Cycle News

Cycle News Issue 26 July 3

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1000688

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P106 Tire Talk BROUGHT TO YOU BY CONTINENTAL TIRES W hy is it necessary to check your tire pressure frequently over the summer? Heat is one of the main factors when it comes to changes in tire pressure, therefore the rider must be alert and on top of constant pressure and temperature changes. If your tire pressure is not at the manu- facturers recommend range, your motorcycles behavior could change and cause safety concerns. These changes in tire pressure are based on principles of physics. It is important to understand that pressure can be measured using different units of measure such as BAR or PSI and the increase or decrease of air volume. Pounds per square inch (PSI) is the primary unit of measurement in North America. The air inside the tire is trapped, this allows us to increase or decrease pressure as the tire expands and contracts. As pressure rises, particles of air strike against the inside tire walls as they have less space by the fact that they are being pushed and Tire Pressure Maintenance Brought to you by Continental Tires tire swelling is occurring. When temperature changes, this process becomes more complex, as air is a gas that expands with heat and contracts with cold tempera- tures. Ultimately, there are physical laws that explain the behavior of air pressure and temperature in the tires, but we won't go more into depth here, just the necessary information to understand the con- cept. If interested in further theory details, research Boyle's Law, Gay- Lussac Law or the Archimedes. The rule of thumb is that for ev- ery 5° temperature difference, tire pressure will become around 2% higher or 2% lower depend- ing on temperature. In summer, especially in mountain areas, very

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