Avoiding Excessive or Uneven Front Tire Wear
by Jeff “Tools” Sinason - Bikerwares.com
All rubber tires wear down over time, whether they’re on a motorcycle or automobile. However, you want to watch out for uneven or excessive wear, both of which can cause serious problems for motorcycle riders. If you pay attention to the following causes of excessive and uneven wear, you will extend the life of your tires and keep yourself safe:
1. Improper Tire Pressure - We have all heard about the importance of maintaining proper tire pressure at all times. Improper air pressure in your tire is a big reason for many tire problems and failures. Be sure your tires have the recommended pressure in them at all times.
2. Humped Roads — Most roads are “humped” slightly in the middle or banked away from the center to allow rain and water to drain off. However, this hump can have a dramatic effect on one side of your motorcycle’s front tire because the side of the tire closer to the center of the road will wear faster. There’s not much you can do about this, and it can become very visible if you ride a lot. So be aware of this phenomenon and check the left side of your front tire often.
3. Disproportionate Cupping — Cupping is a normal phenomenon on rubber tires that occurs when the brakes are applied. However, excessive use of the front brake can produce disproportionate cupping, when one side of the tire is more cupped than the other. Using the front brake will naturally put more pressure and force on the front tire to make it stop, thereby using up more rubber.
4. Wheel Alignment - While this problem is not as common on motorcycles as it is on cars, it causes uneven tire wear. Any number of things can cause wheel misalignment on motorcycles, including getting into a fender bender, riding over potholes, jumping over sidewalks and curbs, etc. It is a good idea to have your wheel alignment checked out at least once a year to make sure that a misalignment isn’t unevenly wearing your front tire.
5. Shock Absorbers — A bad shock absorber can wreak havoc on the handling of your bike and promotes uneven front tire wear. So make sure your shocks are in good shape.
6. Improper Loading — The final major problem to keep in mind is improper loading of your bike, which causes your front tire to wear unevenly. Proper weight distribution is essential to being able to handle and steer your bike safely. Loading down one side of your saddlebag with tools or equipment can keep you from riding as vertically as possible, creating uneven tire wear.
So check your tires frequently, and keep these causes in mind if you begin noticing excessive or uneven front tire wear. Having the knowledge and taking the proper precautions will not only make you a safer rider but will prolong the life of your bike’s tires.
Jeff Sinason aka Tools - is the owner Bikerwares.com. Being an avid biker, he spends most of his time working on his web site and touring the country.
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A son asked his mother the following question: “Mom, why are wedding dresses white?”
The mother looks at her son and replies, “Son, this shows your friends and relatives that your bride is pure.”
The son thanks his Mom and goes off to double-check this with his father.
“Dad why are wedding dresses white?” The father looks at his son in surprise and says, “Son, all household appliances come in white.”
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Hope you had a great weekend. Now GET TO WORK!
Take Care - Ride FREE
Biker Stickers @ ChopperStickers.com
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A few new biker helmet stickers added just in time for the weekend.
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 Tattoo Power |
 I Have A Hard Time Remembering Names Can I Call You Asshole? |
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Hope you had a great week. A couple of weeks ago we were welcoming in Spring, someone forgot to tell the weather man. It has been chilly around here the last week or so but things are looking up for the weekend. Hope you have a great one.
Now let’s kick off the weekend with a hot looking blonde posing with a bad ass chopper.
Yep that should get your motor running!
Have a great weekend, hope you can get out and enjoy it.
Take Care - Ride FREE
Biker Stickers @ ChopperStickers.com
1. Assume you’re invisible
Because to a lot of drivers, you are. Never make a move based on the
assumption that another driver sees you, even if you’ve just made eye contact.
Bikes don’t always register in the four-wheel mind.
2. Be considerate
The consequences of strafing the jerk du jour or cutting him off start out bad
and get worse. Pretend it was your grandma and think again.
3. Dress for the crash, not the pool or the pub
Sure, McDonalds is a 5-minute trip, but nobody plans to eat pavement. Modern
mesh gear means 100-degree heat is no excuse for a T-shirt and board shorts.
4. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst
Assume that car across the intersection will turn across your bow when the
light goes green, with or without a turn signal.
5. Leave your ego at home
The only people who really care if you were faster on the freeway will be the
officer and the judge.
