tyres gone "hard"

[NiteW4tcher]

hi guys hope your all well....loverly weather.

how can u tell if your tyres have gone"hard"

my bike was sat up from october till end of january.

been on her today and i just cant get decent feed back from tyres.

front seems to wander when going in hard and the rear even let go on me.

they both seem visably fine pressures r good.

i was wondering if they could have gone hard when they were sat up?

admitidly i have different tyres on back and front

front is a maxxis sport
rear is a bridestone 023..........

but before the winter i had no problems.

maybe i think there is more grip out there at moment then there really is.

i think im going to replace with 023 all round soon as i have the cash.

cheers

Dan

[Scotty]

You've partly answered your own question there Dan, remember it is still only March, you need to get some decent heat into tyres before they'll grip properly. You'll need to warm yourself up as well if you haven't been out much yet. Don't push it too soon, you have all Spring and Summer ahead of you so there's plenty of time to have fun 8-) 8-) 8-)

[NiteW4tcher]

i guess so m8...........still going to replace them for peice of mind, id prefer same tyres on both ends also

[470four]

Checked your tyre pressures? ;)

Rubber will naturally degrade over time especially if left in sunlight, the natural oils and minerals will dry out of the surface layer meaning the rubber is not as "wet" & sticky as it should be? Drop your tyre pressure a few psi to get a little more tyre on the road, this should give you a bit more confidence to get some more miles in to scrub off this hardened layer & you'll be back where you were last year. ;)

The tyre itself will have a four-digit age code on the sidewall, this will tell you the week number (0-52) and the last two numbers of the year of manufacture, in this example week 40, and 09 (2009).
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n61/santav10/DSC05008.jpg
Check for any cracks, splits or obvious perishing caused by the above ultravoilet exposure, if the tyre OR VALVE is showing any of the above then get it swapped out - a puncture or sudden flat on a car is inconvienient, a sudden flat on a bike may kill you. :o

Seventeen years in the rubber industry taught me a few things, lol :D

[jonnydangerous]

gisa shout mate, ive always got some sticky ones available....
the cold concrete/tarmac will rob the oils from the tyre so if you leave it over winter leave it on something that insulates it from the floor...

[jpssantos]

you dont necessarily need same rubber on both ends...

I run a BT014 on the front and a BT021 on the back, works really well, sticky on the front and sticky with long mileage on the back.

Been running this for a couple of years and never had a problem

[jonnydangerous]

i run different tyres front and rear, no probs either. use a stickier front than rear and youre laughing :-)

[470four]

i run different tyres front and rear, no probs either. use a stickier front than rear and youre laughing :-)

Agree totally, also with their statement re: getting your tyres off the concrete/tarmac over Winter, this will as stated blot the oils out of the contact patch of your tyre, best place something thin & flat under your tyres.

As long as both your tyres are in good condition with good tread etc you should have no problems! Tyres today are not cheap - however everyone will get on better with different makes & types of tyres & if you have good reason to believe yours are shot, change them! Motorcycling is a confidence thing & you are keeping the bike and yourself upright thro two small rubber contact areas... ;)

[Caz]

[quote author=470four link=1301146398/3#3 date=1301239585]Checked your tyre pressures? ;)

Seventeen years in the rubber industry taught me a few things, lol :D[/quote

Ooh ;D

[Rossio]

:D ;D