This has never been an issue for me before...I bought my previous bikesused and even when I got new tires, I never did anything special to them.

However, I've been reading that during thethe break-in period (first 100 miles)the coating onnew tires is still wearing off and a rider needs to bemore careful leaning the bike. Some suggest scuffing the tires with sandpaper or doing a burnout to speed up the tire break-in.

Suggestions, opinions?

 

I always just ride nice for the first 100 or so.......

 

Yep!!
And be especially mindful in the rain or wet pavement!

 

just take it easy for the first hour or so, gradually intoducing more lean angle. scuffing your tires with sandpaper or a file does nothing, you need to get heat in the tires to break them in.

 

I was always told you should ride carefully without doing anything extreme for a couple of hundred miles whilst they get srubbed in. Need to wear off all those knobbly bits that stick out when its new.

 

In most cases, less than 100 miles will do the trick. All you want to do is wear off the shiny slick part that's on all new tires. Onces that's done, you're good to go. Burnouts aren't that great for doing this though because all you're doing is burning off the crud in the center strip of the tire. This helps some, but not enough because it doesn't effect the contact patch of the tire when leaned into a corner. And leaning a bike while doing a burnout isn't the smartest thing a person could do.

 

Why's that?

 

I could explain it, but I'd rather wait for the "youtube" version to come out.

 

On Two Wheel Tuesday they had the tire companies explain why they used to sand the tires down before the race but don't anymore. Now they put a tire warmer on before the guy takes his first few warm up laps and that does it.

Remember most of us never lean it to the extremes like track racers but that shows how hard you can push a brand new tire on dry concrete. Take the reccomdations for a deliberate break-in run.It's a good reason to hit the curves and re-experience how much better your bike feels with new rubber.

 

Always felt uneasy with new tires on sharp turns. Would gradually play with leaning until it felt like it was gripping like it should. Don't know why, my new bike felt skittish for longer than normal, but sort of attribute that to not riding. Seemed like the tires broke in quicker before, harder compound on the Dunlops now? The heat thing makes sense.