How old is to old for a tire

The tires on my 900 are 15years old with about 2000 miles on them No cracks checking or anything just been sitting on the side stand moved on occation One is a Metzler and one a Continetal

they'll be fine for a while....get some new ones as soon as you can...but you could go 125 once a day on em...no problem...check the psi and set it right and they will last a good whil if needed....for 200 they'll send a set of avon roadriders right to your doorstep....mounte em your self and you 'll be good to go....

Yeah fastest I be going is maybe 60 for about 8 miles
This thing is costing a small fortune to get going again thats why I chose MONEYPIT

No problem at all..unless you consider bursting into flames and dancing along the asphalt while you leave big red streaks of flesh behind you...other than that they should be fine...imho

According to a major tire manufacturer, a tire should not be mounted if it is more than 7 years old and disposed of once it is older than 10 years.

If you have to ask, replace the tires.

PS. Bikes are EXPENSIVE to own and maintain properly.

It depends if they were exposed to air and light or kept in a dark area. Tires that are sealed in plastic last forever, open to air and sunlight they rot pretty fast. Usually, the sidewalls get dry rot when they have been around too long. Personally, I would not risk my butt on 15 year old tires.

otakar wrote:

According to a major tire manufacturer, a tire should not be mounted if it is more than 7 years old and disposed of once it is older than 10 years.

I believe the seven year benchmark is for "new" (unused) tires that have been on the shelf. If tires are on a vehicle and out in the light and air, I think they go bad faster.

I agree with bountyhunter. Old tires like that are too dry. They may look OK, but they will not stick when you want them to. Like in an emergency avoidance or braking situation. As noted above these old bikes are not all that cheap to keep in good riding condition. Is your life worth a couple of hundred bucks? Or maybe worse, do you have good disability insurance?

Three years. I saw a big documentary about it, turns out a tire that looks brand new can be crap after as little as three years and if not mounted by then should be disposed of.

All these tire horror stories. Everyones mileage may vary, but to me it seems "old tires" have really only been a problem in recent years. Have you ever noticed that now a days everything is dangerous? Hot coffee may burn you--Hello, coffee is hot iddiot. Coffee wasn't hot 20 years ago I suppose? Same with tires. An old tire will not grip like a modern roadrace slick is a given. It's not going to grip like a new tire in the same tire even, but is a 15 yr old tire on a streetbike dangerous? I'll jump out and say if the tread is not cracked it is in no way dangerous to use. Like I say do what you want, read other bogus stories of 3 yr old deathtrap tires blowing out and killing innocent "victims". Yes running 75mph on the interstate on a flat tire it will heat up and blow out regardless of age. Maybe a flat 15yr old tire will blow way before a flat new tire too, I'll agree with that. Keep an eye on pressure and look for cracks and if they are not there a 15 yr old tire will work just fine.

I do beieve I know why "old new tires" have become a problem of late: I remember back in the 60's when my dad ran a service station, new tires arrived with a spiral wrap of white plastic on them. I remember it had to be cut off to use the tire. That kept them fresh on the shelf. Now you have knotheads not rotating inventory on unwrapped tires sitting open in a warehouse that's 20 degrees in the winter and 100 degrees in the summer..... and amazingly, the rubber in the tires deteriorates after four or five years.

Who could have seen that coming?

A brain dead moron probably.....:laugh: