Older Tires

Discussion in 'General VFR Discussions' started by ga4boats917, Aug 26, 2019.

  1. ga4boats917

    ga4boats917 New Member

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    My 1995 VFR has tires with mid 2010 date codes. I have had the bike a few years and not put too many miles on it and the previous owner was basically in the same boat. I am not sure if he put the tires on it or the person who owned the bike before him. Nevertheless, the tread seems OK. They are budget tires - stock sized ContiMotions. There is a recent thread where one of the members here bought I think a Gen 5 and it came with older tires that had never been mounted. The responses were mixed and ultimately, I think they got a deal on some better tires.
    Any thoughts on mine - should I replace or ride them a little longer? I could get a deal right now on the exact same tire from Competition Accessories for about $200 front and back or step up for something better. Thanks for any advice.
     
  2. dbuzz77

    dbuzz77 New Member

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    what you choose for new tires is up to you but 10 year old tires are debatable. my friend took off a good tire (we thought) and when he put it in the floor unmounted and stepped on the sidewall the cracks appeared. many cracks. so it's up to you
     
  3. ga4boats917

    ga4boats917 New Member

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    That is my concern - I do not want to risk having an accident by being penny-wise and a pound foolish. I am not skilled enough to ride the bike anywhere near its limits. However, on occasion, I do like to ride fast on curvy roads (straight-line top end acceleration is not my thing). I recently bought an older FXR Harley, which is one of their better handling bikes (an oxymoron perhaps, but the FXR's can corner and do not tend to drag parts if they are not lowered). That bike had a really old rear tire and I could feel instant unsettling traction loss when accelerating into a left or right turn on a city street. A new tire solved the problem. I have not noticed a similar feeling with the VFR, but the experience with the Harley made me reconsider not making any changes to my tires.
     
  4. Spriggan

    Spriggan New Member

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    You'll kick yourself if you dont hurt your legs first! New tire.
     
  5. JIMLARCH

    JIMLARCH New Member

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    I responded to the thread you mentioned. They were 5 year old tires stored properly. No problem for him to use. Yours are nearly 10 years old, stuck out in all types of weathers and road conditions. I’d buy new ones. I personally would not be happy riding your bike vigourously with those tires.
     
  6. skimad4x4

    skimad4x4 "Official" VFRWorld Greeter

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    I assume you have read the tyre(tire) manufacturers advice about tyre life - if not it is here..

    https://www.continental-tires.com/motorcycle/more-than-tires/faq

    The key point is even a perfectly stored and unmounted tyre should not be fitted to a motorbike after 5 years.

    This is basically because the material they are made from continues to slowly degrade and mounting a tyre puts a lot of stretching and stress on the carcass and it is important the internal bonds between rubber layers and reinforcing bands/cords are not broken.

    The problem is that degradation is largely due to a chemical process going on inside the tyre, so you won't see the affect of that degradation immediately and that degradation is accelerated if the bike is parked in sunlight or ridden on rough/poor roads. Even for a mounted tyre they also recommend a 10 year maximum tyre life.

    Importantly in some countries you may find your insurance becomes invalid if the tyre is older than the manufacturer recommends. I have no idea whether similar rules apply in your part of the USA, but it may be worth checking the small print in your insurance documents.

    To sum up - for your own safety you should assume your current tyres have less than a year life left in them, and probably are worth replacing now - especially if you plan on riding enthusiastically.

    If funds are really tight, then you may have no option but to use them for now, but with tyres that old you really should be carefully checking their pressure and condition before every ride. The last thing you want is the tyre to start to delaminate (break up) whilst you are riding at speed. If you see obvious cracking, splits, bulges, or any other sign the tyre is not right, then don't ignore the warning signs - replace those tyres asap ideally before you end up in hospital.

    Take care - ATGATT


    SkiMad
     
  7. ga4boats917

    ga4boats917 New Member

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    Thank you all for the valued advice! I will get some new tires right away. As stated in my original post, I can get another set of the ContiMotions for a good price. Any other mid-priced decent handling tire suggestions? This bike does not get ridden a ton of miles per year, so I am not looking for something that can log extensive miles before having to be replaced. I don't ride in the rain unless I am out and it unexpectedly starts to rain, so a moderately priced decent dry handling tire is what I will be looking for.
     
  8. dbuzz77

    dbuzz77 New Member

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    I like my shinkos on 2 different bikes
     
  9. mikem317

    mikem317 New Member

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    I have a coworker that has tires with year/week codes from 2000. In 2019. No joke. He doesn't put a lot of miles on it. Probably rides into work about 4 or 5 times a year at best.

    Way too much risk for me but I guess you ride your own ride.
     
  10. skimad4x4

    skimad4x4 "Official" VFRWorld Greeter

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    I tried Conti-motions for about 14 months as the local tyre dealer had them on stupidly low clearance price. Unfortunately the feel and cornering confidence of the Contis was nowhere near as good as the Battlax 21s I had previously and the centre wore out way too quickly..

    Since then I moved on to run Bridgestone T30 evos at almost twice the price (for the standard version - not the Heavy weight bike version) and find them excellent and despite having covered 11,000km they still have ample tread despite several enthusiastic laps around the Isle of Man TT course in monsoon conditions. The rear tyre only on the T30 evos has a hardwearing central core - so can handle massive motorway trips without squaring off and very sticky rubber sides, which once warm give confidence cornering in heavy rain and indeed kept the bike upright during a brief snowstorm here in the Alps!
     
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  11. mikem317

    mikem317 New Member

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    I have the T30 Evo regulars both front and back and they're great. I bought two pair. Both have about 6,000 miles on them and they're not showing any significant wear. The rear might be starting to square but it's very faint.
     
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