Tire age .. is it a concern?

[silk]

Question .. I plan on buying Wing. The tires are in good shape but are 7 years old ... should I be concerned about riding on them?

[98valk]

maybe u should ask your question on some wing message boards. Just a thought 

[Bone]

Tire manufacturers such as Continental and Michelin say a tire can last up to 10 years, provided you get annual tire inspections after the fifth year. The Rubber Manufacturers Association says there is no way to put a date on when a tire "expires," because such factors as heat, storage and conditions of use can dramatically reduce the life of a tire.

My small town bike shop has a tire rack they put older new tires on for sale at a reduced price. They have 1 year or less time before they can't sell them. The rack of tires was well marked explaining the age of the tires.

Look at them as meat in a grocery store with an expiration date. They go from "Use before date or freeze"  It's not a gamble that is wise to try.

[Ricky-D]

If the tire are looking good there will be no problem.

That's where it is.

Visual inspection.

Others may say differently but it's not their money, is it!

Not expecting you'll be riding them over a hundred tho!

***

[F6MoRider]

Water, underinflation, age and sunlight are all bad for tires.  If they've been exposed to these forces on a long term basis, they need a complete and through inspection and if you inflate the tires to the recommended rate, then closely inspect the sidewalls and tread, you'll likely see small splits or checks in the rubber which are weak spots.  When you see these, you can expect the tread to separate when put under load, either weight or speed.

I had a boat tire that was never mounted on the trailer except to the spare rack on the boat (shaded).  After 7 years, it had several checks along the edge of the tire when I inflated it to the tire manufacturers recommended maximum.  Within 3 days, the tire blew when the tread separated and peeled open.  

You can make your own decision on riding on your tires, but for me, I'd put new rubber on her as you only have two.

[RainMaker]

I would put new rubber on the bike first thing if it were mine.  So, yes, it would be a concern to me.

[Hoser]

Probly not to me, others may differ, but I go through a set every year.  It's annual maintenance for me.  They only last a year.  Hoser

[9Ball]

It would concern me...my safety and well being is worth the $500 a new set of tires might cost.

My rule of thumb with new tires is that I won't buy and mount a new tire that is over 2 years old (based on the manufacturer's date code on the sidewall).  The newer the better.  I usually find tires that are 6 months old (or less) from date of manufacture.

It's an individual call....good luck on your decision.

[valkyriemc]

As my rear tire aged it got slick, but still had tread.  Loss of traction due to changes in the rubber, I think.

[Hef]

When it comes to tires on a motorcycle, it is not wise to take any chances. If a car blows a tire it is not likely to cause a major problem. If a two wheeler blows a tire, it's usually bad news for the rider.
When I buy a used bike, I always put new tires on it. Sometimes tires have problems which may not be visible to the eye. Just my two cents worth.

[old2soon]

7 year old tires-me personally i'd spend the loot and replace.  BUT that's me.  In my own book-just not worth it.  Just saw it yesterday or the day before a Goldwing had a rear blowout and the female passenger died and the guy driving pretty well boogered up.  Not trying to scare you but i'm also aware that brand spanking new tires can blow out.  RIDE SAFE.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

Question .. I plan on buying Wing. The tires are in good shape but are 7 years old ... should I be concerned about riding on them?

If it was me, I'd replace them. It maybe my imagination, but older tires have sometimes seemed less sticky to me. When a cager pulls out in front of you in the rain, a fresher tire might make a difference.

[tonyfan70]

I posted this when I first joined in response to a similiar question...

"Just a little advice for you.

I used sell and install tires, among other things. NO tire manufacturer I know of has any kind of warranty after 6 years, at the most. Even if the tire is unused, if the date of manufacture on the tire sidewall is older than 6 years the maker considers it a junk tire. You are riding on borowed time on 10 year old tires.

A guy pulled into my shop with a motorhome. He needed 6 tires and I told him so. He bought 5 and told me to use the unused, but 6 year old, spare from under the vehicle. I told him what I've told you and he stated, again, to use the spare as a new tire. About a month later, he pulled into my shop. The 6 year old spare had come apart and the flailing tread had ripped all the bodywork off the side of the motorhome. Thousands of dollars worth of damage. His only comment as he purchased a new tire...."I wish I had listened to you".

