THE CONTROVERSY OVER NITROGEN-FILLED MOTORCYCLE TIRES

Does nitrogen help the performance of our motorcycle tires? Or is at unnecessary expense?

Filling motorcycle tires with nitrogen (instead of air) has been a controversial subject for a number of years now with members of various motorcycle forums touting either its benefits, or conversely, the view that its apparent value is not worth paying anything at all, compared to readily available free air (which contains 78% nitrogen).

In the February 2009 issue of Rider Magazine, Chris Sidah (“Tech Q&A”) has this to say in reference to the promoted advantages of nitrogen:

“A 100 percent nitrogen-filled tire will do all the things they claim compared to a flat tire. I suggest you regularly use the 78 percent nitrogen mixture that’s available for free to keep your bike’s tires properly inflated. I don’t think we need to get into the size differences of N2 and O2 molecules, or the concepts of Boyles Law here. Suffice it to say, in some instances nitrogen – which is an inert gas – is a better way to fill a tire. Those instances occur on the racetrack, in airline tires and some military applications. For normal day-to-day circumstances, it’s just not worth the hassle. “

For some additional insights into the issue, here is a link that is for a motorcycle dealer’s perspective from powersportbusiness.com

What are your thoughts and experiences regarding the use of nitrogen in motorcycle tires? (“Leave a Reply” below.)