When to replace Valkyrie Tires

[BeachShepherd]

New guy here. Forgive me if this has been covered in the many Valkyrie tire threads, but I haven't seen it.

In the midst of many posts regarding which tires to use, how many miles from a set, dark side, etc., I thought it might be helpful to ask what you use as your standards or guidelines for WHEN you replace your tires.  My mechanics have always said to go by the wear indicator strips within the tire treads. But...
- some of you have posted pictures in threads discussing your mileage from a set of tires that appear to indicate you go well beyond those wear indicators and deeper into the available tread.
- there appear to be other signs of wear that could also lead to a blow out. What do you look for?

I've put about 15,000 on my '97 Tourer (with Avon Cobras followed by Dunlop E3s), and last summer watched my son blow a rear tire on the Tale of the Dragon on his  Volusia. I'd prefer not to repeat that experience on my Valkyrie!

[hubcapsc]

If my tires get to the wear bars I for sure want to change them, and sooner if some
multi-day ride is in the works...

I posted a "down to the threads" picture once, but that tire wore out at
less than 2,000 miles, I didn't even get a chance to look first  ...



-Mike

[Glaserbeam]

I work at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and Motorcycle Industry Council.  One of my projects was to create a guide for the care and feeding of tires.

It's available for free here ...

https://www.msf-usa.org/library.aspx#safety-booklets-link

... as are a lot of other good safety booklets and sheets.

Ken

[Bighead]

I will change a tire if they start to feel squirrelly even if plenty of tread left. My life to me is worth more than a couple hundred $$$. But hey that is just me.
And BTW I have never gotten 10k out of a tire on a valk. Some here say they get 15-20k on a tire but I havent found those cotton roads they ride

[Jess from VA]

When worn down, when old, when damaged or cupped badly (not if you kept the pressures up).

After you have the bike for awhile, and if you pretty much stick to the same tires, you get a pretty good idea of longevity.  (months or miles)

Car tires, few years.

Front tires, a year (give or take).  

AND, the rear end should be inspected and lubricated every 10K (give or take).  It is a a bit of a job, so even if the rear tire is just OK, why not change it when the wheel is off?  When I ran bike tires in back, that was always my policy.

[ValkStrom]

I will NEVER get used to hearing the term "car tire" used on a motorcycle. 

[MarkT]

Bike tires in back - once they get to having a flat surface - even with apparently a lot of tread left - you have maybe a thousand miles left before cord shows.  In my MANY miles experience.  In front - when the left side is past the wear bars, same story but maybe 2K left.  In either case - change them before a longer road trip and limit them to local riding, checking them each ride.  The cords will pop out FAST and you'll be surprised.  Personally I've gone to Austone tires in back and their wear behavior isn't so sudden as the bike tires.

[Grandpot]

I work at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and Motorcycle Industry Council.  One of my projects was to create a guide for the care and feeding of tires.

It's available for free here ...

https://www.msf-usa.org/library.aspx#safety-booklets-link

... as are a lot of other good safety booklets and sheets.

Ken

Great info.  Thank you.

[Glaserbeam]

p.s. I've gotten around 5,000 miles out of a set of Metzeler 880's, and they (as do all tires) get "squared off" so gradually you don't realize how sluggish the cornering gets until you put a fresh set on ... then on the first ride it feels like a sportbike, practically falling into corners.  That renewed responsiveness is reason enough to replace tires as soon as you're near the wear bars.

[Chrisj CMA]

Bike tires in back - once they get to having a flat surface - even with apparently a lot of tread left - you have maybe a thousand miles left before cord shows.  In my MANY miles experience.  In front - when the left side is past the wear bars, same story but maybe 2K left.  In either case - change them before a longer road trip and limit them to local riding, checking them each ride.  The cords will pop out FAST and you'll be surprised.  Personally I've gone to Austone tires in back and their wear behavior isn't so sudden as the bike tires.

