How To Maintain Your Harley Tires

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When motorcycle design got more sophisticated and specialized like there are street bikes, touring bikes, sports bikes etc. tire technology followed. Motorcycle tires were specifically manufactured to handle high speeds and great cornering traction as in racing bikes. Touring bike’s tires however were made to handle heavy loads in long distances and cruiser bikes for their aesthetics like the pretty 180 mm wide rear tires.


There are various tire manufacturers that make tires for Harley Davidson Motor Company like Michelin, Dunlop, Bridgestone and Pirelli. These companies make Harley tires that offers superior grip in dry as well as wet weather riding conditions. These motorcycle tires can be mounted on various Harley Davidson motorcycles like the Dyna and Sporster models.


To improve gas mileage and effectiveness of stopping, accelerating and braking a rider must check his harley tires consistently. Two major aspects of motorcycle maintenance are the brake fluid and tires. Harley tires won’t take much to serve the motorcyclist really. Just keep them properly inflated and frequently check your Harley tires for visible damage like sidewall puncture or slashes and tread separations. These are characteristics of damaged tires and they should be replaced. Riding on damaged tires is dangerous. You wouldn’t want to be caught in the middle of traffic with a blown out tire. Your motorcycle gets unstable and steering difficult. Just getting to the shoulder can be quite a challenge. And if you are in a corner things could get horrible.


Harley tires are build (especially in today’s technology) for toughness but tires are confronted with various road hazards like potholes,gravel,nails etc. You can’t completely steer clear from these threats but you can always check to see if there are any inflicted obvious damage to your harley tires. So it is the first and important motorcyclist’s assignment, to inspect them every morning when your harley tires are stone cold.


Using an accurate tire gauge, you can check pressures. If you are not sure of the recommended pressure, check your owner’s manual or the VIN plate. Increase pressure by 10 percent for better traction in wet conditions or increase it to the upper limit if you load a lot of cargo on the bike. Putting loads of cargo on the motorcycle and riding it on under inflated tires can cause the tires to heat up rapidly and will have the tendency to come apart. Under-inflated tires mean decrease stability,limits traction and susceptible to dangerous failure.


A tire pressure gauge. a spare inner tube (in case one of your tires goes flat on a trip), tread depth gauge to check the wear of your tires and tire repair kit or tire patch kit for tubeless and tube-type tires and tire irons, mini CO2 cartridges and a compression actuated pump are all must-haves for every avid motorcyclist.


Also check if the rims are cracked or dented. Make sure you have enough tread (use a tread depth gauge) in the middle and on the sides of the tires. Be wary if you see any bald or worn patches. You can still ride though a reliable tire repair kit might come in handy.


To clean the Harley tires, manufacturers recommend to use only soap and water to keep rubber shiny. Protectants sold in the market may only promote cracking and deterioration before the tire’s time. Wipe off any gas, lube or brake fluid immediately.

Do not ever mix and match tires of different kinds like tube-type tires vs. tubeless tires or bias-ply vs.radials, the result could be catastrophic. Manufacturers even suggest that you replaced both tires at the same time even if they wear differently.

Call your tire manufacturer’s toll free numbers, to be sure which tire to use on your bike, what tire is compatible with that aftermarket wheel, which tire models will mate with other brands. They would be happy to get your call and answer your inquiries.

Motorcyclists dont even realize that their bike’s single connection to the unforgiving asphalt is that shiny rubber encircling the wheel. They dont know how crucial the relationship of their motorcycle with the tire really is. When it comes to you harley tires what you don’t know can definitely hurt you. So check your harley tires always.

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