TyreSafe Warns Bikers Tyre ‘Squaring’ Danger

As National Motorcycle Week kicks off, TyreSafe is warning riders that continuous upright riding on fast straight routes can harm their bikes’ tyres. Long journeys on motorways can cause the meeting of the tyre’s sidewall and tread to ‘square-off’, which gives a feeling of loss of grip when the bike is used on winding roads, according to the safety association. Often on long journeys motorcyclists switch from the motorway to fast A- and B-roads, without knowing their bikes’ handling may be compromised.

Gary Hartshorne, motorcycle tyre technical specialist for TyreSafe, says the squaring-off phenomenon will always affect bike tyres because of their design, but if the bike is being constantly ridden on winding roads squaring-off will take longer to occur, meaning extended tyre life.

“It also depends on the materials used, the compound of the tyre and the original profile of the tyre when new. Some tyres have a flatter profile to start with while others can be very pointy. The more ‘pointy’ they start out as, the more the squaring-off will become apparent as the tyre gets older,” Gary Hartshorne explained.

“It’s important that motorcyclists make allowances for any unusual handling characteristics their bike might show when they leave the motorway,” says Karen Cooke, director of safety for the Motorcycle Industry Association. “Keeping tyre pressures at recommended levels is one way to ensure safe riding, as is rider awareness.”

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