When should you Replace a Tire on your Motorcycle
Motorcycle tires are an extremely important component to the vehicle. The tires are the only contact with the pavement when you are riding down the road. The actual footprint or patch of rubber that touches the pavement is extremely small.
Depending on your riding habits, how often you ride, or the kinds of roads you travel, the time to replace them can vary widely. While it may go against common sense, you can't always rely on an owners manual or even the specifications listed for the tire itself. The numbers exist in a perfect world. People's riding habits change everything.
With most tires, there is a natural strip that actually touches the road. This is what you really need to pay attention to. As the tread pattern wears down in this spot so does the performance of the motorcycle and your safety.
Many riders will wait until it is actually bald in this spot before they change the tire. All this does is increase the danger of riding. You have taken away all the traction control (as well as take off acceleration).
Remember, you are riding a vehicle with two wheels. You have to maintain complete balance on the entire motorcycle when you ride. If you have waited until the tire is bald, or there is a lack of tread, you have waited too long.
Why is this such a big deal? As stated earlier, the tires are the only contact with the road (hopefully). The tread patterns on a tire aren't just for cosmetic reasons. They totally serve a purpose. They give you the optimum amount of contact with the pavement while pushing away water and other materials. They also stop you from sliding every time you hit the brake. Another good thing about tread on your tires is the whole keeping the bike upright in a turn. You need that rubber to grip the road, all types of roads, in order to ride safely.
There are several types of tools on the market that will measure the depth of the tread left on your tire. You can always use the age old penny trick. Turn Abe's head upside down and check the tread depth.
For the most part, if you are unsure, buy a new tire. Other than safety, it will make the ride all the more pleasant. The tread patterns aren't random. As they get worn down by normal wear and tear (or that sometimes crazy riding) they will not function the way that they were intended.
If you have that ribbon of flat rubber down the center of the tire and tread on each side, you have waited too long. Get a new tire as soon as you can. Your life, literally, can depend on it.
No one should have to tell you when to get a new tire. Common sense should really dictate it. If you think you need a new one, get it. It is always better to err on the side of caution. When you go to stop and the back wheel locks up so that you end up in the trunk of the car stopped in front of you, you will with you would have gotten that tire.
