Checking Your Motorbike Tires: Three Things, Five Minutes, Once a Week

A motorbike tire check is a small job with a big effect on safety. Tires are the only part of the bike that touches the road. Yet many riders only look at them when one goes flat. Underinflated tires burn more fuel, make steering heavy and wear out quickly along the edges. Worn tires slip more when you brake in the rain.

The three checks below take about five minutes. Do them once a week, or every time you fill up.

1. Check the pressure

The correct pressure for your bike is on a sticker on the frame, under the seat, or in the owner’s manual. Front and rear are often different. Some manufacturers recommend a little more pressure when you carry a passenger.

Check when the tires are cold, meaning the bike has not been ridden or has only gone a few hundred meters. After a longer ride the tires warm up and read higher than they really are. A handheld pressure gauge is cheap and far more accurate than squeezing the tire.

2. Check the tread and wear indicator

On the sidewall there is a small triangle mark or the letters TWI. Look into the tread groove in line with that mark and you will see a raised rubber bar inside the groove. That is the wear indicator. When the tread wears down level with it, replace the tire. Do not push it further.

Look at how it wears, too. Heavy wear in the center usually means too much pressure. Wear on both edges usually means too little. A regular motorbike tire check helps your bike grip the road. A motorbike tire check before a long trip matters even more. A weekly motorbike tire check quickly becomes a habit.

3. Inspect the surface

Turn the wheel through one full rotation and look closely for:

• Nails, glass or stones stuck in the tread. Pull them out if shallow; if deep, take it to a repair shop.
• Fine cracks on the sidewall, a sign the rubber is aging.
• Bulges like a bubble. A bulge means the internal structure is damaged, and the tire needs replacing right away.

One more: check the tire’s age

Many tires have a 4-digit code on the sidewall. For example, 2123 means it was made in week 21 of 2023. Rubber ages over time even if the bike is not ridden much. A tire that has been on the bike for many years should be checked by a mechanic, even if the tread looks fine.

Five minutes a week. Much cheaper than a slide in the middle of the road.

This weekend, take 5 minutes for a motorbike tire check. Learn more about tires, or read what to do when your motorbike stalls in flood water.