Motorcycle tires

Motorcycle Tires – An Introduction

Learn everything you need to know about your motorcycle tires. As a bonus, we will also teach you how to read the information and codes imprinted on the sides of the tires.

It is safe to say that motorcycle tires are the parts of your vehicle that you overlook the most. We can easily explain this phenomenon since they are not in plain sight while riding and you can travel on the same tires for thousands of miles. All you need to do, from time to time, apart from the occasional misadventure, is to check inflation in them. That being the case, they indeed are an integral part of your ride. Whether you realize it or not, companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in research and development annually.

First of all, let’s start by stating some cold facts about motorcycle tires you might not be aware of. Let’s dig right into it

The history of motorcycle tires

Tires were first known as the “pneumatic tire” (British English spelling). They were invented by John Boyd back in 1888 and were first used on a motorcycle in 1897.

At first, they all used inflatable tubes inside the outer tire which was attached to rims made of steel and wood. The roads weren’t all that great back then, so as you can imagine this set up wasn’t such a great combination. Riders were plagued by constant ‘flats’ until the 1970s when the first tubeless motorcycle tires started appearing on the market. These types of motorcycle tires were made possible with the advent of alloy wheels.

Many technological developments separate the tires of today from the ones used in the 19th Century, but the principle remains the same. They are still basically rubber tubes inflated with air to enable our motorcycles to travel more graciously and comfortably along the highways.

Motorcycle tire construction

Motorcycle tires are not just pieces of rubber in the shape of tubes that sets in your bike wheels. Nowadays they have become an increasingly complex system of layers. There are a number of stages that most motorcycle tires pass through and only the final component is what we call ‘rubber.’ The product is entirely different from that used in the nineteenth century. The composite used by most major brands today is a mixture of petroleum, acids, chemicals, silicone and carbon black. This composition is what constitutes the outer layer of the modern motorcycle tire. It is the final layer because it utilises the rest of the layers as a mould to support its shape. The final stage in the whole process is to use heat to vulcanise the entire composition into one single unit.

Belted (B) or Radial (R) Motorcycle tires?

It is the first parting of the ways related to tire construction. The choice between belted and radial tires determines the speed that the motorcycle tire can sustain. It is not just something you can choose like purple, yellow, blue or black for the colour of your gas tank. While it is true that chronologically, the time period of their invention is different, they are both in commercial use today. Let´s take a look at the main differences:

Motorcycle tires

Belted – Also known as Bias Ply motorcycle tires, have plies or layers in a criss-cross pattern. The materials can vary, but the design has been around for over a century. They have an amazing cushioning effect over Radials, and people prefer these tires for heavy loads. On the other hand, they retain more heat and offer less control at high speeds.

Radial – Radial motorcycle tires are more modern in design. The carcass is durable and traverse the entire tire and run perpendicular to each other, and also displays a criss-cross pattern among each other. These materials can be steel, Kevlar or polyester. Radial motorcycle tires are much stiffer than belted tires and perform better at higher speeds, but this also has a disadvantage in that it makes for a firmer ride too. Radials are the go-to tire for most manufacturers in the world as they are more durable because the materials inside the treads last longer. They are what you would most likely find in a modern-day, brand-new bike.

Motorcycle tire types

Well, we first divided motorcycle tires into two categories. But now we are about to split it even further, into multiple directions; not so much a roundabout, as a multi-exit deviation. We require different categories of tires depending on how we will use them. For example, the performance we expect for an off-road trip is not the same as that for a high-speed course or even for urban riding. Each environment has different demands.

Sports Street

This is, perhaps, the most common of all the tires. Aggressive city riders, who like taking corners fast in any climate, love these tires. They are not very durable but are very versatile. This kind of motorcycle tire usually has excellent traction and stability.

Touring

These are the most durable of motorcycle tires as harder rubber defines its material which has pros and cons. On the one hand, these tires can handle cold weather better than sports tires; on the other hand, they have less grip and tend to handle poorly at higher temperatures.

Track

Normally racing motorbikes use these tires. They have a triangular profile that gives you more stability when leaning on one side. They are for performance bikes and not for everyday use. There is smooth tread on these tires, and therefore they have minimal grip especially in wet weather.

Off-road

Although they don´t provide much stability on paved roads, their knobby structure provides optimum grip on dirt tracks. Along with track tires, this is another of the specialised motorcycle tires. These tires can be dangerous if used for regular urban riding.

To be continue… Next:

BTRubber Tires / How to Read your Motorcycle Tire Codes! > Part 2 Here!

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