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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: DC950 on March 20, 2026, 10:25:38 PM
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this topic keeps coming up lately - how old is too old for tires? Do they need to be tossed out after X years?
In my opinion, no. This is based on real world experience. If they aren't slick or cracked, ride them.
What I mean by slick is the "oils" haven't obviously "leaked out" leaving the tires hard as a rock. When or if this happens is clearly impacted by temperature and sunlight. And keeping them inflated if they are on the bike. Yeah, if you keep your bike on your front porch in southern New Mexico in 300 days of sunlight a year, you won't get as much life out of them if you had kept the bike in a cool garage without a refrigerator creating ozone.
Charlie Cole told me back when I (poorly) roadraced against him that he didn't worry about how old tires were. I thought he was full of it but he wasn't. He said to wrap up unused ones and store them where it's cool and they'll be just fine. Such as in the crawl space in your basement. He was right and put his money where his mouth was on the track.
As I recently said in another post, I have 15 year old Dunlops on my Tuono. They are scrubbed to within a quarter inch on the 190 rear. I ride it and all of my bikes hard. Not one hint of a slip, ever.
A week ago I swapped the worn front Michelin Anakee on my Stelvio for an Anakee Wild I've had for 3 years. I bought it from the dealer for $50 when I got the bike. It was 3 years old and it was on the discount rack because it was "too old to install". $289 new. I stored it properly, it went on just fine, and it rides wonderfully. So much so that I'm trying to figure out how I can afford a new one in the future. That tire was made in October of 2020.
Most of you are older than me. I promise you that high quality, 10 year old properly stored tires are better than anything new that you rode on in the 70s and 80s. The sport touring tires I had on my 2017 Dorsoduro are every bit as good as the race tires I used in the 90s and last far longer to boot.
Do what you will but ladies and gentlemen, tires have come a long, long way. You are not going to automatically die because your in good shape tires are "old".
I'd encourage you to watch this:
Debunking The Tire Age Myth
[urlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwbLt8vZH5w][/url]
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When the rider starts to question the tires for wear or age. That often means, for that rider, the tire needs to be replaced.
Some people feel the need to extract every 1/4 mile out of every tire. Me, not so much. I typically go through a rear tire once a year (16-18k miles) and a front tire (30k miles) about every two years.
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Interesting Video. TBH, if it was just some guy on the internet giving an opinion, I'd pay little attention. In this case, I'm somewhat impressed because it's posted by a company who would like to sell you tires when you need them. I would expect a typical salesman to "sell" customers on the idea that tires should be replaced every 5 (or whatever) years. It's refreshing when a salesman tells you that you DON"T need to buy something!
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I've seen this video before, and I've got to agree.
Some folks freak right out about tire age, but if it's
round, black, and not obviously defective, or dry-rotted,
it's probably going to be fine. Vintage tires from the 50s
might not be my first choice for a long tour in the rain, for
instance, whether or not they were dry-rotted.
I had an old Michelin on my SR500 at one point - it had to be over 20 years old -
and I never had a problem. The front on my K75 is at least a decade
old, and it works just fine. I'll probably replace it this year or next.
YMMV.
-Stretch
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Retired a few years back and bought a class C camper. It came with six 7 year old mounted Goodyear tires. They were beautiful. Looked like less than 1,000 miles had been put on them since new. Black, round, smooth & supple. Everything a tire should be. 1,400 miles into a 4,000 mile trip the rig developed a shimmy.
Long story shortened: Brought it into a shop and he showed me the wheels hand spun on the balancer. Four out of six had delaminated internally and had up to half inch high humps in the tread. Guess 7 years was too old for those tires.
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Personally my take is this.
If a bike was stored, for whatever reason, in a climate controlled shelter, and had newer tires, then brought back into service, what conditions would warrant replacing the tires.
For me, here would be the questions that require answers.
-Was the tires in good shape when stored?
