Why You should Check your Tires

[Deacon51]

Tires are probably the most important safety item on your bike. Running the last fews miles of wear isn't worth the risk. A tire with low tread depth really puts you at risk in the rain. Tread depth is what make a tire work in the rain, why take the risk with your body. If you ever crash and lay in the hospital for awhile this will become cleared to you, I know this first hand. I personally inspect my tires after each ride, it's not that much work. I use a white grease pen to mark the tire so I know for sure when I've make one round I also make sure the valve stem is in the proper location to check the air pressure the following day. Tire pressures should to be checked when the tire is cold and that will take over night. I only ride one up and have set my tire pressures to 36 & 38 and have got good wear. I've also added a tire pressure monitoring system it gives you a lot of comfort when you moving along 80+mph that all is good with the tires and that's a very good feeling.

I bet to differ. The most important safety item on your bike is the mash between your ears. You can crash for many reasons, and I am willing to guess that most crashes that do occur have little to do with the tires, but primarily with that gray mash stuff. And unfortunately, I have some experience here.

And while I agree that running a tire past the wear bars will start to impact wet traction (though not nearly as much as a car tire), here in Arizona that's not something I have to worry too much about. Depending on the brand/model of tire, I have gotten a couple thousand miles after hitting the wear bars on a rear.

Hell you should see the rear Azaro I have on right now. I hit those wear bars a couple thousand miles ago. You can't even tell where they were in a few places.

I have known plenty of Safety Natzis in my day. Much like politicians, they love to prey on people's fear. Personally, I have found common sense and logic are much more useful tools.

Hey buddy, I got a couple of tires out in the shed that are just right at the wear bars, and your welcome to them. Myself, I'm going to keep changing my tires as soon as they start to show. It's your life, and it's not like they are that expensive.

 

[meosborn]

Tires are probably the most important safety item on your bike. Running the last fews miles of wear isn't worth the risk. A tire with low tread depth really puts you at risk in the rain. Tread depth is what make a tire work in the rain, why take the risk with your body. If you ever crash and lay in the hospital for awhile this will become cleared to you, I know this first hand. I personally inspect my tires after each ride, it's not that much work. I use a white grease pen to mark the tire so I know for sure when I've make one round I also make sure the valve stem is in the proper location to check the air pressure the following day. Tire pressures should to be checked when the tire is cold and that will take over night. I only ride one up and have set my tire pressures to 36 & 38 and have got good wear. I've also added a tire pressure monitoring system it gives you a lot of comfort when you moving along 80+mph that all is good with the tires and that's a very good feeling.

I bet to differ. The most important safety item on your bike is the mash between your ears. You can crash for many reasons, and I am willing to guess that most crashes that do occur have little to do with the tires, but primarily with that gray mash stuff. And unfortunately, I have some experience here.

And while I agree that running a tire past the wear bars will start to impact wet traction (though not nearly as much as a car tire), here in Arizona that's not something I have to worry too much about. Depending on the brand/model of tire, I have gotten a couple thousand miles after hitting the wear bars on a rear.

Hell you should see the rear Azaro I have on right now. I hit those wear bars a couple thousand miles ago. You can't even tell where they were in a few places.

I have known plenty of Safety Natzis in my day. Much like politicians, they love to prey on people's fear. Personally, I have found common sense and logic are much more useful tools.

Hey buddy, I got a couple of tires out in the shed that are just right at the wear bars, and your welcome to them. Myself, I'm going to keep changing my tires as soon as they start to show. It's your life, and it's not like they are that expensive.

Hey, if you're paying for shipping, I'll take them. As far as I'm concerned, they really are that expensive.

 

[wheatonFJR]

[Hey buddy, I got a couple of tires out in the shed that are just right at the wear bars, and your welcome to them. Myself, I'm going to keep changing my tires as soon as they start to show. It's your life, and it's not like they are that expensive.

Hey, if you're paying for shipping, I'll take them. As far as I'm concerned, they really are that expensive.

I don't believe he was offering free shipping. I believe it was "here they are...yer free to come get 'em."

 

[Old Michael]

... and it's not like they are that expensive.

...if you're Oprah's kid.

 

[Zorlac]

... and it's not like they are that expensive.

...if you're Oprah's kid.

Or single, living with Mom & Pop rent free.

 

[wheatonFJR]

A tire is expensive. A life is priceless.

Everybody here is a big boy and makes their own decisions in life, including when you change tires...so nobody is convincing anybody here.

However, pennywise and pound foolish seems to me...if you lose traction and do a header off a guardrail because you wanted to use up that last bit of rubber.

 

[Bungie]

A tire is expensive. A life is priceless.

Well said Wheatness.

I just had a fresh set of PR2's spooned on for CFR. Thing is, I just had a set of RS's put on fresh last Sept. I figure the 2k or 3k miles I've put on since then will put me well into MY marginal area on the return trip home. So the RS's are sitting in the shed and will be waiting to be put back on sometime later this summer.

 

[SkooterG]

..if you lose traction and do a header off a guardrail because you wanted to use up that last bit of rubber.

Why would you lose traction with a worn tire?

And I'll reiterate what I tried to convey previously..........

