How Does a Motorcycle Tire Tread Hold to the Driving Surface? And Other Suggestions for Selecting a
Motorcycle tires are purpose built equipment created to meet different needs depending on the bike, and when selecting the tires for your bike, it is preferable to be informed about the different options and their effect on performance.
At one extreme are genuine racing bikes. Because of this they were constructed for speed and grip and the tires are designed to maximize holding power. The tires are wide radial slicks without groves that can handle turns like nobody's business. On the other end there are the bias-ply tires that can carry a couple of people and essential things for many miles on the highway. They last, but are not quite as pleasant to ride and would most likely create slip if you attempted to ride them on the race track.
Motorcycle tires are composed of a carcass and plies, the rubber composite and a tread type. The tire carcass is really layers of flexible belts called plies, and sport bikes usually have them. Bias-ply tires have a profile that is higher and a more narrow design. Because of these differences, you don't under normal circumstances want to swap from bias-ply to radial on a bike built for bias-ply or the opposite because it may not fit correctly having an effect on clearance and cornering. Speedometer readings can also be off.
Types of Motorcycle Tire Treads
The indentions in the tread pattern are called sipes. Sipes are meant to break the surface tension and additionally they serve to push water in the direction away so that the tire can't hydroplane in the rain. The sipes allow street tires to have some give near the edge.
A grove-less tire with no sipes is referred to as a racing slick, and the cost of maximized grip is that they won't run on sand or wet surfaces. In fact you should avoid driving them on regular roads or street driving situations.
Not every tire falls at one end or the other. Plenty of today's tires fit somewhere in between the extremes. Tires on a Sportster or Softail, for example, can take up to 500 to 700 pounds and will aim for braking ability over cornering grip. And a much longer life of the tread is almost always a bonus.
And don't forget your motorcycle needs to look good. There are options like a wide rear tire or light sidewalls to get the right look.
At one extreme are genuine racing bikes. Because of this they were constructed for speed and grip and the tires are designed to maximize holding power. The tires are wide radial slicks without groves that can handle turns like nobody's business. On the other end there are the bias-ply tires that can carry a couple of people and essential things for many miles on the highway. They last, but are not quite as pleasant to ride and would most likely create slip if you attempted to ride them on the race track.
Motorcycle tires are composed of a carcass and plies, the rubber composite and a tread type. The tire carcass is really layers of flexible belts called plies, and sport bikes usually have them. Bias-ply tires have a profile that is higher and a more narrow design. Because of these differences, you don't under normal circumstances want to swap from bias-ply to radial on a bike built for bias-ply or the opposite because it may not fit correctly having an effect on clearance and cornering. Speedometer readings can also be off.
Types of Motorcycle Tire Treads
The indentions in the tread pattern are called sipes. Sipes are meant to break the surface tension and additionally they serve to push water in the direction away so that the tire can't hydroplane in the rain. The sipes allow street tires to have some give near the edge.
A grove-less tire with no sipes is referred to as a racing slick, and the cost of maximized grip is that they won't run on sand or wet surfaces. In fact you should avoid driving them on regular roads or street driving situations.
Not every tire falls at one end or the other. Plenty of today's tires fit somewhere in between the extremes. Tires on a Sportster or Softail, for example, can take up to 500 to 700 pounds and will aim for braking ability over cornering grip. And a much longer life of the tread is almost always a bonus.
And don't forget your motorcycle needs to look good. There are options like a wide rear tire or light sidewalls to get the right look.
Source...