6. Pay attention
Yes, there is a half-naked girl on the billboard. That shock does feels
squishy. Meanwhile, you could be drifting toward Big Trouble. Focus.
7. Mirrors only show you part of the picture
Never change direction without turning your head to make sure the coast really
is clear.
8. Be patient
Always take another second or three before you pull out to pass, ride away
from a curb or into freeway traffic from an on-ramp. It’s what you don’t see
that gets you. That extra look could save your butt.
9. Watch your closing speed
Passing cars at twice their speed or changing lanes to shoot past a row of
stopped cars is just asking for trouble.
10. Beware the verge and the merge
A lot of nasty surprises end up on the sides of the road: empty McDonald’s
bags, nails, TV antennas, ladders, you name it. Watch for potentially
troublesome debris on both sides of the road.
11. Left-turning cars remain a leading killer of motorcyclists
Don’t assume someone will wait for you to dart through the intersection.
They’re trying to beat the light, too.
12. Beware of cars running traffic lights
The first few seconds after a signal light changes are the most perilous. Look
both ways before barging into an intersection.
13. Check your mirrors
Do it every time you change lanes, slow down or stop. Be ready to move if
another vehicle is about to occupy the space you’d planned to use.
14. Mind the gap
Remember Driver’s Ed? One second’s worth of distance per 10 mph is the old
rule of thumb. Better still, scan the next 12 seconds ahead for potential trouble.
15. Beware of boy racers
They’re quick and their drivers tend to be aggressive. Don’t assume you’ve
beaten one away from a light or outpaced it in traffic and change lanes
without looking. You could end up as a Nissan hood ornament.
16. Excessive entrance speed hurts
It’s the leading cause of single-bike accidents on twisty roads and
racetracks. In Slow, Out Fast is the old adage, and it still works. Dialing up
corner speed is safer than scrubbing it off.
17. Don’t trust that deer whistle
Ungulates and other feral beasts prowl at dawn and dusk, so heed those big
yellow signs. If you’re riding in a target-rich environment, slow down and
watch the shoulders.
18. Learn to use both brakes
The front does most of your stopping, but a little rear brake on corner entry
can calm a nervous chassis.
19. Keep the front brake covered—always
Save a single second of reaction time at 60 mph and you can stop 88 feet
shorter. Think about that.
20. Look where you want to go
Use the miracle of target fixation to your advantage. The motorcycle goes
where you look, so focus on the solution instead of the problem.
21. Keep your eyes moving
Traffic is always shifting, so keep scanning for potential trouble. Don’t lock
your eyes on any one thing for too long unless you’re actually dealing with
trouble.
22. Think before you act
Careful whipping around that micra going 7 kph in a 30-kph zone or you could
end up with your head in the driver’s side door when he turns into the
driveway right in front of you.
23. Raise your gaze
It’s too late to do anything about the 20 feet immediately in front of your
fender, so scan the road far enough ahead to see trouble and change trajectory.
24. Get your mind right in the driveway
Most accidents happen during the first 15 minutes of a ride, below 40 mph,
near an intersection or driveway. Yes, that could be your driveway.
25. Come to a full stop at that next stop sign
Put a foot down. Look again. Anything less forces a snap decision with no time
to spot potential trouble.
26. Never dive into a gap in stalled traffic
Cars may have stopped for a reason, and you may not be able to see why until
it’s too late to do anything about it.
27. Don’t saddle up more than you can handle
If you weigh 95 pounds, avoid that 795-pound cruiser. If you’re 5-foot-5,
forget those towering adventure-tourers.
28. Watch for car doors opening in traffic
And smacking a car that’s swerving around some goofball’s open door is just as
painful.
29. Don’t get in an intersection rut
Watch for a two-way stop after a string of four-way intersections. If you
expect cross-traffic to stop, there could be a painful surprise when it doesn’t.
30. Stay in your comfort zone when you’re with a group
Riding over your head is a good way to end up in the ditch. Any bunch worth
riding with will have a rendezvous point where you’ll be able to link up again.
31. Give your eyes some time to adjust
A minute or two of low light heading from a well-lighted garage onto dark
streets is a good thing. Otherwise, you’re essentially flying blind for the
first mile or so.
