Best motorcycle tyre warmers

Best motorcycle tyres warmers
Best motorcycle tyres warmers
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Motorcycle racing fans will be familiar with ‘tyre warmers’, the electrically-heated blankets used to warm tyres up to optimum temperatures before the start of a race. But they’re now also widely available to the public for use on trackdays or amateur racing, too.

Related: Your ultimate guide to motorcycle tyres

The principle, of course, is that tyres are designed to work best and offer the most grip when warmed up to operating temperature which, in normal use, takes a few laps of riding.

However, with warmers they’re optimised from the get-go, improving not only racing performance but also trackday safety, enjoyment and prolonging the life of your tyres.

But there’s also a wide variety of brands, prices and features out there, some from well-known names, others with sophisticated temperature controls and features.

Related: Motorcycle trackday essentials

So, what’s out there, what do you get for your money and which – if you’re a racer or committed track day addict – should you go for?

Here’s our pick of some of the current best to help you decide.

Price: £211.45

Racefoxx is one of the specialists in motorcycle tyre warmers and its products are aimed at amateur racers. This, the basic offering, has no sophisticated temperature controller having a fixed setting of 80°C and only fits up to a 160-section rear tyre.

It’s aimed more at Supermoto than superbike riders but is ruggedly built, has wide straps and an extended fixing tape, has sandwich thermal insulation and comes with either a carrying bag or hard case.

Pros

  • Durable construction
  • Specialist brand
  • Well rated (among Supermoto riders)

Cons

  • Limited settings

These warmers are designed for trackday riders and club-level racers, are from respected British clothing and accessories brand Oxford and come with a variety of appealing features at a reasonable price.

They are CE-approved, come in a handy carry case, fit up to 120/70 x 17 (front) and 190/55 x 17 (rear) tyres, are made from a heat-resistant fabric reinforced with nylon and are super-easy to use by having a digital LCD display (held in a clear pocket), controller with three temperature settings and an automatic thermostat cut-off.

Pros

  • Respected brand
  • Easy-use features
  • Decent price

Cons

  • Not as 'snazzy' as some

These warmers are aimed very much at racers, are a proven, rugged design yet, by having a simpler, analogue controller, are great value too. They're made in super-tough Cordura to ensure a long life, are pre-shaped to fit the tyre perfectly, then attached with Velcro straps and cords.

They use two red and green LED indicators to indicate when warming and up to temperature and, usefully, also come with an analogue, three-way temperature controller. They’re CE-certified, too.

Pros

  • Rugged design
  • Three settings
  • Decent price

Cons

  • Less-known brand

If you want to emulate your Grand Prix heroes either in racing or at a trackday, how better than to use some official 'MotoGP' tyre warmers? These are officially sanctioned by the sport's governing body, come with pukka 'MotoGP' logos and although a more basic offering without an LCD digital display, are more than up to the job.

They come with either a UK three-pin or EU two-pin plug, fit all sportsbike tyre sizes, come with a storage bag, heat the tyres up automatically to 80°C which is then indicated by a green LED (red if getting up to temperature) which is then thermostatically retained until the warmers are removed or switched off.

Pros

  • Great brand
  • Simple operation
  • Useful carry bag

Cons

  • Lacks sophisticated control
Price: £134.64

A more budget, non-branded, non-digital set of tyre warmers but at a more affordable price making them appealing to occasional trackday riders or club racers. As with some other more basic designs, there's no digital display or controller, so only warms tyres to a pre-set 80°C.

There’s also no fancy branding or extra features such as a carry case. But they’re well-enough made, come in a variety of colours and do the job for those not demanding the latest or flashiest.

Pros

  • Great value
  • Straightforward design
  • Easy to use

Cons

  • Little sophistication

Here's another set of tyre warmers from the MotoGP brand, but this time a slightly pricier, more sophisticated upgrade that features and LCD digital display. The tyre warmers themselves are effectively the same as MotoGP's more basic offering, so are ruggedly built, comes with a useful carry case and so on, but this time they also feature a more sophisticated LCD digital display and controller.

This allows the user to specify the exact temperature required over a range of 40-99°C and displays the tyre temperature in real time so the user can tailor the temperature required according to weather or time constraints.

Pros

  • Great brand
  • Accurate control
  • Well rated

Cons

  • Pricier than some

Another set of tyre warmers from specialist performance brand MPW but this time being its more sophisticated (and slightly more expensive) digital version. As with the analogue versions, theyu2019re aimed at seasoned trackday fans and more serious racers, are made in the same durable Cordura material and are pre-shaped to fit the tyre.

This time, however, there’s also a more sophisticated LED display and controller which allows you to choose your preferred temperature according to conditions and displays the tyre’s temperature in real time. They’re also being used by some of the UK’s leading race teams.

Pros

  • Respected brand
  • Sophisticated control options
  • Durable construction

Cons

  • Steeper price
Price: £292.70

As with other brands such as MotoGP and MPW, tyre warmer experts Racefoxx offer both analogue and higher-spec digital versions of its warmers, with this being its more premium offering u2013 and, yes, at nearly £300 they have the price to match.

That’s justified, however, by the spec: an LED digital display allows both bespoke temperature tuning and a continuous real-time display of temperature; they’re ruggedly constructed, fit all superbike tyres, come in a variety of colours and are highly rated as well. They also come with a two-year warranty and your choice of either soft or hard carry case.

Pros

  • Great features
  • Quality reputation
  • Two-year warranty

Cons

  • Premium price

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