Motorcycle detailing involves multiple steps intended to clean, safeguard, and improve the appearance of your prized bike. It’s a procedure that calls for cleaning and treating various components, each composed of a different material, and demands particular steps and detailing products.
The tires are one of a motorcycle’s most crucial parts since they enable safe starting and braking. As you might already know, you should not apply tire shine on your motorcycle tires. This is because it causes the tires to be slippery, causing your motorbike to lose its traction even on the tiniest corners, which can result in accidents and injuries.
But how can you remove tire shine if you or a friend accidentally apply it to your motorcycle tires? Continue reading to find out.
How To Remove Tire Shine on Motorcycle Tires
If you accidentally apply tire shine on your motorcycle tires, below are the things you should do to remove it:
- Avoid riding on the motorcycle at all cost
- Get a gallon of isopropyl alcohol and a ton of paper towels.
- Combine the isopropyl alcohol and water 50/50.
- Remove the tires from your motorcycle
- Soak the tires for at least an hour in the isopropyl and water mixture.
- Use paper towels to scrub the tires vigorously.
- Allow the tires to dry
- Reinstall the tires back to your motorcycle
Why is it Risky to Use Tire Shine on Motorcycle
Tire shine is created to restore the black rubber on automobile tires. It is typically comprised of silicone- and solvent-based compounds along with oils. These substances penetrate the rubber, giving it a like-new appearance.
As you might expect, these products are highly slick due to the oils they contain, and they get much slicker when they come into touch with tires.
The use of tire shine on automobiles is terrific. They shield the tires from ultraviolet rays and other hazardous elements while giving them a brand-new appearance. Car tires don’t tilt much and are ever straight on the ground, maintaining constant grip. Never allow the dressed portion of a car tire to contact the ground. Aside from that, be careful about the tire gauge of bikes and cars.
The situation is different when talking about motorbikes, though. Your motorbike tilts as you navigate turns. If the surface is slick, you will easily slip and tumble off the motorbike since the tire’s grip area on the ground is significantly smaller when the machine tilts.
That could result in unnecessary accidents and injury to you and other road users.
Safety vs Appearance
There is no question in this instance when comparing safety and attractiveness. Any unbiased person would always choose safety. Unless you’re a moron (no offense) who desires to push a motorbike to its extreme limits, in which case an accident is only a matter of time.
In traffic, motorcycles are almost usually the most at risk. Every time you ride on a motorcycle, you should be conscious of that.
Always be aware of what is safe and what is not. Using tire dressings on a motorcycle is not a good idea. Don’t rely just on cautious, slow driving.
It’s advisable to wash your tires more frequently and avoid riding your motorbike on worn tires if you want them to look lovely, shiny, and new.
You are probably already aware that bike tires need to be replaced with newer ones more frequently than vehicle tires, so keep that in mind at all times.
Now, if you’re interested about different bike tires, I recommend this article for you – 27 inch vs 700c bike tires.
When Can You Use Tire Shine on Motorbike Tires?
Although it is advised against using tire shines on motorbike tires, there may be instances where you might need to utilize them.
In these two scenarios, tire dressings may be used:
- Bike Show: You might want to utilize tire shine on your bike’s tires if you’re attending a motorbike show and intend to exhibit your motorbike in the best light. You should dress the tires only if you won’t be riding the motorbike on the road.
- Storage Over the Winter: If you plan to store your motorbike over the winter, consider dressing the tires to keep them warm and preserve their appearance and functionality.
SECRET TO CLEAN SHINY & BLACK TIRES (Must Watch Video)
How to Wash the Tires and Wheels of a Motorcycle
As already mentioned, you should frequently detail your motorbike and carefully clean the tires and wheels if you want to maintain your tires looking good and black.
While the procedure is essentially similar as washing automobile wheels and tires, applying tire treatment is not advised.
Below are the steps that you should follow to wash your motorcycle tires and wheels:
- Ensure That Your Bike Is Stable
To avoid damage and ensure your safety, you should clean your bike’s tires on a day without heavy rain or wind. Put your kickstand down before you begin to prevent your motorbike from tipping over. To avoid the motorcycle from tipping, ensure the area you are operating on is level.
- Spray Water Down Your Motorcycle
You need a water source with sufficient pressure while washing your tires, but not one that is overly powerful. Avoid utilizing a pressure washer on your bike because you don’t want to damage it or remove the paint from it. All you need is a garden hose that has a jet setting.
To get the mud and dirt off the tires, use the hose. Spray inside the tire treads to remove any potentially lodged large bits of dirt or pebbles. You might need to rotate your tires to ensure all debris is cleared from the treads.
- Use Soap and Water to Clean the Tires
Put some warm, soapy water in a bucket. Dish soap will work perfectly fine, although there are soaps explicitly manufactured for washing tires. Use a soft-bristled brush with long enough bristles to reach the tire and rim’s recesses. Starting at the axle and proceeding outward, scrub the tire.
Rinse the tires after you have finished scrubbing them.
After washing your tires, it’s a good idea to dry them off, especially if the bike will be stored in a garage. This will aid in avoiding dry rot.
Final Take
Tires shine should not be used on motorcycles. However, if you accidentally put tire shine on a motorcycle, you should avoid riding on it until you remove the tire shine. We hope this article helped you understand the steps involved in removing tire shine from a motorcycle.
