How to Care For Tires

Selecting tires requires considering what kind of bike you own and the type of riding you do most often. But - with some exceptions for racing tires - caring for them properly means following some practices regardless of type.

Just as with new car tires, motorcycle tires require a break-in period in order to perform optimally over their lifetime. For the first 100 miles, riders should defer the thrill of sudden accelerations, hard cornering and sharp breaking.

All those cause wear spots in a new tire that are not distributed evenly over the entire surface. That leads to imbalance, lower tire life and differing profiles on front and rear.

Tires, mounted on the bike or not, should be kept as much as possible out of direct sunlight. UV radiation in sunlight causes chemical changes to the tire compounds that weaken bonds, dry out the tire and make it brittle before its time.

And UV isn't the only thing in the environment that can erode tires. Ozone, an oxygen molecule with an extra oxygen atom attached, is very reactive. While it helps to filter excessive UV from reaching the Earth's surface, at ground level it can react with compounds in the tire, causing unwanted changes.

It's produced not only by sunlight reacting with molecules in the atmosphere, but also by ordinary electric motors. You can't do anything about the former, but keeping tires away from the latter like large generators or air conditioning units, for example, will extend your tire life.

Unlike car tires which are intended to be rotated, front and rear motorcycle tires have different design profiles. A front tire should never be mounted on the rear and vice-versa. Also, they should generally be replaced close in time to one another. A worn front tire with a new rear tire decreases stability.

Like car tires, however, mixing radials with bias or belted bias tires is not a good idea. The different types produce different handling characteristics. Mixing them creates lower stability, decreased cornering ability and a rougher ride.

Before selecting new tires, consult the dealer and discuss the specific configuration of your bike. Not just the overall type, but the presence or absence of loaded saddlebags and other heavy accessories can make a difference to your performance. Obviously, adding a sidecar will make a radical difference in the riding profile. Expect to change the main tires.

Some changes occur in tires no matter how you care for them. Outgassing will eventually make tires brittle even if they're not used. But you can minimize this, and other, age-related degrading effects by some simple maintenance.

Use a mild soap solution to keep tires clean and then rinse with plain water. Be especially diligent about that after a long road trip, or when riding through new roads. Oil and gasoline can degrade the compounds used to make tires. They should be removed as soon as possible.

Remove gravel and any other embedded material frequently. Keeping the treads free to move as they were designed to will maximize grip, stability and extend the life of the tire. Most tires manufactured today will endure nails pretty well. But they should be removed as soon as you are someplace where any needed repair or replacement can be carried out.

Proper selection and minor, periodic maintenance will optimize your ride and maximize the life of your tires. And with the cost of tires, who doesn't want that?