Ah, summer. The time of the year where we hope there will be plenty of sun so that we can either work on your tan ( an activity that has fallen out of favour as it is a dangerous activity ) or get out there and ride your bike ( an activity that is always in favour and an activity that is dangerous only if you let it :) therefore, I choose ride!
However, while that wonderful sun provides great weather for us, it does have a number of drawbacks. While many of these drawbacks effect the " cosmetics", such as paint fading, UV damage to wind shields, and plastics, just to mention a few, I would like to concentrate on the safety aspects associated with the bright light of the sun.
Starting with the rubber side (tires, that is) the sun's UVA and UVB seems to almost "sunburn" the tires and if constantly exposed to these rays, will start to crack and loose its integrity, even if there are few kilometeres on them. As motorcycle riders, the majority of our riding is done in that period of the year when sun damage is at its maximum. Whether the bike is sitting still or moving along, they suns rays do strike that rubber.
In the motorcycle shop that I frequent, some of the questions heard by the technician that come up over and over again is, "should I replace the tires on the bike I am looking to buy ?" "The bike has only a few kilometres on it and even though it is 10 years old, it still has the original tires on it." There are a number of variables to this, but these are the type of questions that are easy to answer. If you have to ask yourself or someone else if the tires need to be replaced ( whether they have been in the sun for long periods of time or not ), you would be the safest and smartest thing to do by replacing them both. You do not have a complete history of those tires and especially if cracks start to show, regardless of how much wear is left.
There are so many variables in determining how good your tires are ( air pressure, tread life, year of manufacture, tire compounds, specific soft and hard areas,.... Etc.), but this article was designed to just deal with an effect that gets over looked. Just remember the when you are out for those fabulous rides in the summer sun, and as your skin changes due the sun, just remember that the tires on your bike change too.
However, while that wonderful sun provides great weather for us, it does have a number of drawbacks. While many of these drawbacks effect the " cosmetics", such as paint fading, UV damage to wind shields, and plastics, just to mention a few, I would like to concentrate on the safety aspects associated with the bright light of the sun.
Starting with the rubber side (tires, that is) the sun's UVA and UVB seems to almost "sunburn" the tires and if constantly exposed to these rays, will start to crack and loose its integrity, even if there are few kilometeres on them. As motorcycle riders, the majority of our riding is done in that period of the year when sun damage is at its maximum. Whether the bike is sitting still or moving along, they suns rays do strike that rubber.
In the motorcycle shop that I frequent, some of the questions heard by the technician that come up over and over again is, "should I replace the tires on the bike I am looking to buy ?" "The bike has only a few kilometres on it and even though it is 10 years old, it still has the original tires on it." There are a number of variables to this, but these are the type of questions that are easy to answer. If you have to ask yourself or someone else if the tires need to be replaced ( whether they have been in the sun for long periods of time or not ), you would be the safest and smartest thing to do by replacing them both. You do not have a complete history of those tires and especially if cracks start to show, regardless of how much wear is left.
There are so many variables in determining how good your tires are ( air pressure, tread life, year of manufacture, tire compounds, specific soft and hard areas,.... Etc.), but this article was designed to just deal with an effect that gets over looked. Just remember the when you are out for those fabulous rides in the summer sun, and as your skin changes due the sun, just remember that the tires on your bike change too.