New Tyres
Many thanks to Ren Withnell for this article on the
dangers of taking new tyres for granted on your motorbike:
"When you have a new tyre fitted onto your motorcycle,
take it easy for the first 50 miles."
This advice is as old as the hills and the source of
myth and legend in motorcycling. But it is worth repeating.
Rubber is sticky stuff. It needs to be to keep you and
your bike sunny side up. Unfortunately for the manufacturers
of tyres sticky rubber sticks to their moulding machines
that make your shiny new tyres. To stop this the manufacturers
have to use slippery stuff in the moulds so they can
get the tyre out of the mould. And this slippery stuff
is all over your shiny new tyre.
So here is Mr Keen, at the tyre shop having a splendid
new piece of rubber fitted to his Kawukihonaha GCYZXRRRRRRR.
He pays his £150 and sets off like a rocket. At the
first bend the new tyre slides gracefully from under
the bike causing many thousands of pounds damage to
the bike and hurting Mr Keen. Mr Keen is not so keen
on this new tyre.
If he had ridden the motorcycle carefully and gently
for the first 50 miles, the slippery compound on the
tyre would have worn away leaving a super sticky piece
of rubber in contact with the road.
One thing that is commonly overlooked when "scrubbing
in" a new tyre is to be careful of the edges. If a new
tyre is ridden for 50 miles on a straight road then
the centre will be clear, but the edges of the tyre
still slippery. And you cannot "carefully" go straight
to the edge of the tyres. Increase the angle the bike
leans through corners gradually.
Have Fun!
About the author: Just another guy trying to get his
voice heard here on the net.
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