Keep Sliding

MrSix said:
Rule number 1 of being on two wheels on the road - Avoid anything on the road other than nice, grey tarmac. This includes manhole covers and road markings on the road. If you are going to ride over markings then pick the skinnyest bit...for example the L in SLOW.

Rule number 2 of being on two wheels on the road - Treat every other road user as a blithering idiot who hasn't seen you and doesn't know you're there. Visualise them pulling out on you if they are waiting at a junction, or braking hard as they approach a corner and adjust your position / speed accordingly. That way if they do, you'll be ready for it.

Rule number 3 of being on two wheels on the road - Ride to the conditions. When I had my RS50 with teeny skinny tyres, I used to keep the thing practically bolt upright in anything other than the dry. Now I have my 400 I can ride in the wet quite comfortably, but my RS was a nightmare in the wet.
Click to expand...

listen to this man. if you treat everyone as idiots you will never be disappointed. ;)
 
Sinque said:
Ah right, next time it's dry i'm going to blast about on it for a few hours then.

But even when I'm going barely 15mph because i've just come around a corner my front wheel still goes :(
Click to expand...

As said, that's because your tyres are brand new! They will be just as dangerous as driving with no tread whilst they're not bedded in.
 
Enfield said:
As said, that's because your tyres are brand new! They will be just as dangerous as driving with no tread whilst they're not bedded in.
Click to expand...

So I paid £70 for better tyres which are more dangerous? :D

Guess i'll have to bed them in then :o
 
I love how you think the £70 is so much for the tyres. I remember when I had a 125 too and thought the same. :p

Now a set of tyres for the Ducati costs me £250! :eek:
 
As already covered, slow down, avoid road markings, leafs, metal covers & anything that looks shiney.

New tyres take time to bed in, depending on how you ride.
The magical 100 mile rule is a load of bull tbh.
Just take it easy and progressively lean the bike, obviously not too much in the winter.

As for the feeling of slideing, try adjust your grip on the bars so you dont have a death grip on them, this can drastically change the feel of the bike.
 
Just been out and I think it's just the feel of the tyres, although it felt like I was simply gliding I was still managing to lean, very slightly ofcourse.
 
Maybe you're light and there's not as much contact area for the front tyre to get grip. This may be worth a try but don't quote me..

How about getting a coarse grade of emery cloth and scrubbing the front tyre contact area and see if it improves grip?

Could be a dummo move but who knows...
 
jaydee said:
Maybe you're light and there's not as much contact area for the front tyre to get grip. This may be worth a try but don't quote me..

How about getting a coarse grade of emery cloth and scrubbing the front tyre contact area and see if it improves grip?

Could be a dummo move but who knows...
Click to expand...

I'm slightly over 12stone so I can't see that being the problem :(
 
Sinque said:
So I paid £70 for better tyres which are more dangerous? :D

Guess i'll have to bed them in then :o
Click to expand...
yes like fireskull said you must do at least 100 miles scrubbing them in
thats even when you bye the best sticky tyres
i used to pay £150 each for pirelli dragons and still had to scrubb them in
 
Its common on new tyres...Fitted new ones to my sons nsr125 then took it for a mot forgetting about the tyres...came to the first bend and pitched it end and nearly landed on my ass .

I trick i and others use is get one of those green pop scourers and give the tyres a good scrup to remove all the shiny coating from them . The trouble is in these wet conditions they tyres are not getting scrubbed in ...you really need a few nice dry days

Persil
 
Persil said:
I trick i and others use is get one of those green pop scourers and give the tyres a good scrup to remove all the shiny coating from them .l
Click to expand...

Yeah that's exactly how it feels, just gliding along on shiny ice wheels :p

What are 'green pop scourers'?
 
One thing to watch for, especially with cheaper tyres, is release compound- basically grease that's used to stop the tyres sticking to the moulds. Naturally it's slidey... Most bigger manufacturers don't use it for bike tyres any more but it's still common on cheaper ones, especially the far eastern unpronouncable ones you tend to get on scooters and 125s. Avon probably don't use it on theirs, but I'm not sure about the scooter tyres. Possibly not relevant this time but it's worth remembering, the tyres I last had on my 125 were positively deadly, if the rear spins up on a Virago 125 something is wrong :D

Have you checked the tyre pressures? I don't think anyone's mentioned it yet, I'm embarassed I didn't.
 
Havn't checked the pressure, no. I'll do that tomorrow and if it's dry i'll just go for a drive about. Been reading I need to do atleast 20miles on windy dry roads to scrub them in.

Could I not just sand paper them?
 
Last edited:
Tyres need time to come up to temperature for their maximum grip. If your new tyres are sporty then you will struggle to get heat into them at this time of year, especially if you only do short journeys. Next time you get off it put your hand on a tyre and see if its warm, my bet is that it will still be stone cold.
 
Sorry i ment pot scourer ... There rough green plastic squares you use to wash yer pots at home ....similiar to sandpaper but less abrasive ... Just give the tyre a good rub all over with them .

Persil
 
I've just checked my tyres and both were at about 25, i've put them upto 30 but i'm not sure if the back and front need to be different - going to check their website now.

My mums getting some of those scourers so i'll give them a go aswell on my tyres.

Edit: Just got my tyre info' and on the Avon website: http://www.avon-tyres.co.uk/motorcycle/?page=tyres&method=showspecs&id=17 i've got the front 120/70-14 and the back 140/70-14 but it doesn't say anything about PSI. I weigh 12 stone or 168pounds
 
Last edited:
Done lots and lots of reading and it's the general concensus that it's 33 (front) and 36 (back) PSI for one rider, and 41 in the back for two. So i've sorted that out, also sorted my wing mirror as I couldn't see properly in it as it was too close to me.

My step dad is going to go out on my bike when it's dry and scrub them in. Also went round them with a sanding block a bit to get rid of some of the shine until it's dry.

So eventually everything will be sorted. :)
 
The tyre preasures will have had a large part to do with the feel as well. Hopefully with all the minor bits yuor doing it will add up to 1 large improvement!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom