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A big post on tires

Seems like soft carcass tires function more actively as part of the suspension. Does that also mean they are more sensitive to pressures and suspension settings, ie need more work to dial in on a given day?

I haven't had any problems like that. They can require different settings, but switching from soft sidewall to hard sidewall can require different settings too. Just depends on the rider and bike, I wouldn't say there's an advantage or disadvantage to either.

Saw this thread was back, just wanted to say thanks for this. I didn't see this factor in any of the (many) articles/posts I read before buying a bike. I bought my bike from a guy who had bought it cheap, gotten it running, and sold it to me 'ready to go, man' with pre-2000 tires on it. Not blaming him, just saying I didn't think about old tires as a hazard until reading your post. Thanks for saving me some skin. :thumbup


You're welcome. Glad it helped you out.



I just bought a 2002 Honda that had 4700 miles on it... and the stock BT056's.
I hemmed and hawed about out-right replacing the tires because their date stamp was ~9 years old.

I decided to ride themup Hamilton/ Mines with no ill effect.
They seem to stick fine for my B pace, but knowing they're old is in the back of my head ( and right hand. )

may2_2010_2.jpg

It depends on a lot of factors. As a rule of thumb, not knowing how they were stored, not knowing what's happened to them in the past, I would replace them. There's the possibility that they're fine, if they were stored in good conditions (ie, a temperature controlled garage, out of direct sunlight, and without the bike resting on one contact patch for the entire time).

I have seen crazy things done with bikes that have old tires...I have a friend who was running A group on a set of absolutely trashed, 5+ year old michelins with NINE trackdays on them, he just didn't know any better and was astounded when he moved to fresh tires...he thought it was normal to push the front and rear like that all the time. :laughing

Tires are the only thing keeping you upright...in my mind, it's better to spend a few hundred and have tires that you can trust and be confident with than risk a much more expensive crash (and injuries).
 
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I just bought a 2002 Honda that had 4700 miles on it... and the stock BT056's.
I hemmed and hawed about out-right replacing the tires because their date stamp was ~9 years old.

I decided to ride themup Hamilton/ Mines with no ill effect.
They seem to stick fine for my B pace, but knowing they're old is in the back of my head ( and right hand. )

FWIW, car tire manufacturers say tires only have a 6 year shelf life, then they're garbage. There's a news report online somewhere about how drivers have had their old tires blow out. Considering that you only have two tires on a bike that (IMO) demand more performance, anything longer than 5 years is a safety risk.
 
Dear Tire Pimp,

Why do the otherwise terrific Avon Gripsters on my DRZ suck in the rain more than any other tire I've ever used? I thought those limeys lived under water. :x

Your assistance is appreciated.


In general, just because a tire works really well in the dry, that doesn't necessarily translate to wet performance. This is true with car tires as well. It's possible to have a tire that is fantastic in the dry and completely suck in the wet. And the other way around as well. A tire that can do really well in the rain can suck at dry work. And, of course, you can have tires that do well at both or suck at both. All depends.

Short answer: Because that's the way those particular tires are.
 
FWIW, car tire manufacturers say tires only have a 6 year shelf life, then they're garbage.

Right. And I've heard helmet manufacturers state you should replace your helmet every 3 years.

And don't mismatch front and rear tire brands.

Etc etc.
 
Right. And I've heard helmet manufacturers state you should replace your helmet every 3 years.

And don't mismatch front and rear tire brands.

Etc etc.

I've never heard a reputable manufacturer say anything under 5 years. Arai say 7 or 8 years from date of creation or 5 years of use.

And mismatching front and rear tire brands can cause problems, especially if the person is a novice rider or doesn't know what they're doing.

The makers of helmets and tires have a vested interest in keeping you safe and keeping bad press away, and part of that does involve keeping a reasonable lifetime on their products. You're free to ignore it if you'd like, but I've got a vested interest in keeping myself upright and my protective gear in good shape, so I wouldn't exceed the 5 year mark on tires.

In fact I have some tires that are edging up on the 5 year mark on my DRZ supermoto right now and they're definitely not in ideal shape. They're still black and they still go round and round but they definitely don't perform like they should.
 
Right. And I've heard helmet manufacturers state you should replace your helmet every 3 years.

And don't mismatch front and rear tire brands.

Etc etc.

