Topic: tires how long time and mileage wise

[cb650 bobber]

is there a standard time frame you should watch for 4 years old and mileage that you should change them out.

[HondaMan]

Time: watch the sidewall for cracks, change the tire if you see them showing up. They are just surface cracks, but indicate the rubber is losing its grip (like me.  ).

Wear: all the tires have a set of bars that will show as connections between the individual blocks of tread. On a few patterns, like Dunlop's superbike slicks, you just have to watch for a flattened profile in the center of the tire(s) to tell you it's wearing. When the flat spot gets bad enough on a rear tire, it will make the steering head shake on these SOHC4 bikes (except the 350F/400F: they are rock solid, even with a flat!).

[cb650 bobber]

so as long as you do not see cracks time is not an issue.

[Alan F.]

I looked at a bike last spring that was kept in a dark garage all the time, the owner only rode it late at night after the kids were asleep... 13 year old tires put on by the dealer he bought it from were hardly worn and still looked new (like the rest of the bike) UV exposure is a killer on tires.

[333]

What HondaMan said is correct, but in addition, deep cracks where the sidewall meets the tread indicates under inflation for an extended time(typically a tire left flat all winter).  This is not safe, and should be replaced.

[MCRider]

I'll have to disagree with some here. Even if a tire has never been mounted it will "out-gas" important chemicals that keep the tire tread soft and compliant. Because of this 6 years is the concensus on tire life, regardless of tread depth and sidewall cracks.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Tire-Age-and-Driving-Safety
There is a code on the sidewall to tell you how old the tire is which is discussed in this article as well. You can Google the issue and I don't think you'll find a counter position to 6 years.

http://www.acornnmr.com/ncdc/tire_safety.htm

http://www.eclcinc.com/bulletins/forms/eSafety%20Trainer%20Bulletin%20-%20Tire%20Age.pdf

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=138&

Old tires are dangerous. With the side traction requirements of motorcycles riding on rock hard tires is possibly uncool.

[Lars]

Hmmm. I disagree somewhat on this issue.

1. Different countries has different rules concerning wear and depth of pattern you are allowed to cruise around with.
2. Time - depending on age and climate, the tires (rubber) will loose its softness. Many old tires might have excellent pattern and no sidewall cracks, but they do NOT have the same grip on the road as new ones. Wet road surface and spots of oil combined with old hard rubber is not a desireable combination. I replace my tires about every 4-5th year, regardless the pattern. Good tires is a very cheap insurance....
Lars

[stresssolutions]

This is all very interesting.  Like the original poster, I'm curious as to approx how many miles you get from a tire.  7K?  8? 9? 10,000 miles???  thanks

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Depends on the tire compound, manufacturer, and your riding style provided you keep it balanced and inflated properly.

I'm in the throttle quite a bit and have a rear disc brake that grips better than glue. If I get better than 5,000 to 6,000 on a rear Bridgestone Spitfire I'm doing good. I always seem to get 2 rear tires to my 1 front tire. On the other hand my Fat Boy got 10,000 miles on it's 2 rear Dunlops and 21,000 on it's first front Dunlop.

[MJL]

First I look at the DOT code for the date. The date is the last 3 or 4 digits. If it is 3 digits, then the tire dates back to AT LEAST 1999 and IMHO needs to go. If it is a 4 digit date code the last two number are the year. (first two are the week) then, I check for cracks and bulges in the tread and sidewall. After that I jam a thumbnail in the tread and see how pliable it is. Your thumbnail should leave very little if any mark.the rubber should be soft and springy.  Generally if the tire is within the last 3 or 4 years it will still have good rubber.

[Kevin D]

I replaced this 8 year old front after I noticed these sidewall cracks. This tire had plenty of tread left after 10000 miles, the rear tread was worn out. I had considered just doing the rear until I saw these cracks.

I'm with Jerry on the 2 rears to 1 front ratio. My mileage on these Spitfires was somewhat better. You might attribute that to my GHOF riding style. The thing to note is that while the rear was worn out the front was aged out.

Another thing to consider is the age of the tire when you buy it. No "sell by" date on tires like on a gallon of milk. This front tire was a year old when I got it in 2001, and two years old when I got it on the road in 2002. If you are a low mileage rider, your tire might age out sooner than the tread wears out. I'm not complaining to the tire dealer, I just don't know the typical age of a "new" tire.

This gave me an excuse to refit my CB with new BT45's front and rear.