The last thing you want are your motorcycle tires to perform poorly.

Here are some things you can do to make sure your motorcycle tires are up to your expectations. The first thing about motorcycle tires that we should consider of course is to make sure that you have the correct ones for your bike.

Mounting tires that were designed for your bike and your type of riding is a no brainer I know, but I've seen some real crazy articles and ideas of using car tires, tires designed for a performance bike etc. I certainly don't advocate any of this, so we'll stick to what's "suppose" to be on your bike.

I currently ride with Dunlop's Elite III's but have used Bridgestone's and Avon's as well. The Honda Goldwing GL1800 calls for radial motorcycle tires, and after all the riding Judy and I have done, I think that Dunlop has it right.

My experience with the stock Bridgestone's on our '01 GL1800 were good and I've been happy with those as well. The Avon's I had a bad experience with due to some blistering problems although Avon states that they have fixed that problem and they were very agreeable with replacing the tires in a timely manner, no questions asked.

So let's get down to the meat of tires for motorcycles and their care. Tire pressure is the number one key to tire performance that you and I can control. Too soft and you may get a nice comfy ride but you will over heat your tires and increase the chances of premature wear and tire failure. Too much air and the ride will be too hard and you will wear out the centerline of the tire prematurely.

With higher tire pressures, you also decrease the contact patch on the ground and can make this a dangerous situation for riding in the rain. The answer, keep your tires inflated to the recommended pressure in the owner’s manual and never exceed the maximum manufactures pressures on the sidewall.

One thing that very few people check is the valve core. A little water or spit into the valve stem will let you know if it's leaking or not. If they are, tighten or replace them. And ALWAYS tell your mechanic to put in new cores and or stems when you get your tires changed.

Here are my views on motorcycle tire repair kits and tire repairing. A motorcycle is of course not like a car. You have two wheels not four, and if one should fail at speed you'll be hurting in more ways than one.

So that being said, yes I carry a plug kit with me and either a small compressor or CO2 cartridges for an air source. All this is with the intension of limping to a place to get the tire fixed properly. Tire manufactures recommend permanent repairs using plug and patch which can only be done by removing the tire from the rim and patching from the inside and even then, not all cuts and punctures can be repaired.

Any time I've gotten a hole or deep cut in the tire, I would patch it to get me home and then get new tires. May sound like overkill but tire failure with a loved one on back is not a good thing.

Let's talk for a minute about cleaners and polishes. I don't use them on my tires other then soap and water. If you want shinny rims I would recommend getting them chromed or powder coated. By doing this the clean up very easily with soap and water and touch up with just a dry rag too!

Putting products like Armor All on your tires to make them shinny is dangerous! Get too much on the sidewall or overspray onto the tread and you can create a dangerous situation the next time you lean into a corner. If some get on your brakes, forget about stopping in the distance you thought you would. Even for the best bike in show award, it's just not worth it!

On the line of cleaning, do clean your tires if you ever get any oils or solvents on them. Scrub them with a brush and detergent and try to get all the fluid removed, especially along the rim and tire bead. Once the tire has been cleaned, keep an eye on the tire. If it should get soft or form a bulge where the fluid was, it might be a good idea to change out the tire.

One last word for those with chain driven bikes, don't forget wheel alignment. Make sure that after you install the wheel or tighten the chain, that you realign the rear wheel. This will reduce tire wear and provide you with better control while you ride.

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