In order to end up with the tires best suited to your needs, you have to clearly understand what you are looking for and what options are available to you. This is done by researching in two areas.
Firstly, you research the market to find out what kinds of tires are available, familiarizing yourself with the different features, styles and price ranges etc. Secondly, you examine your own unique requirements in tires.
Research the market: Tire essentials
Make no mistake about it, tires are the most important piece of equipment on your motorcycle. They are what gets you around, and your best chance at prevention of a spill. All of the different types of motorcycle have their own specific tire specifications that work with the model; you have to make sure that the treads are suited to your purpose and that the rim size fits onto your motorbike.
The first part of the research step is to investigate just what's available in the tires market. The range of options can seem overwhelming, but you can make a good start by understanding the following major features:
Speed Rating: This is in reference to how fast your tires can be driven at a maintained speed without having a blowout. The lowest rating is “N”, which means that it is safe to travel at speeds of 140 km/h, or 87 m/h. It then ranges up to “Y” at 300 km/h or 186 m/h.
Heat Rating: The heat rating of your tires tends to go hand-in-hand with the speed rating for a simple reason; the faster you go, the hotter your tires will get. As you go faster and your tires heat up, you actually begin to lose tread at a faster rate. To put it simply, when you sustain the speed and therefore heat of your tires, they begin to deteriorate and leave very small pieces of themselves on the road. Don't be alarmed - they're supposed to do this! The specific heat rating of your tire lets you know the rate at which this deterioration occurs. The typical ratings are, from highest temperature to lowest: “A”, “B” and “C”.
Tire Construction: Apart from the speed and heat ratings, there are two other things in tire construction to consider - the sidewall and the tread. The thickness of the sidewall is determined by whether it is a “street” or “racing” tire, and is affected by the speed rating. Typically, tires with higher speed or heat ratings have thicker sidewalls. Tread is, of course, referring to the outer texture of the tire, which affects your bike's handling and ability to grip the road. If you intend to do off road biking your tread will have to be deeper to deal with off road conditions.
Street Tires: These tires are specifically made to withstand road conditions and better resist the elements that may affect the handling and manoeuvrability of your bike. Generally, these tires have good, solid treads meant to cut through water when it rains, and still have enough tire touching the road to give good traction in average dry conditions. These tires also have a square-like construction, if you look at them from the front - this gives them much better stability, but makes them a bit more sluggish in turns. If you're just a daily driver, these are going to be your best choice.
Track Tires: Track tires are generally not legal outside the racetrack, and for good reason - they provide very little grip or stability for general road driving. For example, if you were to have a set of these on driving home from work and it began to rain, you'd be in for the ride of your life! At every turn, the bike would want to slide out from under you. They are perfect for dry racing conditions at the track though, because they have very little visible tread, and sometimes none at all. This is better for tracks because when the tires get good and hot, there is more actual tire making contact with the asphalt, which therefore gives you better acceleration. Unlike street tires, they have a triangular-like point on their bottoms that makes them very responsive in tight turns.
Research your needs: Questions to ask yourself
Now it's time to determine what your requirements are in a tires. For example, will you use the tires only for occasional weekend touring or do you commute to and from work on your motorcycle?
You can start this process by considering the following questions - as well as any others you think of yourself - and recording your answers.
| Have I used motorcycle tires before? |
| | If you have used tires, work out what you did or didn't like about the tires. You may be looking for some exactly the same, hoping to upgrade, or even trying to avoid any particular features that you found inconvenient. |
| What are my biking habits? |
| | This may seem to be a very simplistic question, but in answering it, you will eliminate nearly half the types of tires you will be looking at, since most manufacturers break their stock into roughly two categories - street tires and racing/track tires. |
| How often do I ride my bike, and how far do I go? |
| | This can help determine whether you can get a lower-rated tire and often save quite a bit of money. For example, it makes no sense to get those expensive tires that are rated up to 170 km/h if you commute to work and are lucky to go over 70 km/h. |
| What are the laws regarding tires in my area? |
| | While some places have no laws restricting the use of various tires, some areas have prohibited the use of track tires on public streets, or tires that do not have a certain amount of tread. |
| How much am I willing to spend? |
| | Once you have narrowed down what type of tire you want, there are always many selections still left. You will then need to weigh carefully quality versus price versus how often you use your motorcycle. |
| What are the typical road conditions in my area? |
| | Here is a question many people forget to consider. You may decide to buy some “special” tread tires and think you are getting a great deal only to discover that they are ideal for snow-covered roads and you live in the tropics. You also want to be wary of buying “racing” tires if you live in an area that gets a lot of rain since racing tires have less tread. |
| What type of motorcycle do I drive? |
| | The primary thing to consider here is: How large is your bike? Typically, the cruisers are larger, heavier machines, while the aerodynamic racing types are much lighter. You will need heavier, more durable tires for the cruiser types, while you will want more manoeuvrable tires with more grip for cornering on the racing types. |
| Will I be using my bike off road? |
| | Off road bikes have very different requirements than on road bikes with deeper treads and narrower sidewalls. |
Understanding your needs is the key to a successful purchase and you can revisit your list of needs at any time during the buying process.
Once you complete this Research step, having informed yourself about the essentials of tires and identified your needs, you are ready to move on to the next step: Evaluation.
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Buyz123.com Research Links:ChoosingSelecting the perfect tire for your bikeGeneralMotorcycle tires exposed - all you need to knowTotal tire guide for motorcyclesMotorcycle tires - what is the outlook?Tire sizesMotorcycle tire size chartTypesLarge range of motorcycle tire types