How to Recognize when it is Time to Change a Motorcycles Tires
As everyone knows, most motorcycles have 2 wheels. This means 2 tires. That is half the rubber to road contact that you would have in a car. Since a lot of your safety and all of your traction depends on the rubber that is touching the pavement, knowing when you need to replace the tires on a motorcycle is very, very important.
No matter what the diameter of the tire, there is only a small patch of rubber that ever actually touches the pavement. If you have a wider tire, you will have a larger area of contact but these are almost always found only on the rear tire.
If for whatever reason, your tires are not up to par, you are quite literally putting your life in danger. Unlike a car, you don’t have extra tires that can take up the slack of a single tire that is bad. What are some of the danger signs that it is time to get new rubber?
The first one is often overlooked. If you live in an area that has cold winters, you may not ride during the cold months. Even if you do all the proper precautions for storing your bike, dry rot can happen. This is the disintegration of the rubber that the tire is made of. The tell tale sign of this is small cracks on the tire. They may be in the tread pattern but the usual place to find them is on the side wall. If you inspect the tire and see small cracks forming, it is time to get new tires. The cracks show that the rubber is breaking down. You could have a flat tire (which is still dangerous) or a catastrophic blow out at speed. The tire may last all season or just one ride. It is better to be safe than sorry. Replace the tires.
Another sign is obvious damage. If there is any kind of a cut on the side wall or an object embedded in the tread pattern (like a screw or anything else), the tire is done. The object may plug the hole so that you don’t lose air but that can change at any time. A flat tire while you are riding a motorcycle can be deadly.
Just like a car, normal riding will wear down the rubber on a tire. Look at the tire and use common sense. If the tread is not as thick as it should be, replace the tire.
Motorcycle riding produces a very particular type of wear that you won’t find on many vehicles. It is called a “chicken strip”. It gets the name because the rider is a “chicken” and only rides safely. That is, they don’t lean the the bike over excessively when they are taking curves. This leads to the tread being fine on the edges of the tire but having a bald stripe down the center. This bald spot will stop you from having traction on the pavement. It will increase stopping distance and various other issues.
Tires with no tread (slicks) have there place. It is on a race track, especially a drag strip. The streets and highways are not the place for them.
This is just a few of the ways to tell you need new tires. Any one of them is reason enough. If your tires show one or more, your motorcycle is a potential death trap. It is easy enough to get injured or killed on a perfectly running motorcycle in pristine condition. Taking your ability to have traction on the road is not just a bad idea, it is stupid.
Check your tires before every ride. Almost more than any other thing, your life really may depend on the state of your tires.
