Motorcycle Wheels, Tires and Tubes
Motorcycle tires contacts have continued to improve over the years since John Dunlop developed the first practical pneumatic tire for a tricycle in 1887. Though motorcycles traditionally used spoked wheels with pneumatic wheel latex and inner tubes, manufacturers introduced cast wheels in the 1970s. Spoke wheels are designed with steel spokes and aluminum or steel rims.
What are the advantages of tube tires?Tube road contacts have a soft compound that helps hold the weight and ensure road grip. These wheel rubbers do not have any direct contact with the air inside. Thus, the bonding of the tire to the inner rim is not completely airtight. This helps prevent the tension of the spoke that could affect the wheel. Here is a summary of the advantages of tube tires:
- No worry of air pressure loss.
- Offers better road grip.
- Do not overheat easily.
- Puncture can be easily repaired at any place.
Though considered traditional, tube wheels still offer unique benefits that have kept them constant in the market.
What are the advantages of tubeless tires?There are two kinds of tubeless tires that have various advantages.
- Radial tires: These are designed with several parts with the tire’s sidewall being made of a different part. In this case, the sidewall serves as an independent entity without relying on the crown of the tire.
- Bias tires: These are designed using many layers of the same piece. Hence, the tire’s sidewall is thicker and is independent of the crown.
The following are some of the significant advantages of tubeless tires:
- Do not stab easily.
- Long tire life.
- Easy to maintain.
- Have the capability of high speed riding.
- Can be combined with a tube temporarily if there is a huge pierce.
- Can be filled with nitrogen air.
- It loses air slowly in case of a pierce allowing you keep riding until you reach service area.
Tubeless tires are available in medium and hard compound latex depending on the usage requirements and their overall lifetime. Since air is filled directly in the latex, there is a need for the latex to create an airtight bead seal with the wheel to prevent the air from escaping. Therefore, tubeless tires are used in alloy bike rims because they do not have the stretching tendency.
Choosing the right tire for your motorcycle to make your ride considerably safer. Unlike car latex that only needs good and wet road grips, bike tires require consideration of extra factors that include cornering grip and road surfaces. To help prevent deflation when there are small punctures, liquid tire sealant can be injected into the tire. If you want to fit tubes into tubeless models, ensure that the rim is an MT-type and the interior is smooth to prevent heat and wear.