Winter Riding: Reasons to Use Winter Motorcycle Tires

When winter comes, most riders put away their motorcycles until spring. But if you’re planning to continue riding over the winter months as you commute to work or run your errands, you’ll need to get winter motorcycle tires. Riding over the winter comes with its own challenges, but as long as you prepare yourself and take the right safety precautions, you’re good to go.

Here, we discuss the reasons why you should get winter studded motorcycle tires:

Winter Tires Make Winter Riding Safer

Your motorcycle tires do more than just keeping you on the road. They also affect riding experience, braking distance, riding comfort, handling, longevity, and even the distance you can ride. During winter, these core functions are even more critical as your day-to-day tires won’t offer the same level of grip. Your safety should be a priority when riding during winter.

Getting winter motorcycle tires makes winter riding much safer for you and other drivers on the road. Considering that winter riding requires more situational awareness on the road, as well as better handling, having winter tires that are designed to offer a better grip and traction on slippery roads improves your safety.

Unexpected Winter Challenges

There are three dangerous road surfaces during winter - roads with snow, ice, and frost. During winter, it’s inevitable to ride on at least a few of these road conditions. There’s little to no traction in these conditions, so staying upright on your motorcycle can be challenging at normal speeds if you don’t have the right tires. If you don’t have to ride, stay at home.

But if you have to, make sure you install winter motorcycle tires and travel slowly, stay in low gears, and stop carefully. During winter, unexpected challenges like slippery roads, the dreaded black ice, blocked roads, and limited visibility can make riding in winter even harder. Get a helmet, a good visor, and an anti-fog solution to protect yourself against spray.

Your Bike is Harder to Control in the Winter

Winter conditions make it harder to control your bike, and your body is less able to handle the challenging conditions. The last thing you want is getting yourself in a situation that can be avoided with the right winter motorcycle tires. Winter tires alone are not the solution. You need a mixture of the right riding gear and an understanding of how to adjust your riding style and mindset to the winter conditions.

Prepare for Winter Riding in Advance

Winter can also be fairly hard on your motorcycle, so don’t forget to take your motorcycle’s maintenance needs into account. Get your studded motorcycle tires ready in advance - check the tire pressure and the condition of the tread. If you can’t get winter tires for your motorcycle, get a good pair of all-weather tires. Also, get a good cover for your bike for storage.

With some preparation and willingness to ensure safety, you can ride with more confidence in winter. If you’re buying your first winter motorcycle tires, check out our selection of bike tires at West End Motorsports. We also sell a wide range of customizable parts and accessories for V-twin cruiser bikes. Shop by bike, category, or brand online.