TIRES

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     Let’s talk about tires for a bit. Most new motorized bike riders pay very little attention to their tires until it’s too late. I’ve had bikes come in with tires so bad that I was amazed that someone would ride a bike under those conditions. You only have two tires on the bike and if you lose one you have problems.

     A motorized  puts a new level of strain on the standard bicycle tire.  The constant higher speeds, more stress when starting and stopping as well as the additional weight of the motor kit and fuel, all intensify the need to keep your tires in good shape.

 

 Air pressure:

     If you do not keep your tires at the proper air pressure it can cause rapid ware. If your tire pressure is too low it also effects the stability of the ride, especially when going around corners.

     All tires come with the max. air pressure on the side. This doesn’t mean you pump them up to the maximum pressure possible. This means just what it says, maximum air pressure. If you think about it, say a tire says maximum air pressure 60 lbs. That’s fine with no one on the bike but if a 200 pound rider gets on the bike the increased weight pushes down on the tires and the pressure goes up. So as soon as the rider sits on the bike the tires are over pressurd. This make for a very hard ride as well as being a candidate for a blow out. As I said earlier, if the tires have too little air they become spongy and do not hold the road as they should.

     The majority of bicycle tires that I have seen, come with  minimum and maximum air pressure stamped on the side. What I have found through years of working with these types of tires is that if you subtract the minimum air pressure from the maximum air pressure and then divide that number in half and then add the number you divided to the minumum pressure you will end up with a safe, middle of the road air pressure that works. The tires are firm enough to handle the road properly and not so hard they make your teeth rattle.

 

Here is an example.

     The majority of the larger tires for beach cruiser style bikes say the minimum air pressure is 40 lbs. and the maximum is 65 lbs.  Maximum pressure 65lbs. – Minimum pressure 40 lbs. = 25 lbs..

     Now divide 25 lbs. in half and you come up with 12.5 lbs. Make it 12 lbs. just to keep things simple. You now add the 12 lbs. to the minimum air pressure of 40 lbs. and you come up with 52 lbs. If you run your tire at 52 lbs. it is going to last longer and be much safer going down the road.

 

     If your tire only has the maximum pressure stamped on it I have found that to just subtract 5 lbs. from that number works well.  If the tire only says max. press. 60 lbs., run it at 55 lbs. and you should be fine.

 

Tire Wear:

     The tire wear will be different from the front to rear tires. The front tire basically just free spins and guides the bike so the wear will be substantially less than the rear tire. Basically just keep the air pressure correct and keep an eye on the tread. When the tread starts to wear off or the tire starts to get old (usually around the 2 year mark) replace it.

     The back tire is the issue. The back tire on a motorized bicycle does the majority of the work. It is influenced by several factors. First the motor drive chain pulls on the rear tire from the left. So it is important to check your rear tire before each ride to make sure it is straight in the frame. It doesn’t if you tightened it down to start. If you do not occasionally check this alignment the motor will slowly pull the tire to the right causing it to be out of alignment. This will cause rapid, excessive tire ware. There is a second issue that is relative to rear tire ware. Most new motorized bicycle riders pedal the bike up to speed and then pop the clutch to start the motor. This causes the rear tire to grind when the clutch is first engaged. There is a picture below showing what happens to the rear tire tread as a result of starting the bike this way. The proper way to start the bike is to pedal it up to speed and then let the clutch out in a single, smooth motion. This allows the torque of the motor to be applied evenly on the tire surface that is contacting the ground at startup.

 

                             Normal Tire Tread                                                                   Wear due to improper starting