Lighthouse Keeper
Pack Dog
This a copy of an article in Motoring24. I noticed just this problem recently after a longish, high speed trip on Anakee 2's - rear 25 and front 24 with a medium load. When I leant into a corner, there was a definite resistance to lean and then a sudden "swoop". The rear was "flattened" and the cornering ability definetely adversely affected. Anybody had the same and what did you do?
"Britain is riding into a National Motorcycle Week so bikers are being warned of the dangers that continuous upright riding on fast, straight routes can do to their tyres.
Long journeys on freeways 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 leaning on winding roads. Often, on long journeys, motorcyclists switch from motorway to fast A and B roads without realising their bikes’ handling has been compromised.
Gary Hartshorne, motorcycle tyre technical specialist for TyreSafe in the UK, says the 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 develop, meaning extended tyre life
'The phenomenon will always affect bike tyres' - tyre expert
.
The type of journey covered isn’t the only reason for squaring-off, however. “It also depends on the materials used, the rubber compound in the tyre and the profile of the tyre when it was new," Hartshorne said.
"Some tyres have a flatter profile to start with; others can be very pointy. The more ‘pointy’ they start out as, the more the squaring-off will become apparent."
Tyre pressures can also affect the squaring, with both under and over-inflation causing problems. Hartshorne said: “If tyres are unde-rinflated this will cause squaring off, as will running them over-inflated, but then the width of the ‘squared band’ around the tyre would be narrower as the contact patch would be narrower in the first place
'Some tyres have a flatter profile to start with'
."
Tyre design means there is no cure for the squaring-off phenomenon but, once they’re aware it might happen, riders can adjust their riding habits.
“It’s important that motorcyclists make allowances for any unusual handling characteristics their bike might show when they leave a 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.”
"Britain is riding into a National Motorcycle Week so bikers are being warned of the dangers that continuous upright riding on fast, straight routes can do to their tyres.
Long journeys on freeways 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 leaning on winding roads. Often, on long journeys, motorcyclists switch from motorway to fast A and B roads without realising their bikes’ handling has been compromised.
Gary Hartshorne, motorcycle tyre technical specialist for TyreSafe in the UK, says the 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 develop, meaning extended tyre life
'The phenomenon will always affect bike tyres' - tyre expert
.
The type of journey covered isn’t the only reason for squaring-off, however. “It also depends on the materials used, the rubber compound in the tyre and the profile of the tyre when it was new," Hartshorne said.
"Some tyres have a flatter profile to start with; others can be very pointy. The more ‘pointy’ they start out as, the more the squaring-off will become apparent."
Tyre pressures can also affect the squaring, with both under and over-inflation causing problems. Hartshorne said: “If tyres are unde-rinflated this will cause squaring off, as will running them over-inflated, but then the width of the ‘squared band’ around the tyre would be narrower as the contact patch would be narrower in the first place
'Some tyres have a flatter profile to start with'
."
Tyre design means there is no cure for the squaring-off phenomenon but, once they’re aware it might happen, riders can adjust their riding habits.
“It’s important that motorcyclists make allowances for any unusual handling characteristics their bike might show when they leave a 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.”
