When is Time to Replace Motorcycle Tyres? Top signs to known it. Part #2

Read Time:9 Minute, 1 Second
Everything that has ever been manufactured has an expiry date.

Myths Vs. Facts

It doesn’t matter if you are riding a cruiser, a Harley, or just touring; everything that has ever been manufactured has an expiry date, and motorcycle tires are no different.

How do you know when to change motorcycle tires? A motorcycle front tires can be viable for up to 3900 miles, and the rear tires for 1,900 miles, or three to five years.

Tires are one of the most critical components keeping us from landing on our heads. Many factors contribute to a tire being worn out, including the most obvious. This is an extreme example of a tire being flat worn out.

This is what we jokingly refer to as “throwing sparks.” The rubber has worn away revealing the metal bands, or chords, that hold the tire together.

When the rubber starts making these weird patterns, that means the metal chords are just about to wear through.

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Motorcycle tire wear metal cords

It’s worth noting that a tire does not wear at the same rate throughout its life. As the rubber becomes thinner, the tire wears faster. Like car tires, motorcycle tires have wear bars.

When the tire wears down to the point where these bars are level with the rest of the tire, it’s time to replace it.

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Motorcycle tire wear bar

For most modern motorcycle tires, the front tire is tasked with moving all the water out of the way. This often means the rear tire will have a solid strip of rubber with no saiping or tread in the center.

This is done to help the rear tire wear more slowly and withstand more abuse from acceleration.

This is why it’s essential to always run matched tires. Not only can mismatched tire construction cause we’re handling issues, but the tread pattern on matching tires have been specifically engineered to work together.

The problem with tires with this solid strip of rubber in the center is that it’s tough to tell when the tire is at the end of its life, particularly for those of us who live in and ride in the real world, where we wear out tires in the center long before we wear them out at the edges.

So here’s our plea to the manufacturers. Race slicks use these little dots to indicate wear. When the dots disappear, there is no more rubber on the tire.

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What would be the best tires for this matter?

Yes, BTRUbber Tires:

BTRubberTire.Com

Created with sustainability in mind, BTRubber Tires embody rugged practicality, refined sophistication, versatility and a sense of purposefully moving forward.

BTRubber Tires are manufactured in their own factories in India & China, using the very best processes and materials to meet Omni BTRubber exacting standards. They provide the performance drivers expect from a premium tire including 11,000 mile warranties on the motorcycles, and valued characteristics such as traction, comfort and handling.

Choose Your Destiny!

Making dual-compound tires that have stickier, softer sidewalls that give the bike solid grip in the corners, with a harder main carcass that offers better mileage.

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Another very important things to consider

Tire Age

All tires are stamped with the data manufacture. A stamp is a four-digit number molded into the sidewall of the tire.

If the number is “2714” that means the tire was manufactured in the 27th week of 2014. If the number is “0516” that means the tire was manufactured in the fifth week of 2016.

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Motorcycle tire age

If the stamp is only three digits long, that means that the tire was manufactured before the year 2000. So, how old of a tire should you run on your bike? Don’t confuse the manufacture date with the “Sell-By” date.

Most manufacturers recommend the tire be sold before the tire is five years old. When you’re buying tires, it’s good to be mindful of the age a tire that’s three or even four years old is OK.

But also pay attention to the age of the tires on a used bike that you may be considering. If the tires look great, but we’re manufactured ten or more years ago, you’ll probably want to add the cost of new tires into the price of the bike.

Here’s the thing, as rubber ages, it interacts with the air in the atmosphere, causing oxidation. Oxidation causes the rubber to harden and become brittle.

The rubber will wear away much more slowly but will offer significantly lower levels of grip. Oxidation also shows up as cracks or “checking” on the sidewall. Cracking on the sidewall, or in between the traction blocks, indicates severe oxidation, and it’s a sign that the tires should be replaced.

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Motorcycle wear due to oxidation

Which brings us to the third reason why a tire wears out.

Heat Cycles

Heat increases the rate of oxidization, so if your bike lives in a hot garage, or you live in a hot environment, your tire will lose its grip more rapidly because the heat accelerates the rate of decomposition of the rubber.

What’s more, every time your tire warms up and cools down, it goes through a heat cycle, which also compromises the grip the tire can provide.

