7 years old new tires. Say what?

FWIW: I'm running NOS tires on my hot rod.... from the early 1960's.

Age doesn't mean crap. Condition does.

Patton wrote:

N0NB wrote:

My 650b has a "new" Chen Shing tire....

"Assuming" you know that "Chen Shing" and "Hindu" are the respective Chinese and Indian words for "chicken shit." :lol:

For the record, the tire was on the 650 when I bought it. I had to replace the rear since it was bald and square so it got a Pirelli. The front was just in too good of shape the throw it away.

When I was looking to buy the rear tire a couple of months back, I was planning on buying a Dunlop D404, but the local shop had a sale on the Pirelli Route 66 so I bought it.

Chen Shings find their way onto a lot of motorcycles because of the price. People often don't want to spend the extra few dollars for a "better" tire on a bike they may only ride a few times per month. We enthusiasts tend to look at the situation differently.

Will I actually buy Chen Shing tires when the time comes to replace tires on either bike? I doubt it.

Those tires are only good for storing your bike, not riding.

I will not buy a new tire that is more than 1 year old (by date code).
I will not ride on tires that are more than 2 years old. They do dry out and change characteristics (for the worse) with age.

Believe me, you can tell the difference while riding.

Ditch those tires.

Post edited by: FloridaBiker, at: 2007/08/12 08:39

FloridaBiker wrote:

Those tires are only good for storing your bike, not riding.

I will not buy a new tire that is more than 1 year old (by date code).
I will not ride on tires that are more than 2 years old. They do dry out and change characteristics (for the worse) with age.

Believe me, you can tell the difference while riding.

Ditch those tires.<br><br>Post edited by: FloridaBiker, at: 2007/08/12 08:39

Tell that to all the hotrod guys running REAL vintage rubber on their cars. :whistle:

If tires are stored properly in the right conditions they do NOT dry out with age.

I'd let you give my original 60's bias plys a squeeze to prove the point if it were possible.

N0NB wrote:

Chen Shings find their way onto a lot of motorcycles because of the price. People often don't want to spend the extra few dollars for a "better" tire on a bike they may only ride a few times per month. We enthusiasts tend to look at the situation differently.

Will I actually buy Chen Shing tires when the time comes to replace tires on either bike? I doubt it.

Nate, I agree with your first part, but being an enthusiast doesn't mean you have to have expensive tires.
I ride anywhere from 125-400 miles a week so I am surely an enthusiast. If being an "enthusiast" is more along the lines of sportbike riding then I would buy a different tire than ChengShin, because my comfort factor drops as the speed increases. :laugh: When you start taking your sport to extremes then pay for the technology. Mainly I think my older bike would benefit more from suspension upgrades before I feel I have to drop the big money on tires.
There is nothing wrong with ChengShins on a daily driver ridden normally. The ChengShin made today is better than what they sold on the bike 25-30 years ago.

Everyone here has a valid reason for believing as they do. I say spend the money on a tire that will let you sleep at night, and don't fret about it. But truely dangerous tires that are cracked and hard need to be thrown out.

Post edited by: OKC_Kent, at: 2007/08/12 10:32

caffcruiser wrote:

FloridaBiker wrote:

Those tires are only good for storing your bike, not riding.

I will not buy a new tire that is more than 1 year old (by date code).
I will not ride on tires that are more than 2 years old. They do dry out and change characteristics (for the worse) with age.

Believe me, you can tell the difference while riding.

Ditch those tires.<br><br>Post edited by: FloridaBiker, at: 2007/08/12 08:39

Tell that to all the hotrod guys running REAL vintage rubber on their cars. :whistle:

If tires are stored properly in the right conditions they do NOT dry out with age.

I'd let you give my original 60's bias plys a squeeze to prove the point if it were possible.

