Something I've heard tons of different feedback on over the years is how long should you trust running tires on your bike, regardless of the mileage you've racked up? Again, I'm not talking about mileage on a tire, I'm talking about age. Say you bought a ten year old bike that's been properly stored in a garage and only has a couple thousand miles on the odometer (and the original tires). Can you trust those tires or should they be replaced with fresh rubber even if they look good and have low miles on them?

What say you motorcycle aficionados?

I would not be riding ten year old rubber. But they can fail earlier that that. And you might be surprised by how old the tires can be even on a new bike. Look for cracking in between tread lugs. But the date alone can be a deciding factor.

Date Codes

There are variables and unknowns, but I'd say if the bike was really garage-kept, and there is no cracking on the sidewalls or in the tread grooves, or flat-spotting from being left in the same place for years without being moved, you're probably OK. I'm still not wild about it.

Ten years is my likely cut off point. The real answer is...it depends. I treat my tires regularly, avoid using harsh chemicals on them, do not leave them exposed to UV/sun, always run the proper tire pressure, and elevate for extended storage times to avoid flat spots. OH, and keep them away from extreme temperatures. ALL of that can extend a tire to 10 years, maybe.

The biggest thing is that I don't gamble my life to save at most $300-400.

For your example, I'd probably ride it home carefully after inspecting the tires closely. I'd also order a set of tires right away and be careful riding until then.

^^ THIS ^^

Also, check the date codes when buying new tires so they're not giving you stagnant inventory that has already lost years of useful life.

Motorcycle tires aren’t car tires. The demands on then to keep you safe are much higher. As others have said it’s not worth a few hundred bucks to wonder if your tires are safe. Put new tires on it if you have any doubt regardless of the age of the tires.

Bought a bike several months ago. 2003 BMW 1150GS. 12K original miles. Original Michelin tires. Was told the bike had been in long term climate controlled storage. Runs and rides beautifully.

I am extremely impressed with the road holding ability of these tires. Even with their age they hold better than much newer, different brands I run on some other bikes.

So, while I follow the general rule of 6 year old tires are past their prime, this bike will be getting the same brand that the factory installed.

quote:

The biggest thing is that I don't gamble my life to save at most $300-400.

I'd sooner wear a used 10 year old helmet, than ride on used 10 year old tires. I'm thinking 5 years tops, but I never had a set last more than a year when I was riding. Some sets lasted about 4 days, but those were on my track bikes.

Michelin says the rubber hitting the road for each tire is about the size of a credit card. That's what, 12in^2 total of rubber holding your motorcycle to the road? Good luck keeping the rubber side down with those old tires.

Would depend a lot on the brand of tire....

Cracking, hardening and loss of air pressure would be some of the determinating factors.

Also the planned riding until tire replacement.
Around town, easy riding vs trip, or extreme riding with fast curves.

I wouldn’t ride 10 years tires. I usually wear tires out in a year or two but my R1100S has tires on it that I need to replace. They are about 7 years old lots of tread but absolutely have lost compliance and traction.

Here's one opinion:

https://www.revzilla.com/commo...ng-the-tire-age-myth

If you saw the front tire on my Shovelhead, you'd know my opinion is apparently that there is no age limit on motorcycle tires.

My bikes go into long term cold (unheated) storage every winter. In spring, I inspect the tires thoroughly before the start of riding season. Never have a problem. My main tire issue is wear and I replace mine around 4K, regardless of age. I would love to get the mileage Chris42 has gotten!

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
My main tire issue is wear and I replace mine around 4K, regardless of age. I would love to get the mileage Chris42 has gotten!

Easily done when you have a set of Michelin Pilot Road tires (likely what's on his BMW).

I'd have to check, but I think I'm north of 15k on the Road 4's.
And by no means am I easy on the bike.

When my current set of tire wears out, I am going to aggressively shop for higher mileage tires. I want to get out of the every 4K replacement rut. But I have been told (by my dealer, of course) that ADV bikes are hard on tires.

Let me fill in a few blanks. The bike in question is a 2011 Triumph Tiger 1050 ABS, so more road touring style in nature. This is obviously neither a knee dragger, nor is it a fat tire cruiser. It currently wears Michelin Pilot Road tires which I believe are the OEM tires that came on it. The bike has 5,500 miles total and is owned by the original owner who has all the receipts for it since new. The owner has put less than 500 miles on the bike over the past two years. The bike is stored in his garage on the center stand so very little weight sits on the tires when the bike is in storage.

I have no idea whether I'll chase this bike or not at this point, but if I did, I'd likely opt for a new pair of road/touring tires. Just was curious what you guys thought.

Michelin Pilot Roads.... if not cracked or hard, I'd run em.

Check the born-on date of tire.. 6yrs is the recomended time of usefulness. After this time frame the rubber begins to loose it elastic properties and rubber compound becomes hard which drasticaly reduces road traction.. No matter how or where it is stored in the off riding season ....... Even when purchasing new tires always check born- on- date ... know of a rider that ordered new tires from a internet source and after installing them found out they were 12yrs old rubber and rock hard and absolutely zero traction..... ....................... Personaly rode a 2005 Honda VTX 1800F2 putting over 77,000 miles with about 35,000 miles on a performance car tire for rear tire...215/45/18 size. this was known as "riding the darkside"... a lot better than twice the mileage life of a bike tire and road grip ... had I been so inclined could have drug foot pegs in the twisties with the "crotch rockets". .. August 2016 bike was flooded under 41inches of flood waters and let the insurance company have it since they made a fair offer. ................................................drill sgt.

I have a 1982 V45 Sabre I bought new and is approaching 40 years old. I quit motorcycling when I had young children and my bikes sat for over 5 years. When I started riding again my bike was nearly unridable due to the tires hardening making the ride harsh.

Me? I would put new tires on that bike in a minute.

They are the most important thing keeping me safe and knowing their status from brand new would be important.

I like new rubber and getting ALL of their benefits. As soon as I saw a decrease in tread to about half, new ones would go on.

I'd change them like yesterday underpants. Tires are way more important on a Bike vs a car.