My E3 back tire usually gets a flat spot after 10,000 miles but still lasts another 10,000 miles.  The front does wear more on the left and I replace it when the left side gets to the wear bars .  always over 20K

[9Ball]

Another thing to consider is the age of the tire.  If you don’t put a lot of miles on your bike, then tire age may become a safety concern.

Check the 4 digit date codes on the tire sidewalls and determine if it might be time for a change.

Good luck...

[MarkT]

Bike tires in back - once they get to having a flat surface - even with apparently a lot of tread left - you have maybe a thousand miles left before cord shows.  In my MANY miles experience.  In front - when the left side is past the wear bars, same story but maybe 2K left.  In either case - change them before a longer road trip and limit them to local riding, checking them each ride.  The cords will pop out FAST and you'll be surprised.  Personally I've gone to Austone tires in back and their wear behavior isn't so sudden as the bike tires.

My E3 back tire usually gets a flat spot after 10,000 miles but still lasts another 10,000 miles.  The front does wear more on the left and I replace it when the left side gets to the wear bars .  always over 20K

I've never got much more than half the miles you claim on a back bike tire in my 250,000+ miles of riding - and they are always close to finished when a flat spot is evident. 12k is the most ever - it was an Avon run at 42#. Fronts I sometimes get 15k unless they are a back tire in front, then I can get to 20 - have once remounted it reversed and got another 4k.  Sometimes the back bike tires have shown cord when I replaced them - so I'm getting all the miles they have, not wasting much - some would say I take them too far and I wouldn't dispute that.  Roads in CO are more abrasive than cotton roads.

[Chrisj CMA]

Bike tires in back - once they get to having a flat surface - even with apparently a lot of tread left - you have maybe a thousand miles left before cord shows.  In my MANY miles experience.  In front - when the left side is past the wear bars, same story but maybe 2K left.  In either case - change them before a longer road trip and limit them to local riding, checking them each ride.  The cords will pop out FAST and you'll be surprised.  Personally I've gone to Austone tires in back and their wear behavior isn't so sudden as the bike tires.

My E3 back tire usually gets a flat spot after 10,000 miles but still lasts another 10,000 miles.  The front does wear more on the left and I replace it when the left side gets to the wear bars .  always over 20K

I've never got much more than half the miles you claim on a back bike tire in my 250,000+ miles of riding - and they are always close to finished when a flat spot is evident. 12k is the most ever - it was an Avon run at 42#. Fronts I sometimes get 15k unless they are a back tire in front, then I can get to 20 - have once remounted it reversed and got another 4k.  Sometimes the back bike tires have shown cord when I replaced them - so I'm getting all the miles they have, not wasting much - some would say I take them too far and I wouldn't dispute that.  Roads in CO are more abrasive than cotton roads.

Yes, I would imagine you need higher traction pavement in CO. Plus all those curves in the mountains. Just the price of all that awesome riding.

In North Florida we don't have many curves, snow or steep hills so our roads may be smoother and definitely straighter

[vanagon40]

FIRST: Welcome to the forum BeachShepherd.

I change mine when worn out (with the exception of one Valkyrie tire [and a few trailer tires] that I changed due to age).

Someone once told me that 90% of tire problems occur in the last 10% of a tire's life. I have found that to be true (although depending on your definitions, it may be somewhat self-fulfilling).

[Jess from VA]

Someone once told me that 90% of tire problems occur in the last 10% of a tire's life.

That sounds about right.

My experience is that the last (supposed) 10-15% of any motorcycle tire's life..... disappears in one or two short/medium day rides.  Near the end, they give up, and wear at like four times the normal rate.

In 45+ years on two wheels, I have (in the past, a number of times) looked at my tire(s) and said to myself, well that's not completely bad and it has some decent tread around the edges, and surely I can get a few more rides out of them (it).  And I get home and am looking at cords.... well crap, that's not good.  And I didn't even go 200 miles (and crap, some of it was at 80mph in heavy traffic).

And I think most guys don't have a big problem with the money side of new tires, it's just the PITA of getting the new one(s) ordered, delivered, and stuck on there.