32. Master the slow U-turn
Practice. Park your butt on the outside edge of the seat and lean the bike
into the turn, using your body as a counterweight as you pivot around the rear
wheel.
33. Who put a stop sign at the top of this hill?
Don’t panic. Use the rear brake to keep from rolling back down. Use Mr.
Throttle and Mr. Clutch normally—and smoothly—to pull away.
34. If it looks slippery, assume it is
A patch of suspicious pavement could be just about anything. Butter Flavor
Crisco? Gravel? Mobil 1? Or maybe it’s nothing. Better to slow down for
nothing than go on your head.
35. Bang! A blowout! Now what?
No sudden moves. The motorcycle isn’t happy, so be prepared to apply a little
calming muscle to maintain course. Ease back the throttle, brake gingerly with
the good wheel and pull over very smoothly to the shoulder. Big sigh.
36. Drops on the faceshield?
It’s raining. Lightly misted pavement can be slipperier than when it’s been
rinsed by a downpour, and you never know how much grip there is. Apply
maximum-level concentration, caution and smoothness.
37. Emotions in check?
To paraphrase Mr. Ice Cube, chickity-check yoself before you wreck yoself.
Emotions are as powerful as any drug, so take inventory every time you saddle
up. If you’re mad, sad, exhausted or anxious, stay put.
38. Wear good gear
Wear stuff that fits you and the weather. If you’re too hot or too cold or
fighting with a jacket that binds across the shoulders, you’re dangerous. It’s
that simple.
39. Leave the iPod at home
You won’t hear that cement truck in time with Spinal Tap cranked to 11, but
they might like your headphones in intensive care.
40. Learn to swerve
Be able to do two tight turns in quick succession. Flick left around the bag
of briquettes, then right back to your original trajectory. The bike will
follow your eyes, so look at the way around, not the briquettes. Now practice
till it’s a reflex.
41. Be smooth at low speeds
Take some angst out, especially of slow-speed maneuvers, with a bit of rear
brake. It adds a welcome bit of stability by minimizing unwelcome weight
transfer and potentially bothersome driveline lash.
42. Flashing is good for you
Turn signals get your attention by flashing, right? So a few easy taps on the
pedal or lever before stopping makes your brake light more eye-catching to
trailing traffic.
43. Intersections are scary, so hedge your bets
Put another vehicle between your bike and the possibility of someone running
the stop sign/red light on your right and you cut your chances of getting
nailed in half.
44. Tune your peripheral vision
Pick a point near the center of that wall over there. Now scan as far as you
can by moving your attention, not your gaze. The more you can see without
turning your head, the sooner you can react to trouble.
45. All alone at a light that won’t turn green?
Put as much motorcycle as possible directly above the sensor wire—usually
buried in the pavement beneath you and located by a round or square pattern
behind the limit line. If the light still won’t change, try putting your
kickstand down, right on the wire. You should be on your way in seconds.
46. Every-thing is harder to see after dark
Adjust your headlights, Carry a clear faceshield and have your game all the
way on after dark, especially during commuter hours.
47. Don’t troll next to—or right behind—Mr. Peterbilt
If one of those 18 retreads blows up—which they do with some regularity—it
de-treads, and that can be ugly. Unless you like dodging huge chunks of flying
rubber, keep your distance.
48. Take the panic out of panic stops
Develop an intimate relationship with your front brake. Seek out some safe,
open pavement. Starting slowly, find that fine line between maximum braking
and a locked wheel, and then do it again, and again.
49. Make your tires right
None of this stuff matters unless your skins are right. Don’t take ’em for
granted. Make sure pressure is spot-on every time you ride. Check for cuts,
nails and other junk they might have picked up, as well as general wear.
50. Take a deep breath
Count to 10. Visualize whirled peas. Forgetting some clown’s 80-mph
indiscretion beats running the risk of ruining your life, or ending it.
Orginal Author Unknown
Just doing more SEO research and site optimization and I came across another great set of online tools.
Check out these cool new Lethal Threat Stickers we just got in this weekend.
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 MIA USA Skull Decal |
 Biker Skull Decal |
 Confederate Skull Decal |
Check out all of our new sticker designs here! We are adding more stickers all the time!
Take Care - Ride FREE
Biker Stickers @ ChopperStickers.com
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