With riding season getting started, many of us are starting to stretch out as the sun grants us an appearance. We jump on our bikes and try to enjoy the road. Some earlier in the season than others. We wash our machines, get them set up to glisten in the sun and fly down the highway. We may give them a tune-up, oil change and a basic safety check. But after talking to many of my biker friends, I find that most forget to check the tires.

Checking the tires isn't something you should do only at the start of each riding season. It shouldn't be a once every three months thing either. Seriously, you should take a quick look every time you go to take a ride. A bit longer look every few rides and a very close look every couple months. And please take the time to check your tires before any ride that takes you far from home or into serious cornering.

You need to keep in mind that your tires really are the most important part of your motorcycle. If you lose your lights or your engine gives out or you run out of gas, the odds are you will be able to come to a safe stop and call for assistance. But if your tires fail, you could be in serious trouble depending on what you are doing at that very moment. Your tires are all that keep you connected to the road after all and even when in prime condition, there isn't that much rubber meeting the road.

Some things you should look for are uneven wearing on the treads, cracks or serious scuffing and of course, check the tire pressure. People always forget to check the tire pressure. Over inflated tires reduce the amount of rubber that connects you to the road. Under inflated tires cause extra heat and that leads to lost traction. Seriously under inflated tires could even lead to your tires breaking the seal and a fatal blowout situation.

The proper pressure for your tires can be found on the side of pretty much every tire that I have ever seen. The tire manufacturers go to great efforts to find out what tire pressures work best with their tires. It only takes a couple minutes to check your tires. If you are unsure of how to perform the tire check yourself, have your mechanic check the tires and have them show you too. You may not feel comfortable guessing about the quality of your tires and that is OK. You can leave the major inspections up to the mechanic if you like. I know that is what I do on my GoldWing. It is just too hard for me to get a good look at my back tire. I check the front and do a basic check of the back. But I make sure that the guys at the shop look my tires over every time they put it on the rack. They have the lights, the bike is off the ground and they look at thousands of tires every year so they know what they are doing.

So weather you are the type to know every little thing about your motorcycle and like to get down and dirty, or if you are the more casual rider and you don't feel like you know enough to inspect your tires, you should at least do the basics yourself from time to time. If you don't have a pressure gauge, get one. They are cheap. Personally, I don't trust the digitals. They just seem to run the batteries down too often for my taste. Some people swear by them and that is great. I just haven't had much luck myself. I have use the old stick type for years. But I have recently gotten into the dial type. Like a tooth brush, it doesn't matter how fancy it is, if it sits on the shelf not getting used, it doesn't do you much good.

Enjoy your riding, stay safe and check those tires!