keep or replace tires/tubes?

[Ridercam]

The other day i found myself on very low tires for nearly 20 miles on city and highway roads. what is the consensus about ridding with low/no pressure in the tires?

I am planning on tossing the tubes but keeping the tires. Perhaps this is a time to get new tires aand tubes all around.

What would you do?

[Major Softie]

I wouldn't toss either just because of that.

If the low pressure riding caused cracks in the sidewalls, THEN I'd toss the tires, and I'd use new tubes for good measure. The other good reason to get rid of your current tires (besides wear) are if they are too old. I think the industry suggestion is to toss 5 years after manufacture, which most of us consider overly cautious, but, personally, I'll toss motorcycle tires that are 10 years old, even if they look fine.

Am I as cautious with automobile tires? No.
Not because I don't think that they age too, but because I am more cautious in all ways about my motorcycle tires.


Oh, and I can think of no reason why this situation would lead me to replace the tubes and keep the tires. Keep it all, or replace it all.

[Duane Ausherman]

Only replace what fails inspection. This isn't a church, so go by evidence, not some rule that you heard and may chose to believe.

[ME 109]

What would you do?

Pump me tyres up.

[ME 109]

I think the industry suggestion is to toss 5 years after manufacture,.

Wow! I've never owned a tyre for 5 years.
That's longer than most marriages.

[bbelk]

I found religion on tires. I bought a camper van several years ago and the tires looked good, only I didn't look far enough. There were three 11 year old Michilins on the ground. I didn't notice the 14 year old Firestone on the left front. It was the original equipment spare. On its first road trip, it exploded at 65 MPH with my son sleeping in the top bunk. I was on a four lane with sholders and not pulling a boat. I covered all four lanes and some of the sholders and didn't role over. It was pure luck. After that I did some research on tires and found that between six and ten years they will go bad. On cars, I change them at six regardless of what they look like. On trailers I push it to nine. I have never had a motorcycle tire last five years, and I have only bought two bikes in the last 25 years. I changed their tires when I got them even though they looked fine.

One tire store guy reported that shallow cracking is no big deal and much less important than age. They will not service a ten year old tire and they try and talk you out of anything over six. Not that they don't have other motives, but they claim its based on studies.

Old tires will kill you at the least opertun time. I can't explain the Shincos on my R65, but at least they are not old.

[chasbmw]

I normally replace tubes every other tyre change..

[vanzen]

I think the industry suggestion is to toss 5 years after manufacture,.

Wow! I've never owned a tyre for 5 years.
That's longer than most marriages.

How do you get a tire to last for 5 years ?
(I know the only plausible answer)

[Major Softie]

How do you get a tire to last for 5 years ?
(I know the only plausible answer)

Is it mine? Mine is: own many motorcycles and live where you have a very short season.

[Duane Ausherman]

With experience we learned to make a very good guess of tire pressure with just our thumb pressure. With our fingernail we could accurately judge tire hardness change due to age. Of course this was with tires that we knew well. I have seen a few tires that were 20 years old that were still supple and I would trust them on the road.

Hard and fast rules can be very handy, but one must stay open to the fact that there are probably exceptions.

For tubes, we didn't replace every one on some idiotic principle. We learned to test them by stretching to see if they would still serve well in a tire. Old tubes will stretch out and not return well. Toss them. We didn't like to patch tubes, we replaced them if possible.

Some tires were made of such hard rubber that I wouldn't ride on them when brand new.