Getting tires black using no slick products

EffZeeOne

EffZeeOne

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I don't like to apply products to my motorcycle tires, like Armor-All or TireBlack for obvious reasons, plus shiny motorcycle tires just look wrong. Is there a washing method or soap you can recommend for getting the brown look off tires and make 'em look flat black again. Have you tried any non-glossy products that you trust?
 
I just use soap and water.... I'm a big fan of the Meguiars car wash soap as it doesn't leave any residue...

but... a lot of times, tires will discolor because of age, and it's a first sign of dry-rot.... so... how old are the tires? Not mileage... look at the date stamp on the tire... it'll be something like 2309 in a little circle on the sidewall.
 
va_rider said:
I just use soap and water.... I'm a big fan of the Meguiars car wash soap as it doesn't leave any residue...

but... a lot of times, tires will discolor because of age, and it's a first sign of dry-rot.... so... how old are the tires? Not mileage... look at the date stamp on the tire... it'll be something like 2309 in a little circle on the sidewall.
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Thanks va_rider. I'll look at the tires tonight, but the bike is a '09 with OEM tires bought new in July. One time, I soaped up the tires on a motorcycle and scrubbed them, and for some reason, it brought out more discoloration - they were probably dry-rotted and I just scrubbed off the outer carbon.

Your name is va_rider but you live in Boone? Great riding up there, I miss WNC for that reason.
 
Armour All tire clean, it's melt dirt away but wouldn't guarantee it'll leave it completely black. I use tire shine on my cruiser but won't try that on the FZ1 for obvious reasons. I usualssy use the Meguires Purple one on my cruiser tires sparingly though. Be advised I won't advise it's use on any sportbike tire since they use the sidewalls for cornering. GL
 
Walmart sells cleaner in a squirt bottle made for campers to remove the black streaks on the sides. Hence the name "black streak remover". it works great for cleaning tires. I use a scrub brush with it.
 
n.e.mich said:
Walmart sells cleaner in a squirt bottle made for campers to remove the black streaks on the sides. Hence the name "black streak remover". it works great for cleaning tires. I use a scrub brush with it.
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I would be careful with that, you may be pre-aging your tires. Tires are not black by nature - they add carbon (among other things) to make them black. If you are using a product designed to remove black "stuff", :eyebrow: then maybe your are taking away a layer of something. However, motorcycle tires don't last a few years like a car tire might, so whatever works for ya.
 
EffZeeOne said:
I would be careful with that, you may be pre-aging your tires. Tires are not black by nature - they add carbon (among other things) to make them black. If you are using a product designed to remove black "stuff", :eyebrow: then maybe your are taking away a layer of something. However, motorcycle tires don't last a few years like a car tire might, so whatever works for ya.
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Yeah I thought about that. Seems like a put a new tire on every year or every other year depending on the tire. So I never really worried about it.
 
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