hairy tyres

[Lucky Phil]

On 4/15/2025 at 9:49 AM, audiomick said:

As I mentioned elsewhere, I rode the V35 Imola today for the first time in several months. A couple of times in curves, I had the feeling that the front tyre was squirming a bit.

The tyre is one of these

https://shop.heidenau.com/en/zweiradreifen/motorrad/k34.html?___from_store=de

The rear, which is a couple of years old and has some miles on it, is one of these

https://shop.heidenau.com/en/zweiradreifen/motorrad/k36.html?___from_store=de

 

and yes, they are a blatant copy of the Michelin M38 from back in the day. The bike had the Michelins on it when I bought it, more than 20 years old, and it was obvious when I bought the first Heidenau tyres for it that Heidenau had "oriented" its design to the Michelins.

Anyway...

the front tyre has only done about 200 km, and is covered in extrusions from the moulding process. "Hairy", so to speak. It ocurred to me just now that the squirminess might be caused by the extrusions. I'm inclined to remove them purely for aesthetic reasons (doesn't look cool...), but am now thinking there might actually be a practical reason to take the time to do that.

Opinions?

The hairy bits won't have any influence on the feel of the tyres Mick.

 

Phil

[po18guy]

A carpenter's "draw knife" is just what you need. It would slice those nubby bits off right quick.

[Pressureangle]

9 hours ago, p6x said:

I was shocked to find out that here, nobody changes their tires themselves. You call for help...

Maybe there aren't any spare tires any longer?

I've actually thought that through. There are a couple main components;

First, people are significantly less knowledgeable than they were in the past. Watching Grampa split wood with hammer and wedge is 50 years gone; greasing the farm implements isn't something most people ever heard of. So they really don't know you can do it yourself.
Then, there is the tire issue. Cars don't have spares that match anymore. If I can't just leave it there after I change it, why not just have it towed to the tire store? Even if I can change it, there's hardly more time involved than in towing. Plus I don't have to unload all the unnecessary crap everyone carries in their trunk. 
Lastly, Women. There are far more Women drivers than ever before, and I can't think of any reason a Woman should change her tire on the side of the road- seriously, there's no good reason for a Man to do it anymore unless it's flat where you simply can't get help. I think the towing rider on my car insurance is like $30/year? Why would I get my knees dusty and fingers pinched, sweat in the heat or suffer the cold, probably endangering myself for $30?

So at the end of the day, it's simply convenience. 

I won't write a thesis on why it seems that only people who cannot change their own tires have flat tires, or why people who don't change their own oil lose engines to low oil level.

[p6x]

34 minutes ago, Pressureangle said:

I won't write a thesis on why it seems that only people who cannot change their own tires have flat tires, or why people who don't change their own oil lose engines to low oil level.

I also found out that nobody pull the dipstick out any longer. Now, my 911 has an electronic oil level indicator, but I don't rely on it. I physically check the oil and other fluid levels.

I am told that you no longer need to worry about oil changes mileage, since cars tell you when it is time to change it.

No need to check your rearview mirrors either, you have radars.

Soon, no need to watch the road since cars are going to drive themselves... or maybe not?

[GuzziMoto]

As Phil said, those hairs won't cause anything. You may want to adjust the air pressure in the tire(s) that feel "squirmy". I would guess lowering the air pressure would be the way to go, but it could also be you need to raise the air pressure a small amount. If you adjust the air pressure, you would typically do it in small steps, maybe a pound or two (not sure what the Bar equivalent would be, likely a tenth of a bar or two). A good way to tell if your air pressure is right is to measure the tires pressure cold and then ride the bike as normal. Stop the ride and check the air pressure while the tires are "hot". That increase in temp causes an increase in pressure. That increase in pressure should be around 10% - 15%. If the tire pressures don't increase enough, lower the tire pressure. If the pressure increases too much cold to hot, add pressure.

It could be the tires simply need to bed in, as mentioned tires generally have mold release to help them come out of the manufacturing molds that give the tires their tread pattern. That mold release tends to be slippery.