Did you know that if Motorcycles Tires are not regularly checked as well as their air pressure the motorcycle performance can be compromised and could put someone’s life at serious risk as well? AMERiders wants to give you a few Motorcycle Tires Important Do’s and Don’ts to keep you safe.
We checked all over the net to find information for this article digging through, specifications for bike wheels, tires, and tubes that are sold here in the U.S, and other articles for you. Plus we asked friends of ours for some information that work at different bike shops on their take about do’s and don’ts of bikes as well.
Tire Dos
Before you ride your bike you should check your entire motorcycle over every single time. “That doesn’t always happen in the real world,” said one person “But it should. It’s a bit like being an air pilot carrying out a pre-flight inspection. You should examine your bike from front to end and pay particular attention to your Motorcycle Tires. With a motorcycle, you only have two wheels on the ground and you should take the time to inspect your tires as often as you can.”
Even if you are a long-time experienced rider, here are some basic things you should do to keep you and your bike safe out on the road that is recommended.
Firstly, buy an electronic tire pressure gauge from any good automotive store. They are not expensive and start from as little as around $10. An analog gauge is good too, but the electronic ones are a little more accurate and easier to use.
Before you ride anywhere you should always check your motorcycle tires pressures – both front and rear. Get down and look at them and see if there is any unusual wear, bulges in the sidewall or anything sticking into them. If you do find something wrong you should take a photograph and e-mail or text it to your tire dealer or even the tire manufacturer’s customer service department, who will tell you whether they think it’s safe for you to ride.
Also, something that is recommended is that you read your owner’s manual that came with your bike to see what the recommended Motorcycle Tires pressures should be. This is one thing most mechanics told us. But if you don’t have a manual you can sometimes find it marked on the sticker on a bike’s swing arm. Failing that, call the manufacturer and get the correct figures.
Some people like to ride their bikes with reduced psi (pounds per square inch) as it offers a softer ride. But don’t do that. The load-bearing capacity of a motorcycle is not in the actual tires but the air inside them. In effect, you are compromising your tires, the way your bike handles and possibly your safety.
The best way to achieve the ride you want is to adjust the suspension. Not all bikes have a sophisticated suspension system but most will allow you to make some adjustments. It’s a much better and safer option than playing around with your tire pressures.
It is also advised that riders should run their motorcycle tires pressures between one and two psi above the manufacturer’s recommendation. That way you take into account any changes in weather (heat and cold can affect pressures). But also if you are only going to do the bare minimum and check them just once a month, it will compensate for that too, as on average tires will lose one psi every four weeks under normal riding conditions.
Once you have checked both tires are in good condition with no serious wear or damage, you should then do the pressure check. This should always be done when the tires are cold. If you have been out riding let the bike stand for an hour and let the tires cool off.
“Move your bike each time you take each pressure reading so the tire valve stem is directly at the bottom of the wheel. Press the gauge as firmly as you can into the stem to make sure you get a good seal.
If you need to increase the pressures use a regular air pump. Ideally, you should be putting in dry air or even nitrogen but that can be an expensive option. As long as the ambient air is dry that should be perfectly fine.
On average, a sports motorcycle’s front tire can last 3,700 miles and 1,800 miles for a rear before both need to be changed. This is if both tires are well maintained and are regularly checked. However, by running two or even three psi less than the recommended pressures you can actually cut the life of a tire by as much as half.
It may not seem a lot but let’s say you rode with 27 psi in your rear tire rather than the recommended 32psi for an average sports bike. Then you will be lucky to get as many as 1000 miles out of the tire. You’re reducing its durability by almost half. Not only that, by running deflated tires you are altering the way your bike handles and performs and ultimately could be putting yourself in real danger.
If you are checking your Motorcycle Tires and you are unlucky enough to find a nail or a piece of debris stuck in it you should not attempt to ride the bike. Instead, you need to find a way to get your bike taken to the nearest motorcycle tire dealer either on a trailer or in the back of a truck.
If there’s a nail in the tire do not under any circumstances use a rope plug to repair it. There is an option for patch and plug that looks a bit like a mushroom. An expert should fit it, as it fits inside and creates a seal around the material of the tire. In all honesty, the best thing to do is replace the tire if it has been damaged in any way. It’s not worth the risk.
If you do opt to use a patch plug to repair your tire remember you lose whatever speed rating the tire had before it was damaged. With a repaired tire your maximum speed is reduced to no more than 85mph. You also should not under any circumstances take a passenger on a bike with a patched tire.
Tire Don’ts
Never ever consider using a car tire to replace a motorcycle tire on your bike. Known as ‘Riding On The Dark Side’, some bike owners have done this as they think they will get better durability out of a car tire rather than a motorcycle tire.
A Bridgestone car tire and a Bridgestone motorcycle tire are completely different and have been designed for entirely different purposes. For a start, there are different compounds in both and different traction properties.
The contact patch on a motorcycle tire is much larger than a car’s. In wet weather with a car tire on your bike, you will have less water dissipation and the bike could be fundamentally dangerous. “Just don’t do it,’” we were told by many mechanics.
If you also like to attend track days with your motorcycles, pay extra special attention to your tires. Check with the manufacturer before you go and seek advice from other riders at the circuit as to the best Motorcycle Tires and set-up and ask them what they suggest.
“You may also be at a track that has a lot of right hand corners. Consequently, you may start to notice a lot of wear on the right side of the rear tire and not the left.
“Some people have been known to take the tire off and flip it around. Don’t do it. That is potentially very, very dangerous. Motorcycle tires are unidirectional – marked by those arrows you see on the sidewall and are designed to rotate in just one direction. You potentially could have a very big accident as the tire’s material will start to peel and then the will tread come off.”
It’s worth remembering that your Motorcycle Tires are the two things that separate you and your motorcycle from the road. Check pressure frequently and keep an eye on them for wear and tear. It could save your life.
~And as always…
~Live Free Ride Hard~
~AMERiders
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