Of all the crashes around here, including yours and mine, in how many of them did the condition of the tires play a role?

 

[mattster31]

I'd never worn out a tire like that before.

C'mon Shawn.............you need to make that go ALL the way around!!! :dribble:

Check out mine. Mileage 10455 (miles) Tire - D220

Miles before it magically deflates???????????

 

[SkooterG]

Miles before it magically deflates???????????

From one ratty worn tire mo-fo to another:

THAT is NOT a data point that you want to specifically determine!

BTW, great mileage on a D220! My first was 6XXX and it was showing belts on the last 400 miles on the return from NAFO. I just took off my second D220 rear with 9XXX. I thought that was good. No belts this time, but it was close.

One more set to go. Love the tire. Sticky. Great for the twisties.

 

[Bungie]

[Miles before it magically deflates???????????

Light it up, make it 0 miles, throw sparks. yee haw!

 

[08FJR4ME]

After seeing this today I decided to go see the stealer and have my PR2 put on the rear. I put 10,920 miles on my BT021 tire. It was down to the middle wear bars and probably could go another 1,000 miles. The SO and I will be heading out next week on the Cats & Daks ride on new rubber. Hope to see you there Shawn. I will be also checking drive shaft splines and lubing them up as needed. Shawn if your having the tire changed you may want to have them check and grease as needed also. Half the work is done allready when pulling the tire.

 

[user 213]

I also make sure the valve stem is in the proper location to check the air pressure the following day.

I'll bite .... what's the proper location for the valve stem ? I'm happy if it's located where I can maneuver fingers and gauge. Am I missing something ?

ME

If you have a right angle valve stem, it's a good thing to be aware of it's orientation. Very rarely, they can become loose or get knocked by debris and rotate, which would be an indication you should check it closely, and could be an indication that trouble was about to occur.

On a stock valve stem, it's not really an issue. Valve stem? Check, got one. You might eye the stem to make sure you remembered to put the cap back on last time you aired it up though.

 

[meosborn]

[Hey buddy, I got a couple of tires out in the shed that are just right at the wear bars, and your welcome to them. Myself, I'm going to keep changing my tires as soon as they start to show. It's your life, and it's not like they are that expensive.

Hey, if you're paying for shipping, I'll take them. As far as I'm concerned, they really are that expensive.

I don't believe he was offering free shipping. I believe it was "here they are...yer free to come get 'em."

And I don't really want his used tires.

What started out as a funny, "look how close I came to a flat tire", thread is quickly heading into NEPRT territory.

 

[ShawnKing]

C'mon Shawn.............you need to make that go ALL the way around!!! :dribble:

LOL I'll be the first to admit - your balls are bigger than mine!

 

[ShawnKing]

The SO and I will be heading out next week on the Cats & Daks ride on new rubber. Hope to see you there Shawn.

I'm thinking about it. I sure as hell need the break from the insanity around here.

I will be also checking drive shaft splines and lubing them up as needed. Shawn if your having the tire changed you may want to have them check and grease as needed also. Half the work is done allready when pulling the tire.

Wish I had read this before I had them put new rubber on.

 

[mattster31]

C'mon Shawn.............you need to make that go ALL the way around!!! :dribble:

LOL I'll be the first to admit - your balls are bigger than mine!

Actually.............they're tiny....but there's LOTS of em!!!!!!!! The tire is filled with 2oz. of Dyna Beads Should be fun getting those out when I spoon my Azzaros on in a couple days.

 

[Zolton]

I just had my OEM BT020's removed and PR2's installed. The dealer had warned me earlier that they were worn out (because they were down to/past the wear bars) but I figured I had some life left in them yet and I'd be good for a while as long as I avoided the rain. But, like was mentioned earlier, there are no wear bars in the center of the tire so you don't really know how much rubber you have left there in the middle. There did however seem to be a fair bit of meat left off center.

I changed them out anyways, brought the old tires home (I have a use for them....and yes...I'm half Scottish ) and checked them out. I was VERY surprised at how little rubber there was left in the center.

If you are getting down to were you can see the cord, or even close to it, then you have rubber about the thickness of a condom holding your air in (and it wouldn't take much of a poke to cause a puncture).

Although may look cool....it ain't too friggin bright :blink:

 

[Harald]

So the RS's are sitting in the shed and will be waiting to be put back on sometime later this summer.

I have a set of Z6's sitting in the shed and getting ready to have a set of PR2's next to them. My tire timing is horrible because every year just before my annual run to Montana with the wife, the tires are worn enough that I don't want to risk a replacement during a long trip. So a new set going on this weekend and another set gathering dust in the shed. :angry: At the rate I'm going, I'll have a years worth of used tires sitting in the shed with a tire change every other month during that year.

 

[wheatonFJR]

The SO and I will be heading out next week on the Cats & Daks ride on new rubber. Hope to see you there Shawn.

I'm thinking about it. I sure as hell need the break from the insanity around here.

I will be also checking drive shaft splines and lubing them up as needed. Shawn if your having the tire changed you may want to have them check and grease as needed also. Half the work is done allready when pulling the tire.

Wish I had read this before I had them put new rubber on.

Handy FJR maintenance resource to look at...clicky