A new tyre is not at its best on the day it is fitted. It runs against intuition but it matters: in the first kilometres grip is lower than it will be on the same tyre a few hundred kilometres later.
Why the first kilometres are different
There are two reasons and both come from how a tyre is made:
- Mould residue — a release agent remains on the surface when the tyre leaves the mould. That thin film is not rubber and does not grip like rubber.
- The surface itself — a tread fresh out of the mould is smooth and glossy. The rubber's real gripping surface starts working once that glossy layer wears away and the matt texture beneath it appears.
What to do during this period
- Increase lean angle progressively; do not go to full lean on the first rides
- Use the brakes and throttle gently
- Be extra careful in the wet during this period
- Remember the shoulders scrub in last: the centre of the tread beds in quickly because that is what works when you ride straight, while the shoulders only get their turn once you lean
⛔ Why we do not give a distance figure
This is the most important part of the article.
Bedding-in distance varies with the tyre, the compound, riding style, the road and air temperature. We do not hold a bedding-in distance confirmed by the manufacturer for these products — which is exactly why our Technical Information page does not state one either.
If we wrote "the first so-many kilometres" here, two pages of the same site would say different things about a safety matter. Worse: an invented number would lead you to believe the tyre was ready the moment you had covered that distance.
Instead of a number, an observable criterion: assume grip is reduced until the tread surface has lost its gloss and gone matt across its full width. If a glossy strip remains on the shoulders, you have not been there yet.
The same applies at the start of every ride
On a smaller scale the same logic applies to a bedded-in tyre: cold rubber does not grip like warm rubber. That is why the first minutes of every ride are different — our article The first kilometres, on a cold tyre describes a publication that measured exactly this.
The first check after fitting
- Check the pressure immediately after fitting
- Make sure the wheel has been balanced
- If you feel a vibration at a particular speed, take it back to your dealer; it is not something that settles down