Best Motorcycle Tire Reviews 2018

How much does a good motorcycle tire cost? The answer varies depending on several factors. The first determinant is the position of tire. Is it a rear or a front tire? Secondly, price depends on the type of the tire. This can either be sport tires, sports touring tires, track or day/racing tires. Thirdly, the price will depend on the brand and the size of the tires.

Despite all the differences, the average price of a motorcycle tire is between $100 and $300. While there are some cheap motorcycle tires that can cost as low as $25, they’re not the best. In this review, we didn’t include them. Instead, we picked models that we believe are built to last and ones that won’t compromise your safety. On the upper end, there are tires costing up to $1500 that you can check out if you’re really serious about your ride!

When shopping for motorcycle tires, there are several factors to consider. Some of these features are so specific that if you pick a tire with the wrong features and specifications, the tire may not be usable. The best starting point should be noting your bike specifications. Have your bike features in mind and your specific riding style to pick a tire with the right features.

Here are some of the most important features that you should have in your checklist.

• Position. This is probably the most basic. A tire is either for rear or front positioning
• Type. Different tires are made for different types of bikes, which include cruisers, street sports, touring, or dual sports.
• Speed rating. Every tire has a specific speed rating
• Size. Motor cycle tires come in different sizes, depending on specific bikes
• Material. There are different types of materials used to make tires, rubber being only the most obvious.
• The mileage range of the tires
• Specific technology. This depends on the manufacturers
• Anatomy of a tire. Tread, carcass, bead, and sidewall

Let’s now discuss how these features affect performance of a tire.

While all tires are (hopefully) circular in shape, there are a lot of differences, most of which being differences in design. A tire has four main parts, tread, bead, carcass, and the sidewall. The tread is the part that meets the road and has a lot of impact on the tire. Tires with smooth treads are best on dry and smooth surfaces. On the other hand, chunky treads, are best on off-road surfaces. There are other carefully designed treads, which make them great on variety of surfaces. The bead joins the tire to the wheel while the carcass is the backbone of the wheel.

Another important part of a wheel is the sidewall, where important information about the wheel is displayed. Apart from being a board, the sidewall determines the bike handling and the load support. To make the correct decision, you must be in a position to decode the sidewall information. By just looking at the sidewall you can tell if the tire will fit on your bike and if it’ll meet your riding demands.

Let’s use a typical example of what you can find on a tire: 130/90 R 16 67 H. In this scenario, there are five things you can immediately deduce from this information. ‘130’ is the section width. This means that when the tire is installed, its widest width is 130mm. If you pick the wrong section width, the tire won’t fit. The code ‘90’ refers to a 90% aspect ratio, which technically refers to the tire’s height. A short sidewall means a low aspect ratio.

R is a designation of the tires construction, in this case meaning radial ply. Apart from radial, the other carcass design is the bias, which is represented by ‘B.’ The ‘16’ value refers to the wheel size, which is the diameter. This tire is made for a wheel with 16 inches diameter. If there’s a specification that you must get right, it’s the wheel size rating. In the same example, ‘67’ denotes the load index. If you pick this tire, you can carry a load of up to 661 pounds. Another vital feature is the last letter, ‘H,’ which denotes the maximum speed that the wheel can support; in our example above the maximum speed is 130 MPH. Apart from the H rating, there are 14 other speed ratings.

If you’re planning to replace a tire, you can easily check the ratings and order exactly like that. On the other hand, if you’d like to upgrade, there’s a lot of room for you to experiment and have something different for a potentially better riding experience. With the help of a professional, you can easily upgrade your tires to conform to your riding style.

The performance of a tire depends on several things. First, there are different types of motorcycle tires made for different riders and bikes. This means that a tire will deliver what it’s meant for. For example, sport tires deliver an unmatched grip on diverse surfaces, but at the expense of the tread. If you’re looking for tires with the highest mileage, the best choice would be touring tires. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a compromise, the best option will be sport touring. First, identify where you will be riding; if it’s a commuting bike, go for tires with improved mileage and that performs well on diverse surfaces.

The four different types of motorcycle tire styles perform differently on different surfaces. The best style depends on your riding style and the bike. Cruiser or touring wheels have a high mileage, which is why they’re made from hard rubber compounds. They’re not the best for high speeds, however, and are rather poor when riding on a road or path with numerous corners.

Sporting tires, on the other hand, provide the best grip and are great for high speeds and have an impressive durability. They’re the most versatile as they’re made from softer rubber, with lesser treads. For a racing/track tire, they’re almost similar, but the latter provides better grip. This makes them good for rugged terrains and when taking corners.

Dual sports tires present the user with a wider range of possibilities. They perform great off road and on paved surfaces. To make a decision, decide how much of each surface you intend to do. If it’s 50/50 on both surfaces, go for a tire with such rating and choose a tread that’ll work great on both surfaces.

Off road tires come in different tread patterns, sizes, and compounds. A great consideration in this case is the material, but the simplest way out is determining your mostly used surface. The final determinant of performance is the tire construction. This can either be bias-ply, radial or bias-ply w/radial construction.