Safety precautions with brand new tires???

[greenhorn]

Hi. I am getting new Ching shens put on this week. I've heard that there is a period of precaution when new tires are dangerous.

How will I know when they are safe/scuffed up enough?

Is there a mph limit I should go? Like Don't ride over 50 mph for two weeks?

Thanks for your help. Happy to get new tires, but I want to do a break in right & not have it be ME that gets broken in.

Thanks!

mary

[JWR]

Stolen off the interweb.

Always “break in” new motorcycle tires. Every new tire could use a good break-in period. This will enhance your tires’ performance over their lifetime of service. After installing new tires on your motorcycle, take the bike out for a few easy and light rides just for the purpose of breaking in the new tires. After the first 100-200 miles, the new tires should be stable enough to accommodate fast accelerations, hard cornering and sharp breaking. Otherwise you could be faced with imbalance, low tire life and differing profiles on both the front and rear.

YMMV

Jerry

[patrick_777]

New tires can be tricky. The scrub-in process is usually just roughing up the surface so they don't slip on the road. Depending on the softness of the tire and the relative grit of the roads you ride on, it can be anywhere from 10 miles to 100 miles before they're scrubbed effectively.

The best thing to really think about when you're scrubbing in new tires is to be extra careful in sharp turns. The GZ doesn't really have the torque to kick out your tires, but you still don't want to grab too much throttle mid-turn. Don't be wary of turning with them though. You need to get good surface contact with all contact parts of the tire during the scrub-in otherwise you'll be surprised to hit a clean strip on your tires when you're not expecting it.

Just do your normal riding, being a "little" more conservative with the throttle in turns, but a "little" more liberal in your lean angle. This will force the bike over more and will get the entire tread in contact with the road surface. You'd do good to take a few windy roads around too, but be more cautious with your speed. They're pretty well scrubbed in when they aren't glossy or shiny anymore after you wipe them off with a damp rag or a wet finger. They should also feel a little rough to the touch.

[burkbuilds]

Probably best to avoid riding on wet pavement for the first bit, say 100-200 miles if you can help it. I've known two people who got new tires put on, and wiped out on a rain slick road within a few days. They had ridden on those roads for years without any problems rain or shine. One guy ended up sliding under an oncoming car, almost died and he's had seven or more surgeries and has about three to go before he's through and it's been almost a year since the wreck.

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by burkbuilds

Probably best to avoid riding on wet pavement for the first bit, say 100-200 miles if you can help it. I've known two people who got new tires put on, and wiped out on a rain slick road within a few days. They had ridden on those roads for years without any problems rain or shine. One guy ended up sliding under an oncoming car, almost died and he's had seven or more surgeries and has about three to go before he's through and it's been almost a year since the wreck.

Holy be jeebus!!! Now there's a warning for you! Thanks for the heads up..... and to stay on! What kind of bike & tires?

[Water Warrior 2]

Greenhorn, all tires have a coating on them to help with the removal of the tire from the mold during manufacture. The coating is not supposed to be particularly slippery but mixed in with a little wet road surface and down you go. If you are not an aggressive rider to begin with I would suggest just ride as normal(in the dry) for the first 100 miles or so. Afterthought: also check your pressures after the shop installs the tires and continue regularly for safer performance. A good quality pressure guage will happily live under the seat.

[adrianinflorida]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

Greenhorn, all tires have a coating on them to help with the removal of the tire from the mold during manufacture. The coating is not supposed to be particularly slippery but mixed in with a little wet road surface and down you go. If you are not an aggressive rider to begin with I would suggest just ride as normal(in the dry) for the first 100 miles or so. Afterthought: also check your pressures after the shop installs the tires and continue regularly for safer performance. A good quality pressure guage will happily live under the seat.

And always check the pressures cold, even a mile or two can raise the pressure a pound or two, throwing off your cold pressure.

[burkbuilds]

Holy be jeebus!!! Now there's a warning for you! Thanks for the heads up..... and to stay on! What kind of bike & tires?

I don't know the make of the bike or the tires, he showed me photos the cops took at the scene and I don't think there was a salvageable part on the bike! It's really amazing that he lived, by the way he sold his other bike and he said he's done, no more riding for him.

[Water Warrior 2]

Originally Posted by burkbuilds

Holy be jeebus!!! Now there's a warning for you! Thanks for the heads up..... and to stay on! What kind of bike & tires?

I don't know the make of the bike or the tires, he showed me photos the cops took at the scene and I don't think there was a salvageable part on the bike! It's really amazing that he lived, by the way he sold his other bike and he said he's done, no more riding for him.

Forewarned is forearmed. Doesn't matter what kind of tires or bikes. Take it easy on new tires and stay away from water and tar snakes on the road for a while. After a couple rides and heating/cooling cycles the tire will be trustworthy and dependable.

[burkbuilds]

When I bought my Kawasaki Vulcan recently I noticed that the owners manual even said to wait at least 100 miles before trying any hard cornering or riding in wet weather just to let the tires break in a little first.