There are good ways, better ways and bad ways to store your motorcycle tyres. Some riders have a pair of tyres for sunny summer days and a pair for winter. Some trackday regulars or motorcycle racers have different slicks, wets and inters and also tyres on and off the rim. So how best to store your tyres?
Temperature
Never store your tyres outside as the extremes of temperature, moisture and wind will age the tyres. If you store them in a garage, keep them off the floor if possible, as if the floor reaches a sub-zero temperature it will likely scar the part of the tyre that’s touching the ground. Keep them out of direct sunlight if possible.
Condition
It makes sense to clean your tyres before you store them. Whether they’re road tyres with road crud on them or race tyres potentially with old rubber stuck to them, petrol or other chemicals. Give them a clean with a neutral pH cleaner and dry them out thoroughly. If your tyres are on rims, clean those too, especially where the rim meets the tyre, as this is where corrosion can occur.
Pressure
Don’t stack loose tyres on top of each other as the ones on the bottom will be subjected to pressures that are likely to damage the shape of the tyre and possibly the carcass.
Loose tyres vs on the rim
If your tyres are on the rim, that rim adds additional weight. If you can, use a proper tyre rack with a spindle through the wheel to keep the tyre from touching any surface (a broom handle will do). If you can’t keep them elevated, store them on their side and not upright as the additional weight is likely to flatspot the small contact patch if upright.
If the tyres are loose, don’t store them stacked on top of each other as it will deform the tyres at the bottom of the pile. Instead store them upright in a rack (it’s pretty easy to construct one with a few lengths of timber). Rotate them through 30 degrees every month and you’ll be good. Don’t suspend tyres individually (from a bicycle ceiling hook for example) as it’ll deform the carcass but if they’re on the rim, you can do this, just let the rim take the weight.
Get Henry out!
If you really want to keep your tyres in tip-top condition, buy some of those bedsheet / clothing vacumme bags and slot your tyre in one of those. Suck out all of the air with your Henry hoover and store the as per the guide above. This airtight container will keep the tyre’s chemical composition fresh.
Maximum storage time
The maximum time you can store a tyre depends on the factors above and how much life is left on the tyre when you put it into storage. There are no hard and fast rules but you should always inspect a tyre thoroughly before mounting it on your bike. As a general rule of thumb, we’d have no problem using motorcycle tyres that are up to 5 years old. After that period of time, tyres tend to go off. So it’s well worth considering this before you go to the effort of storing your motorcycle tyres.
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