- are there any signs of cracking in the tread area or sidewalls?
- are they flat or near flat?
- is the riders going to expose the tires to excessive Preformance levels?
- and are the tires over 5 years old?
Rubber does loose its integrity over years.
One has to come to their on conclusions as to whether they want to trust their life on the tires they are riding on.
Personally, for if nothing else but peace of mind, if I didn’t have a positive answer to either of my inquiries, I’d replace the tires if….
- going on a trip
- adding a passenger who’s life is in my trust
- am I going to be riding aggressively
If any of these inquiries are yes, then I would spend a few hundred bucks and replace the tires.
Disaster is simply not worth chancing, IMHO.
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Tires are changed based on wear and overall condition not by a calendar.
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I just purchased a 2016 Stornello with 94 miles on it and the tires still had the molding nibs. Going through a thorough servicing I found that all the fluids in the bike had oxidized and through they looked like new, the tires felt hard to the touch and I wouldn't trust them for road use (nor the tubes).
MAYBE they'd scrub in and be OK for casual riding but not for emergency braking or object avoidance. I'm not willing to trust injury or my life on it.
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Yeah, old tires work great, until they don't. Why cheap out when your health or possibly life is at stake?
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Well first, there obviously IS a point where a tire is too old.
And as Clausewitz said, 'it depends'. It always depends on conditions, intended use, history of use, demand (expected use) and capability. Are we talking NEW never mounted? Or are we talking mounted and slightly used over time? Are we talking taking the old tire on twisty aggressive roads? Multi thousand mile trip? High Speeds? Or just push around the garage and poke around town?
There is a clear difference between a set of 10 year old 3K mile tires (or never mounted and stored properly) have been kept at proper pressure and stored in a climate controlled garage and those exposed to the elements. The harsher the elements, the more the tires will degrade. If the tires go flat, if subjected to freezing, if subjected to strong Sunlight, if someone used tire dressings, etc etc.
I have a set of 20+ year old tires on my old XS bikes. The 1100 has Dunlops (IIRC), the 750 has Avons. Both are tubeless, and will generally hold air. They have been stored in a garage and unridden the last 12-13 years. The tires are in great shape, little to no cracking in the sidewalls, and between the treads, and lots of treadlife. If/when I put them back on the road (long list of to-do's before I can even think about it), they are staying on initially for pokeabout and shake downs, but I if/when I decide I am going to put them back in full normal service, day trips, rallys, etc, I will change them out............
The tires on my 912 are 10 years old. I mounted them after the restoration in 2015, and they have 15K on them. The car is always garaged when not driving and pressures are maintained. There is no cracking between treads or in sidewall. I have no plan to change them.
For me, condition and use weigh heavier than age. YMMV
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Long story shortened: Brought it into a shop and he showed me the wheels hand spun on the balancer. Four out of six had delaminated internally and had up to half inch high humps in the tread. Guess 7 years was too old for those tires.
This is the point that is often ignored—what’s happening on the inside. The 40 year old Soviet tire that I’m running on my 40 year old Soviet sidecar sure feels gummy bear smooth on the outside with no dry cracks, but who knows what’s happening underneath. AND I surely wouldn’t be running this tire on a single track motorcycle that needs leaning of the wheel in order to turn.
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I'll change them at 5 years.
But then again, I'm down to two bikes now. If I had 8.................. ..............
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I have bought new tires that had dangerously little grip, be that from poor storage in the shop or a fault during production, who knows. And I have had 10+ year old tires that worked terrific. On my car, the winter tires got hard enough to be replaced after just 3 seasons. While barely worn, they did not have sufficient grip anymore. So I am with the OP; if the tire looks and work fine, it probably is fine. If you find it/them lacking, replace it/them.
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That Studebaker in the museum at the Elkader city park, home of the Iowa rally, has the original tires on it. I don’t remember the cars year, maybe 1909. I think they held air but l wouldn’t take it on the freeway :blank:
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If I let it I'm sure the Metz 880 on the back of the 1100 Stone will easily last a second decade.
