I can't get over 6,000 on my rear tire and I don't spin it, no 2 up either.

 

Dunlops get me the best milage of any.averag on the rear 10,ooo

 

stick a penny into the tread... if you see all of Lincoln's head... replace it... OR??? ride until the inner cord is showing....mostly a question of miles YOU ride, and condition of roads YOU ride on.
a heavy touring bike, will eat tires faster than a light cruiser, hard riding, rough pavement will accelerate the wear.
I get about 8k with the OEM, and Metzlers.. I've gotten 10k so far with this E-3. A guy on the RG forum turned me onto Conti Milestones... when this E-3 goes, I'll give them a try
can't help you with whitewalls.. that's just something else to clean, and I'd rather ride than clean

 

I've been reading about auto tires now having a manufacturing date code on them, so you can tell how old they are when installed. Does anyone know if bike tires have similar codes?

 

Yes they do. Check it out, post #2, New Rear Tire Birthday.

 

That is true and will cost me some money next spring. My front tire is original, making it 6 or 7 years old (I have to double check the code). The back tire will be 5 years old. They both look great but as I understand it, they may be worn out just due to time, even without sidewall checking. The last thing I want is a blowout on the freeway, fully loaded with the wife and dog.

spiz

 

unless you've got a long road trip coming up and don't want to deal with changing tires on the road, wait until its needed.

one thing i've noticed, my first oem rear tire was needing replacement at 10,000. i had the ids installed at the same time, i'm now at 25,000 and the rear tire still has 5/32 left on it. coincidence? i haven't changed my riding style any so couldn't tell you what else could have helped. same oem dunlop.

i'll probably give the michilen commanders a try next time i need tires.

 

Nice going skratch. In case you might have missed it, lately 'ol jc here has posted about a few different mods, like a reverse gear, cam and tranny work, adding gauges and swapping out tires. Now you come along and innocently mention IDS. I kinda get the impression that jc has deep pockets or is just intensely bored. Now you might have him diggin' deeper. So begins a looooong winter.

 

IMO you will be suprised how fast the next 1000-2000 miles wears out.... Do it now unless you are next door...

 

who, me? but he's got an 08 with the ids already built in... i was just noticing that my tire life has greatly extended with the ids. don't know what folks with 08s are averaging, be interesting to hear.

plus, if he is really just intensly bored, i got some mods that need doing but my pockets are so deep that i can't reach the bottom where my small change is at