Hello are you able to order your Maxxis in the US? I order one in Spain (InnTrade) because I couldn't find it here in Montreal, I've check the web for US availability but I could not find anything, The tire is cheap 133.00 CAD it's the shipping 89.00$ who is expensive.
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