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I have a set of tires from 1962 on one of my bikes. New tubes, a little shoe polish, and they're good to go. Learned from Burt Munro.
(https://i.ibb.co/zTzWjJYD/PXL-20260322-081722642.jpg) (https://ibb.co/zTzWjJYD)
Acceptable risk to me on a low speed vintage bike that doesn't get ridden hard. That said, I've run ~30 year old tubed tires on other vintage bikes and rode them hard on those factory tires.
Wouldn't dream of it on a tubeless tire, I get uneasy about the slight cracks from UV exposure that I find on many tubeless tires within the first year. Luckily the tubeless bikes tend to rack up more highway miles so the tires don't last long enough to get too old.
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As long as tread depth/tire shape is OK (rear not "squared off), I "evaluate" an old tire by pressing a fingernail into the rubber. If I can't press my nail in, I buy new tires. I bought a '76 Honda CB400F two years ago that I couldn't press my nail into the tires at all. The shop had a difficult time getting the tires off the rims - said it was like they were made of wood.
OTOH, I had ridden the bike around 30 miles locally and then rode the bike 20 miles over curvy back roads to the shop. I didn't try to do any serious peg-dragging, but I didn't ride sedately, winding the little four to redline at every chance and going through the curves "briskly." It felt perfectly OK with the old tires...
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Long story shortened: Brought it into a shop and he showed me the wheels hand spun on the balancer. Four out of six had delaminated internally and had up to half inch high humps in the tread. Guess 7 years was too old for those tires.
Then again, maybe they were just poor quality tires to begin with?
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Brand name product. Load range E. Truck duty. They ran fine for the first 1,000 miles of the trip.
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I've had belts shift in brandy-new car tires before. Shop was really good about it and
gave me a new set for free. 3 out of the 4 were bad.
Ya know, this thread has the potential to end up like an oil thread. :thumb:
Just sayin'..... :evil: :evil: :evil:
-Stretch
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I've had belts shift in brandy-new car tires before. Shop was really good about it and
gave me a new set for free. 3 out of the 4 were bad.
...
Same here. Firestone 721's. One came apart completely on I85.
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"brandy-new"
DUI?
Just sayin'..... :evil:
We've also had an instance of a brand new tyre with a manufacturing flaw. Quickly remedied thankfully with no mishap.
P.S. I thought all truckers were used to delaminated tyres, given that carcasses lying along motorway verges/kerbs. :tongue:
(Fortunately haven't seen as many in the past few decades and likely they are mostly retreads.)
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P.S. I thought all truckers were used to delaminated tyres, given that carcasses lying along motorway verges/kerbs. :tongue:
(Fortunately haven't seen as many in the past few decades and likely they are mostly retreads.)
My brother came really close to being hit by a truck tire as it delaminated just before they passed each other on the road. If the tire had come apart 20 yards later, his helmet and leathers would likely not be enough to save my brother.
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My brother ..
Yikes! :shocked:
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I've also ridden on old tires. Even when they weren't in the best condition. I think the fear of old tires comes from an earlier time when tires weren't as good. I talked to an old timer who raced close to 100 years ago. He said a lot of bike accidents back then were due to tire problems.
If you're really concerned, you can get a durometer and check how hard your tires have become.
As for the truck tires delaminating, I've been told that tires made in the US don't have a certain compound that helps with aging. Tires made elsewhere are required to have this compound and they don't deteriorate like they do here. Seven or eight years is what I remember.
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DUI?
Just sayin'..... :evil:
We've also had an instance of a brand new tyre with a manufacturing flaw. Quickly remedied thankfully with no mishap.
P.S. I thought all truckers were used to delaminated tyres, given that carcasses lying along motorway verges/kerbs. :tongue:
(Fortunately haven't seen as many in the past few decades and likely they are mostly retreads.)
