New Tires are slippery....AAARRRRGGG!

When I had my new TKC80's put on the other day, I noticed they were "different". At first I assumed it was because I was going from stock tires to something approaching knobbies. The funny thing is though, they seem normal now. I don't know if it just took a couple of days to get used to them, or if they had something on them, but they are night and day now compared to when I first got them.

Just put a new set of Kenda Trackmaster II tires on my bike... now, THESE are approaching knobbies!!! The packaging said to give them 100 miles for break-in. They were REAL squirrely on the road, the first time I rode on them. I've only been riding on them for a few days now, but already they seem to be gripping the road better. I just need a day with 'em off-road, to really get them broken in

after i go to a car wash im always weary, some of those soaps and engine degreasers can make the tire a bit slick

Same experience with these tires, and the 100 miles isn't a lie! These things slipped all over the road, felt like they were slippin, sliding, or "squirming" but After 200 miles and 150 miles of dirt, they're fantastic. Loud, and slow, but fantastic! My Shinkos Golden Boys were pretty normal right after being mounted. Guess it depends on the tire.

Aprilia tech showed me his trick.
spray brake degreaser on a rag and wipe new tires. wipes off all the mold release before you use them.

Work blocks Photobucket so I can't retrieve it just now but...

I'd just gotten brand new tires for the SuperHawk so that it'd be deemed safe for the ERC I was taking. Figured I'd scrub them in riding the hour up to the ERC location. Except it was pouring down rain with no promise of letting up. So I ended up scrubbing in my tires while sitting on my deck... with a green scrubby pad.

Yes,simply riding for aways and letting the tires get good and hot is all they need.

Back in the day I did a slide/highside on an XS650 with new tires,it was the second ride on them but...the outermost edge was still slick evidently cause the back end went sideways then grabbed and threw me a good distance.
It has stuck with me.

BINGO.
You have choices, scrub, ride gravel, take it easy, or be wary. Even the dirt bike knobbies are slick for a few miles of gravel road.

Last set on the KTM I rode to the nearest dirt field and dug some trenches.
You can always use the dealers planter boxes.

Urban legend for a long time now.

It's Monday and I am gettin my 205 on!! OH YEEEAAAHHH!!!

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Thought it was completely appropriate though.....

I think allot of it has to do with the things people use to mount tires. You put Ru-glyde all over the tire and it's going to be slippery for it a bit until it's dry or worn off...

Back in the day , I would use pledge to slide them on and off easier.used to take them for a ride in the dirt to get them ride-ready. Finaly they became so slick I spun a tube going between snow and asphalt and tore the valve stem off . Needless to say.. no more spray wax.

Ru-Glyde seems to dry nicely with out staying slick, as does windex. Although windex doesn't seem to stay slippery for long so you need to be quick when mounting.

Shops have tire machines. They don't use lubes. Nah, new tires are not slippery because of mold release chemicals simply because they aren't used anymore. At least from the major brands.

I've probably spent $50,000 on motorcycle road race tires in recent years. This thread is pure baloney. The last tires I ever had to have scrubbed, were Michelin's in 1998 for a Ducati Superlite. The very next season we tried racing Michelins for a couple rounds of Aprilia Cup. No scrubbing required. We moved on to Dunlops after that. Dunlop even gave us tires for awhile.

Nah...

Dropping motorcycles is very common among us sporting types. It ain't the tires bonehead.

big shops sure, but I've seen some smaller shops using tire spoons.

With race tires and the "performance tires" I agree completely dunlop slicks are ready to go as soon as mounted and warmed up. I've had some other rubber like pirelli scorpion mt90's that if they didn't have mold release they had something else on them a nice even oily film that was gone after the first heat cycle.

Try Shinko Ravens. I never dropped one, but I did a nice slide once. I buff them now.. And when I get it mounted, I can see the stains from the Ruglide. At a motorcycle shop.

So maybe your preferred brand has no issue, that is NOT true for all brands.

I've had tires mounted in four different shops. and each time they came back with milky-white residue on the sides. So, they are using some lube, even with tire machines. Anyway, I found Anakees to be slippery for a while, MT90 the same, and my new set of TKC80 was really slick the first few miles.
I usually take it easy (speed limit) for the first 50 miles, then ride as usual. Haven't gone down because of tires yet. Gone down for different reasons, but not tires.

I change my own tires now, but I've watched many many tire changes at shops with tire machines and I don't recall ever seeing someone not use lube. Makes no sense not to use lube - less chance of gouging or friction-burning the tire bead (which will cause air leaks), bead seats much fast and with lower air pressure, less stress for the machinery, etc.

Having said that, I've never seen anyone use so much lube that it coats the tire treads enough to cause a slide out. Sidewalls and rims may get coated but lubes applied while the wheel is horizontal will all drip away from the tread and towards the rim.

I don't know if its mold release or some sort of preservative for rubber to prevent drying out while the tires are waiting to be sold, but I know there is something on them that makes them slippery when new... just put on a set of Anakees and got a bit of power slide going on the first corner in my neighborhood. Or maybe there's no contaminate on the tire, but the glass smooth rubber simply does not have the grip that the pock-marked (micro lands and grooves) scrubbed tire has.

Anyways, my normal ritual is about dozen tight parking lot circles, pushing the bike down while leaning the opposite way, followed by three passes (with progressively steeper lean angles) of the tightest twist road I know. I'm good to go in 5 miles.

On a heavy bike like a FJR I feel new Pilot ST tires slide around more when cool. After a few miles to warm up they are fine. One a DS tire I don't notice anything. The more powerfull and high reving the bike the more careful you need to be with cold new tires just put on. Seen many sport bikes dumped at low speeds when the rider dumps the clutch with even moderate rpm on new tires. Instead of feathering the clutch they want to show off and pull out quick in first gear with the engine in the power band. Its more of an issue when a camera is present.