Avoiding Excessive or Uneven Front Tire Wear


All rubber tires wear down over time, whether they're on a motorcycle or automobile. However, you want to watch out for uneven or excessive wear, both of which can cause serious problems for motorcycle riders. If you pay attention to the following causes of excessive and uneven wear, you will extend the life of your tires and keep yourself safe:

1. Improper Tire Pressure - We have all heard about the importance of maintaining proper tire pressure at all times. Improper air pressure in your tire is a big reason for many tire problems and failures. Be sure your tires have the recommended pressure in them at all times.

2. Humped Roads -- Most roads are "humped" slightly in the middle or banked away from the center to allow rain and water to drain off. However, this hump can have a dramatic effect on one side of your motorcycle's front tire because the side of the tire closer to the center of the road will wear faster. There's not much you can do about this, and it can become very visible if you ride a lot. So be aware of this phenomenon and check the left side of your front tire often.

3. Disproportionate Cupping -- Cupping is a normal phenomenon on rubber tires that occurs when the brakes are applied. However, excessive use of the front brake can produce disproportionate cupping, when one side of the tire is more cupped than the other. Using the front brake will naturally put more pressure and force on the front tire to make it stop, thereby using up more rubber.

4. Wheel Alignment - While this problem is not as common on motorcycles as it is on cars, it causes uneven tire wear. Any number of things can cause wheel misalignment on motorcycles, including getting into a fender bender, riding over potholes, jumping over sidewalks and curbs, etc. It is a good idea to have your wheel alignment checked out at least once a year to make sure that a misalignment isn't unevenly wearing your front tire.

5. Shock Absorbers -- A bad shock absorber can wreak havoc on the handling of your bike and promotes uneven front tire wear. So make sure your shocks are in good shape.

6. Improper Loading -- The final major problem to keep in mind is improper loading of your bike, which causes your front tire to wear unevenly. Proper weight distribution is essential to being able to handle and steer your bike safely. Loading down one side of your saddlebag with tools or equipment can keep you from riding as vertically as possible, creating uneven tire wear.

So check your tires frequently, and keep these causes in mind if you begin noticing excessive or uneven front tire wear. Having the knowledge and taking the proper precautions will not only make you a safer rider but will prolong the life of your bike's tires.

Jeff Sinason aka Tools - is the owner Bikerwares.com. Being an avid biker, he spends most of his time working on his web site and touring the country.


MORE RESOURCES:

New temporary tag now on motorcycle market
Times Tribune of Corbin
A new temporary license tag for motorcycles was presented Monday to the owners of London's Wildcat Harley-Davidson by Laurel County Clerk Dean Johnson. Johnson said in an interview before the presentation, more than two years ago county clerks from ...
Progressive International Motorcycle Show to Open in Chicago -- Media Preview ...MarketWatch (press release)

all 2 news articles »


10TV

Motorcycle Driver Who Led Police On Chase Jailed On $10000 Bond
10TV
The driver of a motorcycle who fled from police was in jail on $10000 bond on Tuesday. Police said that they received a tip that a wanted man was at the Arby's Restaurant located at 540 Hebron Rd. on Monday night, 10TV's Jason Frazer reported.

and more »


Letting motorcycles drive through red raises safety debate
Chicago Daily Herald
343924 motorcycles registered in the state of Illinois in 2012. • 130 fatal crashes in 2010, which killed 131 motorcyclists, passengers and one nonmotorcyclist. Proponents pushed for the law by saying motorcycles and bicycles aren't heavy enough to ...

and more »


Deputies: Father, son crash motorcycles after fleeing
Daytona Beach News-Journal
A father and son speeding away on their motorcycles from a deputy trying to stop them were later found in a cloud of smoke and debris after crashing, a report shows. A complaint was filed against Robbie L. Driver, 41, and his son, Robbie S. Driver, 18, ...

and more »


Peckham's motorcycle noise bill gains support after amendment
Seacoastonline.com
By Shir Haberman CONCORD — The motorcycle noise bill submitted by State Rep. Michele Peckham, R-North Hampton, was almost universally panned by riders, organizations that represent them and law enforcement at a hearing Tuesday before the House ...



