Sometimes, one of the most important parts of a bike’s maintenance is passed over – checking tire pressure. But it shouldn’t be; this is one of the things that can make it or break it in a race. If it’s off, it will also make you work harder to maintain control. This should be part of your pre-ride ritual. Read on for the details on how to make this as painless as possible.

What purpose do the tires have? For one thing, they’re an integral part of the suspension. If you were riding on solid rubber tires, believe me, it would be haemorrhoid time. Also, just think about how important traction is to your performance. This is the job of your tires.

Why do you check the tire pressure before the ride? Because air expands when it warms up. The tire’s pressure rating is specified for cool air. Also, keep in mind that your bike is not like your car. The mission and environment are different and so is the air pressure. For optimal performance, your front tire should hold about one PSI less than the back.

Do you need to check your pressure more than once during an event? Absolutely! As stated above, the actual pressure is dependant on the temperature of the air. Check it before each rest period or when the day gets progressively hotter or cooler. At some events, the racing will extend into the night under the big lights. The temperature can drop considerably once the sun goes down.

The type of terrain you’re riding on can affect the air pressure you need to maintain for effective riding. Remember, fine tuning to specific conditions is one of the keys to success. Following are some recommendations:

Sand or mud – 10 PSI in the rear tire and 12 in the front. These conditions get a better bite with a lower pressure, flatter geometry on the rear but the higher pressure in the front accents tracking.

Hard pack surfaces – This is a bit more equalized, only 11 PSI in the rear and 11.5 in the front. This is average supercross conditions.

Intermediate surfaces – This is the average type of condition we referenced above. A good way to go is 13 PSI in the rear tire, 12 in the front.

These guidelines are for a known MX track. That’s where you know before hand what to expect. If you go riding on trails you might encounter any number of different conditions. In this case you should go for more pressure for optimized performance. I’d suggest 14 PSI rear and 13 PSI front. This is a bit higher than for racing conditions but remember that the speed will be greatly reduced and the chance of that dreaded flat tire is much higher. So, take care of your tires and they’ll take care of you.

Article by John Melin at www.MxTrainingJournal.com

Technorati Tags: motorcycle tires, motocross tires, motocross, supercross

Please don’t ever make the mistake of thinking all motorcycle tires are the same. Each motorcycle requires its own type of tire that’s even further deemed appropriate by its specific use. While that’s all explicit and I talked about it in my previous post about choosing motorcycle tires, there are some general caring practices that can be applied to all tire types.

Good working tires will considerably contribute to the wonderful experience that only motorcycling can afford as well as to a safe ride. Motorcycle tires can also be expensive so you’re well advised to take good care of them.

Below you’ll find 10 tips that will help will help extend the life of any motorcycle tire regardless of its type or use.

Tip #1 - Keep your tires at the right pressure. They will perform better and last longer. Always carry a pressure gauge in your bike and check air pressure at least once a week. Under inflated or over inflated tires will wear out faster and can compromise your safety.

Tip #2 - When mounting new tires, always balance the tire and rim. This will avoid vibration while riding as well as premature tire wear.

Tip #3 – 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.

Tip #4 – When possible, keep new tires out of direct sunlight. Whether they’re on a motorcycle or not, direct sunlight (or more precisely, UV radiation) will chemically change the tire compounds and weaken bonds, dry the tires, and make them brittle ahead of time. The ozone in the air can react with the compounds in the tire too and cause additional unwanted changes. Electric motors contribute to ozone production, so in addition to keeping tires out of sunlight, keep them away from things like large generators or air conditioning units.

Tip #5 - Never mount a front tire on the back of the bike or a rear tire on the front. The front and rear tires of a motorcycle have completely different design profiles.

Tip #6 - Replace motorcycle tires at the same time. If you ride a motorcycle with an old worn tire in the front and a spanking brand new tire in the back, the bike’s stability will decrease and create dangerous driving environment.

Tip #7 - Don’t mix radials with bias-ply motorcycle tires. Each one of these different types of tire gives a motorcycle a specific type of handling characteristic. Mixing them on one vehicle will only create an unstable condition, a rougher ride, and it will decrease the ability to hug corners.

Tip #8 - Clean tires with mild soap solution and rinse with plain clear water. Clean your tires frequently and especially after a long ride or after riding on rough terrain. Oil, gas, and street debris can degrade the tire’s compounds faster than usual. Take the time to clean off the tires so that their treads can a) move the way that they were designed to move, b) maximize grip and friction, and c) stabilize the bike. While cleaning your tires inspect them carefully and look out for cracks and embrittled surfaces.

Tip #9 – During long periods you don’t use your bike - as in winter - don’t outgas the bike’s tires because that will eventually make them brittle. Even if they’re not used, keep your tires at the right pressure.

Tip #10 – Do not overload your bike. Heavy add-ons can have a significant impact on the lifetime, the durability, and the performance of motorcycle tires. If you are planning to add a sidecar, saddlebags and/or other heavy accessories, ask your motorcycle dealer about your bike’s tires and which ones would be most appropriate for the intended purpose.

