Sep 14, 2019 | Motorcycle, Motorcycle Maintenance
One of the best feelings about riding a motorcycle is the ability to feel close to the road. It’s important to remember that motorcycle tires are (almost) the only thing between you and the road. While this can be a freeing realization, it’s also a reminder to check your tires. As is all motorcycle maintenance, proper tire tread can be important to ensuring a safe ride.
Motorcycle Tires: Maintaining Safety
The Treads
If you’ve ever seen a brand new tire next to an old tire, the difference is noticeable immediately. The grooves on your tire should be definite and distinct. The depth of the tread is a good way to tell how much life a tire has left. Some motorcycle tires have tread wear indicators. Once you see these, you know it’s time to get new tires.
PSI
The air pressure in your tires is important. A tire with good tread can be unsafe if it is over inflated. Similarly, if a tire is under-inflated, it can be even more dangerous. Check your motorcycle tires regularly with an accurate pressure gauge. Some recommend once a week and definitely before any long trips.
What to Avoid
When it comes to motorcycle tires, it’s best to avoid mixing and matching brands. If you have two different kinds on your bike, you could become unstable and uneven. However, rear tires will wear out more quickly than the front, so you can mix and match new and old tires. You will likely go through two rear tires for every front tire.
In addition to avoiding mix and match brands, you should also avoid old motorcycle tires. A set that has never been mounted but are more than five years old are unfortunately no good. Over time, the chemicals in the rubber wear down. After this point, the “sticky” tire becomes hard and brittle.
To conclude, be safe and diligent about your tires. If your tread is getting low and the roads are wet, it’s best to not ride. Keep an eye on your PSI regularly. Check your brands and make sure the front and back matches. While these are all basic things, they can be crucial in a safe ride.
Jun 5, 2019 | Motorcycle, Motorcycle Maintenance
It’s easy to talk about the fun aspects of motorcycles. It’s just as easy to talk about the dangerous ones. But no one ever really talks about the weird ones. For example, any world record held by people involving motorcycles. If you’ve ever wondered about some of the strangest motorcycle world records, we’ve compiled a list of the weirdest ones for you here.
Motorcycle World Records: Historical Moments
Balancing a Motorcycle
Every motorcycle rider knows you need balance. But for Gerard Jessie, balance takes on a new meaning. Jessie holds the record for the longest time balancing a motorcycle on his head. After balancing the motorcycle for 14.93 seconds, Jessie earned the title for one of the strangest motorcycle world records.
Longest Wheelie
With the popularity of wheelies in movies and television shows, you’d think they’d be a little easier to accomplish. As wheelies are pretty dangerous, most riders don’t attempt them. If they do attempt them, they certainly aren’t over 200 miles long. In 1991, Yasuyuki Kudo held a wheelie for 205.7 miles at the Japan Auto Research Institute. This is by far one of the most impressive motorcycle world records.
Most Expensive
Some people have luxury cars that had a small production run. Others, 13 of them actually, have limited production motorcycles. This is the most expensive of the listed world records. At $300,000, the Ecosse Titanium Series Fe Ti XX is the most expensive production bike in the world.
Most People on a Bike
The most people on a motorcycle is 56 people. In 2013, a group of people in India broke the record for the most amount of people on a bike. While this is one of the hardest motorcycle world records to beat, keep in mind that the group goes by the name “Daredevils”.
Longest Continuous Ride
2013 seems to be the year for breaking world records. For nine miles, Captain Abhayjit Mehlawat stood on his motorcycle. Remember, the motorcycle was moving for all nine of those miles.
Hands-Free Ride
Your mom probably dreaded hearing, “look mom, no hands!”. I’m sure Marcello Sarandrea’s mom dreaded it, too. Marcello rode his bike for 137.94 miles in Rome, Italy with using absolutely no hands. That’s one of the most impressive (and most dangerous) motorcycle world records we’ve heard.