When a tire has gone through so many heat cycles that it can no longer provide adequate levels of grip, that tire is “baked-out.”

And not all tires deal with heat cycles the same way. A race tire, or even a DOT race tire that can withstand extreme heat punishment on the racetrack may only be able to withstand two or three heat cycles before the level of grip is significantly diminished.

While a sport touring tire may not be able to withstand the harsh punishment and heat like a race tire can, it can typically survive a lifetime of heat cycles from everyday riding stresses before grip decreases.

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It’s always best to replace your tires as a set

However, tires intended for cooler, wetter climates are less capable of dealing with too much heat when used in hot, dry climates and may bake-out long before the tread is worn away.

This is part of the reason racers and track day riders use tire warmers. Not only to keep the tire warm and grippy but to reduce the number of heat cycles that the tire will have to endure.

This is also why it’s a good idea to try to replace your tires and sets. Your front tire is going through just as many heat cycles as your rear tire and is baking-out at the same rate. We’ve seen a lot of riders who will replace the rear tire, and then a few months later replace the front tire, and then a few months after that, replace the rear tire again.

So they are always chasing a new set of tires. And nothing makes your bike handle like new like a fresh set of tires. So, again, if you can swing it, it’s always best to replace your tires as a set. But if you can’t, for whatever reason, then at least stick with matched tires.

Knowing how old your tires are, or how many heat cycles they’ve endured, maybe a more significant indication as to how worn your tires are then how much tread remains.

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It is better for you to buy at btrubber tires

Being aware of these things can help you make the best decision to know when it’s time to buy new tires for your bike.

The Bonus

The way we tend to know the mileage left in a tire is the simplest of all: We track mileage. We’ve collected a relatively substantial database of tires that we ride, and the mileage we got out of them, and we’ve posted that information on our website.

There is still a wide range of factors involved here, so we don’t take these to be gospel, but they do give us anecdotal evidence to determine if a tire should be replaced before a trip or can go the distance.

How Long Do Motorcycle Tires Last?

A motorcycle front tires can be viable for up to 3900 miles, and the rear tires for 1,900 miles, or three to five years.

Is it Ok to mix tire brands on a motorcycle?

The tire manufacturers say definitely not, but many riders think this is just a tactic to boost sales. There is, however, a technical explanation behind that recommendation. Tires are developed in pairs, so traction and handling qualities are determined by testing two of the same tire on the same motorcycle.

The tire manufacturers are cautious, as you would imagine, and they’re loathed to recommend that one of their tires be matched with a complete unknown on the other side of the bike. They don’t know, and frankly, you don’t either, if that combination will handle naturally and retain an acceptable level of stability.

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If you’re going to mix and match brands, do so within a fairly narrow range of types.

You dirt bike guys are about to reach for the keyboard, but hang on, that recommendation applies mostly to street bikes, where the tire’s precise shape and size influence traction and handling. It’s a different deal offroad.

Their mixing and matching is commonplace, usually by riders looking for the best combo of traction handling for their particular kind of terrain with their particular bike. With the bike always braking and gaining traction, things like detailed profiles and tread patterns aren’t quite as influential in the way they handle.

That means the main recommendation is to avoid going to the different front to rear, like having an aggressive now beyond the rear and a street bias tire on the front. Now each provides a very different kind of traction over various terrains, meaning that your bike’s handling could change pretty dramatically.

If you’re going to mix and match brands, do so within a fairly narrow range of types. like sticking to a pair of 50/50 tires, or maybe an 80 10 tire pair at each end of the bike.

We strongly recommend you run the pressure recommended in your bikes owner’s manual, not the max PSI rating stamped into the sidewall.

Get your hands on a quality tire pressure gauge and check your pressure at least once a week, or before any long ride.

To be continued…

_______________________________________

Moust of all, Remember that Always You Can:

Choose Your Destiny!

Visit our website if you want the perfect match between wheels and tools!

Original Article: https://bit.ly/3xC9Pby

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When is Time to Replace Motorcycle Tyres? Top signs to known it. Part #1

Read Time:6 Minute, 2 Second
Wow! It’s time to a replacement

It is a fact that motorcycle tires generally last for a less time than car tires. Most manufacturers suggest getting an annual inspection if you’ve used your tires for more than 5 years and if the tire is more than 10 years old

It is better to replace it as it has reached the end of its useful life period.

