Whitewall Motorbike Tires
WHITEWALL MOTORCYCLE TIRES
Whitewall motorcycle tires take their styling cues from the fashion history of white sidewall tires on automobiles.
Automobile Tires Used to be White
Early automobile tires were at one time all white, which was a result of the use of natural white rubber. Unfortunately, natural white rubber didn’t provide enough traction or endurance. The solution was to add carbon black.
So, you get a sense of how the fashion of whitewall tires, relative to blackwall tires, was originally the opposite of what it later became. All-black tires evolved into the “Premium” auto tire, reflecting the higher quantity of carbon black required to manufacture them, and the reduced effort required to keep them looking clean.
Fashion Swings of Black and White Tire Walls
Regardless, the fashion trend of white-wall tires (vs. all-black tires) has swung in and out of vogue over the last hundred years.
During the later part of the 1920s, double-sided whitewalls were considered stylish, if even somewhat flamboyant.
However, during the 1930s, skirted fenders eventually rendered the two-sided whitewall obsolete, although single-sided whitewalls continued to be an option for a number of cars through the 1970s, being viewed somewhat as a “luxury” item. However the “width” of the white walls had changed over the decades, too.
If we jump back to the early 1950s, we find that an attempt to reduce the perceived height of the wheel and tire, resulted in the whitewall width being reduced.
By the time 1957 rolled around, the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham was sporting whitewalls that were only 1″ wide. Whitewall stripes increased to 1-5/8″ in the 70’s and in the “pimpmobile” culture, full-fledged wide whitewalls began to make a limited return.
Motorcycle Whitewall Tires
Nowadays, whitewall tires are primarily for vintage cars, and classic motorcycles … and who knows, perhaps an eccentric or two other motorbike enthusiasts?
Here are a few whitewall motorcycle tires from Amazon.com that you can take a peek at to see if they might be in your future:
