Ducati Monster Forum

I was wondering how everyone scrubs in new tires. I put a set of BT-016s on my old Monster and then rode off slowly. When I went into a 10mph turn the tires came out from under me like I was on ice. No severe lean or anything. I had my last set installed at ECS and they used a chemical to take off the mold resin and they were perfect from the first mile on. Is anyone aware of what they might have used? I suppose I can take a scotch-brite pad and scuff them up.

I scuff them up for the same reason you mentioned.  In a perfect world an easy ride should be sufficient, but why risk it if it only takes you a few minutes to clean and scuff.  The last set I installed myself, so I really needed to clean up the mess of rim lube, blood, fingernails, skin, etc.

Let me guess....the abominable snow man ate your homework, too?  Right?

Mold release agents are common in automotive tires, but is no longer used by most motorcycle tire manufacturers.  Back in the days of bias ply tires, mold release compounds were greasy and obvious.  With the introduction of radial tires manufacturers began using lighter release agents....and in the middle of the last decade most manufacturers stopped using release agents altogether.

Dunlop.....

"Thank you for taking the time to contact us with your Dunlop motorcycle
tire questions. Dunlop Motorcycle Tire does NOT use a "mold releasing
agent" during the production of our tires. When new tires are fitted,
they should not be subjected to maximum power, abrupt lean-over or hard
cornering until a reasonable run-in distance of approximately 100 miles
has been covered. This will permit the rider to become accustomed to the
feel of the new tires or tire combination, find the edge, and achieve
optimum road grip for a range of speeds, acceleration and handling use. Be
sure to check and adjust inflation pressure to recommended levels after the
tire cools for at least three (3) hours following run-in. Remember, new
tires will have a very different contact patch and lean-over edge. New
tires, mixing a new tire with an used tire, and mixing tread pattern
combinations require careful ride evaluations."

Pirelli......

"Pirelli does not use mold release. Tires are shiny because the general buying public demands that visually a tire look cool, smooth, shiny, and new when they shop for tires in the rack at the dealer. We rely on the smoothness of the mold to get this appearance and to help the tire let go from the mold during production.

I like to say tires are like new shoes, MX boots, or a leather jacket as they need the proper break in time. Regarding getting heat into tires this follows the same idea, only time and friction will put the heat in. I have attached a copy of the brochure so you can read about break in suggestions in the technical area. Ride safe"

Only Michelin, among the major manufacturers, still use mold release to my knowledge.....

"Thank you for your email. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you.

Concerning your question, Michelin has a mold release agent on all
motorcycle tires. This will cause the tire to be slippery in the first
few miles, but that goes away after the tire is scrubbed in. This normally
occurs in the first 25-50 miles or so. Until then, the rider should use
caution in riding the tire at accelerated speeds. Michelin always
recommends obeying the speed limits and using care whenever riding.

If your questions have not been answered to your satisfaction, please
call...."

And before you say "Ahhh Haaaaaaa", I ride Michelins most of the time and I ride the new ones just like I ride the old ones.....like I stole 'em.  I take time to warm them up, just like any other cold tire, then light the frikkin' fuse.

When folks leave my shop I give them the "be careful" lecture that you've all heard, but it's just from the sense of not wanting to be sued because the customer's bike now feels different and he might crash it.  Taking it easy for a hundred miles or so gives him/her time to adjust to the new feel.  I don't believe I need those miles to get used to a bike I've owned for years, so I don't use them that way.

I've crashed on cold tires.  I've crashed on cold tracks.  But I've never chashed because of anything on the surface of a new tire.  25 miles in my tires generally look like they've gone a few laps at the track (often because they have).

YMMV.

I appreciate the information. All I know is that on 2 identical sets of tires, one was not prepped before I rode (and I crashed within 200 yards) and another set that was rubbed down with some agent from the shop and it was like night and day. These new tires will be going on in the spring when the roads have a tendency to be cold so I'm a little gun shy

I've never had a problem with new tires. Just ride easy until they're warm...I think that's the main issue. A couple of relatively hard accelerations (for the rear) and hard stops (for the front) in a straight line should do the trick quickly.

I did a track day a couple years ago with brand new Pirelli Rosso Corsas on (so not race tires, and no warmers). After 2 laps to let them warm up I rode as hard as ever without an issue.

New race rubber with warmers and I go full speed pretty much straight away....which is why I think the rubber being warm is the issue, not the tire being new.

I ride out of my subdivision and typically take either the 17-mile route or the 32-mile route at 10-30 mph over the speed limit to the mountains (sometimes dragging knees), and immediately ride the p!ss out of the bike when I hit the mountains.

You may find this of interest....

http://www.sportrider.com/tips/146_0810_how_to_warm_up_new_tires/index.html (http://www.sportrider.com/tips/146_0810_how_to_warm_up_new_tires/index.html)

That was a great article and it does make sense. I will do my best to carry the message forward when I hear people talk about "scrubbing" in their tires. ;)

I put a set of BT-016's on last year and had no problems. With the knowledge of new tires, I road off carefully and was easy on the for the first 75 miles.

I loved my BT-016s. It may have been more an issue with cold pavement and cold tires. I'm trying a set of Pirelli Diablo Rosso II's to change things up a bit. This time I'll warm them up properly and no corners for a few miles!

I have always found new tires to be greasy, and the Q2 I mounted a week ago was no exception.

I can't remember if it was Speeddog or Duck-Stew that suggested I wipe my brand new tires acetone before my first ride on them...

I bought a bottle of nail polish remover at the local CVS for 98 cents.

I put the bike up on stands, nail polish remover on a rag, and thoroughly wiped. 

I rubbed down the tires with a clean, dry rag after to get any remaining nail polish remover off (just in case).

Then I took the bike out and and after a few miles in-town to get to the fun stuff, I rode the snot outta them.  No issues whatsoever.  [Dolph]

I started with D208's, then Qualifiers, then Pilot Powers, then Power Pures... All on the Monster.   On the 999, Power Pures, then Bridgestone BT-003's...  No issues...

YMMV

Good Luck, Ride hard uh... Safe!   ;)



 [bacon]

I don't think a little acetone will hurt the rubber. The shop that installed my last set of tires said they rubbed them down with a chemical to remove the sheen but they didn't say what it was

how fast were you going ?

a 10mph turn is very sharp

my experience , take it easy and tyres scrub in quick enough

long sweeper corners i find are far better :)

A little is the key. Acetone will dry the rubber. However it also flashes quickly, so it really won't soak in.