How to Handle a Tire Blowout While Riding a Motorcycle

Co-authored by Simon Miyerov

Last Updated: March 14, 2023

Tubeless tires for motorcycles are becoming an industry standard and make blowouts less likely to happen. If a blowout does happen, there's not a lot of time to make a decision. Go over what you should do in the event of a blowout before sitting on a motorcycle. Review these steps on how to safely handle a tire blowout while riding a motorcycle to protect yourself, protect others and preserve the life of your motorcycle.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Be Aware of a Problem Pre-Blowout

1
Notice that your motorcycle is hard to steer. The steering difficulty will be the result of sudden air loss to either tire. If you're able to tell whether the blowout is in the front or rear tire, lean in the opposite direction of the leaky wheel to slow down the release of the air in the tire.
2
Observe uncontrolled wobbling if either tire starts to go flat. Depending on where the sudden loss of air is occurring, there will be some wobbling of the motorcycle back and forth and/or side to side.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Handle Your Motorcycle Post-Blowout

1
Slow down steadily by easing off the throttle.
2
Maintain a straight path. Grip the handle bars tightly and keep your arms bent. Instead of trying to correct the wobble that has started as a result of your blowout, keep your eyes straight forward and focus on going as straight as possible.
3
Come to a complete stop.
4
Push your motorcycle as far as you can out of oncoming traffic. If you've stopped in the middle of the road, push your motorcycle to the side of the road.
5
Inspect the damage to your motorcycle.
6
Call a friend or the closest towing service. Find a resource to come pick you and your motorcycle up and then take it in for repairs.

Community Q&A

Question

Which is worse to handle on a motorcycle, a front tire blowout or a rear tire blowout?

Dorsey Kelley III

Community Answer

A front tire blowout is the worst. A rear wheel blowout causes some loss of control because the rear of the bike will no longer have proper traction or control, but the bike can still be controlled with great care. With a front wheel blowout, you have almost no control and any shift in the handlebars can lead to you losing control. Always check your tires' air pressure before riding and for cracks in the sidewall or splitting in the treads.

Warnings

If you can, do not use your brakes during a motorcycle tire blowout. Using your brakes makes the motorcycle less stable and harder to control. Braking can also cause the bad tire to completely separate from the rim. If you must use the brakes, push on them very carefully to ensure minimal loss of control.

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Do not downshift during a tire blowout. This will make your motorcycle less stable and could result in a crash.

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After your motorcycle tire has blown, don't try to correct the wobbling that takes place. This will lead to a crash. Instead, maintain as straight a path as possible.

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Remain seated on your motorcycle until it comes to a full stop.

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