Topic: breaking in new tires

[pinnacle]

i've been told that newtires are very slippery intially so to avoid that can i roughen them up with sandpaper or anything else to make them less prone to slipping on my first ride after installing them? or is there a procedure for breaking in new tires intially? cheers

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Ride cautiously the first day. Don't just go straight. Break in the sides too. Easy on the throttle. easy on the brakes.

[martino1972]

just take it abit easy the first 100 km......like don't rub the foot pegs on the ground at first 10 km .....they breal in really fast....

[cb350twin]

I use the scotch brite pad to roughen them up a bit and take it easy the first 100 miles

[Bill Vaughan]

Yeah, 100 miles seems to be the general rule.  Be especially careful on wet pavement.

[Sam Green Racing]

It's the release agent that the manufacturer puts in the mold to stop the rubber sticking to the mold that causes the slippy problem.
The race guys usually give them a rub over with a wire brush or rough grit paper, after a couple of gentle laps they are race ready.
It's only if the surface is wet when the problem occurs as the release agent is like soap.

Sam.

[Hush]

I heard sugar soap was a good way to remove the seal, I'm breaking in new front and back Metzlers right now, I'm just real careful on the corners and braking and avoiding riding in the wet.

[Inigo Montoya]

Heard a number of ways too. All come down to scuffing the tire gently to remove the "shiny" rubber. Never heard the sugar soap idea.

[coyotecowboy]

Acetone works friggin awesome, you wont believe what kind of crap is on a new set of tires!!

THEN scuff them with a red scotchbrite or sandpaper.  Works like a charm!!

[alltherightpills]

In the FAQ, Hondaman recommends rubbing them with acetone.

[Soos]

I use the scotch brite pad to roughen them up a bit and take it easy the first 100 miles

+1.


No full throttle 100 miles, I personally don't "push" the limits(ie hard cornering, braking or accel) for about 200 miles.

Beyond that, anythings fair game.



l8r

[Hope]

Search is your friend http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=34026.0

New tires, and I don't want to ride until they have been "roughed-up" a bit.  What do you guys do (I'm not talking about taking them out back and beating the crap out of them  )?

Guess who's getting new white walls?!?!?!   

[Alan F.]

I remember reading somewhere else recently that riding for a few miles on gravel roads will do the trick nicely too, along with big gravelly burnouts...

[NitroHunter]

When I worked at the bike shop, a customer had us install new sport tires on his 600. Made it clear to him to be careful, shop not libel for operator safety, GENTLY scuff them in, etc... He gives us the "yeah, yeah", fires out of the parking lot, and dumped it before the end of the first block!

[shaft9ii]

When I worked at the bike shop, a customer had us install new sport tires on his 600. Made it clear to him to be careful, shop not libel for operator safety, GENTLY scuff them in, etc... He gives us the "yeah, yeah", fires out of the parking lot, and dumped it before the end of the first block!

Some people just need to learn for themselves I guess...lol   

[WHALEMAN]

I am a nut I know but I take my orbital sander and some 120 grit and lightly sand the tires. Where you sand looks very different right away. It goes from kinda shiny to black and dull. These are Dunlop tires. I think out to the edges are the hardest to break in as you have to be heeled over to scuff these parts and would perfer to have them "prescuffed" We are talking about at the most 10 minutes a tire. Dan