Motorcycle tires should always be replaced if they are showing signs of wear and tear or coming to the end of their useful life period for both safety and quality purposes.

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Even we wish to, tyres are not forever

Part of the most critical parts of the bike

Tires are undoubtedly one of the most critical parts of the whole bike since the quality of the ride and performance of the bike is determined by the quality and fit of the tire itself. Motorcycles have only two points of contact with the road and therefore, it is of utmost importance to ensure that these points of contact are of the right size, shape, and compound. With a motorcycle, careful attention has to be given to the maintenance of tires to ensure your safety and a great experience.

The motorcycle grip is generally achieved through the use of soft rubber. The contact patch between the road and your motorcycle tire is generally about that of a credit card which means that using hard tires may leave the motorcycle prone to slipping and sliding. The extra grip of the motorcycle that you get as a result of soft rubber also results in its shorter lifespan since softer rubber wears out fast.

For safety, it is best to replace tires once the soft rubber becomes worn out so that you get the proper grip required at all times.

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Look Out For: The first of these is the tread depth.

What to Look Out For

There are a few signs that you can keep an eye out for to determine whether it’s time to replace your tire or not. The first of these is the tread depth. It is universally agreed that you must have 1/32” to 2/32” of tread depth.

The easiest way to determine this is generally by inserting a penny into your tread. If you can see the top of the head, then the tire has enough remaining tread. Generally, the middle of the tire is the most worn out since it sees the greatest amount of contact with the road.

A few manufacturers also have indicators cast into the grooves of the rubber tread. These are generally located a bit off the tire’s center and are an indication of the lowest amount of tread that is safe to ride with. It looks like a raised segment of rubber and is situated in one of the tire grooves.

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What would be the best tires for this matter?

Yes, BTRUbber Tires:

BTRubberTire.Com

Created with sustainability in mind, BTRubber Tires embody rugged practicality, refined sophistication, versatility and a sense of purposefully moving forward.

BTRubber Tires are manufactured in their own factories in India & China, using the very best processes and materials to meet Omni BTRubber exacting standards. They provide the performance drivers expect from a premium tire including 11,000 mile warranties on the motorcycles, and valued characteristics such as traction, comfort and handling.

CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY!

Making dual-compound tires that have stickier, softer sidewalls that give the bike solid grip in the corners, with a harder main carcass that offers better mileage.

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There are also various situations where a tire doesn’t get completely worn out until this point. However, this does not mean that it is safe to ride with it since the shape of the tire also plays an important role in determining whether it is time to replace it or not. There are various cases where the tire is worn out unevenly. The most common form of this is when the tire gets worn out from the central part of the tread resulting in a squarish wear. It is best to get the tire replaced if it shows any sign of uneven tread as well.

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The devil is in the details

The next important thing to watch out
for is defects in the tire

This may be seen in the form of dry rot or the cracking along the sidewalls of the tire. This type of damage calls for an immediate replacement since riding such a tire hampers the quality of your ride and the vehicle’s performance as well. There may also be the problem of cupping or scalping in your front tire where the tire shows wear and tear along the length of the tread. This leads to various handling and stability issues. It is dangerous to keep such a tire.

Lastly, it is also important to take into consideration how long it’s been since you bought the tire. The age of the tire plays an important part since the rubber also gets harder over the years and loses the grip required. The date code can generally be found on the sidewall of the tire – it is shown in the last four digits wherein 2311 means the 23rd week of 2011. If the tire is over five years old, it has to be checked regularly and if it’s over ten years old, then it is time to get a replacement tire.

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Regular checks to ensure that the tires are in proper working condition

Inspecting and Maintaining Tires

Regular checks to ensure that the tires are in proper working condition are always a good idea. Moreover, it is a good idea to change tire tubes also since they have a tendency to stretch over time and could crease if you put in a new tire without also replacing the tire tube. The tire size should also be compatible with the size markings of the tube. Regular checking of the tire will also make sure that there are no cuts or punctures that go unnoticed since they could lead to further damage down the line.

Having the right tire pressure is also a very important part in the maintenance of the tire, especially because they can easily get either over-inflated or under-inflated. When the tire is cold, an accurate pressure gauge should be used to measure and ensure that the pressure of the tire is in the right range. This should be done before any long rides and at least once a week.

