Talking Tires

 

There’s a rumor I hear about a lot of motorcycle technicians. Allegedly, they never have to buy new tires for their bikes. This isn't because their shop gives tires to the employees or because they steal them. They get their tires from people who bring in motorcycles for a yearly service and decide that since the bike is already in the shop, they might as well buy some new tires too. Now this seems like a logical plan, make the most of one visit to a dealership, except for the fact that they only put 500 miles on these tires! The techs would be wasteful if they didn't take advantage of this!
 

I'm not trying to pick on anyone for not riding enough. I'm happy that anyone is riding and I understand that life can get in the way of doing it as much as you'd like. However, if you're only logging that many miles in a year, chances are that the tires will dry-rot before they're worn!
 

There are also riders on the other side of the coin (I tend to fall in this category) who put far too many miles on each set of tires. When your touring tires look like racing slicks, it not only makes for a less desirable ride, it's pretty damn dangerous! Any rock or piece of glass is sure to puncture your tire and heaven forbid there's any moisture on the road! Traction can be nearly nonexistent with no tread on your tires.
 

So how do you know when to change your tires? We will be posting a how-to blog on checking tread depth on a tire in the very near future. This way you can measure how much money you're wasting by doing all those burnouts! Hey, the fun is worth it right? It looks pretty badass too!
 

As I lay rubber down to the street,
I pray for traction that I can keep,
But if I spin and begin to slide,
Please Dear God,
Protect my ride.
Amen

The Racer’s Prayer