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<H2 style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT size=3><FONT face=Tahoma>TIME<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>TO<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>RE-TIRE ?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></B></H2>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">by John Del Santo<o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A good set of properly inflated motorcycle tires with good tread keeps us attached to the road and separates us from being just another flying object.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">National Highway</st1:address></st1:Street> Traffic Safety Administration. estimates that hundreds of thousands of crashes could be prevented if vehicle owners kept their tires properly inflated. This agency recommends checking your tire pressure at least “once per month”.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>When you’re on a trip, checking the pressure every morning is not a bad idea. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE:
12pt">According to the U.S. Department of Energy, keeping your tires properly inflated can improve your gas mileage up to 3.3%.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And this quote was made <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">before</I><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>gasoline prices reached four bucks a gallon!</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The MSF’s “T-Clock Inspection” advises us to check : </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“(TIRES) Tread depth, wear, weathering, evenly seated,<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>bulges, imbedded objects.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(AIR PRESSURE)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>check when cold.. adjust to load/speed”.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If you do a lot of one-type <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>riding,<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>such a lot of Freeway,<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>your tread will wear unevenly…part of the tread can wear down while
other parts look deep enough.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Watch for the “wear bars” in the tread. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">When you change a tire, invest in a new valve stem.</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Depending on the shape and size of the wheel and the valve stem,<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>it can be a pain in the butt to check the air pressure on your bike. “Aw….what the heck…the tire <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">looks </I><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>round,<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>it must be OK”.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I bought a small, brass, right-angled valve stem from San Diego BMW that attached to the valve stem on my wife’s bike and made her life easier.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Some Honda’s come with a large L-shaped valve stem that sticks out and simplifies reaching the stem with a gauge or air hose
nozzle.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>That stem comes with a plastic support to keep the stem from vibrating, and if the stem is installed <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">without <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></I>that support, road vibrations can cause a crack in the stem…..and cause an instant “Air-Out”.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>That was an exciting experience !<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; COLOR: blue; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang=EN>AccuPressureCaps.com<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang=EN>sells a valve stem cap that changes color when the tire pressure starts to get lower.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If your tire pressure is too low,<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>or too high,<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>the tread will start to cup or bow and not make proper contact with the road…..that kinda defeats the whole purpose of having good tread.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The recommended pressure printed on the
side of the tire is there for a good reason. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Any time a tire starts showing ozone cracks in the sidewall, it's time to replace them right away. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"><FONT size=3>Sidewalls operate at some pretty high temperatures due to the fluctuation of the sidewall and any separation on a sidewall can cause catastrophic tire failure. A tire has a wax-like preservative in the rubber compound to keep it from hardening and splitting. This material is like sun blocker.…It's that off-color material that seems to show up on your sidewalls for no reason. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It protects the compound against ozone which is produced by the sun and also by electric motors. This protectant helps the compound to stay soft, but It can be worn away, washed away, and chemically washed/leeched out of the tire.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Do NOT clean your tires with stuff like Armor All.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">are</I> a few solutions that Detailers use on tires that will not harm the tire</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 16pt">…</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">if you are into “pretty” instead of functional</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 16pt">….</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> but when applying even these, you can use it on the sidewall but not past the line that separates the sidewall from the tread area.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">There are many important Round Things in life….like Silver Dollars and Crispy Donuts….but the most important are our motorcycle tires !<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They keep us alive and keep our knees in the Breeze !<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Take good care of your tires and they will take care of you.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV><BR>
<DIV><FONT color=#00007f face="tahoma, new york, times, serif"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#00007f face="tahoma, new york, times, serif">John Del Santo</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#00007f size=2 face=Tahoma>(619) 223 - 0421</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><FONT color=#0000bf><FONT size=2 face="Bookman Old Style">"QUESTION AUTHORITY"</FONT><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#007f40 size=1 face=Tahoma><FONT color=#00bf60><EM><SPAN id=lw_1256638713_1 class=yshortcuts></SPAN></EM></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#80ff00 size=2><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255)"><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255)"><SPAN id=lw_1256239249_1 class=yshortcuts></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></FONT> <FONT size=1 face="bookman old style, new york, times, serif">Benjamin Franklin</FONT></DIV>
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