There are safety problems caused by underinflated and overinflated tires. They tend to build more heat, causing an uneven wear and tear due to poor handling and corner turns. The tire may also be more easily damaged if a sudden impact happens and the ride becomes harder, causing an unnecessary increase in the tread’s wear and tear. Hence, the pressure of the tire must be maintained at the levels given in the manual to ensure rider safety. This way, tires can be maintained for longer.

To be continued…

_______________________________________

Moust of all, Remember that Always You Can:

Choose Your Destiny!

Visit our website if you want the perfect match between wheels and tools!

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BTRUbber Tires: Yes, Motorcycles Can Fly!

Read Time:4 Minute, 59 Second

In the present or in the near future, flying with a motorcycle is the deal!

What motivates mere mortals to put their lives on the line in the name of glory, fame, and a Guinness World Record? For decades now, motorcycle stunt jumpers have been defying the impossible to sail further and higher into the sky than their predecessors. Let’s take a look at the ones who sailed to greatness.

Evel Knievel was the most well-known American daredevil of his time. One of his most famous jumps, in 1975 at the Kings Island theme park in Cincinnati, Ohio, earned him the record for successfully jumping the most buses (14) on a Harley Davidson, which he held for the next 24 years. He was also bestowed with the honor of “most broken bones in a lifetime” by the Guinness Book of World Records. It wasn’t long before his son, Robbie Knievel, was nipping at his heels and recreating his previous jumps. At the Snake River Canyon in 1999, the younger Knievel set his personal record with a jump of 228 feet.

It would appear as though records for the most daring motorcycle jumps are set to be broken. From the “longest motorcycle ramp jump” to the partner event of “motorcycle moving ramp jumps”, stunt jumpers have had to come up with new, creative ways to beat the legends that came before them.

Even if you’re baffled by their life-threatening endeavors, it’s hard not to be impressed by the stunt jumpers who dared to push the limits.

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And what would be the best tires for this matter?

Yes, BTRUbber Tires:

BTRubberTire.Com

Created with sustainability in mind, BTRubber Tires embody rugged practicality, refined sophistication, versatility and a sense of purposefully moving forward.

BTRubber Tires are manufactured in their own factories in India & China, using the very best processes and materials to meet Omni BTRubber exacting standards. They provide the performance drivers expect from a premium tire including 11,000 mile warranties on the motorcycles, and valued characteristics such as traction, comfort and handling.

CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY!

Making dual-compound tires that have stickier, softer sidewalls that give the bike solid grip in the corners, with a harder main carcass that offers better mileage.

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The BTRubber cross has a pliable carcass, designed to improve rider comfort, increase impact absorption, and allow the rider to receive more feedback from the wheels, these features put the BTR-897 up there with some of its more established competition.

ADITIONALS:

  • 11,000 Mile Warranty
  • Responsive Handling-Semi-Solid shoulder ribs
  • Made in India and China
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Some kind of Motorized Angel!…

But what about the not-so-distant future?

I present to you: The first ever transforming (Yes, transforming!) Jet Powered Street Legal Flying Motorcycle!

The “Moto Volante”

Is the world’s first actual flying motorcycle. It can be driven on the road and flown in the air when its wheels fold out and upward to become jet-powered thrust pods. French custom auto/moto maker Ludovic Lazareth has a long history of building wacky and bizarre one-offs and short-run vehicles, but the Moto Volante flying motorcycle is his most ambitious yet.

The Intention

This vehicle is for the rider to be able to cruise it on the road, and then when they’ve had it with traffic, they can pull over to a suitable launch area. With just the press of a button, the bike converts from ride mode to fly mode and, after waiting about 60 seconds for the jets pre-heat, the driver can lift off and leave the gridlock behind as a pilot.

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Appearance wise, it is an evolution of Lazareth’s own mind-boggling LM-847 – a tilting four-wheeler built around a fire-breathing 470-horsepower Maserati engine. But the Moto Volante is on another level. Placed in the hub of each wheel is a 96,000-rpm JetCat jet turbine, as well as hydraulic actuators that tilt the four wheels out and up, forming a configuration something like a jet-powered quadcopter.

