Contact Patch

The contact patch, or footprint, is the area of each tyre that is actually in contact with the road. On a motorcycle each one is small, roughly the size of a credit card or the palm of a hand, yet all acceleration, braking and cornering forces have to pass through it.

Its size and shape change with tyre pressure, load, lean angle and tyre construction. Lower pressure makes the patch larger but the tyre runs hotter and steers more slowly; too high pressure shrinks it and reduces grip, especially on bumpy or wet roads. Off-road riders lower pressure to gain grip on loose ground.

Because grip is limited, it must be shared between braking or accelerating and cornering. Smooth inputs keep the load on the contact patch stable. Check pressures cold at least every couple of weeks, using the values for your load.