Most experts strongly suggest that you replace your motorcycle tires approximately every six years. However, this doesn’t mean you will always have six years of good riding in each new pair of tires you get. By the time you receive your discount motorcycle tires from the seller, they may already be weeks, months or years old. Tires also wear at different rates based on the brand and how much riding you do. To make sure you get the most out of your tires, here are a few ways to read motorcycle tire wear so you can determine when it’s time to have them replaced.
Check the Tire Wear Indicator
Practically every motorcycle tire will have a tire wear indicator. Usually, it’s a small piece of rubber inside the groove treated that’s slightly raised. When the tire wears down to the point where it’s level with the wear indicator, it becomes dangerous and needs to be replaced. The longer you leave it, the worse the wear will get, until eventually there isn’t enough tread to grip the road. This can prove disastrous when making corners in wet or icy weather, as you’ll quickly find yourself skidding off the road. Of course, there are many other reasons why you might crash, which is when you might want to hire a motorcycle injury law firm, but if you’ve not looked after your motorcycle properly, any accidents are entirely your fault.
Look for Uneven Wear
The best street motorcycle tires can be significantly affected by how much air you put into them. If you overfill or underfill with air, you can cause tire damage and uneven wear. To prevent this from happening and get the maximum usage out of your tires, make sure you follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for proper inflation and pressure.
Check for Cracks
If rubber is exposed to the sun and high temperatures too frequently, it can develop cracks in it. These are often called “sun rot” and can mean your tire is no longer safe. Weather damage to tires is more common than you think, but you can avoid it by keeping your bike covered whenever it isn’t in use and parking it in the shade instead of the sun whenever you can.
Now that you know how to check your tires for wear, you should perform a visual inspection once every month or so. If you see any of these signs of tire wear, it’s time to think about purchasing a new pair.
