About Motorcycle Tires

Ever stop to consider the fact that when you ride a motorcycle, all that’s keeping you from the pavement is a thin sheet of rubber surrounding a cloud of pressurized air? It’s a strange way to think about tires, but it helps to illustrate the fact that motorcycle tires are a feat of modern engineering. More importantly, it helps to show that there is a narrow line between safe riding and a potentially violent accident./p>

This short article will help to teach you the important facts about motorcycle tires, while also giving you information on when they need to be replaced. If you suspect your tires are getting worn out or have a problem, stop by Cool Springs Powersports. We’re located in Nashville, Tennessee, and we work on motorcycles from a variety of different manufacturers.

Anatomy of a Motorcycle Tire

Motorcycle tires are a feat of engineering, but how do they actually work? Tires are generally described by four different parts:

• Sidewall
• Tread
• Bead
• Radial

Each of these parts has a vital role in keeping your bike rolling. The sidewall is, as it sounds, the wall on the side of the tire, and it’s also the main part you can see. When uninflated, a the sidewall on a tire will be pliable. When inflated, the sidewall gains enough rigidity to support the entire weight of the bike, cargo, and rider. The tread is the strip of rubber that actually touches the ground. Treads are widely varied in their shape and are designed to provide specific benefits, such as increased traction or durability. The bead is a ring of metal and rubber that holds the tire to the rim and creates a seal that keeps the air inside. Finally, the radial refers to steel wires that run through the rubber of a tire to give it better strength and rigidity.

Different Tires for Different Bikes

Motorcycle tires come in all shapes and sizes, and the differences mostly relate to the design of the bike and the type of riding they’re meant for. Drag racing bikes feature wide rear tires with totally smooth tread. These are known as “slicks” and they’re used to gain maximum surface contact with the road, thus providing maximum traction. Dirt bike tires are quite knobby because each knob helps to dig into the dirt, mud, or gravel and provide more traction. Touring motorcycle tires may have a mild tread with a design meant to wick water away from the tread. They’re also generally made from a harder rubber to provide increased durability.

Knowing When to Replace Your Motorcycle Tires

Motorcycle owners should be aware that motorcycle tires last for a significantly shorter amount of time than car tires. If you’re used to driving a car, you probably know that a car tire may last several years before needing to be replaced. A motorcycle tire, on the other hand, will only last about 10,000 to 15,000 miles. That’s about a year of daily commuting.

There’s no guarantee your tires will make it past the 10,000 mile mark, though. That’s why it’s important to perform regular inspections. Look for any signs of foreign objects stuck in the tread, bumps or cracks along the sidewall, and bald patches. Check the air pressure regularly so you can start to see any patterns. If you notice your tire is having trouble maintaining pressure like it used to, there’s probably a small leak.

Another way to check if your tires are ready to be replaced is to look at the wear bars. Many types of motorcycle have a special feature known as a wear bar that is designed to signal you when the tire needs to be replaced. The wear bar is a piece of rubber that bisects a groove in the normal tire tread. When the tire is in good shape, you won’t be able to see the wear bar. When it’s worn out, the wear bar will form a complete bridge across the groove.

Hopefully this article gave you some good tips for knowing when to replace your tires. If your wear bars are showing, or if you have any other problem with your tires, stop by Cool Springs Powersports. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, we proudly serve Clarksville, Murfreesboro, Dickson, and Hendersonville, Tennessee, as well as Huntsville, Alabama.