Tyres, something I believe we all take for granted at times, until they let us down
Tyres
Something I believe we all take for granted at times, until they let us down
The handling on my FJ has been pretty bad for a week or so now, culminating in it trying to spit me off the other day, which I had put down to the steering head bearings needing changing, so to keep me going a bit longer until I have time to change them, I repacked them with grease and adjusted them. This made a bit of a difference, but not a lot, so I took a look at the tyres, normally I check these every couple of days with a visual inspection before every ride.
Due to the long strange hours I now work, I have obviously been a bit lax in that respect.
The rear tyre only had 14 pounds of air, the front was dangerously bald on one side and had gone a triangular shape, no wonder it felt weird when riding!
So off to FWR in Kennington, London SE11, this is where I normally go for my tyres, there is an Avon Azaro on the back of the FJ which I have been very happy with, witness the fact that only about half an inch of the tread has not been used on each side, very grippy with a fairly reasonable tread life. The old front was a Michelin, which had always felt a bit odd, never let me down but I never felt entirely confident with it. So FWR fitted a new Avon Storm, £98 fitted and balanced which I think is a good price.
The difference is amazing, the Storm matches the part worn Azaro on the back very well, even with the tyre being less than 50 miles old, riding in the rain this morning was a revelation, the FJ felt as solid as a rock on the road and I seemed to cut a few minutes off of my traveling time.
We really should pay more attention to our tyres,I think we do tend to neglect them, how many of you check them every day? How often do you check the tyre pressures? I try to check the pressures at least once a week and (nearly) always have a quick look at the tread before riding.
I used to get the cheapest I could during my 15 years as a courier, but it always turned out to be a false econemy as I either had no grip or no confidence in them (never ever buy anything called Cheng Shin!!) This is ok if you are riding a low powered 125, but on anything bigger you really need decent ones fitted.
My favourite tyres of all time were Dunlops (K71?) the ones with the 'aquajets' little channels that really worked at removing water from under the tyre, I actully got the pegs down on the road on the Chelsea Bridge roundabout, this was in the pouring rain with them fitted on a Z650 and chasing my mate Richard on his Z900 in the rain when we both had them fitted was an experience to remember. (Bit of rose‑tinted specs again, Jake) I do remember they were damned exepensive for the time though and didn't last long.
Choosing tyres can be a bit daunting, until you have riden a bike with a particular set of tyres, then you have no way of knowing if they suit the bike or even your riding style.
My FJ (or rather me) likes Bridgestones or Avons, with the edge going to the Avons, I could get the pegs down with a set of Azaros, unfortunately last time I got a puncture in the front I could only get a Michelin. I was going to have a Michelin fitted on the rear last time, but felt I should stick to the Avons as they had been so good, now with a matched pair the difference really shows up.
My other FJ came with a set of Pirellis and I hated them, no matter what tyre pressures I tried they never felt safe and always felt like they were going to slide in the wet, I must admit they they never did but it didn't inspire confidence to have that feeling into a fast bend. Eventually I fitted a set of Azaros on it and it was peg down time again.
Different suspension settings and different tyre pressures all make a big difference to the way a bike handles, each bike can behave in its own unique way depending on the rider and tyres, I have a friend with a BMW RT1000, he swears by Conti tyres, yet when I had one I prefered Michelins on it. Different strokes for different folks, his riding style is totally different to mine and he does far more longer journeys.
Tyre technology has changed a lot in the last 100 years, racers get 100's of BHP on the ground through four square inches of rubber, the next time you stuff it fast into a bend remember all that's keeping you from sliding off is that small contact patch on each tyre, so look after them.
Always have your tyres balanced, a tyre that is 5 grams out can cause the front end to start wobbling at high speed, 5 grams at 100mph is like having a bag of sugar strapped to the wheel and this effect increases the faster you go, I do believe this is the cause of most tank slappers. It is far more inportant to gett he front balanced than the rear, although if the rear one is badly unbalanced you will have problems.
Due to the long strange hours I now work, I have obviously been a bit lax in that respect.
The rear tyre only had 14 pounds of air, the front was dangerously bald on one side and had gone a triangular shape, no wonder it felt weird when riding!
