Old Tires

Locozuna wrote:

Well Triangle you were right about ONE thing. Most here disagree with your thoughts on tires. While that does not always guarantee wisdom on one side or the other it does touch on a thing called common sense and more often than not common sense wins the day and at the very least raises the chances you will be able to be making good or bad judgments tomorrow also. Personally I find your view and advice on this subject as dangerous and hope someone out there does not take your thoughts to heart and runs an old hard or worn out tire. I would be very sad to learn it cost them their life or limb. A good friend used to say "It took me a while to learn that nobody's balls are big enough to stop the casket from closing...I wish Roy had learned that.". When you have so much invested (life)in anything it is wise to make critical decisions that raise your chances of not meeting with catastrophe. Anything less is stupidity.

Unfortunately I did not get to read TL's post, but I would really be disappointed if only the most conservative views got any traction here. IIRC this thread started about some nine year old tires. I've got plenty of nine year old tires on some of my bikes and as far as I'm concerned they're fine.
Tire compounds come in a whole spectrum of stickiness's. My Mean Streak as 4000 miles on it and the very sticky stock Dunlops are really showing their wear, they'll probably start growling in the turns pretty soon. When I replace them I'll most likely mount up a set of Elite III's, if they make them for 17" wheels.

I know I'll be choosing a tire with less stick and I can live with the choice.

Bill

my response was edited by "me" becuase of the intensity of my statement.....it was entered late at night before turning in and in the light of morning seemed at least a "tad" fervent....
I also felt almost all of the folks were stating the obvious and ignoring some important motorcycling trueths...."replace anything that poses any increase in danger on a bike right away"......it is hard to form an argument with that line of thinking ....saftey first is upmost in our chosen sport/hobby!!!!!.......
All i am saying now is,saftey first can also mean to ride safely by knowing the limits of any tire that may be on any bike at any time....simply chubbing up cash for a new tire will not teach this skill and often can cheat a guy of the very lessons we remember.... from getting in to hot on a piece of equipment that was sub- standard or needed adjusting.....i have some old tires and they are not coming off till they are worn thru and thru they ride fine and they are used hard and fast...but that is just me.... someone who has'nt done so.... may beifit to try and ride inside the envelope of their current equipment and find it's limits/limitations/behaviors...it is not only fun but very informative....cracked tires are one thing/trash....but a tire that can still be used is just that...it can still be used...by riding around the block once and feeling the said tire with a bare palm ...a lot of knowledge can be uploaded to the riding
minds eye......no war here ...just another perspective...gained from mine and my co-riders experiences...peace guys and have a great day

i'm going to cut and install crown molding all day...woopie i'm working!!!!...no was that a 45 degree left or right????lemme see the wall is this way.......wait upside down....yadda yadda yadda.....peace

"you could drive those untill they are bald and not have a problem...this i know...."
This was one of the opening statements in this thread and the main reason for my conservatism. If you agree with this statement or disagree with the theory that tires dry with age and do not always show their problems I still disagree. Hard old tires slip easier on sand or wet pavement. I realize some of the older or more experienced riders may be more able to handle situations that may come up or some may think they can.
I also still think advising some of these fresh riders that they will be just fine on this rubber is not the right thing to do. New riders come in two groups as far as I'm concerned. Those who respect their bikes power and it's ability to put the needle on the rise very quickly and carve into corners. Then there are the new riders that have no clue how fast and complete their new toy can destroy them. Bad advice for them is the last thing they should hear.(And lets face it no one wants to hear they should spend mo' money). Bottom line is know both sides of the opinion, decide for yourself. Whichever way you decide just be careful out there.
Also..... this old liberal got a chuckle thinking a little conservatism inadvertently squeezed out o' his pie hole! :laugh:

It's all been said pretty much, but my thoughts have always been if they are not cracked they are fine for me. I really don't care if they are 1 yr old or 30. I've been riding right at 40 yrs now and still alive so must be ok for my type riding at least.
I was just talking this exact subject last week to a friend of mine who's close to 70yrs old who spent his whole life riding motorcycles and worked 40 plus yrs at different motorcycle shops. I figured he's seen it all so I said, "I keep reading on the internet how dangerous old tires are, everyone acts like you're going to die running 3 yr old tires, I don't care how old they are if they are not cracked". His response was "I don't care either, and even if they are cracked a little I'll still ride".
Another thing to consider, many guys buy the cheapest tires they can get their hands on. A 20yr old Dunlop 591 is still a stickier tire and better in the wet that a brand new D404. So you really can't say a 9 yr old Continental is dangerous, it's still way better than a brand new D404.

I really like D404 Dunlops. I would use nothing else on my heavier KZs.

saxjonz wrote:
Dunlops are garbage IMHO. Everyone I know has them spins their tires. Get better than that if you are going to do it. I know Metzler lazers are one of the best wet water tires many people have sworn by. Avons are really good, Pilots are as well. Even my battle axes are better than the dunlops I had on.
They make their tires with a harder compound and I think they go hard faster. All I know is if you like smoking the rear tires dunlops are nice for that. For a few dollars more you will be satisfied with your choice.[/quote]

Sax, I just bought a set of Dunlops for my bike, mainly because they were the only ones I could find at the time. But they're a lot stickier than the cheapo Chingchangs I had on there before. The back cheapo wore out after only a thousand miles, and would burn at the slightest twist.
The first time I goosed the new Dunlops I was lookin at the sky and bitin vinyl. And there are these certain curves I like to go around fairly quickly and I know every ripple in them. On the old cheapos in a deep lean, it was easy to find that spot where they feel a little slippy like I'm about to lose it. I haven't found that spot yet on these Dunlops, but I seem to be able to lean in a little harder with them.
Now you got me wanting to try some really sticky Venoms or something.

