Best Motorcycle Tires, The Myths and the Truth

Motorcycle tires are like shoes, as we can’t imagine walking without them so do motorcycles. In early days of automotive there was no concept of air-filled tires but later on it was developed to make the ride smoother and much comfortable. Now a day’s tires are available in multiple options like tubeless, radial, tube tire etc.
The topic today is a frequently asked question that what if I upgrade the tire size of my motorcycle? What if I use an endure tire on a street bike? Why some bikes come with skinny little tires while some bikes come with fat tires? What will be the effect of a fat tire on your motorcycle? Let’s find out.

Wider tires, road grip and handling:

Usually people think that if they will use a wider tire, the contact area of tire and road will increase which will give better road grip and enhance handling, theoretically its true but its not always the case. If a wider tire is fitted on a less wide rim, the contact area will squeeze and the whole exercise is wasted. Increased road grip does not mean increased handling and vice versa.

Wider tires, weight and fuel efficiency:

Wider tires are heavier and dragging a heavy tire is a compromise on not only fuel efficiency but stopping abilities. It takes less time to stop on a lighter vehicle than a heavier vehicle. Due to the extra weight, suspension has to do extra work and it also compromises on ride quality and suspension life.

Wider tires, engine capacity and power:

If you are using a really wide tire, it will not only make compromises on fuel efficiency, stopping abilities and suspension issues, it also drains out all the energy from the engine, A smaller engine motorcycle may look cool with fat tires but it will never be happy. One can expect engine rebuild sooner.

Tire profile and tire compound:

I am not a fan of suggesting fat tires for regular motorcycles and I have a strong argument for that. Company knows the machine like a mother know a kid. The company specified tire size is always appropriate and an ideal blend for fuel efficiency, road grip and over all efficiency. I would highly recommend using stock tire but you can select from tire compound.

Compound is the construction material of tire; softer compound tires may run out of life quicker but they provide splendid grip. On the other hand, a hard compound tire will last for twice the time but it will not be as comfortable as the softer compound one.
I hope this article is helpful in making you guys understand how tire size works and what is ideal for both man and the machine!