So off to FWR in Kennington, London SE11, this is where I normally go for my tyres, there is an Avon Azaro on the back of the FJ which I have been very happy with, witness the fact that only about half an inch of the tread has not been used on each side, very grippy with a fairly reasonable tread life. The old front was a Michelin, which had always felt a bit odd, never let me down but I never felt entirely confident with it. So FWR fitted a new Avon Storm, £98 fitted and balanced which I think is a good price.
The difference is amazing, the Storm matches the part worn Azaro on the back very well, even with the tyre being less than 50 miles old, riding in the rain this morning was a revelation, the FJ felt as solid as a rock on the road and I seemed to cut a few minutes off of my traveling time.
We really should pay more attention to our tyres,I think we do tend to neglect them, how many of you check them every day? How often do you check the tyre pressures? I try to check the pressures at least once a week and (nearly) always have a quick look at the tread before riding.
I used to get the cheapest I could during my 15 years as a courier, but it always turned out to be a false econemy as I either had no grip or no confidence in them (never ever buy anything called Cheng Shin!!) This is ok if you are riding a low powered 125, but on anything bigger you really need decent ones fitted.
My favourite tyres of all time were Dunlops (K71?) the ones with the 'aquajets' little channels that really worked at removing water from under the tyre, I actully got the pegs down on the road on the Chelsea Bridge roundabout, this was in the pouring rain with them fitted on a Z650 and chasing my mate Richard on his Z900 in the rain when we both had them fitted was an experience to remember. (Bit of rose‑tinted specs again, Jake) I do remember they were damned exepensive for the time though and didn't last long.
Choosing tyres can be a bit daunting, until you have riden a bike with a particular set of tyres, then you have no way of knowing if they suit the bike or even your riding style.
My FJ (or rather me) likes Bridgestones or Avons, with the edge going to the Avons, I could get the pegs down with a set of Azaros, unfortunately last time I got a puncture in the front I could only get a Michelin. I was going to have a Michelin fitted on the rear last time, but felt I should stick to the Avons as they had been so good, now with a matched pair the difference really shows up.
My other FJ came with a set of Pirellis and I hated them, no matter what tyre pressures I tried they never felt safe and always felt like they were going to slide in the wet, I must admit they they never did but it didn't inspire confidence to have that feeling into a fast bend. Eventually I fitted a set of Azaros on it and it was peg down time again.
Different suspension settings and different tyre pressures all make a big difference to the way a bike handles, each bike can behave in its own unique way depending on the rider and tyres, I have a friend with a BMW RT1000, he swears by Conti tyres, yet when I had one I prefered Michelins on it. Different strokes for different folks, his riding style is totally different to mine and he does far more longer journeys.
Tyre technology has changed a lot in the last 100 years, racers get 100's of BHP on the ground through four square inches of rubber, the next time you stuff it fast into a bend remember all that's keeping you from sliding off is that small contact patch on each tyre, so look after them.
Always have your tyres balanced, a tyre that is 5 grams out can cause the front end to start wobbling at high speed, 5 grams at 100mph is like having a bag of sugar strapped to the wheel and this effect increases the faster you go, I do believe this is the cause of most tank slappers. It is far more inportant to gett he front balanced than the rear, although if the rear one is badly unbalanced you will have problems.
Tyre tips.
- It is worth getting tyres rebalanced halfway through their life, this can make a big difference to performance bikes.
- Always check tyre pressures when the tyre is warm, the pressure can change from cold to hot by a few pounds.
- Leave it on the side stand or sit on it when checking pressure.
- Check the pressure regulary.
- Increase pressure if carrying a passenger/luggage, the amount will vary depending on the weight of the passenger/luggage.
- Try to use matched pairs of tyres.
- Rubber cuts easier when wet, which is why you get more punctures when it rains.
- Look at your tyres before every ride, remove any stones or objects from the tread.
- If it starts 'whitelining' then check the pressures, if they are ok then even if it looks like you have plenty of tread left, change the tyres.
- Useful link: TyreSafe
Jake ‑ Keeping the shiny side up (mostly) since 1971
