When you’re on your motorcycle or scooter, everything is riding on your tires. So begins MIC’s new Tire Guide video, a four-minute instructional video that highlights the importance of selecting the right tires for your bike, and shows you how to make regular inspections of your tires, how to maintain them, and when to replace them.

Motorcycle tires are the crucial connection between your motorcycle and the road. Monitoring and taking care of that all-important connection is vital. “Motorcycle tires, with their U-shaped profiles, allow motorcycles to lean in turns,” said MIC Chair Dennis McNeal. “The dynamics and forces at play are very different from automobile tires, making regular inspections and ongoing maintenance of motorcycle tires critical. Your safety depends on you becoming well versed at selecting, inspecting, maintaining and replacing your bike’s tires. MIC’s Tire Guide video shows you how to inspect your tires and what steps to take.”

An accompaniment to MIC’s popular Tire Guide booklet, the new Tire Guide video explains that knowing your motorcycle’s tire requirements starts with a good review of your bike’s owner’s manual. For example, many people are under the misconception that the best place to locate your bike’s tire pressure requirements is to look on the tire’s sidewall, but that only gives you the tire’s maximum pressure. Your bike’s owner’s manual has the specific tire pressure requirements for your bike. Requirements are also listed on the tire information label found on the motorcycle’s chain guard, frame or swingarm.

A close examination of your tires is just one aspect of the complete “T-CLOCS” pre-ride inspection prescribed by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. T-CLOCS, an acronym for Tires and Wheels, Controls, Lights and Electrics, Oil and Other Fluids, Chassis, and Stands, was developed by the MSF to aid riders in remembering the steps required in a full pre-ride inspection. A T-CLOCS checklist and the how-to video can be found on msf-usa.org.

“If you were asked today about the current condition of your motorcycle tires, would you know how to answer without first running out to check your bike?” asked MIC President Tim Buche. “How is your tire pressure? How close is your tread getting to the wear bars? Would you be able to speak knowledgeably about your front tire specifically? What about the back? Inspecting your tires regularly and maintaining/replacing them as needed is an important part of motorcycling. Your tires are all that stands between you and some very unforgiving asphalt.“

In addition to the safety risks caused by missed inspections and poor tire maintenance, there are other downsides. Under-inflation can cause your tires to wear out and need replacing more quickly and can result in poor fuel economy. Over-inflation can reduce your traction and can make your ride extra bumpy.

“Our motorcycle tires are selfish,” said Buche. “They demand our attention, and if we don’t give them that attention through regular pre-ride inspections, they may just get our attention in ways most of us would rather avoid.”