Flat Motorcycle Tires - Roll Hard!

Motorcycles with flat tires . . . roll hard! If your motorcycle is cruising along at 55 mph and your rear motorcycle tire suddenly deflates [has a blow out!] you now have a tremendously, dangerous challenge ahead of you. Avoiding other vehicles, controlling the steering, a swaying rear-end making everything unstable makes for a sizable victory when you roll off the side of the road and come to a stop. Congratulations, job well done! More riders than not end in an accident or something worse. All because of their motorcycle tires. Who knows your thoughts if it is the front tire to blow? You better be prayed up.

We all want a sharp looking bike. Once you select your make and model, your interest is on chrome, color, accessories, personal appearance, dress etc. but let us not forget about the importance of the rubber motorcycle tires that get us around. Frame, structure and engine all work together and hopefully are worry free for years. Motorcycle tires keep moving and we need to often watch for wear and safety.

There are two critical places that motorcycles need to be checked before each ride or at least once a month. Both are easy to do and both are many times overlooked. One area is brake fluid. If the pedal is mushy, bleed the lines or have someone else do it. Two, motorcycle tires need to be inspected. Why do we forget these?

Our safety depends on it. We trust our life to the two motorcycle tires under us that have at best two patches of rubber in contact with the ground the size of our two hands at any given moment. Move that along at 55 mph or even at 15 mph and each of the motorcycle tires is taking on a serious responsibility. The attention and care we offer towards our motorcycle tires can help us tremendously with our safety and enjoyment of biking.

Here are some areas where things can go wrong with your motorcycle tires:

- Tire Pressure: Under-inflation may cause uneven wear, loss of control [stability], wears the motorcycle tires out faster and increases the chances of the motorcycle tires failure. Over-inflation allows motorcycle tires to heat up, limit traction [although a slight 10% over-inflation may actually increase traction in wet conditions] and affects the wear. To correct these, use a good tire gauge and check the motorcycle tires when it is cool. Keep the motorcycle tires pressure at the recommended PSI.

- Fluids: Brake fluid, gas and lube spills need to be cleaned immediately. It deteriorates the rubber. Many of the cleaner protectants used on motorcycle tires harm the finish rubber. The best way to clean is to use old-fashioned soap and water.

- Bumps: Potholes, curbs and stones may slash or crack the tire. Look for any problem.

- Accelerated wear: Everyday use may be a potential hazard. Spinning motorcycle tires on take off or holding the brake on emergency stops need to be checked.

- Nails, screws etc.: It is better to find them before you ride than to discover these nuisances 20 minutes down the road. Motorcycle tires that use a tube may pop from a nail/screw or sharp object, where a tubeless tire may have the nail/screw actually plug the hole they created which gives you a little more time for repairs.

- Valve stems: Make sure the cap is on. It helps to protect the valve stem from leaking air and protects the stem valve from opening by centrifugal force and leaking air at higher speeds. When you use motorcycle tires with tubes, the valve stem should be straight out. If it is on a slant, the tire has been under-inflated and the tube has moved around the rim. Often this damages the tube and creates a leak.

- Tire weights: Weights need to be firmly fixed to the rim. If they fall off it will throw the tire out of balance and cause uneven wear.

- Rim: Cracked or dented rims are potential problems. You may want to replace wire spoke wheels when they become damaged with a cast or billet wheel that uses tubeless tires. Check with your dealer on this.

- Worn/torn: Thin tread is easier to detect. Flat wear is due to leaning very little and driving mostly in a straight line, resulting in a ridge at the edge of the flattened middle of the tire. This causes motorcycle tires to become unstable in a leaning turn. It wants to warble. The tire may have more wear but it should be replaced. [It is good to replace both front tire and rear tire at the same time.] Sidewall punctures, cracking, cord separation are an alert.

- Tread: Check the grooves called sipes making sure that the tread is still sufficient. The lack of having tread affects the cooling of the tire when in use, wear, stability, traction and can cause hydroplaning on wet roads.

When doing your inspection of motorcycle tires get a friend to roll the bike while you check the tread and sidewalls. You may need to get a work stand if alone. Obstacles to having a good inspection are long pipes, saddlebags, fenders etc. making it hard to see the rear tire. Front motorcycle tires are a bit easier to examine. This sounds like a lot but it goes quickly and is easy to do. Make it a habit to check your motorcycle tires frequently.

Some miscellaneous information you need to know. You will have better handling and get more out your motorcycles tires when you keep the rear tire aligned and balanced. Consider having this looked at approximately every1000 miles. Be careful when you have new motorcycle tires it takes the first couple of rides to get traction working well.

So! Happy riding and remember to check your motorcycle tires often.

Lonny Wolford, website builder, visit http://www.toplinemotorcycles.com

Discount Motorcycle Tires
Discount motorcycle tires are a great buy, but only if you know how to choose the right ones. As motorcycle tires cost a bundle, investing in a pair o...

Tires for Street Motorcycles
Buying tires for street motorcycles is only the beginning of the process of owning a pair of tires. It should always be remembered to buy good tires f...

Motorcycle Tire Care
Your motorcycle tires will last longer if you do weekly or monthly checks of your tires. You need to ensure that the walls of the tires are not cracke...

Things You Need To Know To Get The Most Out Of Your Motorcycle Tires
Every person that drives a car or rides a motorcycle needs to know about tires and how to treat them when you are driving. If you do not know how to p...

Motorcycle Tire Care
It is essential to keep your motorcycle tires in good condition. Proper motorcycle tire care is needed to keep the life span of your tire much longer....

Discount Motorcycle Tires; Can You Take Advantage of Them?
Picture this scene. You are surfing the net, looking for some extra chrome to stick on your pride and joy (thats your motorcycle not your 4 year old d...

Custom Motorcycle Parts
The motorcycle is a two-wheeled vehicle that runs on an engine. It is made up of various components such as a chassis, fuel tanks, suspensions, engine...

Motorcycle Rims, Racing Rims And Wheels
If you are passionate about your motorcycle and you want to make it stand out in a crowd, then one of the best things that you can do is to install a ...

Looking For The Best Motorcycle Festivals and Rallies?
Motorcyclists all over the country enjoy attending festivals, rallies, conventions, expos and other motorcycle events. This article lists some of the...

Motorcycle Hitches
Motorcycle hitches are great for a wide variety of projects. You can tow almost anything behind a motorcycle, as along as it meets the weight require...

Avoiding Excessive or Uneven Front Tire Wear
All rubber tires wear down over time, whether they're on a motorcycle or automobile. However, you want to watch out for uneven or excessive wear, both...

Quality Harley Davidson Parts for One Great Machine
With the company that has built its name to become one of the most respected manufacturers of top quality motorcycles around the world, there is no do...

Aftermarket Motorcycle Parts or OEM Parts?
Contrary to what many believe, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) motorcycle parts are not inherently better than aftermarket motorcycle parts. Li...

Is Your Motorcycle Safe To Ride? How Do You Know?
The importance of a motorcycle safety check-over can never be stressed enough. Not enough riders are aware of how to perform a proper inspection or wh...

Clothing and Accessories for Bike and Motorcycle
While Robert Pirsig's widely popular philosophical tome, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", was more about discovering the quality of life w...

This entry was posted on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 10:56 am and is filed under Motorcycle Articles . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.