It's old now, but the NHTSA commissioned a study on those road gators and found that new vs retread had about the same failure rate, it's just that retreads are more common (for commercial trucking) so they account for more of the failures. They attributed most failures to road hazard and heat.
https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/61517/102117.pdf
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.. new vs retread had about the same failure rate..
A skim read of that interesting article later.
Side note: I knew a bloke that worked in a tyre factory, specifically on the retread side of things and there's a lot of effort put into their "re-manufacture". He always looked grubby, for some reason. :undecided:
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Yer never too old for tires.....
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Yeah, old tires work great, until they don't. Why cheap out when your health or possibly life is at stake?
With most of the people I grew up with, and many people on this forum, this would be considered a trick question!
When one's pride as a cheapskate is in play, there are no tires that are too old.
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The question is…
“DO YOU FEEL LUCKY, punk?…”
$100-150 for a new tire, vs 100-150 days in a hospital. There are those who have gone down, and those that haven’t yet.
Really, if you’re questioning, and running, the 2 inch tire patch your life lives on? Maybe not a good idea.
I have 50 year old moped tires that won’t kill me at 20mph. I have a decade old rear ME880 with 15k plus miles. I don’t worry about either.
But if I have a brain worm reminding me i have old cracked tires, it’s time to change them
Just like diapers. :popcorn:
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When one's pride as a cheapskate is in play, there are no tires that are too old.
That's funny, right there! :shocked: :grin: :laugh:
-Stretch
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I have a set of tires from 1962 on one of my bikes. New tubes, a little shoe polish, and they're good to go. Learned from Burt Munro.
Back in early 80's I got hooked on club road racing. One of the senior guys (actually, THE senior guy) told me how to make expensive road racing slicks remain useful.
He would store them under the house in doubled garbage bags, then spray them with carb cleaner to soften them up. He had tires that were years old he kept this way and raced on them, partly because he was a cheap SOB and partly because certain styles and sizes were hard to get in later years. I never tried this technique.
I remember going into the Metzler warehouse up by Everett, WA to pick up some race tires for 6 hour events. Will never forget the smell of a warehouse full of outgassing race tires! The vinyl esters in tires, plastics, car dashboards all outgas, relatively high vapor pressure stuff. That white film on windshields is condensed vinyl esters from the car dashboard.
PS: I still have a Metzler 17" slick in the back here, date stamp "099" if anybody wants it. A little carb cleaner and viola, sticky front slick!
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My best tire story was one that still had the wheel attached. Westbound on I94 in Indiana almost at the Illinois line and I see a truck tire bouncing in the eastbound lanes. I'm in the middle westbound lane with traffic on both sides in my 20' truck puling my 35' travel trailer. Sure enough the wheel bounces over the barrier and crosses the median and decides to come straight for us. As I'm bracing for what I expect to be a wheel through the windshield killing both of us, the wheel all of a sudden takes a super bowl bounce and not only clears the truck but also completely clears the camper and shocks the hell out of the person behind us who managed to miss the wheel. I really hate that expressway.
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I have a set of tires from 1962 on one of my bikes. New tubes, a little shoe polish, and they're good to go. Learned from Burt Munro.
(https://i.ibb.co/zTzWjJYD/PXL-20260322-081722642.jpg) (https://ibb.co/zTzWjJYD)
Acceptable risk to me on a low speed vintage bike that doesn't get ridden hard. That said, I've run ~30 year old tubed tires on other vintage bikes and rode them hard on those factory tires.
Wouldn't dream of it on a tubeless tire, I get uneasy about the slight cracks from UV exposure that I find on many tubeless tires within the first year. Luckily the tubeless bikes tend to rack up more highway miles so the tires don't last long enough to get too old.
But what about the TUBES in those old tubed tires? If there's air pressure in the tubes they're degrading from the inside out and we all know what happens when a tube lets go.
