[DDX]

I have just pulled my 2014 DCT out of storage after a 2 year hiatus. Upon checking air pressure, I realized that the factory OEM Metzeler still has 36psi, same as the day I put the bike into storage. Both tires still have ~5/32 tread left.

My bike is going to hit 21,000 mi pretty soon, and I have no complaints with tire performance/ride quality.

Some sources say old tires can fail without warning, should I replace my tires just for the sake of safety?

 

[SteveDCT]

............................

Some sources say old tires can fail without warning, should I replace my tires just for the sake of safety?

Yes, those sources would be called "people who understand tire aging". All tires have a date code. Look around for 4 digits inside of an oval. That's the mark left when the oval date code plate is switched out of the mold. The first two digits is year, the second two is the week of the year. So 1752 would be the last week of December 2017. I've had tires on trailer fail (not holding air) when they get around 9 - 10 years old. Given the dramatically bigger problem if a motorcycle tire blows out, I wouldn't run any over maybe 8 years so Yes, if those are the original tires to the bike I would replace them.

That set of numbers in the bottom picture is not the date code. Maybe a tire model number. The date code will always be inside of an obvious oval from the replaceable mold plate.

I didn't mark Yes on the poll because I don't know the date of the tires and because if 30 ignorant folks mark No, are you still going to risk your safety for some old tires?

Steve

 

[650mark]

Yes, those sources would be called "people who understand tire aging". All tires have a date code. Look around for 4 digits inside of an oval. That's the mark left when the oval date code plate is switched out of the mold. The first two digits is year, the second two is the week of the year. So 1752 would be the last week of December 2017. I've had tires on trailer fail (not holding air) when they get around 9 - 10 years old. Given the dramatically bigger problem if a motorcycle tire blows out, I wouldn't run any over maybe 8 years so Yes, if those are the original tires to the bike I would replace them.

That set of numbers in the bottom picture is not the date code. Maybe a tire model number. The date code will always be inside of an obvious oval from the replaceable mold plate.

I didn't mark Yes on the poll because I don't know the date of the tires and because if 30 ignorant folks mark No, are you still going to risk your safety for some old tires?

Steve

you've got those numbers reversed. the first 2 are the week, the second 2 are the year. 2012 means the 20th week of 2012. and they are long overdue for replacement. stay safe

 

[SteveDCT]

I stand corrected. My example would be 5217.

However that 2012 is not a date code. The replaceable plate with the codes will always be obvious. Search on "tire date code" and look at the images.

Steve

 

[650mark]

you've got those numbers reversed. the first 2 are the week, the second 2 are the year. 2012 means the 20th week of 2012. and they are long overdue for replacement. stay safe

and yes, normally the DOT date code is within an oval molded into the sidewall of a tire. but sometimes the manufacturer will put that info elsewhere on the sidewall as well, depends in which country the tire was made. look again for the oval to be sure of the correct date. any tire over 6 years old is suspect regardless of how much tread is left. tires "outgas" and start to dry out loosing some of their flexibility and elasticity almost as soon as they are made. i do believe here in the usa it's illegal for a shop to sell a consumer any tire more than 2 or 3 years old. i coud be in error on that but i worked for a local tire company for many years here in phoenix and they gave us that info. anyway, consider buying new tires. btw, when i bought my 2014 ctx700n about 12 months ago it still had the original 2014 tires on it with only 4,000 miles on them. had them replaced the day after riding it home from the dealer.

 

[Jobesmirage]

10 years?

Needs to be replaced. I liked the Michelin Pilot s

 

[Hondafan]

Due to the age of the tires, regardless of the thread, I would replace them at once.

 

[Rkjmg5757]

2014 had 1200 on clock last year spring, now has 7000, changed tires . On inspection told me they could do with a change.

 

[komiller]

Given the potential for a disaster, I always went by the understanding that tires will "age-out" between 5 and 6 years. I am sure there are exceptions but why take the risk. The consequences of a car tire blowout is most likely inconvenience. The consequences of a MC tire blowout could be deadly.

 

[Nela Skul]

I find it hard to believe the tires in the pics above have travelled 21,000 mi. They look barely used. As discussed, the date shown in the second picture is not the official manufacturers date stamp.

Tire discussion threads are only second to oil discussion threads in terms of opinions. So much depends on your climate, the environment (where geographically) and how the bike/tires are stored (environment), and the kind of riding and roads you ride on. It also depends on your risk tolerance.

For me, I bought a bike a few years ago with original 2009 tires that had travelled only 3,000 mi. They looked brand new with no signs of wear or aging. I chose to keep them on and use them. Remember that our Canadian climate is cooler than many places in N.A. and this bike was/is always stored indoors, and not near any electrical equipment (ozone), windows (UV) etc.

Just this Spring when I was doing my pre-season inspection, I noticed some very fine spider-webbing appeared inside the tread groves for the first time. The side walls showed no signs of aging or weather checking and the beads looked fine. I've kept a close eye on these tires this season and just last weekend decided to swap them out after travelling 10,000 miles.

The side walls and inside carcasses were like new still. The tread wear indicators showed they were due for a swap out and the spider webbing progressed from a very fine status to slightly larger but nothing major.

So, I guess I'm the contrarian here and of the opinion that regarding tires, it just depends. BTW - I just changed out my 3/4 ton truck's Michelin LTX M&S tires after only 40,000 mi. It is an occasional driver and not used for work. The truck is parked outside and these tires are exposed to the weather 24/7/365.

The truck's tires were 8 years old (rotated annually with snow tires) yet still had 7/16th tread left. For the most part, they looked great. However, I observed some non-standard weather checking in the sidewalls of all four tires and decided they were not worth the risk to continue driving with even on an occasional, non-loaded basis.

So for me, it's all about risk management, knowing your equipment and staying on top of things like regular inspections, tire maintenance, (pressures, balancing, rotations & alignments etc.) Like I said above, it just depends. To each their own.

DDX, if you have ANY doubt about their road worthiness, change them out and you will at least sleep better.

 

[crazyjackcsa]

There’s so much to go into it. If your bike is stored inside in temperature controlled environments there’s no reason you can’t go 10 years.

depends on riding style too. My wife got 20-thousand miles and 7 years on her oem front tire.


Great video here.

 

[Wickedlycleverfantasy]

Hello,
Well, I can tell you I bought mine with only 293 miles on the clock. It's a 2014 but the dealer said they had to change the tires because they were the original tires and to old to be used and anything over 7 years had to be changed. I figured they would try and charge me but the dealer ate the cost and slapped new rubber so it must true as they never asked for a dime from me. With that said I would not go over 7 years.

 

[Vulcan Mediator]

I stand corrected. My example would be 5217.

However that 2012 is not a date code. The replaceable plate with the codes will always be obvious. Search on "tire date code" and look at the images.

Steve

You beat me to it. I was going to say Steve really needs to replace his tires!