You've obviously never seen a tire left to the elements for 6 years. The tires on my SV were stored inside a garage for 4 years; the bike was practically never even moved. There were cracks within the tread. When I test rode the bike, the back end stepped out when I made a 10mph u-turn. I can assure you, my goal wasn't to drift the bike.
 
I need to update some of the tire brands in the first post, but figure I may as well bump this back up to the top. Hopefully it'll get folks out to take a look at their tires, check their age and their pressures :)
 
I found nothing useful in this thread whatsoever:rant
I kid I kid. Great info and I shared it with some other moto folks I know.:thumbup
 
edit: deleted post (just asked a cruiser tire question and thought better of it).
 
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I saw your post and honestly, the cheaper kenda would probably be fine. You'd have to burn through 2 of them to make up for the price of one of the metzlers you were considering, and if you're not going to be absolutely flogging the thing, I think you'll be just fine. :)
 
I saw your post and honestly, the cheaper kenda would probably be fine. You'd have to burn through 2 of them to make up for the price of one of the metzlers you were considering, and if you're not going to be absolutely flogging the thing, I think you'll be just fine. :)

Yeah, I deleted the post because I was pretty brain dead at the time, and thinking there are no cruiser riders on barf. And in fact, I have not seen a single V Star up in the hills (Alice's, etc). And only one Shadow. But I forgot that there are some Harley riders here, so anyway ...

The question (if I remember correctly) was Kenda Kruz vs Metzler ME 880 at approx twice the price. The Kenda's were being recommended on the V Star forum. Santa Clara Cycles seems to only carry the Metz, so maybe I'll order the Kenda's online and have one of the barf recommended installers do it. My rear Bridgestone hardly looks worn, but I wouldn't mind changing it at the same time - it is 8 years old, and given what you said about old tires.

Oh, and I do the local twisties but definitely do not push it on the V Star. A school bus passed me going up 84 last week.
 
If it were my bike, I'd order the Kendas online and have them installed locally, or see if one of the local tire guys can order them and install them for you. Sometimes they'll work with you/match internet pricing for you.
 
Maybe add a blurb about what Alex says about tire shelf life?

I became a believer when I ran my 6 year old tires at a trackday last month.
 
Had my car in the shop today and noticed a m/c performance suspension shop next door and went in to talk about progressive springs. His advice - don't fix it if it ain't broke, and to replace those old hard tires of mine! He said I'd get a suspension boost just from the improved flex of the tires.

edit: if someone could remind me of some of those freelance installers, I'd appreciate it. I'll do a search also. I seem to remember someone that came out to your house.
 
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Maybe add a blurb about what Alex says about tire shelf life?

I became a believer when I ran my 6 year old tires at a trackday last month.

Which bit are you referring to?

Had my car in the shop today and noticed a m/c performance suspension shop next door and went in to talk about progressive springs. His advice - don't fix it if it ain't broke, and to replace those old hard tires of mine! He said I'd get a suspension boost just from the improved flex of the tires.

edit: if someone could remind me of some of those freelance installers, I'd appreciate it. I'll do a search also. I seem to remember someone that came out to your house.

There's mototireguy for sure, I've forgotten the rest of them. (I deal with my own tire changes :) )
 
Excellent write up ! One minor correction, a clarification, and some additional info.

The correction: the "R" in the ZR is not part of the speed rating. The "R" indicates radial construction. Also, Z is the highest speed rating, indicating that the tire can handle a minimum of 149 mph sustained. To find the true speed rating of a Z tire, the manufacturer must be contacted. Sustained is also an important word here. It means that the tire can be safely run until worn out at the speed indicated.

The clarification: Tread width is measured in a straight line (through the tire), from tread edge to tread edge, when mounted on the correct size rim. The aspect ratio is measured from the bead to the top of the tire. Again, when mounted. Basically, you can not physically measure a tire unless you first destroy it by cutting a cross section.

Additional info: The tread width indicated on the tire is a "nominal" size. The three main organizations that regulate tires have slight variations in allowable actual sizes that are labeled with the nominal size, but all have a pretty wide latitude. For example, a "150" can actually be anywhere from 144 mm wide to 158 mm wide. The manufacturer will have the specs on actual width for each of its tires. Something you should check if working a custom application.

The folks that set the standards:
The Tire and Rim Association, Inc.
European Tyre and Rim Technical Organization (ETRTO)
The Japan Automobile Tire Manufacturers Association (JATMA)
 
Does anyone have any updates to this post? I'm currently in the market for tires.
 
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