And I don't mean to sound like a know-it-all. Just trying to look out for your safety.  If you have any doubts about what I'm saying....drop into any reputable tire shop and ask them what they think of any tire over 6 years old.

My boss shouldn't of had us mount that old tire, but I was over ruled."

And to say a car blowing a tire isn't a major problem....that's probably true unless it's on the front and your lose control and hit a big ditch, median divider or head on traffic.  Yes, some people try to prepare for emergencies like that by paying attention, but woe is the person texting, applying eyeliner, eating and steering with their knee when it happens.

Also, even if the tire looks great, no cracks or dry rotting evident...if the bike was sitting parked with the tires on the ground for a long period of time there may be flat spots that won't come out and the tires may also be difficult to balance without large amounts of weight.

Even if you don't have a tire problem at speed, do you want to have one go flat and have your Honda be seen on the side of the road, broken down? All them HD riders going by would have a field day seeing such a rare occurance!

[dreamchaser]

A couple of years ago I was sent an email stating that in Europe tire dealers were required to discourage purchase  of tires more than 3 years old .  The article was saying that the governing body of American tire distributors was saying that it was perfecly alright to sell 6 and 7 year old tires, where as the coresponding Euro group was appauled and said that was not safe advice to be passed down by an "expert" source of information.  In this article was the information on how to read the date codes to determine the month and year of manufacture.

I would say that there is no way I would consider using 7 year old tires for anything other than a slow and cautious trip to get them replaced.

Enough of the article stuck with me to ask about the exact month and year of manufacture before buying any tire for any purpose. 
 
+1 for tonyfan

[vanagon40]

Question .. I plan on buying Wing. The tires are in good shape but are 7 years old ... should I be concerned about riding on them?

I will try not to be too long-winded here, but I think this is much more of a subjective decision than an objective decision.

Before I was 30 years old, I used to drive my car on tires that were bald and did not replace until LOTS of cord (or wire) was showing or the tire blew.  BUT, I did not absolutely have to be anywhere that I could not be late, and I did not mind changing a tire on the side of the road.  I also KNEW that no one ever died due to a flat tire.

Now that I am in my 50s, I keep good tires on my car because I have responsibilities that I must be on time for, I DO mind changing a tire on the side of the road, and I realize that having a blowout at high speed could cause an accident.

So, back to the tire on the wing.  If you are pleasure riding only, not too far from home, not riding consistently at high speeds, and/or a flat tire will not ruin your day, I would say ride on with the old tires.  Otherwise, you have to decide whether your tolerance for a flat or blowout is greater than  the cost of a new tire.

That said, the front tire on my Valkyrie has a date stamp on it of March 2003 and I have put 19,000 miles on the tire.  I have no plans on changing it in the near future.  I also have no plans on riding to Alaska.

YMMV.

[ricoman]

Thanks for the question, no need to ask it on a Wing board.
You've heard differnt opinions, the majority seem to agree on going with new tires.
I hope Vanagon, on his 9 yr. old tires has his insurance all up to date.

[MacDragon]

I'll just add in that i agree with the vast majority here.  I would change it out.  It's just not worth a life... yours or someone elses in the event that you either have someone with you, or you happen to swerve into another vehicle or pedestrian. 

Not worth it.

[Fuzzy (Louisiana)]

I agree with most.  A set of tires is cheaper than healing up.  Tires can fool you.  They look good at the start of a ride, then the next day seeing the cord.  More willing to take chances by myself.  When riding two up, money cannot be an object.  Safety all the way.

Fuzzy

[Chrisj CMA]

The only tires I replaced because they were too old were the tires on my CB 175.  The tires were factory tires from 1973 and I bought it in 1999.  I rode on them tires for a few months and then realized they were almost 30 years old, a little dry rot, but I got rid of them.

I recently boght a zero miles rear wheel (trike take off) with a factory D-206 tire on it.  I had the tire removed and replaced with an E3 but kept the tire.  a year later a buddy of mine saw it.....checked it out and offered to buy it.  I told him how old it was and that he could have it for free.  He took it rode it until it wore out with no issues