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I asked a trucker about the recap issue and he said it was low tire pressure that caused them to come apart.
Tubes disintegrating? Funny - I've run old tubes even though the recommendation is to replace with the tire. If they're undamaged, I've got no qualms about reusing. I've been riding since 1966 and it's not been an issue. I wonder how many shops put talc on the tubes at a tire change? I'll bet it's one of those steps that gets left out along with cleaning the rim of all that black residue on the sealing surface.
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We all have an experience that has instilled our bottom line as far as how much we are willing to push a worn or aged motorcycle tire. I’ll share the incident that drew my line.
During my time as a motor officer I had an incident involving a blowout on the rear of my 1982 CB900c that we were using at the time for police bikes.
They were dressed out with Vetter equipment and the only modification to the bikes was a fork brace to stabilize the front end a bit to accommodate the extra weight of the fairing.
I was running a call involving a vehicle accident with personal injury, which was always dispatched as a code one call, meaning get there ASAP.
I was responding on a 4 Lane Highway at a speed between 80 and 90 MPH, when the back tire suddenly blew out.
As soon as the tire let go, I came off the throttle and my speed begin slowing quickly.
Everything seemed fine until I got down to below 30 miles an hour and that’s when the thing come unglued. The back end was all over the place and it was a complete struggle until the bike finally came to a stop, with the tire off the rim.
I’m not sure how much of the outcome was due to my experience or just plain luck, but I suspect a little of both.
From that day forward to today, I am very self-conscious and picky about the tires on my motorcycles.
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But what about the TUBES in those old tubed tires? If there's air pressure in the tubes they're degrading from the inside out and we all know what happens when a tube lets go.
As stated, they have relatively new tubes in them.
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Does anyone run Armor All in their tubeless tires, or in their tubes to make them last longer?
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As stated, they have relatively new tubes in them.
Oops - missed that. Hope it works out for you.
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So far I think only two of the replies to this thread have been of the "You can't be too careful, how much is your life worth?" type. That's impressive.
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So far I think only two of the replies to this thread have been of the "You can't be too careful, how much is your life worth?" type. That's impressive.
Oh, come on—this is a Guzzi forum! Weighing wallet against risk just comes natural to Guzzi ownership….unlike the tire compound, which is ~60% synthetic.
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Nobody is replying to the Armor All question.
How about baby oil?
Inside and out?
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Oh, come on—this is a Guzzi forum! Weighing wallet against risk just comes natural to Guzzi ownership….unlike the tire compound, which is ~60% synthetic.
This is a dangerous hobby? sport? obsession? we're involved in. There are some who worry, some who go with only the best or newest to mitigate risks, and others who trust to their karma, or luck... Then there are those who are so in tune with their bikes that they can perceive an impending problem soon enough to avert disaster.
You might call me cheap, but on the other hand, I don't have so much money I've got it to throw around. I'm careful with what I spend it on, and if something isn't a problem, why throw money at it? I'll run down to the wear bars if the tire still feels good, but not beyond that. I could get another thousand out of it, but why? Motorcycle tires aren't all that thick in the first place. It's deemed the wear bars are the point to toss it, no longer safe, so that's when I replace them. I get my use out of stuff. Is that being cheap?
I guess you could call Bert Munroe cheap. He cut corners every which way. Did you know that rather than buy expensive racing slicks he made his own? He figured that the only difference between racing slicks and street tires was the amount of tread on them. For high speed, the tread could fly off. So what did he do? He shaved off the tread on a street tire. And he did 200 mph on those tires!
I've had flats. I recall one time a rear lost air suddenly at about 40mph. Back end all over the lane, but didn't go down. I think it was one of those Mezeler Marathons - stiffer than hell, which probably helped not coming off the bead, but still no fun. Another time I was heading south to Los Angeles and north of the bay area the front went flat. My only flat front. Patched it and continued on to Santa Rosa where I was headed. A few days later heading into LA in rush hour traffic doing about 70 I felt the front going soft and not feeling right. Pulled over and half the air was gone. Patched it again - the previous patch hadn't stuck for some reason. After that, all good.
