Tread depth vs. age of tire

LimitedEdition

New member
Would you replace a set of tires if they are 2+ years old, even if the tires look like they are healthy and still have ok tread?

A bike I'm interested in purchasing has a set of tires that are 2-4 years old, may even be the original Battleax's. Would like to put on a set of Pilot Powers but not if these are ok for at least this season.
 

Umyaya

New member
Tires should be fine but the stock bridgestones are crap so I would switch them even if the tires were brand new. I see a lot of the cruiser guys here take their bikes out a few times a year, take it out just for Sturgis, or just cruise on weekends... I'm sure their tires last them a lifetime..
 
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Blackfin

New member
Would you replace a set of tires if they are 2+ years old, even if the tires look like they are healthy and still have ok tread?

A bike I'm interested in purchasing has a set of tires that are 2-4 years old, may even be the original Battleax's. Would like to put on a set of Pilot Powers but not if these are ok for at least this season.

You can get the exact age of the tire off the sidewall. Look for a 4-digit code on the sidewall that reads "xxyy" where 'xx' is the week of the year and 'yy' is the year of manufacture. So "1910" would be the 19th week of 2010.

I've read a few thoughts on tire age limit for motorcycles and have sort of settled on about 5 years. Mine -- original Battleaxes AFAIK -- have decent tread depth but have date codes similar to the example I gave above; I'll be changing them out soon.

A tire that's 2-4 years old would, for me, need to have something else wrong with them to warrant replacement. If they're otherwise in good shape and hold air, I'd wager they're likely fine for another season.
 
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