The Project

Developed in conjunction with Jetcat, the German company that makes the jet turbines used by “Jetman” Yves Rossi, as well as the NASA/Skunk Works X-56A experimental aircraft, among others.

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On the ground or in the air, it works wonders!

Two extra jets can be added near the middle of the chassis to handle more weight, although it is capable of a 1-ton load already so that is probably unnecessary. The entire bike weighs just 140 kg (308 lb) and makes some 240 kg (529 lb) of thrust in flight mode, the equivalent of about 1300 hp of power. Most importantly, each wheel is equipped with a quick opening parachute… just in case.

La Moto Volante joins Jetpack Aviation’s Speeder as the only two jet-powered flying motorcycle concepts to make headlines as of yet. However, the Speeder is much more of a single-purpose vehicle without any road capability, meaning it can’t be driven on the road. The Speeder most likely flies much better but Lazareth has a full-size prototype in the air that’s also road-certified which is extremely impressive!

Ludovic Lazareth

He has entered the French into the history books with “the Moto Volante” by becoming the first manufacturer in the world to create a truly flying motorcycle. At the moment, the prototype hovers only one meter above the ground and its range is just over ten minutes. But Ludovic Lazareth is confident saying, “starting from nothing, we achieved this result in a few months.”

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Ludovic Lazareth

The Price

The Lazareth team will be bringing the Moto Volante to Gitex in Dubai this October. They plan to launch pre-orders there at a price of €496,000 (approx. US$560,000).

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To conquer the sky, start by rolling to fly:

Choose Your Destiny!

Visit our website if you want the perfect match between wheels and wings!

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The Right Tools for Motorcycle Lovers! – 01

Read Time:5 Minute, 54 Second
Flat Lay metal wrenches of various sizes are in the tool box, top view. Close-up Carpenter’s Tool Kit

As with any other hands-on job, the old saying “proper tools for a proper job” holds true for motorcycle mechanics. While a professional mechanic will typically have upwards of $7,000 worth of tools, you can buy a full tool kit with all the basic tools for less than $200!

The home-based mechanic will not need a large, expensive tool kit to do most service and repair jobs on a motorcycle. However, you should remember some guidelines when assembling a starter kit of suitable tools for motorcycle work.

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Bearded man repairing his motorcycle in the garage.

Essential Tools

A starter kit for new mechanics includes a few basics that are typically available in sets, including:

  • Screwdrivers
  • Wrenches
  • Sockets

Which Screw Drivers?

Quality is especially important when choosing screwdrivers because so many parts on a motorcycle require removing panels or cases. Wear and tear will quickly prove frustrating with this particular tool. Philips-head or crosshead screwdrivers will damage any screw they are used on if their tip is rounded off.

Some crosshead screw drivers have replaceable tips. These are a good choice for professionals because replacement bits are inexpensive.

In addition to a basic screwdriver set, a motorcycle mechanic will find that an impact driver is an invaluable tool. These drivers impart a turning and impacting force at the same time, and they should always be used on crosshead engine-casing screws.

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Better Tools for Motorcycle Mechanics: Screwdrivers

Wrenches

Hand-held wrenches, or spanners, are used to remove or refit bolts and nuts that have hexagonal shapes for their lever point.

Two main types of wrenches are commonly used on motorcycles: open-ended and ring. These wrenches are available as a combination wrench with both an open and ring end.

Sockets

In many applications, the socket and ratchet system has replaced wrenches to make the job of removing and refitting nuts and/or bolts quicker.

The internal shape of the socket is either hexagonal or multipoint (also known as twelve point).

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Better Tools for Motorcycle Mechanics: Sockets and Wrenches

Quality

The quality of tools is a very important consideration for any would-be mechanic. In the days when “guaranteed for life” meant the life of the tool and not the company, many mechanics considered this the only option in tool buying. Today, the options between high price and quality are plentiful.

As a basic guideline, a tool buyer should consider the item in question in terms of how it will be used. For example, a 10-mm combination wrench will be used extensively on all modern motorcycles (not classics or vintage bikes). Therefore, this wrench in particular must be of a high quality.

High-end items will cost considerably more than will those of a lesser quality. Mechanics often buy a set with a price and quality that falls in the middle range and then replace well-used items (such as the 10-mm wrench) with top-quality items as or when they become worn. It should be noted that tool guarantees do not cover normal wear and tear.

