Tips for Breaking in New Motorcycle Tires
- Posted on
When you purchase new motorcycle tires, you may think you are good to go. While the tires will be ready for use, there is a break-in period to be aware of. Most mechanics recommend using some caution until you have hit about 500 miles with your new tires.
When you purchase new motorcycle tires, you may think you are good to go. While the tires will be ready for use, there is a break-in period to be aware of. Most mechanics recommend using some caution until you have hit about 500 miles with your new tires.
Breaking in New Motorcycle Tires
As mentioned above, you should take about 500 miles to break in your tires. During this period, make sure to practice slow accelerations and turns. These are the miles when all the smooth areas on the tires are “roughed up,” which provides a better grip on the road. Most manufacturers have more specific information regarding break-in periods.
Why Is the Break-in Period So important?
When new tires are installed on your motorcycle, it will be slick. It’s not slick because of oil or grease but because the rubber is smooth. The more you ride, the better grip you will have. Just use caution for the first few hundred miles to ensure the tires have adequate time to “roughen up.”
Breaking in the Tires
When the tires are first installed, you should find a place with a few turns to ride. Take turns and curves slowly, but as you keep going, increase your intensity slowly. Your goal should be to rough up more of the tire’s surface area, which helps increase traction over the tire’s circumference. After cornering slowly for a while, you can increase the lean angle to ensure all parts of the new tire are textured by the road.
You should also use this break-in period to get acclimated to how the new tires feel on your motorcycle. Even if you purchase the same brand of tires you had before, remember, these are new. Because of this, they will handle it differently than tires that had thousands of miles put on them.
If you have purchased an upgraded set of tires from the last pair, they will definitely handle differently. This isn’t just because they are new. It’s a good idea to take the break-in period as a time to become accustomed to your new tires’ handling, too.
Tire Placement on Your Bike
When you are breaking in your tires, you can take time to ensure the tire has settled into place on the bike properly. This is something that happens with slow riding and your weight pushing the tire against the ground. After your tires are set properly during this break-in period, you will begin to see how the tires perform.
Each Break-In Period Is Unique
You can purchase many different types of motorcycle tires. Because of this, the break-in period for one may be significantly different from another. For example, a touring tire will take more time to break in than softer tires used for the track. That’s because touring tires are made of harder rubber that can stand up to longer rides. Just make sure you allow for the proper amount of time during this break-in period.