[Leonard0222]

It's only on the front tire. I don't know how old the tires are, bought the bike used a year and a half ago.

2015 Triumph Speed Triple

Thanks everyone!

Leo

 

[mike721]

I would not ride that further than onto the lift in my shop to change it.

You can check the age of the tire by the date code on the sidewall.
Here is how to read it.

https://www.tirerack.com/upgrade-garage/how-do-i-determine-the-age-of-my-tires

 

[Traveller11]

IMO, not terrible but they do show that the tire is older and getting hard. If you get cracks in the sidewall it would be worse. Start looking for a new tire.

 

[oldenslow]

Not a good sign. Put it this way -- if your arteries are in equivalent condition, you don't want to strain yourself...

 

[Leonard0222]

I would not ride that further than onto the lift in my shop to change it.

You can check the age of the tire by the date code on the sidewall.
Here is how to read it.

https://www.tirerack.com/upgrade-garage/how-do-i-determine-the-age-of-my-tires

Thanks buddy. Looks like 2017. So due for a change anyway.

 

[RacingJake]

I bet you notice a change with new rubber. I just put new tires on my B King and it is on rails now !

 

[Wolfetone]

It's only on the front tire. I don't know how old the tires are, bought the bike used a year and a half ago.

2015 Triumph Speed Triple

Thanks everyone!

Leo View attachment 79075

Those marks are created by heat and cornering. There is a small thread down the centre of the tread which would indicate time for new.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Those tires are trash! Put new rubber on your bike if you value your life at all.

 

[Doktor]

Thanks buddy. Looks like 2017. So due for a change anyway.

IMO any motorcycle tyre over three years old should be replaced, regardless of mileage. That one in the pic looks old, dried out and hard, even though it has plenty of tread. As others have said: time for a new one.

 

[although]

I wouldn't use it for competitive road racing. But, I would keep riding it otherwise.

 

[Visualizer]

Wouldn't use it all .

 

[DannoXYZ]

All tyre manufacturers state tyre-life is good for 10-yrs.

The truth about tire age - RevZilla

How old is too old for motorcycle tires, and do they really expire after five years? We discuss tire aging and even test some old tires to see what really happens as tires age.

www.revzilla.com

"And yet, when I tried to substantiate the five-year rule of thumb, I couldn’t find any evidence for it outside the rider forums and word of mouth. Avon is the closest with a recommendation of seven years, but Bridgestone, Michelin, Dunlop, Continental and others actually list 10 years as the allowable service life for a properly maintained set of tires, which I have to admit, was a shock. I mean, a decade? Really!?"

 

[Doktor]

@DannoXYZ Misleading comment. The article states that the SHELF LIFE of a tyre can be up to 10 years, however it also goes on to say that once installed, a number of factors come into play that can age and harden the rubber relatively quickly. (Quite obvious that you didn't actually read the article before posting it).

 

[Curmudgeon]

@DannoXYZ Misleading comment. The article states that the SHELF LIFE of a tyre can be up to 10 years, however it also goes on to say that once installed, a number of factors come into play that can age and harden the rubber relatively quickly.

Plain and simple, those tires are checked. That can mean only one thing, the magic stuff that keeps them soft and safe has began to evaporate out of them. No bueno!
Hard as rocks and the first time they are pushed even slightly they'll act like they're on ice. Ask me how I know.

 

[Doktor]

Plain and simple, those tires are checked. That can mean only one thing, the magic stuff that keeps them soft and safe has began to evaporate out of them. No bueno!
Hard as rocks and the first time they are pushed even slightly they'll act like they're on ice. Ask me how I know.

You're preaching to the converted, mate. I want to see Dan post pics of fitting up used 10 year old tyres on his 'race' bikes ... Will it happen? ......Nope.

 

[Steve Neul]

I think it depends on if the tires are bias or radial. If they are bias tires I would drive on them but radial tires are made to self destruct.

 

[DannoXYZ]

UPDATE: with proper date-code

As mentioned, condition matters more than age. So you cannot use age as indicator of functionality or safety. Saying 3-yrs is stupid because tyre may actually be unsafe. While 10-yr old tyre may be perfectly OK.

Here's tyre that came on my 2008 Ninja 250 commuter I bought in 2018. It was already 11-years old 9-years old at that time. As you can see, tyre is in good condition with original moulding hairs and no cracks. I used it for 4 more years and put 15K-miles more on them before wearing them down to cords @ 15yrs old 13yrs old. Even did couple of trackdays on them when track-bike was not available.

[ rear tyre using wrong code for date ]

[ front tyre with proper date code ]

 

[Traveller11]

As mentioned, condition matters more than age. So you cannot use age as indicator of functionality or safety. Saying 3-yrs is stupid because tyre may actually be unsafe. While 10-yr old tyre may be perfectly OK.

Here's tyre that came on my 2008 Ninja 250 commuter I bought in 2018. It was already 9-years old at that time. As you can see, tyre is in good condition with original moulding hairs and no cracks. I used it for 4 more years and put 15K-miles more on them before wearing them down to cords. Even did couple of trackdays on them when track-bike was not available.

True. There are several things that have to be considered, not just age. For instance if the bike is garage kept vs outside, or the weather conditions in the area, riding style, and even the quality of tire.

 

[DannoXYZ]

Here's set of tyres that's taken to limits on track. I buy lots of take-offs from MotoAm racers @ Sears Point Sonoma. Stocked up because I was moving away. Here's last set of Alpha-13 tyres I spooned on last year. It was already 6-yrs old at time:

Again, I don't care about age, but inspect them carefully for cracks. None that I could find, so I gradually took them to limit. By 3rd session, I had found that limit and started to go over ever so slightly and overcooked them a little bit. Little balls on edges are created by tyre sliding and scrubbing off top-layer, which collects on edge where there's no longer contact.

Grip was amazing! Was able to lean all way to edges and slide them around. No problems with grip. This is about 3-4x faster than I would ever go on streets.

Again, condition of tyre is ultimate test indicator. It encompasses entire past history of tyre: previous use, proper inflations and cleaning, storage and temperature control. Age is irrelevant.

Modern silica-based tyres (starting around early-'90s) are simply amazing compared to their carbon-black predecessors. The additional poly-vinyl cross-linking of silica compounds makes them much more resistant to heat-cycling and UV/ozone damage. Even performance tyres like Supercorsa TD or Metzeler TD have more grip than outright racing slicks from couple decades ago. And they don't require warmers and don't degrade with each heat-cycle either.

 

[DannoXYZ]

Here's set of brand-new Dunlop K205 tyres that came with VFR700 that I was given. Still has moulding hairs and even colour stripes showing ZERO miles!!

Date code shows 2001!!! That's 22-yrs old!!

I took bike out for warm-up/shake-down ride to see how everything works. Not bad for sitting +20yrs in hangar! I was able to take it to safe limit by grinding pegs and scratching exhaust pipes on both sides with no grip issues. Will need fork-rebuild with new seals, springs and oil along with an adjustable-shock upgrade (to raise rear-end) before I take it to track and really work it!

Again, age is not useful indicator of anything; many 2-yr old tyres are unsafe. Taking into account tyre's condition given its past usage (none) and storage in hangar with no sun/UV exposure, I concluded tyres were OK to use. Test ride confirmed that and I anticipate no issues at double speeds I used on streets.