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Better Tools for Motorcycle Mechanics: Graph For Choosing The Right Quality of Tool

Tool Boxes

As a mechanic’s tool kit gets bigger, so too does the need for a bigger tool box to keep everything in. With this in mind, someone just starting to acquire tools should consider buying a tool box that can be enlarged. For example, most tool box manufacturers sell top boxes and roll-around base units separately. The top box is a good starting point because most of the early tools you buy will be relatively small. The roll-around cabinet can be purchased later as the need (or funds) arises.

Two things affect the price of all toolboxes: the material they are made of and the type of drawer slider used. For most applications, boxes made of unpainted stainless steel are the best option because they are durable and can be easily cleaned.

Because the drawer sliders are used every time the mechanic needs a tool, their quality is important. The best choice is steel ball-bearing sliders.

These sliders are typically classified as “heavy duty.” However, nylon and other manmade materials used on drawer sliders can last for many years if cleaned and lubricated periodically.

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Bearded man in leather jacket and sun glasses is sitting on the motorcycle in the repair shop

Beyond Basic Tools

Having established a good basic tool kit, you can begin looking into more specialist tools on an as-needed basis, such as:

  • Electrically powered tools
  • Compressor and air tools
  • Pullers and extractors

Electrically Powered Tools

Besides soldering irons, an electric drill is the first purchase beyond basic tools for most mechanics. A selection of drills will be necessary, too. In recent years, battery-powered drills have become very popular as the technology behind their batteries has ensured both power and longevity. However, most battery-powered drills are still cumbersome and limited to easily accessible places.

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Visit our website if you want the perfect match between wheels and tools!

Compressor and Air Tools

Most mechanics will say they don’t know how they managed without a compressor and air tools in the early stages of their mechanical careers. Two air tools in particular stand out as must-haves for a motorcycle mechanic: a blowgun and an impact driver.

Blowguns are inexpensive and are available in kits that include tire inflation chucks.

Blowguns are used primarily to clean component parts, such as those in a carburetor. An interim replacement for a compressor and blowgun is a pressurized canister used to clean computer keyboards.

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Better Tools for Motorcycle Mechanics: More Advanced Tools

The impact gun is a must-have air tool for disassembling many high-torque items on motorcycles. This tool can be used to loosen large spindle nuts, clutch center nuts, flywheel nuts, and fork leg holding bolts. Although all these items can be disassembled using conventional tools, the impact gun will make this type of job much easier.

Compressors are available in numerous shapes and sizes, but one with an eight-gallon holding tank and the capability to produce 125 psi (pounds per square inch) should be considered the minimum specification.

Pullers and Extractors

As a mechanic’s knowledge increases, the repair or service jobs they are likely to tackle become more involved. At this point, pullers and extractors become an essential part of the mechanic’s tool kit. However, because pullers and extractors are somewhat specialist in their application, the mechanic should purchase them on an as-needed basis.

Home mechanics can get a good usable tool kit that accomplishes most tasks at low cost. Going for quality is still an option, especially if you can go old school with manual tools. So get your tool kit up to snuff, and get the bike in its best working order!

_______________________________________

Moust of all, Remember that Always You Can:

Choose Your Destiny!

Visit our website if you want the perfect match between wheels and tools!
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BTRubbertire: Learn How To Ride Knee Down

Read Time:5 Minute, 46 Second

Long before tires had the grip available today, a rider whose knee touched the ground was milliseconds away from crashing. But over the decades, as technology developed in both motorcycles and tires, it became possible for a good rider to lean over so far that a knee touched the ground.

In basic scientific terms, knee-down riding is a result of taking a bike to its maximum lean angle on a corner, in order to take the corner faster. This causes the rider to hang over the bike, with a knee touching the ground (we think it’s pretty cool, too).

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Knee Down Riding Explained
History of Riding Styles

A few decades before it became the norm to use knee sliders when racing, it was considered untidy to have your knee out on a corner. The likes of 1960s multiple-world champion Mike Hailwood barely moved in the seat when leaning into a corner. But as more and more riders began to lean off their machines, a new style began to take over.

