Maintain your bike

No matter what type, make, and weight of motorcycle you choose to ride - they ALL have one thing in common. Namely there are two often neglected black rubber thingies (one on each wheel) that are the only things keeping your backside off the tarmac.

OK, so most of the time tyres aren't particularly sexy, but nothing else has a greater effect on the handling, performance & safety of your bike. I'm fanatical about tyres, as I want my bikes to 'feel' the same way every time I ride them, & I'm not keen on unwanted surprises.

I would urge ALL of you to spend 2 minutes checking your tyres BEFORE you start any ride, even if you are just nipping up to the shops, or around to a mate's.

It's not hard - buy a good quality tyre pressure gauge that will show up the slightest change in the pressure of your tyres - the 1st tell-tale sign that maybe there is a small nail etc in the tread or sidewall of the tyre, or that the tyre valve is leaking. Spin the wheels around, looking for embedded objects, as sooner or later you WILL find one! Better to find it before you set off, than to return to a bike with a flat tyre hours later.

Accept that your safety is YOUR responsibility first & foremost, & apply it to every aspect of your biking experience. You'll be rewarded with years of pleasure & mateship from your passion.

If you think that this is too much trouble, maybe consider using public transport before you hurt yourself or another road user.

It became painfully obvious to me after developing difficulty with cornering that it was essential to keep a check on my bike's tyre pressures. I must admit I did not like the sensation of less than adequate control of my bike and I found it most disturbing.

The lesson I was to learn occurred when I was going to work one day. I was doing a right hand turn and found myself having great difficulty maintaining a correct line in the turn. The road surface was adequate. I found that the bike wanted to drift to the left and I nearly ended up in the gutter. An experience which was most disturbing.

Keep a regular check on your tyre pressure.

Tyre pressures have a major effect on a bike's handling. Most bikes run around the 40psi mark and say a 5psi drop can reduce the handling of your bike somewhat. Instead of making a choir out of it just check when you fill up. Having your tyres inflated to the correct pressure will help you in an emergency situation.

[Ed's note: Make sure your tyres are cold when you check pressure, so head to the service station closest to home to check pressure before embarking on a ride. And check that your tyres have legal tread depth when you check the pressure.]

Most motorcycle manufacturers recommend checking tyre pressures when the tyres are cold.

Tyre pressures typically increase as a tyre warms up. Therefore, if you were to check the pressures when the tyres are warm, then the actual tyre pressure is actually likely to be less than that specified by the manufacturer. Depending upon the model of bike, and how it is ridden, this may actually contribute to an increased risk of accident.