Why Are Motorcycle Tires So Expensive?
Motorcycle tires are notorious for breaking the bank when it comes to routine bike maintenance. These tires do not last as long as automobile tires, yet they cost more. Understanding the production process, however, puts price into perspective.
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Engineering
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Tire design and engineering are perhaps the most important steps in a motorcycle tire's production process. Electronic schematics, field tests, and extensive testing are all required to ensure that each tire upholds necessary safety and quality standards. Motorcycle tires have more engineering requirements than a car tire, as there are significant differences in high power-to-weight ratio, size of contact footprint, and other elements.
Raw materials
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Motorcycle tires are made from a number of materials that require considerable time and effort to source. Natural rubber is obtained from the latex of a rubber tree, and is then combined with petroleum-based synthetic rubbers. Other costly ingredients are added to perfect the properties of the rubber compound. The cost of materials influences the final retail cost of your motorcycle tires.
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Production
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Assembly, curing, and crucial quality control testing are labor-intensive parts of the production process. Workers will check each tire's shape and measurement for any defects and run it through a computerized road simulator that spins the tire at average road speeds.
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References
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- Photo Credit motorcycle image by Goran Bogicevic from Fotolia.com