Well, that’s it for the moment…

You have other motorcycle tires maintenance tips you would like to share with our readers? I invite you to leave them in the comments of this post.

Enjoy the ride!

Technorati Tags: motorcycle tires, motorcycles, motorbikes, bikes

No matter how hard I try, I just can’t stress enough how important it is to choose the right motorcycle tires. I’ll debate the issue with my friends who insist that a motorcycle’s engine is more important than its tires. On that issue, I can’t say who’s right. Both a motorcycle’s engine and a good set of tires are important, but I also can’t seem to get them to agree that motorcycle tires are just as critical an issue. Not to mention other key factors that directly influence a bike’s performance…

First of all, the tires literally “go” with the bike that they’re put on. They have to match. Every single tire is built to accommodate the demands of a certain bike and it addresses every issue from tread style, bias, materials, and more all the way to riding style (racing, street use, etc.).

Second, the front and rear tires on a motorcycle are different from each other. Every tire is engineered to perform a specific way depending on its placement (front or rear) and if you put a tire on the wrong end, you’re not only dragging down the performance of the tire, you’re also dragging down the performance of the entire bike. You’re also risking a severe crash considering that the back tire is designed to provide acceleration and the front tire is engineered to provide braking power.

Third, the back wheel is built to carry more weight than the front wheel and it’s also built to simply lean. The front wheel however is built to lean as well as to turn left and right. I don’t want to imagine what could happen if tires were mounted in the wrong ends.

With this said, here are a few bits of information that should help to understand some of the differences between motorcycle tires. Hope they help.

Racing Motorcycle Tires

Racing tires are in a category of their own and racing professionals of course have their favorites. Good motorcycle racing tires should maintain excellent contact with the ground at steep angles and they should always accommodate the need for hard cornering. Since racing bikes need maximum acceleration from a full stop or out of a turn, their tires must be able to perform under continual stress at high speeds.

No other tires endure as much abuse as motorcycle racing tires. And although they aren’t normally exposed to the debris that street bikes are, racing tires need to be puncture proof because they are exposed to major stress at the racetrack or debris (sharp rocks and branches for example) during off road competitions.

Another thing — racing tires usually don’t get the standard “break-in” period before they’re used on the track. That means they have to perform well as soon as they’re put on.

Sport Motorcycle Tires

Sport bias motorcycle tires usually have radial-style tread patterns. This pattern helps sport bikes produce a large footprint which is appropriate for street and road riding. This kind of tires give motorcycles a good contact with the surface and enable good cornering. They also perform well in all weather conditions.

Sport bikes require tires that last longer than racing tires, so the compounds they are developed with are harder than the ones used for racing tires and they provide a good combination of grip and wear resistance.

Touring Motorcycle Tires

Touring tires should hold a good grip on all road surfaces including asphalt, concrete, chip seal, and others regardless of what the weather is. If you’ll notice, the way that touring motorcycle tires are designed indicates a thoughtful balance between long tread life and good grip. Touring motorcycle tires should also feature front and rear tread patterns designed for water evacuation.

Other important factors include bias-ply construction with overlapping layers of synthetic rubber and composite mesh. This gives tires a good balance between load capacity and comfort.

It is impossible to talk about all the different kind of tires you can find in just a blog post but hopefully the above will give you an idea of why it’s important to choose the right tires for your motorcycle.

The most important thing to remember when choosing motorcycle tires is: The type of tire you select must match the type of bike you ride and there really isn’t any getting around it.

Enjoy the ride!

More about motorcycle tires at Japanese-Motorcycles-Only.com

Technorati Tags: motorcycle tires, motorcycles, motorbikes, bikes

In my last post about motorcycle engines, I talked about: single, twin and triple cylinder engines. Now it’s the turn for the bigger engines with four cylinders found in medium to large size bikes, as well as the six cylinder engines you can see in a few models out there.

Four Cylinder Motorcycle Engines

These were first used in cars but it didn’t take long to see them installed on motorcycles, too. Even though they are heavier than singles, twins and triples, and they obviously need a higher input of fuel; they produce much smoother power, which makes the bikes equipped with them more suitable for long and pleasant rides.

Basically, there are two kinds of configurations for four cylinder motorcycle engines: Inline-Four and V-Four.

Let’s talk a little about each of them…

Inline-Four

In this configuration, all four cylinders are lined up with the rods/pistons in parallel. Narrower engine compartments are possible this way, but vibration is harder to minimize, so they often come equipped with offset mechanisms to improve the balance.

You can find these engines in many medium to large size (400 cc and up) Japanese motorcycles (traditional and sport bikes) from Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki.

In their own particular configuration, BMW also use in-line four’s in their very popular K Series.

V-Four

These engines were first developed for small compact cars, but have been used in motorcycles for a few decades now. They produce lots of power at high RPM with low vibration. These quiet, water or oil-cooled engines deliver reliable performance for long trips. On the downside, they are heavier and torque a low RPM is normally not their strong point.

You can find V-4’s in many cruiser and touring bikes from American, Japanese and European manufacturers. You can also see them in a few large sport bikes.

