Buying yourself a motorcycle can be one hell of a thrilling experience, and the envy of your friends and peers. However simply buying a motorcycle and riding it daily is not enough. Like everything else, you need to take care of it, if you want it to last a long time and “grow old” with you. The average lifespan of a Motorcycle is between 12 to 15 years, however with proper maintenance and good care, like replacing parts and tyres when you need to, your bike might just see you through the aging years of your life. These days tsking care of your vehicle is easy because you can easily get spare parts and tyres online and you can find good motorcycle tyre prices in Sri Lanka through online stores.

So how do you expand the lifespan of your Motorbike or Scooter? There are a few basic things you need to check and do to ensure that your motorbike lives with you for as long as you want it to.

-       Engine Oil - Checking and Replacing – this needs to be done at least every 2,000 miles or so, and you need to make sure that the grade of oil you are using is the same one specified by the manufacturer.

-       The Chain - Check and lube – this needs to be done very regularly for better oil absorption. Don’t forget to clean the chain before you lube it.

-       Check other parts of your motorbike on a regular basis (at least once a year) such as the steering head and wheel bearings, suspension linkages and swingarm.

-       Air filter – clean or replace this regularly because a clogged air filter can cause damage to your engine.

-       Keep your motorcycle clean. Wash it and make sure that there is no dust and grime collecting anywhere.

-       Maintain it properly by fixing whatever that needs fixing at the right time. Do not postpone any repairs that need to be done, especially replacing tyres and brakes and other important parts. You can easily buy tyres online in Sri Lanka now through reputed agents.

-       Ride it properly, as it is intended for. Don’t do unnecessary stunts and sudden acceleration because it is just not good for your motorbike.

Carrying out proper maintenance on your bike is very important, and one of the most important parts of your bike that needs proper maintenance are the tyres. Replace the tyres on your motorbike or scooter when you need to.

So, when it comes to replacing your tyres, how do you select the right motorcycle tyre? This will depend mainly on what kind of bike you are using and the kind of riding you will be doing.

·       Cruiser Bikes will need harder compound tyres because they ride long distances and hence will need longer lasting tyres.

·       Sports Bikes on the other hand will need softer compound tyres for better handling. These are mainly made for track use.

Whether you want tube or tubeless tyres will depend mainly on the wheel type, i.e. tubes for wire spoked wheels and tubeless for cast wheels. Also remember that new tyres come with a thin surface coating which needs to be scrubbed off before you can ride your bike at top speeds. You will need to ride it carefully for at least 100 kms without any heavy or sudden acceleration in order to gain optimal performance from your new tyres.

If you are using a Scooter, these tyres typically last for around 25,000 to 30,000 kms, however the lifespan of your scooter tyre can be extended with proper use and maintenance.

Motorbike tyres can be on the pricey side, but don’t ever let the price of the tyre be the main deciding factor, because choosing a good quality tyre for your motorbike is what is most important.

There are several external factors that you also need to consider when choosing the right tyre for your Motorbike, such as the lean angle of your bike, road temperature, tyre pressure and your own personal way of riding. Other factors you will need to check before buying your tyres are your manufacturers specifications, tyre size, speed rating (the maximum speed recommended for it) and fitment.

An important thing to remember is to never experiment with tyre sizes and never fit mismatching tyres on your motorbike or scooter, if you want to ensure that your bike has a long lifespan. Both front and rear tyre must be of the same make and model.

So, let your motorbike actually grow old with you by properly maintaining it and taking care of it.