Motorcycle Tyre Handling during cold weather conditions

All tyres have a ‘glass transition’ temperature. This is when the tread rubber starts to turn into a plastic state during cold ambient weather conditions. In a plastic state the rubber becomes brittle and can easily crack under light load. The lower the glass transition temperature the more robust the compound is to cold temperatures. Therefore, winter tyres have a very low glass transition temperature, as they need to perform in extreme cold conditions, when compared against summer tyres. For race tyres, which generally operate at high temperatures, then the glass transition temperature of the tread compound is not so low, so they are very susceptible to cracking in cold ambient conditions.

When handling brand new race motorcycle tyres at low temperatures (ref: below freezing), it’s essential that you handle the product with care and avoid impacts where possible. Avoiding impacts with the ground when unloading or moving tyres from one location to another, will help prevent ‘glass transition’ cracking issues.

Run-in New Motorcycle Tyres

Using care when riding on new tyres. We recommend that you ride slowly and carefully for the first 60miles / 100km until you become accustomed to the performance of your new tyres in conjunction with your motorcycle. We recommend avoiding extreme manoeuvres, including sudden acceleration, maximum braking and hard cornering, until you become accustomed to the performance of your tyres in conjunction with your motorcycle.