BIKE TYRES

The right tyre for your motorcycle is one that is of the size recommended by the manufacturer, or is under 2 percent larger than the recommended size. It should also have the correct speed and load ratings which depends on the usage patterns. One has to also consider the terrain and the weather the tyre will do duty in. Hence, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.

The tread pattern on your bike or scooter’s tyres matter a lot more than you think they do. Some tyres have more aggressive button-type patterns which are more suitable for rural or off-road use. On highways and in urban paved roads, more docile patterns provide better grip and ride quality.

The numbers written on the sides of your bike’s tyre denote the tyre width, aspect ratio, tyre construction, rim size, load index and speed rating. If the tyre in question had ‘150/60-R17 (73W)’ inscribed on it, it means the following. The ‘150’ denotes that the tyre is 150mm wide. The ‘60’ is the aspect ratio, which says that the sidewall height is 60 percent of that which equals 90mm.

The ‘R’ denotes the construction and tells you that it is a Radial tyre. ‘17’ says that the tyre measures 17-inches in radius. ‘73’ is the load rating, telling you that it can take a weight of upto 365 kilograms. Finally, ‘W’ denotes speed rating and tells you that this tyre can go upto 270km/h.

Tyre manufacturers are required to stamp the week of manufacture on every tyre produced since 2000. It is a four-number code at the end of the DOT code on one of the sidewalls. The first two numbers denote the week number while the last two denote the year of manufacture. For example, if the number is ‘1419, it shows that the tyre was manufactured in the 14th week of 2019.

Tubed tyres require an air-tight rubber tube between the tyre and the wheel to hold the air in and hold the tyre tight. This is because the tyre is not constructed in an air-tight manner. Tubeless tyres on the other hand are constructed in a way that it would hold the air in without the presence of the tube. The unitary construction of the tyre also means that it is more stable at higher speeds.

There are two factors that one needs to consider while replacing a tyre — The age of the tyre as well as the number of kilometres it has run. If the tyre has done a lot of kilometres, it will show in the tyre wear and the tyre wear markers will let you know if it should be replaced.

If the tyre hasn’t been run as much as it should have, it will look fine but would have become hard with age. The ideal time to change your tyre is when it is between five to seven-years-old from the date of manufacture.

Every tyre is made with the right rotation in mind. The rear tyre is constructed keeping in mind that it should drive the bike forward. The front tyre is made to brake the motorcycle and is therefore the opposite in design. The angles of the belting inside the tyre is opposed to each other. Hence, if one intends to use a front construction on the rear, it should be used in the opposite direction of the arrow.

Most people do not know this, but running-in is a necessity when it comes to tyres. The first one or two hundred kilometres are crucial. It is suggested that the tyre should be run in different conditions like constant cruising speeds, hard braking and it should even be shown some corners.

The life of a bike tyre purely depends on the category of motorcycles it serves, the riding style and the compound used to make it. However, when broadly classified, you can expect your bike tyre to last as follows: Supersport: 8,000 – 12,000kms, Sport/Naked: 10,000 – 18,000kms, Sport Touring: 15,000 – 25,000kms, Cruiser: 22,500 – 30,000kms & Commuter: 30,000 – 40,000kms.

It is always suggested to replace the tube while getting a new tyre even if the tube doesn’t have a puncture on it. Rubber becomes hard with time and wears out slowly. Pairing the hardened tube with the soft new rubber of the tyre is never a good idea.

Yes you can get larger wheels and tyres, but the question is, should you? You would have to check for clearance around the tyre as most motorcycles have minimal space around the wheel. There are multiple components like the chain, swingarm, brake lines, etc, that a bigger tyre could foul with. It is always better to stick to the sizes the bike originally came with.