Now, If I regularly rode at triple digit speeds, or pushed them really hard, I'd possibly be more cautious about the tires. I get a little tense getting up to a hundred, not only about tires - a lot of things. 80 - no big deal.
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:popcorn:
I with all this talk about safety, I'm'm just here waiting for someone to talk about how old a motorcycle helmet should be :boozing:
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:popcorn:
I with all this talk about safety, I'm'm just here waiting for someone to talk about how old a motorcycle helmet should be :boozing:
After 40 years, I finally replaced the old Bell Tour Star. Figured it'd had a good run, so bought a new one (Bell Qualifier). The thing of it is, if yah don't have an accident, the age of the helmet don't matter. It's the same with tires, if you don't drive like an idiot, and you're luck holds, 20 year old tires work fine. 🤪
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:popcorn:
I with all this talk about safety, I'm'm just here waiting for someone to talk about how old a motorcycle helmet should be :boozing:
Slow down Kemosabe.
First we need to discuss how to increase tire longevity by properly oiling one's tires.
What is the correct oil to use? How often? Outside only or both inside and outside?
I say olive oil for Pirelli tires at the end of each riding season! Inside and out!
Change my mind!
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Bulldog9,
If you think about it (bourbon may help) shoes and tires have a lot in common.....
https://www.bikishoecare.com/blog/mink-oil-vs-neatsfoot-oil-vs-beeswax-leather-care-guide/
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Talking about the train taking a dirt road🤔
IDK if it holds true but the paperwork that came with a new Bell helmet use to recommend replacing the helmet if it was dropped onto a hard service??
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Yep, if you drop a helmet onto the concrete, instructions from at least some of the manufacturer used to say, "replace the helmet." I don't know if it's still true - I've purchased several new helmets in the past few years but haven't read the instructions!
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Yep, if you drop a helmet onto the concrete, instructions from at least some of the manufacturer used to say, "replace the helmet." I don't know if it's still true - I've purchased several new helmets in the past few years but haven't read the instructions!
I don’t think I’ve ever owned a helmet that hasn’t fallen off of my motorcycle at least a dozen times😩
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How do you expect the poor helmet manufacturers to make any money? :shocked:
Interestingly, Walmart sells full face helmets for less than 100 bucks. They have to meet the same safety standards as a $700 Shorai/Arai/Schuberth, etc. No, I'm not suggesting ditching the Shorai for a Walmart because I assume those big name brands (and others in the price range) far exceed those standards. But you know what they say about assumptions.
You could drop your Walmart helmet/replace it six times and still save money!! :thumb:
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How do you expect the poor helmet manufacturers to make any money? :shocked:
Interestingly, Walmart sells full face helmets for less than 100 bucks. They have to meet the same safety standards as a $700 Shorai/Arai/Schuberth, etc. No, I'm not suggesting ditching the Shorai for a Walmart because I assume those big name brands (and others in the price range) far exceed those standards. But you know what they say about assumptions.
You could drop your Walmart helmet/replace it six times and still save money!! :thumb:
Yep. If you're in the market for a helmet and take the safety aspect of it seriously, it's worth taking a good look at those standards. DOT is a bare minimum and that's what the cheap helmets meet. Those mid range and premium helmets from Shoei/Arai/Schuberth tend to also carry ECE certification as the same helmet is sold with different marketing in Europe, and some are even Snell certified.
