Safe Motorcycle Tires |
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File under Safety Tips/How To
Author: Mike Werner
Location: Normandy, France
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Well, I live and learn. Here's something, despite many years riding a motorcycle, I didn't know. According to UK organization TyreSafe  , if you ride a long distance on a motorway, when you switch to twisting country lanes, you could be in danger.
A phenomenon called "square-off" causes your motorcycle tires on a long and fast journey, to have the tire's sidewall and thread to meet up. This square-off will give you a feeling of loss of grip if you have switched to twisting country lanes.
If on the other hand, you ride the motorcycle frequently on twisting roads, the squaring-off doesn't occur, and your tire life is extended. According to the site, a lot depends on the material used, compounds and tire profile. The more profile the tire has when you bought it, the quicker the squaring-off occurs. Tire pressure obviously plays an important role as well.
There's not much you can do about it. If you are planning a long journey via motorway, followed by a biker paradise road, be advised that your tires may have suffered squaring-off!
And here I was thinking that it was safer taking a boring motorway to my destination, and then safely switch to the twisties.....
Click here to read an excellent PDF Acrobat file on motorcycle tires .
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