Six Cylinders Motorcycle Engines

These engines are not very common and they are only used for large motorcycles (1000 cc and up), but the bikes equipped with them deliver lots of power through every gear and a smooth, low-vibration ride.

Six cylinder bikes have a large number of moving parts, are normally pretty expensive and are more difficult/expensive to maintain (not only there are more parts to take care of, but they are also harder to find).

Six cylinder motorcycle engines also produce a lot of heat and fan-cooled radiators are almost always mandatory.

The first commercial model I remember that was equipped with a six cylinder engine is the 1979-1982 Honda CBX. Other models using this kind of engine are the Honda Valkyrie Rune and the Kawasaki KZ1300.

A small conclusion on motorcycle engines

Each engine performs differently and choosing the right one for your kind of riding conditions is key. The engine plays a role in bike performance, stability, speed, styling and comfort, and all these factors are important.

Here are a few pointers:

• A two-cylinder Boxer can be fun and provide a smooth ride, but depending on the bike, cornering and space limitations can become an annoyance after a while.
• If you like low-rumble (loud big engine with big pipes) cruisers, a V-Twin is an excellent choice, e.g., Harley Davidson’s.
• If you are looking for a cruiser that delivers smooth power with low vibration and that is not very noisy, you’ll probably want an in-line four.
• For touring bikes, one of the best choices you can make is a V-4.
• Looking for a fast sport bike? Three and four cylinder options are probably the best selection.
• For off-road riding, you can’t go wrong with a single cylinder engine. Some twins also perform well in the dirt.
• For standard commuting bikes you can find a variety of options ranging from one to four cylinders.

Important: the above are just a few guidelines and you should always do research and inform yourself (with your local dealer, motorcycle friends, books and the Internet) before choosing the right motorcycle for you.

Do you have something to add? Leave a comment in this post.

Enjoy the Ride!

Rider
WorldWideMotorcycles.com

Related post:

Motorcycle Engines Part 1 – Singles, Twins and Triples

Note: The image in this post is licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version.

Technorati Tags: motorcycle engines, motorcycles

Motorcycle engines come in a number of configurations. They normally range from one cylinder to six cylinder engines, but you can also find a few exotic models with eight and even twelve cylinders. As you can imagine, the number of cylinders affects performance.

Motorcycle engines can also work on two stroke or four stroke cycles, which also plays a role in the performance of the bike, but I won’t get into that discussion in this post. I will focus in the number of pistons each engine has and their respective characteristics.

In this first part, I will talk about: one, two and three cylinder motorcycle engines. In the next one, I will talk about four and six cylinder engines.

Single Cylinder

These motorcycle engines have a single chamber with one piston. They are usually installed on off-road bikes, but you can also see them in small to medium size street motorbikes, as some Buell models, equipped with them.

Single cylinder motorcycle engines produce loads of torque at lower RPM*. The downside is that the movement of the single piston also produces a lot of vibration (as there is nothing to counterbalance the forces produced by the only piston in the engine).

Another issue to have in mind is that most of the single cylinder motorcycles are normally pretty noisy.

Twin Cylinder

Two cylinder motorcycle engines can be found in two configurations:

- V-shaped motorcycle engines, most commonly known as “V twins”

The pistons in these engines are equal in size and they are normally angled between 60 to 90 degrees. They are more powerful than single cylinder engines due to a greater displacement** and a larger quantity of fuel combusted in each stroke. V Twins can deliver a good amount of torque at low RPM.

The V shape configuration also reduces vibration as the forces produced by each piston counterbalance each other.

Probably the best known V-shaped twin engine equipped motorcycles are Harley Davidson bikes.

- Side-by-Side or opposed cylinder configuration

Normally called a ‘Boxed’ or ‘Boxer’ configuration, these motorcycle engines produce good power and torque with low vibration. Not everybody likes this configuration because the cylinders protrude out the sides. This can make cornering difficult.

Another challenge for the bikes using boxer engines is the necessity to protect the rider’s legs against the heat produced by their protuberant pistons.

Triumph has used this configuration in some of their models, but probably the brand that has mastered boxed motorcycle engines the best is BMW.

The Triple

This configuration is not very common, but three cylinder motorcycle engines have excellent power and torque. They also have good vibration characteristics. One advantage of triple cylinder engines is the ability to produce higher RPM, thus producing more power and at the same time weighing less than four cylinder motorcycle engines.

It’s not common to see a three cylinder American bike, but British and Italians have adopted this configuration for a few of their models. You can find triples in motorcycles from: Triumph, BSA and Benelli.

Well this is it for this post. Come back soon for Part II. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed or Email Updates to learn about new entries in this blog.

Want to add something? Use the comments for this post.

Enjoy the Ride!

Rider
WorldWideMotorcycles.com

*Displacement: the total volume of air and fuel the cylinder can hold before compression occurs (source Babylon´s Glossary of Automotive Terms).

** RPM: revolutions per minute.

Technorati Tags: motorcycle engines, motorcycles