2Wheeltips

Hello. I have a question regarding tire replacement. I purchased my bike used with 2300 and some change. It would seem as though the previous owner must have stored it outside in our Colorado sun as the tires, front in particular seem to have some UV damage on the sidewalls. The front has some pretty good cracks.

Cuchulainn....just my 2 cents, of course...but just having attended the International Motorcycle Show at the Javits Center in New York City, and having talked to several tire specialists, I am now of the opinion that there is a lot of damage that cannot be seen by the naked eye...and if your bike has one tire that is clearly "shot", I would take the safe road and replace both tires at the same time. Yes, it will cost you more but I think the safety and peace of mind you get from replacing both tires at the same time will be well worth it! Like I said...just my 2 cents, but safety is top on my list and it sounds like both tires may need replacement.
Carol

Carol,

How old is the bike, or more importantly, how old are the tires? There's a manufacturer's date stamp in a little rectangular box on the sidewall of all tires - the month and year of manufacture.
See the video I posted on this site here:
www.2wheeltips.com/members/profile/80/blog-view/tire-age-hazard-video-from-abc-news_167.html

Tires that are say 6 years old or more tend to get brittle and may be unsafe as the rubber dries out and they lose some of their grip on the road. The "dry rot" cracks in the sidewall may or may not be that dangerous depending on size and position, but it gives you an indication of deterioration of the tire, from age, from UV exposure, from water, etc. Most bike tires will not be subject to sudden blowout or tread separation, the just lose grip. New tires should be babied for about 100 miles to get the tread roughed up a little and get the tire release compound off the tread. Never polish tires with armorall or similar, especially on the tread, and watch for oil leaks under the bike which can be in the reat tire track.
If the rear tire is only a few years old and otherwise in good condition, it does not have to be changed. Also it is not mandatory that tires come in a matched set, you can mix tires from different manufacturers with no problems. Tires wear differently front and rear. just like brakes, and they only have to be replaced when they are worn, not neccessary to replace them both at the same time. It will not affect bike handling or safety if you only have to replace the front tire, unless ther rear is 6-7 years old and you want to do it anyway because of it's age.
By the way, if you bought that bike from a dealer, even if it came no warranty as is, he should have pointed out to you the bad tire and advised how much it would cost for him to replace it. First, for your safety, instead of him just wanting to make a sale, and second, if you knew that. maybe it would have helped to negotiate a better price, either for the bike or the tire replacement.

Mrlmd, Thanks so much for the reply! The bike itself is a 2007. The tires have a date stamp of 2006. I am not sure of the month and they currently have the bike. The mileage on the bike and tires (assuming they are original) is around 2,450. The front tire is in far worse shape than the rear. Cracks along the sidewall are plentiful and deep. This is particularly true of the righthand side of the tire. I assume because it is angled upward toward the sun and more exposed to the elements. The comments by the service manager.. and I am paraphrasing a little, went something like. "Well I looked at the left hand side first and thought it was bad but maybe passable, and then I looked at the right hand side and 'oh boy.' You need a new front tire. If it were my bike I would definitely not feel safe riding on that tire." He did feel the rear was okay and the expected wear/cracking that a tire of that age experiences our environment. So perhaps a 3 year old tire with 2,450 miles is okay? The front tire is around $120 (Metzler Lasertec is the stock front and rear) and new tube around $30 + labor (maybe?). I got home too late on Saturday to talk to them so put a message in to them. I was pretty peeved when I called the service manager and left a message. Not so much regarding the cost of the tire, but more so because they obviously did not do any sort of multi-point inspection on the bike. Or, if they did, decided not to mention a potential hazard. Instead they send a novice rider (and they knew I had just passed the MSF) down the road on a potentially dangerous tire. The price would not have been a deal breaker. I could have absorbed it, they could have absorbed it or they could have met me half way. Say selling the tire at dealer cost and no charge for install. It would have cost them what? 15 minutes or so of labor and they would have a much happier customer today. I appreciate the alternate view on whether I need to replace the rear or not. Obviously it would be a big savings for me if I don't need to. I was already having them put on a center stand and grab rail, so I really didn't need the additional cost of the front tire let alone the pair. Thanks!

