Read the tyre before you blame it
Tyres wear in patterns, and the pattern identifies the cause. Before deciding a tyre is poor quality, look at how it has worn — the answer is usually pressure, alignment or riding style rather than the tyre itself.
Pattern to cause
| What you see | Usual cause | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Squared off in the centre, edges like new | Lots of motorway riding. Normal, not a fault | ||
| Worn edges, good centre | Twisty-road riding. Also normal | ||
| Cupping or scalloping on the front | Usually underinflation, sometimes worn suspension or steering head bearings | Wear on one side only | Alignment, camber of the roads you ride, or a suspension issue |
| Centre wearing much faster than expected | Overinflation, or heavy motorway use | ||
| Both edges wearing fast, centre fine | Underinflation | ||
| Very fast overall wear | Pressure, riding style, load, or a soft compound |
[TR]
Pressure is the answer more often than anything else
Check cold, before riding, with a gauge you trust — forecourt gauges are frequently inaccurate. Use the figures in your manual, and note whether it specifies different pressures for solo, two-up and loaded riding. Many riders never adjust for a pillion and then wonder about wear.
Weekly is the right frequency. Tyres lose pressure gradually even when perfectly healthy.
Age matters as much as tread
Rubber hardens over time regardless of use. A tyre with plenty of tread but several years old will have noticeably less grip, particularly in the cold and wet — and this catches out owners of low-mileage bikes constantly.
Every tyre carries a date code on the sidewall. Check it, especially on a used bike — a "nearly new" tyre can be five years old.
Replace immediately if you see
- Tread at or below the legal minimum anywhere across the tyre
- Any bulge or deformation in the sidewall
- Cuts deep enough to reach the structure
- Cracking in the rubber, particularly in the tread grooves
- Anything embedded in the tread
If the pattern suggests a mechanical cause
Cupping and one-sided wear can indicate worn suspension components or steering head bearings. If new tyres wear the same way, that is confirmation — stop replacing tyres and have the chassis inspected.
Post your experience
Code:
Model, year, mileage:
Tyre make, model and size (from the tyre, not from memory):
Kilometres achieved:
Pressures you run and how often you check:
Riding split — motorway, back roads, two-up, loaded:
Wear pattern:
Would you fit them again?Always take the size from your own tyre or your manual. Sizes differ between models and years, and a wrong figure here sends someone to the fitter with the wrong tyres.