I enjoy shopping for new motorcycle tires. It usually means I’ve been doing a lot or riding and that’s always a great thing.
But if you’re here you probably don’t want to hear about my riding fantasies and are more interested in knowing what to look for when buying a new set of tires for your motorcycle.
As usual, these tips will be geared more towards the sportbike/ naked bike crowd, but our cruiser friends should still be able to gain some knowledge from this.
Lets start with the obvious:
- Don’t wait until the last minute. Seriously, if I see you riding and I can see the cord in your tire because it’s so worn down, I’m going to judge you harshly. At least start shopping around when you think they might be getting bad.
- If the tire is getting flat-shaped in the middle (but at the correct PSI), it’s time for a new set. Maybe you do a lot of wheelies or ride on the highway a lot. But as that motorcycle tire starts to flatten in the middle, the wear pattern is telling you it’s time for a replacement.
- You have a slow leak but you fill it up every time you ride, replace it. I’ve done this before when I was a new rider because I didn’t know any better. You’re putting yourself at risk by doing this. Just replace it.
Shopping for tires? Here’s some questions to ask yourself.
- What kind of riding are you doing?
- If you’re commuting you probably want something with a lot of life that can handle different weather conditions. You’ll be looking more for a harder tire that’s not as focused on performance.
- If you’re doing track days, or like to do some canyon carving, then you’re going to want a stickier tire. You won’t get as much life out of them but the performance aspect of them is night and day.
- They do make tires that are in the middle of both, that way you can get the best of both worlds.
How to get your new tires installed.
Alright so you have some fresh treads and you want to get them on as soon as possible. Unfortunately, unless you have a tire change machine you’re not going to be able to do this yourself.
You’ll have to make an appointment with a motorcycle mechanic or dealership to have them install the tires. To save some money, you can take the wheels off of your bike and just bring the wheels in with the new tires. I’ve seen this more often than not, where the mechanic/dealership will charge more money to have to take the wheels off for you before they install the tires. Just take the wheels off yourself and save some money.
Break your tires in.
New motorcycle tires have a slight coating on them when they’re fresh from the factory. It’s a bit slick and takes around 150 miles before they’re broken in. Be wary about wacking the throttle in corners or riding in the rain before they’re broken in.