British motorcycle racing fans of the 70s will recall the unique style of Dave Croxford. He leaned so far off his bike that when he was viewed from the outside of a corner, only his leg was visible.

Around this time was also when one of the most famous British riders, Barry Sheene, came out; he had his knee out so far on corners that he began to wear away the knees in his leathers. So began the trend to slide off the bike toward the inside of the corner – stick one’s knee out and drag the slider around the corner. Modern racers have taken this a step further and are now dragging their elbows!

How to Get Knee-Down

So how is this done? Needless to say, it is not a good idea to do this type of riding on the street. The best method of learning to use knee sliders is to attend a track day at your local race track. Track days cater to riders who want to take their machines beyond the legal limits of public roads. The track sessions are generally split into novice, intermediate, and expert levels, which gives the beginner a chance to learn properly, and acquire the necessary skill to use knee sliders.

Learning any new riding technique that involves higher-than-normal speeds is risky, and should be approached slowly.

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How To Hang Off Your Bike

The Concept

Initially, the rider will build up speed until sliding off the seat in the corner entry seems natural. The lower the rider hangs off the seat, the less need there is to lean the bike. This is because the center of gravity is lowered when the rider’s body drops to the side of the bike. It’s in this balance of leaning the bike and hanging off the side that higher corner speeds are controlled.

Braking Later

Increasing the corner speed will make it necessary to lean the bike over, but this must be done in gradual stages or there will be a lot more than the knee sliders making contact with the tarmac! The best way to increase the corner speed is to practice the same corner over and over, braking closer to the corner on each try. This is covered step by step below.

As the rider leans over more, the slider will touch down. The experience will be unnerving the first time, but as long as the rider maintains a steady posture and makes no sudden movements, the corner can be taken with ease.

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Learning Knee Down Riding Technique

Sighting Lap

Before getting close to higher speeds to try out those new knee sliders, all riders on track days should do at least one sighting lap. The objective of this lap is, as the name implies, to “sight” the track and accomplish the following:

  • Warm up the tires and brakes
  • Check for the position of rumble strips (see note below)
  • Check for any oil dropped by previous riders
  • Memorize run off areas (corners with no run off – grass – should be taken well within the rider’s/bike’s capabilities)

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Knee-Down Learning Process

  • Travel at high speed (145mph), sitting in the tucked position – typically below the fairing (shell) to reduce aerodynamic drag, heading towards the corner.
  • At the 200-yard mark, sit up and apply the brakes hard, dropping your speed to where you feel comfortable cornering. This braking point and entry speed is safe enough for this theoretical corner and requires the bike to be leaned over moderately.
  • As you lean the bike to corner, slide your body to the lower edge of the seat and bring your knee out.
  • On the next lap, wait until the 150-yard maker before braking hard and repeating the same body movement. Due to the increased speed you must lean the bike a little further, and hang lower off the seat. You may get low enough for your knee slider to touch the ground at the apex of the corner.
  • Finally, on the next lap, do not brake until just after the 150-yard marker. This has the effect of increasing your straight-line speed, requiring the bike to be leaned over slightly more. Again, the effect is to bring your knee slider into contact with the ground for a few yards before and after the corner apex.

Notes:

  • Most race tracks have marker boards before corners, for riders and drivers to use as brake reference points – only use fixed marker points like these.
  • Many race tracks have ‘rumble strips’ (raised corner edges often made from concrete and brightly colored). These raised corner edges were generally put in place to stop race car drivers cutting the corner. As these rumble strips differ from track to track (sometimes from corner to corner on the same track), the rider must inspect them before any hot laps are attempted. You can do this during the sighting lap (described above). Hitting a rumble strip with a knee slider can cause a crash, and professional riders often lift the knee momentarily when nearing the rumble strips.
  • Dragging elbow sliders is only done by some of the world’s best MotoGP™ riders. It should be noted that the ability to do this is somewhat dependent on the rider’s shape. A rider with a small body will not touch the ground even at the same corner speed, on the same bike or at the same lean angle as a larger one (see film of Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa, for example).
  • During track days, all of the riders will attend a morning briefing to warn about the potential dangers while riding on a racetrack. It’s particularly important to stick to a chosen line, since a following rider may be about to pass at considerably higher speeds.

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Moust of all, Remember that Always You Can:

Choose Your Destiny!

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