NH lawmakers look to muffle motorcycles
Boston.com
By Garrett Brnger AP / February 6, 2012 CONCORD, NH—Seacoast area representatives in the New Hampshire House are trying to lower motorcycle noise emission levels with a bill that motorcyclists say takes the wrong approach. The bill would require an ...

and more »


Orlando Sentinel

Biodiesel fuels fast truck, cool motorcycle
Orlando Sentinel
A motorcycle touted as a street-legal bike with a diesel engine roared out of a hiding place Tuesday during the conference. It was ridden byPaul Teutul Sr., star of the cable-television show "American Chopper." "It was a big challenge," Teutul said, ...

and more »


Ultimate MotorCycling | News and Reviews

Husqvarna North America has Landmark Year
Ultimate MotorCycling | News and Reviews
Despite enduring a tough economic climate in the past few years, Husqvarna Motorcycles North America (HMNA) reports that 2011 was a landmark year. HMNA managed to set an all-time sales record under BMW care for the 2011 calendar year (achieved by the ...
Husqvarna Market Share and HMNA Retail Sales Up in 2011Motorcyclist Magazine (blog)

all 3 news articles »


Ultimate MotorCycling | News and Reviews

AMA | US House Backs Ethanol Gas Study
Ultimate MotorCycling | News and Reviews
Wayne Allard (AMA Vice President for Government Relations) says: "This independent research is needed to ensure that new ethanol-gasoline blends won't damage motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle engines. We applaud the committee for supporting this ...

and more »


Ultimate MotorCycling | News and Reviews

MotoGP's Lorenzo | Almost Street Legal
Ultimate MotorCycling | News and Reviews
Sure, Jorge Lorenzo may have pulled of this biggest feat for a motorcycle racer, winning a MotoGP Championship, but he lacks what most others have - a street-legal rider's license. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) says: "I got my car license at 18 ...

and more »

Google News

Acne - Advertising - Aerobics & Cardio - Affiliate Revenue - Alternative - Attraction - Auction - Audio Streaming - Aviation - Babies & Toddlers - Beauty - Blogging & RSS - Book Marketing - Book Reviews - Branding - Breast Cancer - Broadband Internet - Muscle Building - Careers & Employment - Coaching - Coffee - College & University - Cooking Tips - Copywriting - Crafts & Hobbies - Creativity - Credit - Cruising & Sailing - Currency Trading - Customer Service - Data Recovery - Dating - Debt Consolidation - Debt Relief - Depression - Diabetes - Divorce - Domain Names - E-books - Ecommerce - Elder Care - Email Marketing - Entrepreneurialism - Ethics - Exercise - Ezine Marketing - Ezine Publishing - Fashion & Style - Fishing - Fitness Equipment - Forums - Games - Goal Setting - Golf - Grief Loss - Hair Loss - Happiness - Hardware - Holidays - Home Improvement - Home Security - Humanities - Humor - Innovation - Inspirational - Insurance - Interior Decorating - Internet Marketing - Investing - Landscaping & Gardening - Language - Leadership - Leases & Leasing - Loans - Lung, Mesothelioma & Asbestos - Management - Marketing - Marriage & Wedding - Meditation - Mobile & Cell Phone - Mortgage & Refinancing - Motivation - Motorcycles - Music - Negotiation - Network Marketing - Networking - Nutrition - Organizing - Outdoors - Parenting - Personal Finance - Personal Tech - Pets - Philosophy - Photography - Poetry - Politics - Positive Attitude - PPC Advertising - Press Release - Pregnancy - Presentation - Psychology - Public Speaking - Real Estate - Recipes - Relationships - Sales - Sales Management - Sales & Teleselling - Sales Training - Satellite TV - Science - Security - SEO - Site Promotion - Small Business - Software - Spam Blocker - Spirituality - Stocks & Mutual Funds - Strategic Planning - Stress Management - Structured Settlements - Success - Supplements - Taxes - Team Building - Time Management - Top7-Or-10-Tips - Traffic Building - Vacation Rentals - Video Conferencing - Video Streaming - VOIP - Wealth Building - Web Design - Web Development - Web Hosting - Weight Loss - Wine & Spirits - Writing - Writing Articles - Yoga

Top
Main Home Email Category Home