Last year I had some tranny work done and decided to get a new rear tire and a fresh belt on my 25+ old ride while in the shop.

This spring it was new lifters and an upgraded cam, along with front wheel bearings, brake pads and a matching Metzler on the front.

About a month ago I had to have an old trailer tire remounted after it went flat from sitting around. One shop looked at the manufacture date and said it was older than 10 years and they could not touch it ... shop rules, something about insurance and employee injuries trying to deal with old tires.

I mentioned all this to get to my point ... I discovered that my front tire had a manufacturer's date of 1991. I think I'm very lucky to have rode it for 2 years, not knowing just how old it was. It still has lots of tread. Possibly it was only the second tire on this 47, 000 mile (original miles) '86 FLTC.

Glad to have it replaced. And I also discovered how much better a new tire is on the road. I really like the traction on the Metzlers, and compared to the other old tires it now rides like new again!

Check your tire dates, especially on the front one that hardly wears out compared to the rear. You could be unaware of the date stamp and be riding on an outdated, over-aged tire.

 

Wise words! General advice is to change at 6-7 years old.

 

WOW! That's scary. Glad nothing bad happened.

 

I think 4 to 6 years is about right. I'd wear out my back tire in that time frame.

Interesting how the front tire looks real good but the age of the rubber was past being dangerous. I was in the "stupid" category!

I was hoping more would see this and consider taking a look to make certain they haven't been making the same mistake.

If you don't know how old the tires are on your ride check it out before the next ride.

Just cause it looks alright doesn't mean it is!

 

I get about 2 years out of a front tire and one on a rear.

 

I'd ad that if you buy a used bike, check the dates, too. Might look new, owner might say, truthfully, that they have less than 1000 miles on them, and be 10 or 15 years old - got one that way with 11 year old tires. If you're buying new tires from a shop, ask to see the ones they're going to mount before installing them; you can get a 10 year old "new" tire, too.