How old is the bike, or more importantly, how old are the tires? There's a manufacturer's date stamp in a little rectangular box on the sidewall of all tires - the month and year of manufacture.

My apologies for the above being all run together. I was having some issue with the quoted area, so I went to the HTML editor. I had all the above broken down into separate paragraphs, but when I posted it just put it all together in one block. I am not sure where it all went wrong :)

I don't know what kind of bike you have or what size tires, but you do not have to go with OEM tires, there are many different brands from many different sources, at quite varying prices that I'm sure will fit your bike. Many tires do not cost anywhere near $120 and are quite good and highly recommended - like Cheng Shins for instance. You can ask the dealer to get whatever you want, you can order them online usually for much less than stealer (dealer) prices, and you can have an independent motorcycle shop put them on, usually at much less expense than at the dealer. Do a Google search for user groups for your bike, see what others have been using and get other recommendations besides from the dealer. He has already told you how good he is by selling you a bike that already needs further expense, and he just let you take it out the door with no consideration for you at all.
Without the sun damage and cracking, a front tire may last 6,000miles +. a rear one maybe twice as long, if you don't ride around like a madman.
Get a cover for your bike to keep it out of the sun and avoid that kind of UV damage. Again, you don't have to spend a lot of money, go to JCWhitney, get a cover for $20-30, nothing fancy but it works. I have one for two years now and it's still in good shape and cheap enough. They also have tires at pretty good prices, as only one of many stores, and if you can find your size for your front wheel, you may save a bundle by having someone else mount it.

mrlmd,

I don't know about them, but Cheng Shins are good tires, and if it fits, the recommended size, and you can save $50, why not? And if the dealer won't mount and balance it for you for $25-35, go to an independent shop for that. If it is a tubed tire (spoked wheel), you should also buy a new tube, and maybe rim strips. If it's tubeless, you don't need those.

Well,

It's much cheaper to get a new tube and rim strips when you replace the tire. Not only would I be wary of how well all the spokes are sealed, but the rim itself may have a different bead on it compared to a rim designed for a tubeless tire, and it may not seal well along there. The tubeless tire may not fit that wheel, so you have to check that out too. I wouldn't do it, the tubed tires work very well.
I like tubeless wheels for one other reason - no spokes to clean, no rust to try and remove from the spokes.

Thanks for the advice on that. I had gotten the idea from a blurb on Motorcycle Cruiser and later found out from a post on one of the Triumph forums that Woody's Wheel Works near me does this service.

While that may be a theoretical advantage, a sudden blowout on a motorcycle tire is a very, very rare event, probably much rarer than riding into a pothole or something else and having to true up a wheel by adjusting or replacing spokes. If you had to do that, you'd need the wheel sealed again. And the weight advantage of removing the tube and putting in the sealer? What are you talking about, maybe less than a quarter of a pound? How much does a tube weigh and how much does your weight vary every time you get on the bike? That's not even worth considering.
While it is easier to temporarily repair (with a plug) a deflated tubeless tire if there is a nail in it, compared to a tubed tire, while on the road, for most of us this is also not a problem to get the tire and new tube repaired/replaced. If it was me, I would just get a new tire and a new tube and replace your UV damaged front tire. While the idea of sealing the rim may appeal to some, it doesn't to me, I don't think the advantages outweigh the cost or the supposed increased safety factor, I think it's a lot of hype and marketing, just my opinion. And there are a lot of other things for your bike and your safety you can spend your money on besides sealing your rim - like an engine/crash guard, windshield, armored jacket/pants, headlight/brakelight modulator, loud air horn,etc,etc, the list goes on and on.