I sent a crashed helmet to Shoei a few years ago for them to do an impact inspection and check if the helmet had been compromised. It was an accident where I retained consciousness and had no recollection of hitting my head/helmet, but sure enough there was a scrape on the visor and EMS assured me that it's incredibly common for motorcyclists to hit their head/helmet in a crash and not have noticed it. No head injuries were found at the hospital. Anyway, Shoei assessed the helmet and gave me a report on it and shipped it back for free. Their assessment was that it was due for replacement, not from the crash's exterior impact or from the half dozen times I'd dropped the helmet which they noted tend to not compromise it, but from the inner liner, the impact absorbing styrofoam type material, being damaged in a spot from me putting my helmet over a mirror on bikes for a few years instead of setting it down flat or hanging it from a strap. So lesson learned there, propping a helmet up on a mirror can be more damaging than dropping it from seat height or rubbing it down the highway a bit.
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Totally agree. If the shell got damaged enough to be a concern from dropping 3 feet to the ground on its own, how on earth could it be expected to withstand an impact at 50 mph while basically supporting your whole body weiight? It is the styrofoam inside that will deteriorate over time from sweat and repeatedly being taken on and off, so when a helmet that once fit snugle start to feel roomy, it is time to replace it. Or if the helmet hit something with your head in it.
But cheap helmets also pass the ECE tests, and can be as safe a costly helmet. What they can lack, is durability, and especially comfort.
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.. being damaged in a spot from me putting my helmet over a mirror on bikes for a few years instead of setting it down flat or hanging it from a strap.
I remember from decades back, that in addition to the mirror thing, it was/is inadvisable to repeatedly hang a helmet from its strap. Don't recall the exact reasoning behind it but perhaps more to do with elongation/malforming of the strap, rather than anything structural.
For reference, both sides of The Pond and Downunder, as relevant everywhere:
https://sharp.dft.gov.uk/
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I remember from decades back, that in addition to the mirror thing, it was/is inadvisable to repeatedly hang a helmet from its strap. Don't recall the exact reasoning behind it but perhaps more to do with elongation/malforming of the strap, rather than anything structural.
For reference, both sides of The Pond and Downunder, as relevant everywhere:
https://sharp.dft.gov.uk/
Never heard that, but it could be sensible. What I have heard many times, is not to hang the helmet on the mirror, because over time it can compress the inner lining. I still do it, though.
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Talking about the train taking a dirt road🤔
IDK if it holds true but the paperwork that came with a new Bell helmet use to recommend replacing the helmet if it was dropped onto a hard service??
As luck would have it, I usually throw out or burn stuff like this, I found the brochure that came with the Bell helmet. While it doesn't say too much, other than lots of safety boilerplate, it does have some useful comments...
"Never drop or throw your helmet, as it may cause structural damage... sometimes invisible to the user."
"Do not park your helmet on mirrors or sissy bars... or carry it on the helmet lock while riding as damage to the helmet can occur."
"Bell recommends that helmets be replaced every 3-5 years."
If a helmets recommended lifespan is 3-5 years, you have to wonder how good the materials are or if they're just trying to cover their ass for liability ("sorry but your helmet is too old") and sell more helmets. Since I didn't have an accident with the Tourstar, I'll never know if it was still offering much protection after 40 years. But I did do a slide and roll with a 10 year old Bell open face helmet back in the early 70's and it worked fine. It left a couple of deep gouges in the back of the helmet where my head apparently bounced along the pavement, with no apparent damage to my cognitive abilities, tho my wife might question that!
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I got into the habit of putting my helmet on the ground next to the bike on the shady side. Can't fall off the ground and sun isn't good for fiberglass.
But since getting the Neotec 3 with the complete Sena setup I tend to keep the helmet in sight and at my side at all times. Maybe the floor at a restaurant, but next to my feet.
Meanwhile I spray my tires with 303 Aerospace Protectant spray. Keeps them shiny & black. Protects from UV. (Good enough for the space shuttle, good enough for me.)
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Question for n3303j : How does 303 hold up in the rain?
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Question for n3303j : How does 303 hold up in the rain?
It's not magic, but easy enough to reapply. Think of it as an improved version of Armorall. Good for plastics, fiberglass and rubber. It will delay ultraviolet damage. Lasts about 5 weeks.
