Thanks.
In my Granddaddy's earlier days, many people bought illegal liquors that were made with poor standards, and often run thru car radiators. Sometimes people were poisoned and even died from drinking the stuff! And, some folks rode around on old cheap tires and recaps that were known as "May Pops" that would explode like a shotgun and put you in a ditch or even another car!
We may interpret His advice a little differently today, but it still holds true!

 

Till the wear bars are almost gone.

 

I have a friend, and in Enterprise, OR (Hells Canyon), after serveral days of hard riding, someone noticed that his rear tire had cords exposed.

Now imagine yourself in Enterprise, OR late on a Saturday afternoon and one of the other riders says to you, do you know you have your tire cords exposed. Do you feel lucky? Well he was and damn it if he did not find the only motorcycle mechanic in town who had one tire to fit. Sure it was Monday before he could ride, and it was an older tire, but it was sure better than throwing cords around Rattlesnake grade.

In Dirty Harry Language, "You have to ask yourself, do I have 6 miles left or only 5. Well to tell you the truth in all this hard riding, I kinda lost track myself, But this being a 103 Harley, the most powerful torque in the world and would blow your metric clean off, you've gotta ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky?, Well, do you, punk?" (If an effort for complete transparency, he was the only one of us riding an Beemer, but Dirty Harry just did not sound so cool saying "airhead".)

 

What bars?

 

Wear bars.

 

I change mine every year before my cross country trip whether I need to or not.
I start with new tires, just don't want to deal with tires on a trip.
HD service writer once said the guy's fight over my tires.
If there was half tread life maybe I will keep the tire...

 

I've run em down to the cord. This is a 200mm tire on a wide rim with a FatBaggers rear end kit.

]

I've done this twice. Forgot I had this second picture.

 

This is what running them down to the wear bars looks like. It's not some OMG they look like slicks deal or too dangerous to ride thing.

 

Sometimes? Too far.

 

I usually run mine pretty far, here is a rear Dunlop AE with 18k, the front only has 6/32nds brand new so using a car tread depth gauge with the caution at 6/32nds is not even close to being in the ballpark