Scrubbing in tyres ?

silky666 · Captain Rulebook Joined: 28 Aug 2006 Karma :

Not sure if this belongs in this section or trackday section.
So apologies in advance.

Scenario is:
New tyres fitted to bike ... and of course they need 'running in'.
Now I have heard that this is because you need to (over say a 150 mile period) get the 'oil' out of the tyre / prep the surface, that is in there from the manufacturing process.

I have also heard (god knows where) that race teams actually scrub the new tyres with soap and water.

Question is: Is this all bollo*ks ?
Or would it lower the amount of miles you have to do to prep the tyre if you gave it a good scrubbing with fairy liquid and water ?
____________________
There's nothing that shouts "Poor Workmanship" more than wrinkles in the Gaffa tape.

Gaffa tape is like "the force" - it has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

MarJay · But it's British! Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

Just lean a little more at a time - it's this not the miles that are important in my experience.

I've had a brand new cold supercorsa and had a single lap of lydden (1 mile) to run it in - been fine going at a proper race-pace from the start an been fine (ie lap times that would see one the top end in your average fast group track day session.)

If you've got the option however, it should just be a case of leaning a little more each time you corner.

On the road I've happily gone from new tyre to knee-down with a number of laps of a roundabout - then using the exist from the roundabout's left hand curve for the other side. Total milage including riding it to the roundabout, around 7 miles maybe.