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Thanks. I'm looking for something that doesn't washoff in the rain.
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Thanks. I'm looking for something that doesn't washoff in the rain.
Manufacturer is saying it lasts 4 to 5 weeks in the weather.
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As to age... Many moons ago, MOTORRAD magazine got donated a Jeb's helmet that had been in daily use for 11 or 13 years (memory fading) and ran it through the then newest EC test. And it passed.
(https://i.ibb.co/hRqVyckh/e76be73bd1e95a99915f293a692b92a3f4f16e8c.webp) (https://ibb.co/hRqVyckh)
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As far as 5 year lifespan goes I would assume the lawyers who guide the production of manufacturers' caveats recommended the authors assume the helmet experienced the worst possible handling conditions during storage and use.
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^ Just like the max. 5Kg load warning on rear racks. :wink:
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I been riding on Avon Venom's since 1993, 1st on the 67 700 then in 05 I stole them off that bike & put them on my LM3, then in 07 after the wreck I put them back on the 67 cause it was still bare rims. Haven't checked, cracked or wore out yet but real close to bald.
I'll ride on old tires as long as they are not cracked, checked or slippery. Use them up.
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"I guess you could call Bert Munroe cheap. He cut corners every which way. Did you know that rather than buy expensive racing slicks he made his own? He figured that the only difference between racing slicks and street tires was the amount of tread on them. For high speed, the tread could fly off. So what did he do? He shaved off the tread on a street tire. And he did 200 mph on those tires!"
I read a biography about Bert a number of years ago. The movie made him to be cheap which he kind of was but in the book there were reasons for what he did. He scrounged used tires because he didn't want tread on his tires as it robbed speed. The movie also criticized him for getting steel from plow shares. He did that because the steel in plow shares is high quality able to be drug through rough ground for a very long time. The movie took a lot of liberties which a lot of movies do. Burt was a very smart guy who knew what he was doing.
kk
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IDK the actual percentage but I think a significant number of riders only wears a helmet because the law requires it and not for personal safety reasons, in the first place??
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..only wears a helmet because the law requires it and not for personal safety reasons, in the first place??
Us oldies tend to forget that, especially in the UK where legislation came in late early '70s. I used to wear any old badly fitting, scraped 'bucket' back then - changed days. :angel:
[Edit] to reflect actual date of introduction - 1973.
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It came into law on April 1 (no joke) 1977 here in Norway. I remember that was a bit annoying when I began riding in 1980, adding cost that was tough on a strained wallet. Bought a very battered Romer full face helmet from a neighbor. Bought gloves only when my fingers got too cold. Same with my first suit, which was a Belstaff copy with a 100% plastic outer cover that made it 100% water proof, but also offering next to no protection. Melted more than one hole in the pants, though, as I touched the hot exhaust system. Held me dry and warm, though, as it was well insulated. While the first helmet was soon replaced by a new one, it was not until 1988 that I fully realized the benefits of leathers, boots and padded gloves. I also bought a Dainese "turtle" back protector in 1988 or `89, which likely kept me from becoming a paraplegic in 1991 - the protector broke, but I could still walk. Not well because the left side of my rib cage was crushed, and I suffered internal bleeding, but walking is walking :grin:
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If you really want to learn about motorcycle tires in today's market, watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lTymA0d6XI
It may open a few eyes!
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Fascinating video, MotorMike! Thanks!
-Stretch
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My V11 Sport was in the shop for 20 months for transmission repair. When I got it out, the tires were pretty stiff handled a bit wooden. The front was replaced because the left side showed significant tread wear. I replaced it and kept the rear. Handles OK now. Dunlop Roadsmart 3 on front...Roadsmart whatever on the back.
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If you really want to learn about motorcycle tires in today's market, watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lTymA0d6XI
It may open a few eyes!
The Avon Spirit ST's I have on the V7 were made in Belgium