My solution (partly), with two bikes, has been to have a new front hanging on the wall in my bike shed.  Now age can be an issue, but knowing how much you ride and how often you need a new front (every 8K, give or take), means that new backup never gets old before it's used.  Between two bikes, I usually need a new front tire on one of them every year.   So when you see the tire looking anemic, there is no excuse not to stick the new one on there.  (And then, per my plan, I order another right away, for the wall.)

My backs are car tires, and go 35K, and I don't do backups on them, it takes too long hanging on a wall.

And, those car tires never go down to nothing in a couple short rides. 

[Jim in Idaho]

Thanks Ken!  I appreciate link to the reference materials.

I work at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and Motorcycle Industry Council.  One of my projects was to create a guide for the care and feeding of tires.

It's available for free here ...

https://www.msf-usa.org/library.aspx#safety-booklets-link

... as are a lot of other good safety booklets and sheets.

Ken

[h13man]

I'm with MarkT on the 12,000 mi. max life on rear tires and I live in "patch a pothole" Indiana but Chris I also traveled FL and yes its very flat, decent roads. and somewhat boring much like my flatlands here but still has its has its own mystique. Having been all over central CO the past from 97'-2016, the roads are very well kept with stone from the area in  which the road travels through (usually red) are some the best roads in the country. Definitely good grip and some of most beautiful sites in the world. Basically I don't test any of the roads as the Zen traveling thru the Rocky's is truly is worth the easy going.

[cookiedough]

I push my rear tire a tad bit too far most often.  The last Avon Cobra around 9K miles I noticed it kept going very low in psi every few weeks or less.  I inspected the rear tire tread and had some left but to the wear bars but no cords showing yet thinking I had another 1-2000 miles easily out of it.  NO DICE.  I sprayed soapy water all along the middle of the tread and had about 20 small tiny bubbles appearing all over. 

SHARP pea gravel edging am sure had done it once not much tread left puncturing all the way thru the cords in dozens of spots.

So,  I would say BEFORE cords show for sure but once down to the wear bars start thinking of replacing in next 1000 miles or so.

My front tire usually goes more so of age lasting 15-18k miles since not a high mileage person per year had plenty of tread left but the last year or so I developed a 30-40 mph severe wobble and thought it was my suspension, turned out to be the front Avon Cobra got out of round (unbalanced) due to age and so replaced it.

[Bighead]

Out of all the MC tires I have replaced over the years with well over 250k miles of riding the best I ever got was on a 2010 HD Street Glide the rear lasted 15k and the front 17.5k. Yes there was still a bit of tread left but were worn out in my eyes. Like I said before my life is worth more to me than a few hundred $$$. And a lot cheaper than a trip to the ER and missing work.

[Jess from VA]

I have a neighbor (one street over) who rides an ST.  We've been neighbors for 26 years.

I was out walking today (yeah, unbelievable), and we had a nice long talk about life, retirement, ex-wives and bikes.

We agreed on nearly everything, until I mentioned my car tires.  He was nice (and condescending) about it, but it was all engineers, death, liability, and on and on.  I told him to stop, he was not making any headway with me.  Well over a decade, and no death, no liability, just great performance from every angle.

OK man, stick with your car tires. (sarcasm)

OK man, stick with chasing women.  (sarcasm) 

I get better longevity than he does.  37K for $125, instead of two dates.   

Yeah, it's apples and tangerines.   

[..]

I have a neighbor (one street over) who rides an ST.  We've been neighbors for 26 years.

I was out walking today (yeah, unbelievable), and we had a nice long talk about life, retirement, ex-wives and bikes.

We agreed on nearly everything, until I mentioned my car tires.  He was nice (and condescending) about it, but it was all engineers, death, liability, and on and on.  I told him to stop, he was not making any headway with me.  Well over a decade, and no death, no liability, just great performance from every angle.

OK man, stick with your car tires. (sarcasm)

OK man, stick with chasing women.  (sarcasm) 

I get better longevity than he does.  37K for $125, instead of two dates.   

