How do you properly break in new (read: slippery) tires?

[Fingers]

I understand that there are manufacturing oils found on brand new tires, making them quite slippery until they're scrubbed in.

Any tips on how to do so safely? or should i just wait for a really warm day for a first ride?

Thanks

[woobie]

It's gonna be warm this week anyway so you should be good to go. Go for a ride and just keep everything smooth. Start off slow and easy and gradually increase your lean angles to scrub the stuff off your tires.

Your best bet is to just pretend you just got the bike and your a brand new rider. At a normal legal pace your new tires should be just fine.

BUT you need to remember riding in a straight line is only gonna scuff up the middle of your tire, you need to hit some turns to scuff up the sides too to get as much of the stuff off as possible.

[shefkat2000]

I'm getting my 2000 Kat back tomorrow with my first new pair of Metzelers. Any other tips? Sandpaper maybe?? JK

[The CyberPoet]

Speed & safety.

The tires come out of the tire moulds covered with silicone mould-release compound all over, including down in the tread grooves. Sanding the surface will remove some of it from the surface, but it will still migrate from the grooves outwards and want to recoat the tires. Thus my advice is to not sand them.

The best way I've found is to spin it outwards/off via a nice high speed highway run (say 25 minutes at 70 MPH). This won't get it all off, but it will get most of it off (esp the center of the tire) and pretty much migrate everything out of the grooves all over the tire. After that, its just a matter of leaning a little further each turn, so you expose an additional bit of fresh material to the contact patch to be rubbed off.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[tzortn]

I'm getting my 2000 Kat back tomorrow with my first new pair of Metzelers. Any other tips? Sandpaper maybe?? JK

Some people take sandpaper to their new tires. I have also heard of people using brake cleaner (I have heard mixs reviews about this technique). In the end you need to ride with them.

[Mojoe]

all good advice.....but all of that advice is time consuming. I found the best way is to just burn it off.
If you can, find some gravel that is not too hard packed, grab the front brake, drop the clutch and give it some throttle. It is a little tricky holding the front brake and giving throttle at same time when not used to it, but you will get it if you try.
Basically you just spin your rear wheel down into the dirt. It takes all of 10 seconds and you are good to go. instant sandblast right into the grooves/treads. and no...it does not hurt your tire. and no, you are not wearing your tire out. It is not even noticable with a little spin like that. I would rather wear 10 miles of tire life off my tire than lose my bike cuz of a slippery tire.

[dragkota]

I like Mojoe's idea the best!!

[Mojoe]

thanks...but it is not just an idea. I do it all the time, so it is a practical method. I can pretty much garantee that if you do it, you will never waste another minute trying to scrub or sand it off....and you will head of riding with no fear of your tire slipping out. Plus it sort of "roughens" the tire surface a bit...so traction is actually improved slightly. If you do do it that way, take a moment to wipe it off and have a good look at the tire. if the shinyness is gone and it looks dull...then your work is done.

[R-ggressive]

I'm getting my 2000 Kat back tomorrow with my first new pair of Metzelers. Any other tips? Sandpaper maybe?? JK

Some people take sandpaper to their new tires. I have also heard of people using brake cleaner (I have heard mixs reviews about this technique). In the end you need to ride with them.

+1 just go for a slow casual ride and take it easy for the first few

[shefkat2000]

thanks...but it is not just an idea. I do it all the time, so it is a practical method. I can pretty much garantee that if you do it, you will never waste another minute trying to scrub or sand it off....and you will head of riding with no fear of your tire slipping out. Plus it sort of "roughens" the tire surface a bit...so traction is actually improved slightly. If you do do it that way, take a moment to wipe it off and have a good look at the tire. if the shinyness is gone and it looks dull...then your work is done.

Never done a burnout. Will the bike get squirely? Sounds a little scary. Please explain this technique for a newbie.

[Mojoe]

I'm getting my 2000 Kat back tomorrow with my first new pair of Metzelers. Any other tips? Sandpaper maybe?? JK

Some people take sandpaper to their new tires. I have also heard of people using brake cleaner (I have heard mixs reviews about this technique). In the end you need to ride with them.

+1 just go for a slow casual ride and take it easy for the first few

define slow. I am not saying that is not a good way, but aside from the fact that it is time consuming, what happens if you you have to pull an emergency manouver or hit the brakes? Ever come onto the brakes with a slippery oily tire?

I didn't mention how I do the front tire. Sort of the same method. I will "dig a groove" with the rear tire for about 5-6 feet. then I will back the bike up to the beginning of it. I will then turn the handle bars from side to side while inching forward. I will do this 2 or 3 times until I am satisfied.
In the case of the front, it would probably just be easier to clean it manually, but who has brake cleaner on them when they leave the dealership or wherever it is you have your tires changed? I don't....so that is how I do it.
The bottom line is that new tires intimidate me. I never dumped because of them, but I have had them slip enough to freak me out...and I hate the feeling. That is the reason I can't just "ride it out" until they are ok. I always have this fear of "what if I need to grab brake or make a significant manouver to avoid an obstacle.

