T-Clocs Breakdown Part 1 - Tires

In today’s world, some people are not allowed to be out riding. Or in some places, the weather is not yet
riding conducive. Today, I will go over things we can do for Motorcycle Safety while at home.
Every year we cover T-CLOCS. This is used as a check that should be completed before going for a ride.
You can use it now, at the start of your riding season, to make sure everything is ready to go. Now is a
good time do it because if you can’t ride right now, you have time to get parts shipped or appointments
made at your motorcycle repair shop.
Today we will cover the T in T-CLOCS and that is for Tires.
 Checking Tires is not just checking air pressure. There are other things you will need to check.
Tires are very important. Not only can you die if a Tire has a problem but if you are riding with
others, you can kill or injure them.
 Checking air pressure is important! The pressure that should be in the Tire is printed on the
sidewall of the Tire and most times, it is also on a label on the frame, and, of course, in the
owner’s manual. You can use any common air pressure gauge. But if you have a bagger, you
may want to buy one of the gauges that has longer tube to make it easier to use. (I will provide
a link at end to an example). Also on a bagger, it may be hard to find the air pressure written on
the Tire with the bags on. Once you find it, write it down and maybe tape it to the gauge so you
have it.
 You also need to check the tread. You can get a tread gauge but it is simple to just use the
“Penny Test.” Take a regular US Penny and put top into the tread. Then look from the side of
the Tire and if you can see all of Lincoln’s head you need to replace your Tires.
 You also need to check the condition of the whole Tire. A few years ago, there was a wave of
bad Tires that would crack and chunks would come loose from the Tire. Check for cracks,
chunks missing, slices, and of course anything stuck in the Tire like a nail or screw.
 You also need to check the wear on the Tire. If the wear is uneven, it can be a sign that there is
something wrong that you can’t see. It can be a sign of bad wheel bearings, warped rotors, or
even a bent or loose spoke if you have wire spokes. One of the best ways to check (besides
looking) is to run your hands over the Tire. You can feel if there is a problem.
 You also need to check the rims and spokes. Look for cracks or holes. If you have wire spokes
you need to look for loose, bent, or missing spokes. Ryan F9 did a YouTube video talking about
pre-ride checks and showed a cool trick to check spokes. He takes his air gauge and just runs it
around the spokes and if any of them sound different you know there is a problem. I will
include that link as well.
 Another good thing you should do is roll the bike around so you can look at all parts of the Tire.
If you do not have a motorcycle lift or jack, that can be a pain to check the rear wheel. You may
have lay on the floor and have someone else roll it around while you look.
 Another part of the Tire check are the Brakes. You need to check the brake pads, and also roll
the bike in your garage, testing the brakes. Then check again at slow speeds, and then one more
time checking them under regular riding conditions. If they are making noise or not stopping
the bike, you may need to add brake fluid. Remember, some bikes have two places to add
brake fluid. The brake fluid may not be the fix but it is worth checking. Your brakes can also
stick and not release so check for that.

With this particular segment, I am not going to go too far into what type of Tire you should buy. There is
too much to cover to do it in this article. But I do want to make some suggestions:
1. Put a motorcycle Tire on a motorcycle. Motorcycle Engineers have worked very hard to
design them and car Tire are not designed for motorcycles!
2. Your Tire tread should match. If they don’t, your ride may be a bit uncomfortable.
3. Don’t skimp on Tires! Your life depends on them!

https://msf-usa.org/downloads/T-CLOCS_Inspection_Checklist.pdf
https://www.amazon.com/JACO-ElitePro-Tire-Pressure-
Gauge/dp/B016R9KKCU?ref_=s9_apbd_otopr_hd_bw_b13uf5&pf_rd_r=ECDZMR8PP4CVYZJPZVP7&pf_r
d_p=9241b407-5411-569f-ba86-6f1b89e3f85f&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-
10&pf_rd_t=BROWSE&pf_rd_i=15709131

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv9WVOVDqm0&feature=emb_logo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjfrZqkDXnA