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TYRE PRESSURES |
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During colder months of the year : |
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Stamped on the outside of many of your tires is a recommended tire pressure range (at least an upper limit).
For longest tire life, it is recommended that you strive to keep them at the higher limit of those recommendations (regardless of what your motorcycle owner's manual might say to the contrary.)
Further, this pressure should be determined while the tires are cold - meaning, have not been used for a couple of hours |
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Time and outside temperature affect the pressure within your tires. It is NORMAL for a tire to lose about 1 pound per square inch (psi) per month. Outside temperatures affect your tire pressure far more profoundly, however. A tire's pressure can change by 1 psi for every 10 degrees Fahrenheit of temperature change. As temperature goes, so goes pressure. |
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There is nothing wrong with your tire if it behaves like this, of course. What is being illustrated here is that you MUST check your tire pressure on a regular basis (about once a week is reasonable) and to be particularly aware of it on cold days. |
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NEW TYRES |
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For new riders, they need to be careful after putting new tires on their bikes. It is a fact that new tires do provide less traction until the new-tire coating is worn off. But that is not the whole story. |
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ALL new tires grow during the first hundred miles or so of use. |
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It is absolutely essential that you allow them to do so before putting them to a stress test such as attempting to aggressively navigate a set of twisties. Why? Because it is the process of growing that results in a tight and secure bead to rim seating. If you put the tires to undue stress before their beads have seated to the wheel rims there is a possibility that you will experience a catastrophic loss of air while heeled over in a turn. |
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Rather than using an abrasive to convert a new tire into a used one, better by far to ride on them for a hundred miles or so. Besides, it's more fun doing it that way. |
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Note: [New or used, before you stress your tires in the twisties you MUST allow them to get warm first. Traction available on a cold tire is significantly less than for a warm one. Similarly, if you are doing a lot of twisties and your tires get HOT, traction is diminished. Maximum traction exists only under normal operating temperatures.] |
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