| Author |
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Court
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 - 11:17 am: | 
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>>>Court... To each his own.
I could not agree more.
After doing test riding for years I assure you that modern tires are absolutely amazing pieces of engineering.
I can also assure you that one of the things that they have in common with tires from 15 years ago is "release compound" from the mold. It's left there partially as a convenience and partially to provide s degree of protection against aging.
There are plenty, I am sure, of anecdotal cases of folks who jumped on brand spanking new tires and drug their knees at 100mph.
I can also show you wonderful examples of folks (names left out to protect the innocent) who have carved the California mountain roads sliding an S3T completely at lock and laid down on the pegs.
Both . . . although possible . . . are flirting with disaster for street riders.
Just like a Pilot in Command of an aircraft you have a duty and responsibility to know your machine, its condition and its limitations.
Choose wisely.
Since we each get to choose . . I'll be sticking fairly close to the manufacturers’ recommendations and leaving those amazing stories for the folks who are far more skilled than I.
I just didn't want someone to read one of those amazing internet stories and think they could jump on a new set of tires and blast off |
Court
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 - 11:26 am: |
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By the way . . . and perhaps this will be of some value to some of the newer riders.
As both a pilot and a test rider . . I ALWAYS look at 3 things EVERY TIME I get on a motorcycle.
- The condition I am in. (angry, anxious, in a hurry, etc)
- The condition my MOTORCYCLE is in. (just out of service, new test parts [ask me about test frames sometime], tire condition, brakes, signals, etc)
- The condition the ROAD is in. (Weather, surface, traffic, etc)
When I left the dealer the other morning.
- I had a LOT of my mind for the day.
- The Ulysses had a brand new tire.
- It was misty and I was on the greasiest roads where all the trucks come and go to the refineries in Elizabeth
I rode accordingly.
I'll bet there are some pilots here who may not speak up but are nodding their heads. Never look to luck for your safety.
I used to . . . in the late 90's, write and annual SAFE RIDING column on the old Buell Bulletin Board . . . may not be a bad idea to do again. |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 - 12:48 pm: |
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Keep in mind that it can be a bear to mount a tire without a lot of lube as well. So even if the tire didnt need a break in from the factory, it sure might need one after being mounted. Soap works OK, but silicon spray (with a really hot tire) has been my ticket for really easy tire mounts... and it was a trick I discovered watching a local motorcycle tire mounting shop.
My first hand experience has been that the back end is squirmy when a new back tire goes on (regardless of brand). |
Brumbear
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 - 05:33 pm: |
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I can tell you I am always cautious for a while on all my tires as the street isn't the track and sometimes it takes a while to get to place to give em a proper scrubbing in |
Fltwistygirl
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 - 11:42 pm: |
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As always, good advice on badweb.
Rode 130 miles today, will ride more tomorrow. This is the first time I've had 2 new tires put on at the same time. Handling felt "heavy" instead of the "notchy" feeling of flat spotted tires. They are good and scuffed up now and I couldn't be happier with 'em. |
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