[iwannadie]

i never had a problem with new tires really. i remember one time on my old bike(marauder 800). i just got a new back tire picked it up and suddenly got stuck in a monster storm. had the gf on the back trying to fly home to beat the storm. still got stuck in it and i didnt have any problems in the storm with a brand new tire and a passenger on the back.

so just take it slow for the first bit and youll be fine. i can see alot more people trying a burnout in gravel and dumping the bike than just taking it slow. no thing against your method mojoe, but i think the new rider would be more at risk doing it that way.

i cant wait to break my tires in, surely i dont want to burn out in gravel to get them scrubbed in ha but thats just me.

[Mojoe]

thanks...but it is not just an idea. I do it all the time, so it is a practical method. I can pretty much garantee that if you do it, you will never waste another minute trying to scrub or sand it off....and you will head of riding with no fear of your tire slipping out. Plus it sort of "roughens" the tire surface a bit...so traction is actually improved slightly. If you do do it that way, take a moment to wipe it off and have a good look at the tire. if the shinyness is gone and it looks dull...then your work is done.

Never done a burnout. Will the bike get squirely? Sounds a little scary. Please explain this technique for a newbie.

well it is not really a burn out. you just want a slow spin. no need to get all squirrely on it.

Here is the technic:

1- Stand up on both legs and make sure your footing is sound.
2- Grab the front brake, but postion your grip so that you are gripping the lever with the fingers close to the palm. Your thumb should be on the throttle at the end of your thumb.
3- Then sort of twist your grip towards you and let your thumb roll the throttle. Your grip on the brake will sort of slide....so that it progessivley heads to the end of your fingers. slowly let the clutch out while doing this.

start of slow. you will feel the bike rise under you. the bike won't move forward, so it will rise a bit. maybe an inch or 2. once the traction of the rear breaks, the bike will settle back down. Don't worry if you stall it a few times when starting off. Better to stall than to give it too much and go nuts...possibly losing it.

2 important things to remember:

make sure you have a good solid stance on your feet. On dirt it isn't so bad because the tire will sink in a bit and keep it from sliding out on you. On pavement, it is a different story. If you have the legs for it, you can actually walk your bike around in a 360 degree turn. If you don't have the legs for it, it can kick right out from under you. just squeeze the bike between your legs with a good footing, and it won't go anywhere.

second....don't let go of that brake until the throttle is closed, or you might find yourself on a hell of a ride. Don't pull in the clutch until the throttle is closed, or you will hit the rev limiter in a hurry.

Once you get used to it, you can spin smiley faces onto parking lots and leave your signiture. or you can leave a strip of rubber as long as your heart desires by slowly letting off the brake and walking it. I have done them 100+ feet just to burn off on old tire.

when you REALLY get the hang of it, you can bring up the left foot and start shifting gears. you got to be quichk for that though...or you will stall it in a hurry....and possible lose your balance and drop it. so don't go there just yet

[Mojoe]

so just take it slow for the first bit and youll be fine. i can see alot more people trying a burnout in gravel and dumping the bike than just taking it slow. no thing against your method mojoe, but i think the new rider would be more at risk doing it that way.

I sort of agree with you...and sort of not. Spinning the rear does have it's risks...but so does trying to swerve with an oily tire to miss an old muffler that suddenly appears from under the truck you are following. It is not for everyone. You have to feel confident that you can do it. PLUS...it is prcatice. Spinning the rear like that can actually give you a feel for how the bike reacts with loss of traction in the rear.....which in turn increases your skill level.
But that is just me. I am not the kind of person who tries to avoid all this stuff...which someday can happen and leave me not ready for it. So I play with my bike in preperation for stuff like that. when I am slow cruising in a parking lot or someplace like that, and I see sand, just as often as not, I won't try to avoid it, but actually crack the throttle to get some spin. being able to little things like that are ways to increase your skill level somewhat.

[iwannadie]

so just take it slow for the first bit and youll be fine. i can see alot more people trying a burnout in gravel and dumping the bike than just taking it slow. no thing against your method mojoe, but i think the new rider would be more at risk doing it that way.

I sort of agree with you...and sort of not. Spinning the rear does have it's risks...but so does trying to swerve with an oily tire to miss an old muffler that suddenly appears from under the truck you are following. It is not for everyone. You have to feel confident that you can do it. PLUS...it is prcatice. Spinning the rear like that can actually give you a feel for how the bike reacts with loss of traction in the rear.....which in turn increases your skill level.
But that is just me. I am not the kind of person who tries to avoid all this stuff...which someday can happen and leave me not ready for it. So I play with my bike in preperation for stuff like that. when I am slow cruising in a parking lot or someplace like that, and I see sand, just as often as not, I won't try to avoid it, but actually crack the throttle to get some spin. being able to little things like that are ways to increase your skill level somewhat.

i hear ya, i dont want to take my bike to the shop to have the tire changed and have to ride on on new rubber. im taking the wheels off to have them mounted and put the tires back on at home. that way i can go out with no traffic and work in my tires with fewer risks than pulling out of a shops parking lot into heavy traffic....

but i think riding with a slippery tire is a more real world situation you should learn to deal with. burnouts arent really something that should happen by accident leaving you unready for it. having never rode with a slippery tire can cause problems when you hit some oil in the rode and never felt that before. having a brand new tire that has some slip to it is easy to get a feel for than trying to aim for oil patchs.