Bikers - when do you change your tyres?

Soldato
Joined
31 Oct 2006
Posts
9,701
Location
Wiltshire / Winchester
Lol dont sandpaper your chicken strips, the tyres release chemicals when a new part is used (apparently) so scrubbing them off and then going flat out on where the chicken strips are will be the same as going flat out if you hadnt sanded them off.. I.e. Ending up on your ass :p plus ive seen a few where they have sanded them off and it looks silly, you look more of a tit than someone who has 2inch chicken strips anyway :p
Just go out for a nice half hour ride on a warmish day and you can be rid of them without going or having to knee down, unless your riding on track or riding really hard on the road you will always have small ones on the front.
 
Soldato
Joined
19 Jul 2005
Posts
7,069
Location
S. Yorkshire
Sure thats a touring tyre, thing the OP needs asporty one to inspire a bit of confidance in the bike.
I rode on BT45's for a couple of years and they are brilliant. Ok, maybe not exactly a Diablo but he's not riding a GSXR thou. I've seen many people scrape pegs and get their knee down on BT45's.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
20,307
Location
Екатеринбург
I usually change the rear when the metal wire begins to show. For some weird reason, the Pirelli Diablos I use go from about 1.5mm to the wire in the space of a couple of hundred miles.

The front gets changed after I've been through 2 rears.
 
Soldato
Joined
25 Jan 2003
Posts
2,701
Is it sensible to use the tyre pumps at the garages on your bike tyres? I have been told they aren't very accurate!
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Nov 2005
Posts
5,709
I rode on BT45's for a couple of years and they are brilliant. Ok, maybe not exactly a Diablo but he's not riding a GSXR thou. I've seen many people scrape pegs and get their knee down on BT45's.

yeah bt45s are great, its easy to get chicken strips down to 5mm, im sure I could easily get that to nothing if I had bigger balls!
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
31 Oct 2002
Posts
13,891
Location
Newcastle upon Tyne
Is it sensible to use the tyre pumps at the garages on your bike tyres? I have been told they aren't very accurate!

They can vary wildly. I checked mine last week at a garage near work, set fronts to 29psi and rear to 33psi.
Decided to double check them today on way home at a different garage, fronts showed 33psi and rear 36psi so one of the two machines is telling lies.
 
Soldato
Joined
28 Feb 2006
Posts
4,798
Location
No longer riding an Italian
I would take mine to the TWI and then change them, but with the R1, I have found it has chewed the middle away before I reach the TWIs, and as you need a continuous 3/4 band of tread, they would probably be frowned at by a copper, so they get replaced sooner.
 
Soldato
Joined
3 Jul 2008
Posts
3,248
Location
Fife way up in Scotland
I rode on BT45's for a couple of years and they are brilliant. Ok, maybe not exactly a Diablo but he's not riding a GSXR thou. I've seen many people scrape pegs and get their knee down on BT45's.

If i can get pegs hitting the ground on a 24 year old VFR with 130 back tyre and Metzler Lazertech tyres on a BT45 should do a 125.

I know guys that bang on about these lazertech tyres. but personaly I dont reate them and will be ripping them off at the first oportunity.

Im not exactly in the class for Diablos or anything. but has to be something decent out there.
 
Soldato
Joined
4 Feb 2004
Posts
13,360
Location
Fife, Scotland
I usually change the rear when the metal wire begins to show. For some weird reason, the Pirelli Diablos I use go from about 1.5mm to the wire in the space of a couple of hundred miles.

The front gets changed after I've been through 2 rears.

I lolled. :D

Actually, I knew a guy back in the day that did exactly that on his GPZ900R.
 
Back
Top Bottom