Warming tires and throttle control | GTAMotorcycle.com

Warming tires and throttle control

bigpoppa

bigpoppa

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Went out on my first group ride today, fellas on their 600 cc and 1000cc SS bikes...they kept weaving their bikes back and forth...i thought that myth was dispelled?

Isn't the correct way to warm up the tires is by accelerating and braking hard?


Also what do you do to maintain good throttle control in the corners? Do you:
- just keep the throttle where its at and not roll on or off,
or
- do you smoothly open the throttle up (as recommended by Keith code?)

(In other words do you maintain constant speed, or do you start accelerating smoothly?)
 
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Doubt it really makes much difference on the street.
When they're stopped see how wide the chicken strips are on their tires.
 
Find a different group. The most appropriate way to warm up tires is to ride normally but take a little off the pace for the first couple of minutes. Weaving back and forth can cause problems (other motorists not expecting or understanding).
 
TK4 said:
When they're stopped see how wide the chicken strips are on their tires.
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Agreed, that's one of the best covert methods of learning about a riders experience/skills, or lack thereof.

Of course I ride a couch vs a sportbike but I do still mentally pay attention to my riding style for the first 3-5 minutes of any ride, IE not leaning hard into the corner through the first traffic light around the corner from our house, not demanding maximum traction out of the tire (accell or decel), etc...but then things are fine and I ride normally unless it's exceptionally cool out - when I ride in the middle of the winter for example I'll always assume my tires are cold 100% of the time and ride accordingly.

Weaving? Yeah, after I come off a dirt/gravel road I'll weave a few times (when there's no cars around and it's safe to do so) to get the dirt off the tread so it's not there when I might need 100% traction down the road somewhere, but I also agree with others that this is the only purpose it serves.
 
PrivatePilot said:
Weaving? Yeah, after I come off a dirt/gravel road I'll weave a few times (when there's no cars around and it's safe to do so) to get the dirt off the tread so it's not there when I might need 100% traction down the road somewhere, but I also agree with others that this is the only purpose it serves.
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..and not to find fault, but more so to drive the point home, weaving barely (if at all) helps with this too. Stones and pebbles are NOT GOING TO STICK to your 'street rubber' that's not tack-sticky like a hard run track slick, and the tread grooves on a motorcycle tire are too wide to capture them.

Weaving serves only the point of fun - if that's how you have fun.
 
Bagman said:
Weaving serves only the point of fun - if that's how you have fun.
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Might as well have some fun here and there ;)

That being said, I usually do it when there isn't anyone around me (in front or behind), and typically at night where I just see my headlight dancing around xD. It usually isn't anything crazy excessive either.
 
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Sometimes its not about warming up the tires...we just get bored.
 
best way to get heat in the tires
rear- heavy acceleration
front - firm braking
weaving --- doesn't do s@#$
 
Braking on the rear doesnt do much?

I suppose there isnt as much braking force
 
bigpoppa said:
Braking on the rear doesnt do much?

I suppose there isnt as much braking force
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Most weight shifts forward under hard deceleration so you're really limited to the amount of braking force physically possible using rear brake alone before it simply loses traction. The front tire on the other hand can provide drastically more braking power.
 
bigpoppa said:
Braking on the rear doesnt do much?

I suppose there isnt as much braking force
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Re watch the weight distribution parts of Twist of the Wrist II. Good info there!
 
bigpoppa said:
Braking on the rear doesnt do much?

I suppose there isnt as much braking force
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Or much weight (on any bike that isn't a cruiser) if you are on the brakes very hard. Not that you will be doing a stoppie, but the front tire is smaller and carrying much more than 50% of the weight and closer to 80% of the force. My guess is something like the front will heat up in 1/4 the time of the rear if you are just using brakes.

Street riding doesn't get much heat in the tires. Take it easy for the first 5 or 10 minutes and you should be close to equilibrium temp (which isn't nearly as hot as equilibrium temp at the track).
 
basmn said:
best way to get heat in the tires
rear- heavy acceleration
front - firm braking
weaving --- doesn't do s@#$
Click to expand...


What i meant was, he mentions for heating the front you need braking, can you also use rear brake for heating rear or do you just rely on the acceleration for heating the rear?
 
bigpoppa said:
What i meant was, he mentions for heating the front you need braking, can you also use rear brake for heating rear or do you just rely on the acceleration for heating the rear?
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I think you're overthinking this.

Ride the bike gently for the first 5 or 10 minutes, avoid hard acceleration, hard braking, or hard cornering. Just ride. At that point given normal ambient summertime temperatures the tires are warm enough on their own for 99% of what the average street rider is going to be doing.

No weaving, hard acceleration, hard braking...IMHO all that just stands to cause more problems than it may help, especially for the beginner rider.
 
basmn said:
best way to get heat in the tires
rear- heavy acceleration
front - firm braking
weaving --- doesn't do s@#$
Click to expand...

Weaving excites the York Regional Police.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Only the inexperienced think this does anything (used to be like that!) Some of us just do it for fun when bored..especially rush hour
 
Bagman said:
..and not to find fault, but more so to drive the point home, weaving barely (if at all) helps with this too. Stones and pebbles are NOT GOING TO STICK to your 'street rubber' that's not tack-sticky like a hard run track slick, and the tread grooves on a motorcycle tire are too wide to capture them.

Weaving serves only the point of fun - if that's how you have fun.
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That depends on what tire you're using rocks stick to mine as does leaves dirt etc. And a gentle weave cleans them a bit. A hard weave where the suspension is be worked also works tires causing heat. But a street tire generally dosent need anything but a couple minutes to be warm enough. Most weave just for fun. Weaving through the passing lines at 130km/h puts a smile on my face. I don't do group rides. Too slow.
 
To warm up my throttle control I firmly hold the throttle wide open after start up. This warms the engine and rev limiter up thoroughly. Then 2-3 burnouts while again on the rev limiter ensures the back tire is warmed followed by a few stoppies to get the front up to working temperature. I am then ready to hit the ramps and dodge in and out of the Gta traffic.
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