How to scub in a tyre

[Timmay]

Having just had my first bin at a round-about in Orewa this morning I am left wondering how one scrubbs in a new tyre, it seems like a bit of a catch 22. Can't lean till tyre is scrubbed in, tyre won't be scrubbed in till you have done some leaning...

New tyre is a Metzeler Z6 on the back of a 1996 Honda Hornet 250

[JayRacer37]

Start off slow, get the tyre nice and warm, and then lean a little more, a little more every corner you go around, until the tyre is hot and scrubbed in. When the tyre is hot they have as much grip Brand new or scrubbed, mind you I am kind of talking about being in a warmer in that respect.

[fridayflash]

find a bit off gravel matey... even just a bit at that side of the road, or a gravel driveway and potter about in it for a minute weave the steering a
little for the front tyre and gas it a little to break traction with the rear
and your done...the dust and gravel will eliminate the oily surface
thats giving you grief

[Jantar]

I'm another one who favours a quick blast along a gravel road. Takes off that slippery sheen no trouble at all.

[crazyhorse]

Just get on your bike, start the engine and ride baby, ride....

[EJK]

New tyre is a Metzeler Z6 on the back of a 1996 Honda Hornet 250

[Timmay]

Thanks for all the advice...off to a gravel pit

[James Deuce]

Scrubbing in a road tyre doesn''t necessarily mean taking that slippery sheen off the entire surface of the tyre. It means putting some gentle heat cycles through the tyre to finish the process of chemically "fixing" the tyre. The shiny stuff (release agent) will evaporate without needing to be actually ridden on or attacked with emery paper. Simply take it easy for 200kms or so. Take it extra easy in winter (looks outside, sunlight but cold. Must be winter).

Personally, I loathe the Z6. It's made of concrete, has about as much feel, and is noisy as buggery.

Race tyres are a bit different Jay.

[pritch]

[QUOTE=James Deuce;
Personally, I loathe the Z6. It's made of concrete, has about as much feel, and is noisy as buggery. [/QUOTE]

I usually find myself in agreement with James Twice. This though is an exception, having used several sets I like the Z6 and consider it a fine tyre. Perhaps I ask less of my tyres?

Then again there are press-on types, eg Sensei, who have chewed through quite a few Z6s and use them still...

[one fast tl1ooo]

Just ride the bike, but not to hard to start with

[firefighter]

Go for a fang up and down the kaimais.....that'll scrub that bad boy in!

[slofox]

C.A.R.E.F.U.L.L.Y

at this time of year anyway...

[James Deuce]

I usually find myself in agreement with James Twice. This though is an exception, having used several sets I like the Z6 and consider it a fine tyre. Perhaps I ask less of my tyres?

Then again there are press-on types, eg Sensei, who have chewed through quite a few Z6s and use them still...

I have Metzeler Sportec M1s on the Zed, and they are up to temp on bitterly cold days within a few hundred metres. With the amount of diesel the buses drop on the hairpins I negotiate just down the road they have to be. They've never behaved inconsistently and while their wet grip isn't up to Avon Viper specs it's predictable.

The Z6s stand as the only tyres I have peeled off the rims after a week and given away. They stay cold for the whole commute, they make a horrible droning noise on the motorway or highway and I've had the bike try to swap ends running through a puddle.

[xgnr]

Avon Tyres reply to a guy asking the same question


"Hi Scraggy,
Prior to moulding, m/c tyres used to be sprayed with a solution. This would help the rubber flow during the curing process and reduce defects.
This solution could also make the tyre slippery when new. Avon now uses water based solution or in many cases, no solution at all. Water based solution dissolves into the rubber and will not have any effect on a new tyres grip.
Avon m/c tyres do not now need scrubbing in due to moulding solution. This may not always be the case with other manufacturer's tyres but many are reducing or eliminating this solution, often refered to as tyre dope (not the sort you smoke!).
However, all tyres should still be scrubbed in. If too much power or load is put through a new tyre, large tears can appear on the tyre's tread surface. This is called low frequency graining. These tears will remain larger than normal and the tyres grip and mileage will suffer. If the tyre is scrubbed in properly, these tears will be much finer and mileage and grip will be optimised (high frequency graining). This same effect can happen if too much throttle is used when the tyre is cold. This is called cold graining i.e. the tyre surface will tear up as the compound is trying to grip before it has reached its optimum operating temperature.

Putting new tyres through a heat cycle also helps. In simple terms this basically breaks down the tyre at a molecular level and lets all the molecular strings reform in a more neutral state. This eliminates soft and hard areas of the tyre, effectively conditioning it.

Best regards,
Peter J McNally
M/C Technical Product Manager
01225 357753
www.avonmotorcycle.com"

[slofox]

Excellent post XGNR...