I'm glad someone else agrees with me. Tires that are not cracking are perfectly fine to run. I don't care if they are 30 yrs old. Like I said before, my 78 KZ650 and 80 KZ1000 still have original tires and they work just fine. I'm not going roadracing with them, needless to say, but they are not going to suddenly explode, that's for sure. I'll bet no one here has ever had an old tire suddenly go bad and blow out from age. I'll bet no one here even knows of it happening to another rider ever even.

caffcruiser wrote:
Tell that to all the hotrod guys running REAL vintage rubber on their cars. :whistle:

If tires are stored properly in the right conditions they do NOT dry out with age.

If a car relied on tires the way a motorcycle does your argument would quickly fade.

For me it is a traction issue.

As it is I will stay with my methods.

Post edited by: FloridaBiker, at: 2007/08/12 16:13

The point was made by CAFCRUISER. If the tires (or bike)
was stored away from direct sunlight and in a moderate temperature environment (no drastic variations), then why worry? I put 10 year old, but new Avons that I had stored for on a bike that took almost that long for me to restore and get on the road. No all of a sudden weather checking or self destruction. And I DO carve the twisties. If this subject was being discussed sixty years ago, then there would be cause for concern. Modern (even 10 years ago) tire manufacturing and materials make the difference. Just my $.02 cents.
Stephen

I just had fun with a 6 year old camper tire. The tire was inflated to the correct PSI, had NO weather cracks AT ALL, no problems with the tread. I ALWAYS check everything, both on the "outside wall" and the "inside wall" that would be the parts facing out on the tire or inside towards the camper in this case. The tires have UVA and UVB? ray protective covers ( or so the Manf says ) on them at all times when not in use. The camper is kept outside during the Summer months on firm dry pavement. All the tires are sprayed with Armor All or STP's Son of a Gun to help fight weather cracking and to look nice ;^) even if it doesn't really help the weather cracking..
Anyway, 125 miles from home it blew the sidewall out @ 70 mph. When I took the tire into a tire dealer I had all the tire$ replaced just to be safe with the rest of the 3000 mile trip. I asked the tire tech why it blew??? He said "dry rot". Now wait a dang minute! I'm thinking to myself..I had just looked over the whole damn thing for an hour prior to taking in to this shop, and I didn't see a thing.
I said " no way" . He took the tire and said " look IN HERE, INSIDE", and sure enough the tires sidewall had small bubbles. He said that tires can dry rot from the inside too:blink: :S :dry: :huh: !! He said tires that sit outside and aren't used much do this. We only use the camper a couple a months a year, so it sort of makes sense to me...
He might have been feeding me a line of pure BS :dry:
But I had already had all the tire$ replaced, so why BS me now???
I have used 25 year old tires before and never worried. Now I wonder...:dry:
I'm not saying to replace but .... what is peace of mind or your life worth??
Pat

Post edited by: patmann, at: 2007/08/22 10:33

Seems like the general public does not worry as much as some of us do. Look at next 10 motorcycles or so you see parked and see what condition the tires are in. Chances are 6 or more will have a bald rear tire. I'm not talking just worn out, I'm talking "WORN OUT" as in no tread, and hasn't had any for 5000 miles or more. Doesn't matter if it's a Harley, an old KZ or a new 200mph junkpile, no-one seems to get really exited about changing tires when they are worn out. I figure i'm a little bit on the cheap side, not replacing stuff until necessary, but my gosh!

Ok, do some research guys.
* Ford & Chrysler say 6 years max.
* Dunlop warranties their tires for four years from the build date
* Michelin states a shelf life of 5 years if the tires are kept in a controlled environment
* The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is studying the problem. They already say it is undeniable that rubber tires go downhill, even if they are not being used.
“We know tires age, both in use as well as sitting on the shelf. We are concerned about it,” said Joseph Kanianthra, with the NHTSA.

Every site I visit reinforces my conservative view on using older tires.
It's your butt out there. If you want the increased risk,that is your choice.

sorry, duplicate post

Post edited by: FloridaBiker, at: 2007/08/22 06:57