UNDERSTANDING YOUR RUBBER

They are round, black and stop your rims being scratched by the asphalt, right? And it’s a known fact that motorcycle tyre manufacturers are ripping off bike riders because car tyres easily last three, four or 10 times longer than bike tyres, yet bike tyres cost more. And bike shops rip us off because they won’t patch a tyre with a damaged sidewall, making us buy a new tyre instead.

All of the above are urban myths, probably generated by cranky people who don’t really understand what a tyre does, how it does it and why you can’t safely repair the sidewall of a tyre.

Motorcycle tyres are designed to be leaned over, up to 66 degrees if your name is Marc Marquez and you’re on your way to winning another MotoGP. While Marquez is a freak of nature — relatively few riders can scrape their knees, let-alone their elbows