Scooter Tyre Safety Checks
When we look at Scooters and motorcycles there really is only two small areas of the tyre that make contact with the road surface at any one time and when you consider that safety in acceleration, braking ,steering and cornering all depend on these two areas tyre maintance and safety checks are paramount.
Two areas we want to discuss today will ensure you are getting the most from your scooter and its tyres are tread depth and tyre pressures get these two areas right and you will go along way to staying safe saving money and most importantly making your scooter so much more enjoyable.
At the Scooter Shop in Fremantle we see scooters turning up for their annual service and the first thing we do is test ride them and we often find the scooter has extremely low and dangerous tyre pressures. At times we wonder how the customer has been riding the scooter with out noticing. For most riders though they are not noticing as their tyres have slowly deflated over time and they have adjusted accordingly this does create a dangerous situation, one wich is easily avoidable.
Prolonged under inflation causes excessive flexing, deteriation of the casing and rapid wear as well as causing excessive fuel consumption. So in summary riding with underinflated tyres is costing you money and creating a dangerous situation.
Great News
These problems are easy solved we recommend that every two weeks you do a simple tyre inspection that will take no more than 3 minutes , you will increase your safety as well as save money.
What to do
Your tyre inspection will check two areas tyre presure and tread depth and condition.
Tyre Pressures
For your first inspection refer to your owners handbook to find the correct tyre pressures, if you cant find this run 34 in the rear and 32 in the front.
Scooter shop Australia has great digital tyre gauges for sale that are small and easy to use. We highly recommend you keep one in the glove box or under your seat so its easy to access. Best of all while your picking one up up ask us to show you how it works and well even do your first tyre inspection with you.
Should you need to add some pressure you have some option
- visit to your local service staion although the generic inflator device may be difficult to use, some valves are in awkward spots.
- Purchase a little 12 volt compressor these are cheap easy to use and allows you to do the job at home simply and quickly, Drop in to the the Scooter Shop and we can demonstrate the model we have available.
- Theres always the good old hand pump available from push bike shops some of the dual acting pumps work vey well. This method is a little more time consuming but will help with your fitness.
TREAD DEPTH
Tyre treads are designed to assist with grip in the wet by dispersing the water via the grooves ( there is a lot more to tyre design but this is a basic look at tread depth) As your tyre wears the ability to disperse water decreases and the tyre starts to aquaplain rather than grip the road
Scooter tyres will have tread depth indicators in the grooves of the tyre its important to become familiar with these and inspect the tread depth at the same time you check your pressures. Once the tyre is worn down to these indicators its time to replace them. (see Video below to locate tread depth indicators)
While inspecting the tread depth have a good look at the tyre for things that have penetrated the tyre such as nails and screws these can cause serious structural damage and very unsafe conditions if left unatteneded.
Check out the video below for a greater overview of tyre inspection, Make this part of your riding routine every two weeks and your on your way to happy safe scootering.
If your unsure drop down to the Scooter Shop and we will help you do a tyre inspection and teach you, we can set you with your own gauge and mini compressor as well.
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