“When you have a new tyre fitted onto your motorcycle, take it
easy for the first 50 miles.”
This advice is as old as the hills and the source of myth and
legend in motorcycling. But it is worth repeating. Rubber is
sticky stuff. It needs to be to keep you and your bike sunny
side up. Unfortunately for the manufacturers of tyres sticky
rubber sticks to their moulding machines that make your shiny
new tyres. To stop this the manufacturers have to use slippery
stuff in the moulds so they can get the tyre out of the mould.
And this slippery stuff is all over your shiny new tyre.
So here is Mr Keen, at the tyre shop having a splendid new piece
of rubber fitted to his Kawukihonaha GCYZXRRRRRRR. He pays his
£150 and sets off like a rocket. At the first bend the new tyre
slides gracefully from under the bike causing many thousands of
pounds damage to the bike and hurting Mr Keen. Mr Keen is not so
keen on this new tyre.
If he had ridden the motorcycle carefully and gently for the
first 50 miles, the slippery compound on the tyre would have
worn away leaving a super sticky piece of rubber in contact with
the road.
One thing that is commonly overlooked when “scrubbing in” a new
tyre is to be careful of the edges. If a new tyre is ridden for
50 miles on a straight road then the centre will be clear, but
the edges of the tyre still slippery. And you cannot “carefully”
go straight to the edge of the tyres. Increase the angle the
bike leans through corners gradually.
Have Fun!