Yeah, it's apples and tangerines.   

There are quite a few St Riders who are Darksiders. I used a Hankook on my St when I did my west coast ride a few years ago.

[BeachShepherd]

Thanks for all the great discussion and feedback. Enjoy the summer and ride safe! 

[MarkT]

I'm just upset I have to find another soln to the back tire with the ATT out of production.  It'll be a while as I already have the next one on hand and the current one has easily 20k left on it.  But I was going to put the new one on Deerslayer.  Now I don't think so.  And I'm not racking up the miles like I used to when the High Country Cruisers was my club.  Even so I'm doing at least two good sized road trips per year.  And all the local riding.

[sssportsmfg]

I work at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and Motorcycle Industry Council.  One of my projects was to create a guide for the care and feeding of tires.

It's available for free here ...

https://www.msf-usa.org/library.aspx#safety-booklets-link

... as are a lot of other good safety booklets and sheets.

Ken

I just took a MSF course at Forest Park Community College last week.   Two day course, pretty intense.  I had been riding for two years on a temp learners permit, decided to take the course instead of just the Hwy Patrol little test.    Now I have my permanent M class.    I just went and read your book, but I didn't see anything about max age of tires?    Any guidelines on that?   I had heard somewhere that you should replace them at 5 years old regardless of wear?

Thanks
Marty

[Jess from VA]

Five years is not a bad rule, but really you need to just inspect them.

Is the rubber getting hard (drying out), or still supple?

Are there cracks forming on the sidewalls and/or inside the tread?

Are they still holding air (as well a normal)?

Do they feel slippier than they used to be (esp in the wet)?

Do they sit outside exposed to UV all the time?

But here's the rub.  There is not one single thing more important to your safe operation of a motorcycle than the tires (assuming you are keeping your eyes open while riding).

And a smart ass might say if your tires are lasting 5+ years, you're not doing much riding.

This usually comes up when buying a used bike that has been sitting a long time.

[John Schmidt]

In the few years I've been riding( ) various 2-wheeled motorized contraptions I've found a definite sign of needing replacement is when the tire develops a large flat spot on one side....usually the side that's resting on the garage floor. Makes for a really bumpy ride. 

[cookiedough]

both my last set of rear cycle tires one on my valk being avon cobra and one on the magna being a dunlop, the cords in middle of rear tire were starting to just barely show in a few spots, just barely though.  Drove them both less than 500 miles or less and time to replace. 

my front avon cobra lasted 15K miles or so and knew it was time to replace well past 5 years since last few years the front suspension was wobbling 30-40mph speeds severely tire got out of round/not balances, etc. 

each scenario is different on when to replace though, just my experiences.  I feel a tire can go longer than 5-6 years if not kept in sun or exposed to elements much but probably not over 8 years or so due to hardening. 

[sssportsmfg]

Five years is not a bad rule, but really you need to just inspect them.

Is the rubber getting hard (drying out), or still supple?

Are there cracks forming on the sidewalls and/or inside the tread?

Are they still holding air (as well a normal)?

Do they feel slippier than they used to be (esp in the wet)?

Do they sit outside exposed to UV all the time?

But here's the rub.  There is not one single thing more important to your safe operation of a motorcycle than the tires (assuming you are keeping your eyes open while riding).

And a smart ass might say if your tires are lasting 5+ years, you're not doing much riding.

This usually comes up when buying a used bike that has been sitting a long time.

Well I was wondering about that, the 1999 Valk I just bought with 6800 miles on it had been heated garage kept it's entire life and obviously very little ridden.   The tires look great, no cracking, sidewalls look like new, no discoloration or cracking or crazing either in the tread grooves or the sidewall.   However I know they are old, because the guy that sold it to me told me he had never changed them.  And like I said I have ridden the bike about 4 hours trying to run fresh gas and B-12 Chemtool through the carbs to clean them out in hopes of not having to pull them, they felt just fine, plenty of grip, but didn't ride in the rain any.   I think I might just ride them out then replace them.    They seem fine.   I don't ride in the rain anyway, have always avoided it like the plague.   I figure I can get at least 5-8 thou out of them.  still about a 16th to go to the wear strips.    They hold air just fine.  They were a little low, aired them up when I got her home....still holding exact same pressure after 5 weeks.