I ran dunlops for years on my bikes and didn't have any problems but with the ones I had on my bike just before I met up with you guys the rubbers looked new. Man when I would down the road and hit it like I did with you guys at 30 I would get all fishtailed and spin the tires like I had a serious motor in the bike. You remember when we went around that corner and I hit it hard and instead of spinning the front wheel was reaching for the clouds in that turn? It's because I was used to riding and power sliding around the corners. The expression you guys got is the same feeling I got :huh:. I was like woh these tires are grabbing good.
I think Mike has the same tires and maybe Don and ??? the police bike. Remember how they slid around taking off and he almost slid into that crazy knuckle head driver? It's because the tires were hard. So fresh tires are more important than the brand for starters as even the best tires are no good if the rubber is hard. And when you buy tires from a warehouse at discounted prices often times that is the case. Tires have been sitting around forever. No doubt those tires are better than chen shing garbage tires. Sorry guys if you like those tires. They may be great for the track but I would rather spend more and get better quality.
Yianni was telling me that the dunlop tire compound is sorta hard to begin with and then it gets harder from there reasonably fast. The way I ride the rear tire never lasts much longer than 10k miles if that so perhaps is why I never noticed this problem before as I ride over 10k in a season. But with the last set of tires on my bike that still had the nubs on them they looked like new they had no dry rot and man I can honestly say that because of those tires I could have been in seriously trouble on a few occasions especially had I panicked I would have dropped the bike.
I enjoy riding and taking corners as fast as the bike can handle. I throw the bike around into corners as if it were a plastic bike. These kids on their plastic bikes think they can handle the corners fast until they see me ride past them like they envisioned doing to me. So yeah, I want some good tires that I know I am not going to lose traction at a crucial moment in time. If you ride casual then I guess it doesn't matter too much as long as you can stop which you need tires in good condition for sure.

The interesting thing about tires is that everyone who owns a bike owns a set of tires and that makes them an expert. If truth were known, every company makes quite a few types of tires and each type has a different compound because it is intended for a different purpose. When you generalize and say Dunlops do this or Metzlers do that, it shows that you haven't tried various types of tires from one of these manufacturers and you perhaps base your comments on experience with a single type tire... for instance the guy who mentioned the Cheng Shin tire. He didnt' mention the TYPE of tire... a Barracuda V compound tire grips pretty well but I got LESS THAN 1000 miles out of a rear. Their Hi-Max tire which is more a touring tire, is harder and doesn't grip as well but lasts a whole lot longer.... 7-8K miles for a rear is reasonable. I have purchased hundreds of bike tires over the years and there IS a difference from one type tire to the next based on the quality of the tire but also based on its intended function. My Goldwing has D207 Dunlop radials and they handle GREAT and seem to be holding up well (only 8K miles on them). Does this mean a Dunlop 404 will work the same? NOPE...

If you ride like your old KZ is a sportbike, use sportbike type tires. If tour/commute on your KZ, use touring/commuting tires.

No doubt that touring tires are GENERALY harder than sport tires. Thus they wear like iron. Sport tires are softer and stickyier and wear faster as the compound is softer. Most people riding touring machines are looking for longevity and give up some stickyness to get it since they are not looking to scrape the hangy things. But that is not to say they cannot improve their stopping power or wet handling power by riding a stickey. Some might just opt for those characteristics over the longevity. Same as a sport rider might opt for a harder tire and reason he is less a canyon racer but enjoys the styling or ergonomics of the bike. I certainly agree it's not wise just to label a brand as one or the other. Heck, I have a bad taste in my mouth for Dunlops but I'm not about to tell you all Dunlops are bad. Models are another thing altogether. I do think stickyness (softness) does improve safety by just those characteristics. I have heard that some soft tires produce a wallowing effect on heavier machines I can't say one way or the other on that (but to me that would seem a sidewall issue). Point is you know how you ride, what you ride and what you want. But running a tire down to where it's a slick or riding a chequed tire is something I would never do and I would never pinch an over largely sized tire onto a rim.

grumpy56 wrote:

Morning. I have Continental Tour tires on the front and rear of my KZ. By the date codes, they were made in 2000. Lots of tread left and no obvious cracks or splits. Do you all think I can continue to use them or should I get a new set pronto? Thanks.

I would change the old tires. I have had front and rear blow outs and it isnt fun. I had a front blow out on an H2 750 with my 200 lb buddy on the back with me at 60 mph. Why risk it? But before I changed them I would leave the remaining tread on the pavement in the form of a nice burn out. You might want to film it and post it....Russ

Locozuna has it! YEAH... If you have a heavier bike and are interested in how a tire will do, check its load rating. The Dunlop 404, among others, has a high load rating. The Avon Venom X has a higher load rating. I really have no great preference in touring tires as I have tried them all but tend to stay away from Metzler 880s. I have had the tread separate on on rear 880 and had a hunk fly off on another. May have been poor luck but I was riding 2-up on a Nomad on the Talamina Parkway going from Okie to Arky and if you have been on that road, there ain't much traffic, no cell phone towers and it is very remote. I had RIDE-ON in my tires to prevent flats and that goop was the only thing that got us into Mena. I had to put a Pirelli RT66 rear tire as that was the only one Mena had in a 150/80-16... that Pirelli was perhaps the worst handling tire I have ever used but it sure looked good in Mena Arky. Those things are square like a car tire and you could really feel rolling up on the sidewall.

Russ Jackson wrote: "I have had front and rear blow outs and it isnt fun."

Just curious; did the tires fail, was it a problem with the tubes, or was it a puncture? Do you recall the tire brand?

Ed