T&A from Biker’s Bay

TIPS AND ANSWERS

Tires and Wheels

What’s the most important thing when riding on two wheels? Answer: The wheels you’re riding on!

For lady riders getting down and dirty can be fun. Before you get on your bike, first check the tires you’re riding on. A pre-check before flight, so to speak. You may have to get really close to read the sidewall, while your down there, as the saying goes, check if your valve stem cap is in place and tight. Check for weather checking and cracking. On a wire spoke wheel, check the tightness of your spokes. There is an easy trick to know if your spokes are not as tight as they should be. Get a screwdriver; straight or Phillips matters not, and gently tap around the spokes. It’s just like when you had your bike with a banana seat and the tassels and you put a playing card with a clothespin on the forks and it made that cool noise, remember? You should hear that cool noise from the past, it should be the same tone all the way around. We have had at least three heavy bikes in Biker’s Bay that had been ovaled out, which means one or two spokes on one side became lose, then one or two spokes on the other side became lose, it creates a domino effect and the entire spoke set becomes loose and ovals out the hub. This is very dangerous, at any point during this process the hub can break out of the wheel leaving you with only one wheel. Unless you were a unicyclist in high school, you will be out of luck very fast. There is a way to tighten the spokes yourself, however it is a lost art, of which we proudly can say we both can do this for you. Over tightening can cause spoke failure, bring it out of true or entire wheel failure.
 
Now that we have scared the pee out of you…onto tire pressures.  On the sidewall of every tire there is information that contains the cold PSI, that’s pounds per square inch, that the tire should be inflated to. Be familiar with how much pressure your tires should contain. Please do not listen to anyone who tells you to lower your tire pressure to ride lower, corner better or any other reason.  A two hundred dollar tire that only lasts 8 thousand miles because you rode it 10 or 15 pounds light is an expensive tech tip. A blow out at any speed can potentially ruin your new hairdo.

Sarah says, speaking of blow outs…while you are down there, (again) check for any foreign debris in your tires, that is nails, glass, rocks, metals, slashes, barbed wire or small furry animals. If you have a tube tire, that is all tires with wire spokes that are not sealed, do not remove the debris, try to get it to your nearest Biker’s Bay for a new tube. That would be the best-case scenario, but depending on where the debris has penetrated your tire, you may indeed need a new tire. If your wheel is a mag, or solid cast wheel, we don’t have to tell you that you are already needing somebody with a trailer or big pick up to bring you in. You can always take the wheel off and bring it in, but if that is not on your daily planner, see option 1. Slime or fix-a-flat will only bring you dirty looks and disgust from your technician, but in a pinch you can only ride on the tire as per the recommendations and number of miles on the product, don’t wait until next payday.

We recommend two important tools; a tire depth gauge and a tire pressure gauge. In some high-end fancy places like Auto Zone, and NAPA you can find a two-in-one tool. Or if your toolbox rattles too much, you can buy each one separately, more tools, less noise.

Since Sarah and I both like to get down to the bottom of things our next article will cover brake systems, including pads and shoes. Until next time, from the T&A from Biker’s Bay crew, Sarah and Toni.

Serra Kohler, Certified Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Honda Technician
Toni Pineda, Certified Harley Davidson Technician
Biker’s Bay on Bell Rd.
2530 E. Bell Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85032
602 923-0114