Got the bike booked in to have a new rear tyre fitted next Saturday. Pinned on the dealers wall was the usual warning about taking care for the first hundred miles on a new tyre till the release agent from the mould had worn off. Apart from the boredom of riding on tip-toe for a hundred miles, I don't fancy the thought of limited grip should an emergency arise. I have often wondered if five minutes with a scouring pad and a Fairy Liquid solution would do the trick instead.
Anyone got any knowledge on this?
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One of the mags had something on this a few years ago I think.
I think their conclusion was to do the miles. The method I used of a bit of sandpaper to rough up the surface was mentioned but said to be no good. Any use of solvents was said to make matters worse.
In this weather I worry about how to scub the sides in - if it's slippy how to get the lean angles. I can vouch for how slippy new tyres are as I watched my mate pull out of his road whilst following him and do a nice pirouete (sp), followed by sudden grip and finding himself about 8 foot in the air.
Take care,
Martin
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Due care required, but only initially. I watched someone ride out a fitter in Surrey, turn right, pull a handful only to end up on his backside with the bike across the road. Every time I've had new tyres, I've simply taken it very gently around roundabouts etc, and taken the long way home taking in as many sweeping bends your neighbourhood allows, again gently. Therefter (up to @ 60 miles), don't cane it. This approach has always worked for me, although I haven't had experience of softer compound racing tyres.
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Guess I'll just take it carefully then. What has me worried is scrubbing the edges in, as Martin says. The middle section is no prob but in this weather I don't bank it too much.
Incidently, while I was ordering it on Sat a guy came limping into the dealers after dropping his CBR 600 on a roundabout. It looked dry when he entered it but as he got close to the island he found a patch of ice that was shaded from the sun. Ouch!
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I'm never overly cautious on a new rear.
On a new front I tend to be carefull overtaking on white lines etc.
That said I only rid ein the dry and my riding style is pretty well suited to wearing in new tyres.
On the wet I guess you need to be very cautious.
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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I concur with blowpipe. You just have to be quite gentle on the bends at first. I (like blowpipe) try and seek out some fast sweepers, and go around them moderately fast, and over the course of 50 to 100 miles gradually up the pace to "normal". I've never had any problems, but a friend of mine bought a new Yamaha TRX 850 about 5 years ago, and was still within earshot of the dealers when he lost it on a right turn.....and the bike was back at the dealers for repairs with one tenth of a mile on the odometer, so it is a very real problem. (My friend is a steady rider with 20+ years of riding under his belt).
All the best
Reggie
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How do manufacturers get away with this potentially lethal situation? If mold release agent is the cause it should be removed at the factory . I have been told that a preservative is also a suspect . I can`t see Rossi and co. streaking into turn one on new tyres that were coated in anything that would contribute to loss of grip so why should we ? Any tyre experts care to help us to understand the problem ?
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Not an expert, but bike tyres and car tyres are quite different, not only pricewise owing to the comparatively limited market, and any further treatments will only add to the price you pay. Rossi's get lightly prescrubbed, warmed and god knows what else prior to racing. Any decent fitter will always warn you to take it easy on new tyres, which is frankly all you need to do.
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Fair enough about taking it easy on new tyres, Blowpipe, but when Mr V*l*o backs off his drive into your path, taking it easy ain't an option.
From the number of stories one heres about riders binning bikes on fresh rubber, I think it is a problem that needs looking at.
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Fair comment, the unforeseen is always an issue and, as you rightly point out, a safe and steady scrubbing off period can't be guaranteed.
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The tyre fitters at the depot I use are both experienced motorcyclists. They tell me that examining the appearance of the tyre during the "running in " period will reveal a gradual change in colour from black to a bluish grey. this change is subtle and needs careful interpretation as the colour change slowly works its way down the tyre towards the edge. It is not so much a product of scrubbing in as such but more the result of the rubber twisting and flexing , working and squeezing. This perhaps explains why sandpapering tyres isn`t effective. Personally I proceed cautiously for the first hundred miles, and try to coincide tyre changes with the warmer weather.
Of course, regularly checking tyres is a must especially on motorcycles and given the recent splitting phenonema of a well
known brand.( cosmetically disturbing but not intrinsically dangerous).
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