Thanks all
Marty

[The emperor has no clothes]

Five years is not a bad rule, but really you need to just inspect them.

Is the rubber getting hard (drying out), or still supple?

Are there cracks forming on the sidewalls and/or inside the tread?

Are they still holding air (as well a normal)?

Do they feel slippier than they used to be (esp in the wet)?

Do they sit outside exposed to UV all the time?

But here's the rub.  There is not one single thing more important to your safe operation of a motorcycle than the tires (assuming you are keeping your eyes open while riding).

And a smart ass might say if your tires are lasting 5+ years, you're not doing much riding.

This usually comes up when buying a used bike that has been sitting a long time.

Well I was wondering about that, the 1999 Valk I just bought with 6800 miles on it had been heated garage kept it's entire life and obviously very little ridden.   The tires look great, no cracking, sidewalls look like new, no discoloration or cracking or crazing either in the tread grooves or the sidewall.   However I know they are old, because the guy that sold it to me told me he had never changed them.  And like I said I have ridden the bike about 4 hours trying to run fresh gas and B-12 Chemtool through the carbs to clean them out in hopes of not having to pull them, they felt just fine, plenty of grip, but didn't ride in the rain any.   I think I might just ride them out then replace them.    They seem fine.   I don't ride in the rain anyway, have always avoided it like the plague.   I figure I can get at least 5-8 thou out of them.  still about a 16th to go to the wear strips.    They hold air just fine.  They were a little low, aired them up when I got her home....still holding exact same pressure after 5 weeks.

Thanks all
Marty

They may have been in a garage, but they are still 20 years old. Actually, maybe a little older. For me it wouldn’t be worth the risk of failure at 70mph. Those OEM tires weren’t the best to begin with.

[John Schmidt]

Really....a '99 Valk with original rubber on it and you're thinking of riding them out? I'll keep my thoughts to myself on that one. 

[..]

Really....a '99 Valk with original rubber on it and you're thinking of riding them out? I'll keep my thoughts to myself on that one. 

Only 20 years old.

What could go wrong?   

[Valkorado]

I think I might just ride them out then replace them.    They seem fine.   I don't ride in the rain anyway, have always avoided it like the plague.   I figure I can get at least 5-8 thou out of them.  still about a 16th to go to the wear strips.    They hold air just fine. 

Not wise.

[cookiedough]

yah, 20 years is too long,  I may go over 8 years if look and still ride well, but much past 10 years probably not so much?

[rug_burn]

   Ride the last miles out on a 20 year old set of tires?    That's what I'd probably do, too.   Yeah, it's a risk, but as long as you know that, it'll probably be okay.   I mean if scares you, then by all means, don't do it, replace them.  Same goes for using car tires. 
   Me-  I always run my tires until the cords are showing just to use them all the way up.   They're going to be laying in some landfill for a long time, so it's better if there's less there to go to waste.
   
  But as for the 20 year old Valk-  how are the carbs doing after sitting all that time?

[Chrisj CMA]

Most advise given on the board is very good. Like I said, most.

First of all the Valkyrie is not usually a motorcycle for beginners (there have been exceptions). So that said. Judging when to change tires is both a personal choice and a basic skill of motorcycle ownership.

It seems strange that someone experienced enough to ride a Valkyrie would be unable to know when the tires need replacing.

It is totally ridiculous to purposefully run motorcycle tires down to the chords. I’ve seen it done on accident a couple times but to plan to is just dumb. To encourage someone who is looking for wisdom from more experienced riders to be so foolish is even more inexcusable

[cookiedough]

both rear cycle tires on 2 different bikes I never knew I was down in a few tiny spots showing the cords of the tires.  When that happens, time to replace soon, but most say before they just start showing, your call,  risk and all....  Both rear tires were guessing around 9000 miles or so on them. 

