EKAM Club Night - 15th October 2025
Ian Tollett, Michelin Senior Territory Business Manager, has visited us twice over the last two years to provide us with information and advice on those very essential round black things that figure so highly in the performance of our machines.
As on his previous visit he gave us a packed two hours; lots of facts, some useful advice and some interesting answers to audience questions. I can’t possibly cover it all in this article, however here’s something of a summary of the presentation which hopefully covers some major points of interest.
Some Background. The first pneumatic tyre was patented around 1845 by Robert William Thompson but, as we all know, it was John Boyd Dunlop who went on to launch the first commercially successful pneumatic tyre around 1887. Michelin were not far behind and 180 years later we have come a long, long way from those simple ‘rubber tubes’ filled with air to the current levels of manufacturing sophistication.
So how do Michelin go about it? After all they, as a company, have been at it for 130 years and must have a pretty good handle on it all by now. Well, we all know technology moves on and commercial competition is a hard task master so they, like their competition, are constantly developing their products.
To give an idea of how much development is required Michelin’s R&D (Research and Development) spend is currently €1.2 Billion annually, that’s over £1billion a year simply exploring ideas and testing the results of those ideas. They employ 6000 staff dedicated solely to research and development, 1000 of those work only on tyres for two wheeled vehicles. There are 9 R&D centers globally of which their flagship site at Ladoux, near Clermont Ferrand, boasts a site of 4.5 square kilometers containing a 45 kilometers test track. The result of all that effort? A massive knowledge base including just under 12000 active patents relating to their products. So quite a lot involved then.
The Products. Having established a feel for what goes into the design and build of a tyre let’s look at the products themselves. Michelin’s range is substantial, with over 70 different models of tyre designed specifically for two wheeled machines. These are intended, between them, to suit every purpose. The trick for us as users is, of course, to choose the correct tyre for our intended use and what we want from it.
Our requirements. Our requirements often call for compromises in tyre design: load capacity, handling, stability, dry grip, wet grip, longevity…. oh, and not least, an acceptable cost. So, what to consider? What do you want from your tyres? Herewith a slide taken from Ian’s presentation, identifying the 5 main groups of tyres and highlighting in very simple terms the benefits and limitations of each.
Modern Tyre Construction. Clearly the way a tyre works relies on what it is made from and how it is constructed. It’s fair to say that the best road tyres these days are those known as ‘dual compound’ having a ‘harder’ more durable rubber mix in the heavily used center of the tread and with a ‘softer’ and grippier compound at the edges. The object to extend tyre life but without compromising cornering ability. Michelin call their version of this type of design 2CT+ technology. The slide below illustrates this along with the overall construction of their current premium ‘road’ tyre. These tyres work fine for most machines although for the heaviest of bikes there is a GT version - track day fans, of course, have other options.
Performance in the Wet. Of particular interest was the part of the presentation that dealt with performance on wet roads. We all know what aquaplaning is but do you know the differences between how a car tyre and a bike tyre moves water on a wet road. The following two illustrations explain. The first describes the situation for a car tyre at different speeds on a wet surface. The second describes how a motorcycle tyre deals in a quite different way with the water in its path.
Silica. A modern development on Michelin tyres is the increased use of silica to help provide improved grip in colder temperatures and in the wet. Silica does this without compromising tread life and offers benefits to the durability of both on and off-road tyres. On top of that silica also offers some potential sustainability benefits. Historically produced from quartz sand Michelin have developed a process to produce silica from, of all things, rice husks. This they are doing as part of their development work to meet a 2050 target to reach 100% sustainability in production.
Modern Tread Patterns. Still relating to achieving good wet weather performance we saw some fascinating videos explaining the use of 3D printing for making molding tools that can produce tread designs that would have previously been impossible in a mass production setting. On which note here’s a slide which illustrates one aspect of clever tread design aimed at providing consistent wet weather performance as the tyre wears.
Tread Wear. Whilst on the subject of tyre tread we all know the UK requirement for tread depth on machines above 50cc is a minimum of 1mm (millimeter) measured across 3/4 of the tread width and with visible tread on the remainder. It’s the same across most of Europe except in Germany and Spain where the minimum is 1.6mm. At either minimum tread depth the tyre will be performing below its best in both wet and dry conditions and Ian reiterated that tyre manufacturers recommend replacing tyres well before reaching the minimum legal requirements.
