I have a 2017 Ultra Limited just coming up on 13K miles. I have read several post on tires and they go all over the map as far as when to replace tires. I have a friend that took his bike to a Harley dealer for a 10K service and they recommended replacing the tires . His tires looked good and showed little sign of ware? Any suggestions?

 

run them until they are worn out. now if they are damaged do replace them asap.

 

There are "wear bars" on almost every tire.... when the tread gets down even with the wear bars, or when the tire date code reaches 7 years old regardless of treadwear, replace the tire.....

There are many variables to tread wear... Riding style, road conditions, tire type/manufacture, bike & passenger weights, etc.... It's almost impossible to estimate tire wear or compare tire wear between different riders, bikes, locations....

I know what wears best for me and my riding style and use that tire.... American Elite tires do the best on my touring bikes.. my "around town" softail does well on the OEM Dunlops....

 

I go by the wear bars, assuming no other damage to the tires. I've been getting about 18K on the first two sets.

I've heard of people needing to replace tires much sooner, and some a bit later.

Doesn't surprise me that your buddy's HD dealer recommended a tire replacement- would expect that work to run up to $1000.

 

Years ago my rear tire was just above the wear bar and we had a 3 day weekend trip coming up. We road to Cody on a Friday, ran around Yellowstone for a day then home on Sunday. My rear tire was showing cord when we got home. It was a 1,000 mile trip.
This spring my rear was just above the wear bar and 750 miles later the tire was nearly bald. The last bit of rubber seems to go very fast. YMMV

 

I bought these and replaced my rear when it was at 2-3/32. That was a few weeks ago and right at 13K miles on a 19 SG. Last thing I want to is to push a tire too far and risk getting stranded or worse a serious injury. I also replaced the wheel bearings as cheap insurance as I was experiencing what sounded like a grinding noise. Cheap peace of mind to know I have a fresh rear tire for this season and a 2k mile trip planned for next month.

 

Too many variables to say with any accuracy how long tires will last. Loading, speed, temperature, riding style, tread compound and tire pressure maintenance (or lack of) are all factors affecting tire life.

Your buddy's tires may have had tread remaining but were cupped or worn flat from lots of straight-line riding. On the other hand the dealer may have been trying to upsell a service that wasn't really needed. Wouldn't be the first time.

 

General recommendations for replacing a tire:
- think about it if the DOT code is 5 yrs old.
- replace if DOT code is over 6 yrs old
- replace if tread depth is 2/32 or less
- replace if any side wall cracking or checking
- replace if any major cuts
- replace if sidewall punctured

 

I was taking night classes for college....there was a young guy in there who rode a ricer. He found out I rode and often "gave me advice" about motorcycles. He bragged about the last rear tire on his bike. He was totally serious. He was amazed on how the tire had the normal tread pattern, but then turned into a racing slick, and then it seemed to grow new tread. I mean this kid was serious, amazed, and stupid. He told me how he rode that at high speeds, wheelied, and rode it until it failed. I could only shake my head and walk away.

 

There was some recent threads here where the forum members had the cords showing on the rear tire. That I would not recommend. I agree the wear bars are a good indicator.