Submit your questions via email, we will try to answer them as best we can, the most popular ones will be listed here. Bikerz does not accept responsibility for what you do with this information.

Q. what is the widest tyre that will fit on my bike?

A. A very popular question so it goes first! Stick with std sizes, the bike as a whole is designed to run on certain sized tyres. It is a misconception that fitting a wider tyre will give you more grip. Very often the opposite is true, squeezing a wider tyre onto a narrow rim will result in pulling the profile of the tyre into a smaller radius, leaving a smaller contact patch with the road.

Q. What is the legal tread depth limit in the UK?

A. Currently, it's 1.0mm across 3 quarters of the width of the tyre, with the remaining quarter tread pattern still visible. For 50cc scooters / mopeds there is no minimum depth as long as the whole tread pattern remains visible.

Q. I have a nail in my tyre, can it be repaired or do I need a new tyre?

A. A bit of a controversial subject this. All our repairs are done to British Standard BS159F, which covers all tyres up to and including 'V' rated tyres, these are generally of cross-ply construction and can be repaired accordingly. Confusion arises when it comes to radial constructed tyres, the majority of which are 'Z' rated. British Standards say you cannot repair these tyres, however some manufacturers say you can without affecting the warranty, therefore, in extreme cases (usually with the customers insistence) we will repair these tyres as long as we deem it to be safe and there is no damage to the carcass of the tyre.

Q. My dealer says I need to change both sprockets as well as the chain which is stretched, is this true or is he ripping me off?

A. Afraid he's telling the truth, chains and sprockets all wear together, so obviously if the chain is worn then so are the sprockets. it's not easy to see wear on sprockets until they get really bad or you compare with new. The chain usually costs more than the sprockets, so ensure you get full value for money by fitting new sprockets at the same time.

Q. My mate swears by part worn tyres he picks up at race meetings, reckons they are better than the Bridgestones on my R6, but he's not really quicker on the road than me. so am I pushing my standard tyres too hard?

A. Seems like you've proved your point, you have std tyres, your mate has race tyres, you're just as quick on the road! Race tyres are generally designed for use on a race track that is miles smoother than British roads, and run at much higher temperatures than you could ever dream of reaching on the public highway. the difference in construction can play havoc with road bike suspension settings, remember race bikes don't have to contend with potholes and overbanding. modern road tyres now provide more grip at lower temperatures than grand prix tyres of a few years ago, stick with your std tyres, unless you intend doing a lot of track days, then you could benefit from some 'stickier' tyres, it's really down to how you use your bike.

Q. #### WARNING ABOUT BRAIDED BRAKE HOSES ######

A. Anybody out there got aluminium fittings on their braided hoses? If you use your bike all year round BEWARE!! We've had a series of bikes coming in for scheduled work, only to notice a build up of corrosion around the braided hose compression fittings has resulted in the nut actually splitting, meaning that there's nothing holding the hose to the banjo fitting. I'm amazed nobody has been seriously injured by these failing. We always recommend that you never fit alloy fittings on braided hoses if you use you bike in all weathers. Manufacturers state that alloy fittings are for race use only.