One of the most important parts of a car is its tires. Without tires, a vehicle can’t move. This is true even for two-wheeled vehicles, often called “motorbikes.”
A flat tire on a motorcycle must have been a problem for people who drive cars. A flat tire must be filled with air or filled right away if you want to drive comfortably and avoid bad things.
But many motorcycle owners have trouble with their tires going flat even though they were inflated 1-2 days ago.
This will cause new problems for people who own motorbikes, especially those who use their bikes daily.
So, what makes a tire on a motorcycle go flat? Let’s look at the explanation below to answer this question:
1. Presence of Foreign Objects Between Tires and Rims
Foreign objects stuck between the tires and the wheels of a motorcycle are one reason why the tires often go flat. Foreign objects can be small stones, sharp grains of sand or dust, or even small bits of dirt.
As everyone knows, the wheel is a part of the car that touches the road directly. Because the tire turns with the road, the foreign object gets in between the tire and the wheel.
Over time, these foreign objects get bigger and cause the tires and wheels to separate. This makes the air slowly escape from the tire.
To keep this from happening, the motor must be cleaned often, especially around the tires. Also, don’t forget to wash the tires with clean water, especially if they’ve been on wet or muddy roads.
Rinsing tires with clean water removes the dirt stuck to them and keeps rust from forming on the wheels.
2. Seal Starting To Break
The valve on a motorcycle tire is where you put air into the tire.
When air is put into the tire through the valve, it doesn’t easily leak out. This is because a seal inside the valve keeps the wind out.
The seal or seal inside the valve is made of rubber, which is very flexible but can also stand up to wind, so it doesn’t come out of the tire. A motorcycle tire can go flat if the seal is broken or cracked.
Several things, like use and weather, can cause the seal to break. The valve seal is more likely to rot the older the motorcycle tire is.
It’s easy to find out: the air inside slowly leaks out when you’re done inflating the tire. When the tire is pumped up to high pressure, there is sometimes a whistling sound. As the pressure starts to go down, the whistling sound gets weaker.
3. Tire Valve not Closed
Tire valves that aren’t closed correctly or left open can cause motorcycle tires to go flat often. The air valve lets air into the tire, so it doesn’t go flat.
But car owners sometimes forget about this valve cover. Even though it seems small, a motorcycle tire can go flat if the valve doesn’t have a cover. This is because the air inside the tire can leak out again, especially when the motorcycle is moving.
So, it’s very important to close the valve on a motorcycle tire, especially after filling it with air.
4. Motorcycle Tires Starting to Thin
Tires are worn down and thin, another reason motorcycle tires often go flat. Thin tires are more likely to leak, especially on rocky or bumpy roads.
Not only are motorcycle tires getting thinner, but they have also lost their pattern or groove. Some of them even have cracks on the outside.
The air inside the tire leaks through these cracks, making the tire flat. Even so, many bike owners don’t care about this.
While the best age for the front tires of a motorcycle is about 1.5 years, and the best age for the back tires is about 10 months, based on how often they are used. The tires need to be changed faster the more often the motor is used.
5. Rims Start to Porous
Most tire wheels are made out of metal. Even though they are made of materials that don’t rust easily, the wheels can rust if they aren’t taken care of properly. For example, if the motor isn’t cleaned regularly, especially the parts of the tires that get dirty, the wheels can rust.
If motorcycle tires aren’t cleaned for a long time, the wheels will likely rust and get holes. Because the wheels have holes, wind can get in through the tires and out through the holes in the wheels.
Porous wheels can be caused by not taking care of them, but they can also be caused by wheels that are in bad shape or have worn out. If so, you should immediately replace the motorcycle’s wheels, so you don’t get flat tires often.
6. Flat Tires Not Inflated Immediately
A flat motorcycle tire can often be caused by not putting air in it immediately after it goes flat. The tire condition also worsens when it is often used to carry heavy loads when it is flat.
If this keeps up, the motorcycle tires will get flat because they often carry heavy loads. This ding can cause cracks in the tire, which can lead to a flat tire later on.
When carrying heavy loads, you should immediately pump up the tires and ensure they are in good shape.
7. The Appearance of a Subtle Leak
It’s hard to tell whether a tire has a smooth leak. Even though the motorcycle tires look new and in good shape from the outside, that doesn’t mean they don’t have any leaks.
Small holes on the tire’s surface can cause a slow leak, leading to a flat tire. This happens a lot when the tires on a motorcycle don’t have inner tubes or don’t have any.
On the other hand, normal tires can last for several days before they go flat.
Spreading soapy water on the surface of the tire is all it takes to find out if there is a leak or not. Suppose foam bubbles show up anywhere, the motorcycle tire leaks.
You should first take out the inner tube to check for smooth tire leaks in regular tires.
The reasons why motorcycle tires often go flat are the ones listed above. If you take care of your motorcycle tires and check them regularly, you can avoid accidents caused by leaking tires and drive more comfortably.