Stopped at Blackman's Cycle in Emmaus Pa today to see what they thought. The parts guy looked at it and first question was air pressure. He didn't like the way it looked and suggested I talk to service.
The service guy guy looked at it, asked about air pressure ( always checked and kept at factory recommended pressure ) then asked how many miles. I said it had about 3500 on it.
When I asked what might have caused that ( inferring to a possible mechanical problem ) he said "it's those crappy bridgestones"
I found a lot of reviews where people were complaining about low mileage with the front tires with these Bridgestone BT-021's.
I asked about putting a BT023 on the front and he said that would be fine. ( I hope they figured out what the problem was that makes the 021 tire "pyramid" and wear funny. I'd hate to have the exact problem on the new 023 )
$116 for the tire ( should be in Wednesday ) and $24 to mount it ( dropped off ).
Thanks for all the help and comments, it's greatly appreciated.
Jeff