Lastly (not that you’ll ever see this issue on one of our bikes of course) you may wish to be aware that tread wear indicators, those little bridge blocks within the tread grooves, are set at 0.8mm by all manufacturers. So, if a tyre gets to a point where the wear indicators become flush with the tread surface in that 3/4 width band, then the tyre is most certainly illegal.
Ian covered a fair bit on maintenance and storage of tyres much of which most of us will already however a few points are worth highlighting.
Punctures. Most of us carry a ‘get-you-home’ repair kit but the simple advice, when it is used, is get the tyre looked at by an expert and properly repaired asap. Tyres should only be plugged in the central 3/4 area of the tread area and for permanent repairs (i.e. to BS AU 159) Michelin recommend that only approved plug repair patches, ‘mushroom’ shaped repair plugs, should be used. If the hole is bigger than 3mm on a V rated or higher rated tyre it can’t be repaired. Up to 6mm is acceptable on a tyre that is less than V rated. In either case proper professional inspection of the tyre is essential to ensure that the integrity of the casing remains acceptable.
The Age of a Tyre. The need to ‘run in’ new tyres for at least 60 miles was discussed and I won’t spend time on that here. The question of tyre age however is worthy of some consideration. Firstly, whilst tyres have a mould mark denoting date of manufacture, for us as consumers when buying them new, that should not prove a matter of undue concern. New tyres can often be up to 18 months or 2 years old but stored properly, as they will be by manufacturers and their agents, this will not have any detrimental effect on them.
A more critical date for us is however is the date of first use. Subject to sound maintenance (e.g. POWDDERSS checks, competent servicing etc.) tyres should remain perfectly serviceable throughout the first 5 years of their use.
After that first 5 years of use, and up to the point of the 10th anniversary of the manufacture, the tyres should be annually inspected by a competent professional to make sure they remain in sound condition.
At the 10th anniversary of the manufacture of the tyres Michelin recommend they should be replaced.
Correct Storage of Tyres. There are of course protocols for long term storage of loose tyres but it’s worth considering that you are storing tyres every time you park your bike in your garage or shed! Tyre compounds are chemically sensitive and there is a risk that the integrity of a tyre compound can be compromised by a variety of common circumstances, household electrical items and chemical substances.
The important things to remember:
- Inside storage should be dry, cool and with good ventilation.
- When kept outside tyres should be protected by an opaque waterproof cover.
- Tyres should be protected from ultra-violet radiation whether from the sun or from artificial lighting.
- They should be protected from artificial sources of heat or cold, e.g. central heating radiators.
- Temperatures should never exceed 35 degrees C. (e.g. Think asphalt or concrete on a very hot day).
- They should in particular be protected and away from electrical equipment, solvents, hydrocarbons, chemicals, flammable substances. That list could for instance be found in many garages that happens to contain a few automotive chemicals, some petrol and a working freezer....
Tyre Pressures. This can always start a discussion.
Ian’s main points were:
- Check tyre pressures regularly - 2 week maximum
- Adhere to manufacturers advice but make sure the pressures are right for your use of the bike (loads, speeds, types of road etc.).
- Put the valve caps back on securely. At high speed tyre valves can leak as a result of the effect of centrifugal force. A secure valve cap in good condition won’t.
- Over or under inflation will reduce tyre life of course. Under inflation of 30% or more can create a serious risk of total failure of the tyre.
- Over inflation reduces the contact patch area and increases the contact pressure. This will increase the operating temperature, overheat the tread and will increase wear. It will also reduce tyre deflection creating a harsher ride and less grip.
- Under inflation can create an uneven and/or reduced contact patch pressure resulting in shear forces not being activated and the tread being underheated. The casing may overflex resulting in reduced endurance, feel and handling whilst causing increased carcass temperature.
- Manufacturers often provide single tyre pressure settings for both loaded and unloaded conditions. Manufacturers will often err on the side of over inflation as it is safer.
Food for thought. In closing, whilst the chemical composition of a tyre can be adversely affected by chemicals ultraviolet light etc etc. The causal factors of most tyre problems are either caused by the nature of their use and/or would otherwise be preventable by human intervention. Ian closed with this last slide.
Our thanks and appreciation go to Ian for providing a really interesting session and for allowing me to ‘borrow’ some of the information slides he used on the night.