Maintaining and Taking Care of Tires
After you have selected and bought new tires for your motorcycle the most important: maintaining and taking care of your new tires. Here is what you need to keep in mind. Check tires pressure every now an then. There is probably no simpler procedure which is more important and mostly ignored by motorcyclists.Check the position of your tires, for a proper alignment ensures better handling and longer wear. The valve stem cap should be securely fastened on the stem; it'll give you extra security at high speed and is an important part of your tire's sealing system.
If you want to keep the rubber shiny, then the only thing to use is good old soap and water. Before you get astride your two-wheeler, inspect the tires; this way you might prevent tire failure and even save yourself a trip to the hospital. Avoid potholes and sharp objects on the road, because they ruin your tires. Never run two tires of differing tires; the results can be disastrous. If you replace tires, make sure that you replace the tubes as well; it will prove beneficial for you in the long run. Old tubes become stretched and if an old tube is fitted into a new tire, it can crease and fail due to the thinning of the tube rubber.
Sudden acceleration, maximum braking and hard cornering should be avoided after new tires are mounted. In order to ensure the optimum performance, new tires should be ridden very cautiously for the first 200 kilometers for the tread surface to be 'scuffed in' and work properly. Optimal grip is obtained only after the tread surface has been ridden on.
Have you ever wondered what those numbers written on the tire (for instance, 120/70/R17) mean? It is actaully very simple. It's the tire width, aspect ratio and rim size respectively. Also if you want to know exactly how much air pressure your tire needs, the pressures are stamped on the sidewall of the tire. These are only for maximum loads and, and on some occasions, these pressures will also be the manufacturers' recommended settings as well. You should also pick up a tire pressure gauge, as you cannot trust the pressure gauge at the petrol station.