Is a very good idea though to check the rubber for wear since I was not aware the cords were very slightly showing  in a few spots, since the rest of the tire looked to have several 100s or even say 1000 miles left to it. 

[sssportsmfg]

Five years is not a bad rule, but really you need to just inspect them.

Is the rubber getting hard (drying out), or still supple?

Are there cracks forming on the sidewalls and/or inside the tread?

Are they still holding air (as well a normal)?

Do they feel slippier than they used to be (esp in the wet)?

Do they sit outside exposed to UV all the time?

But here's the rub.  There is not one single thing more important to your safe operation of a motorcycle than the tires (assuming you are keeping your eyes open while riding).

And a smart ass might say if your tires are lasting 5+ years, you're not doing much riding.

This usually comes up when buying a used bike that has been sitting a long time.

Well I was wondering about that, the 1999 Valk I just bought with 6800 miles on it had been heated garage kept it's entire life and obviously very little ridden.   The tires look great, no cracking, sidewalls look like new, no discoloration or cracking or crazing either in the tread grooves or the sidewall.   However I know they are old, because the guy that sold it to me told me he had never changed them.  And like I said I have ridden the bike about 4 hours trying to run fresh gas and B-12 Chemtool through the carbs to clean them out in hopes of not having to pull them, they felt just fine, plenty of grip, but didn't ride in the rain any.   I think I might just ride them out then replace them.    They seem fine.   I don't ride in the rain anyway, have always avoided it like the plague.   I figure I can get at least 5-8 thou out of them.  still about a 16th to go to the wear strips.    They hold air just fine.  They were a little low, aired them up when I got her home....still holding exact same pressure after 5 weeks.

Thanks all
Marty

They may have been in a garage, but they are still 20 years old. Actually, maybe a little older. For me it wouldn’t be worth the risk of failure at 70mph. Those OEM tires weren’t the best to begin with.

They arn't 20 years old and not OEM tires.  The front is a Dunny 404, and the back is a Avon.  Both radials.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Five years is not a bad rule, but really you need to just inspect them.

Is the rubber getting hard (drying out), or still supple?

Are there cracks forming on the sidewalls and/or inside the tread?

Are they still holding air (as well a normal)?

Do they feel slippier than they used to be (esp in the wet)?

Do they sit outside exposed to UV all the time?

But here's the rub.  There is not one single thing more important to your safe operation of a motorcycle than the tires (assuming you are keeping your eyes open while riding).

And a smart ass might say if your tires are lasting 5+ years, you're not doing much riding.

This usually comes up when buying a used bike that has been sitting a long time.

Well I was wondering about that, the 1999 Valk I just bought with 6800 miles on it had been heated garage kept it's entire life and obviously very little ridden.   The tires look great, no cracking, sidewalls look like new, no discoloration or cracking or crazing either in the tread grooves or the sidewall.   However I know they are old, because the guy that sold it to me told me he had never changed them.  And like I said I have ridden the bike about 4 hours trying to run fresh gas and B-12 Chemtool through the carbs to clean them out in hopes of not having to pull them, they felt just fine, plenty of grip, but didn't ride in the rain any.   I think I might just ride them out then replace them.    They seem fine.   I don't ride in the rain anyway, have always avoided it like the plague.   I figure I can get at least 5-8 thou out of them.  still about a 16th to go to the wear strips.    They hold air just fine.  They were a little low, aired them up when I got her home....still holding exact same pressure after 5 weeks.

Thanks all
Marty

They may have been in a garage, but they are still 20 years old. Actually, maybe a little older. For me it wouldn’t be worth the risk of failure at 70mph. Those OEM tires weren’t the best to begin with.

They arn't 20 years old and not OEM tires.  The front is a Dunny 404, and the back is a Avon.  Both radials.

that's good news.  might not be a bad idea to look up the date code on them all the same.