Tire manufacturer date and when to change

[Ares X]

I've never had to deal with this in the past because I used to put a LOT of miles on my Raider, but with me (and now my wife) working from home and being in a pandemic, we don't ride much. In fact I don't think Desiree's Stryker was ridden once all year. I took both the Raider and Stryker in for oil changes and had them check the tires. The tires look good, but they are 6 and 7 years past the manufacturer date on the tire.  I've read that some dealers will not install tires with a date over 5 years old. The rep at my dealer is telling me we shouldn't be using them beyond 5 years, but I have read on some websites that the tires have a life from 5 - 10 years with 6 years being the sweeet spot.

I'm not planning on us doing any major riding, but are we in any danger running around town or maybe jumping on the freeway with tires this old without any visual issues?

The only reason I am hesitant on getting new tires is because I don't know if we will start riding any time soon. It's just not any fun when you don't really have a destination and can't socialize with anyone when you get anywhere. It's kind of taken the spark out of wanting to ride.

[RoadStarRaider]

[Jargo]

I've never had to deal with this in the past because I used to put a LOT of miles on my Raider, but with me (and now my wife) working from home and being in a pandemic, we don't ride much. In fact I don't think Desiree's Stryker was ridden once all year. I took both the Raider and Stryker in for oil changes and had them check the tires. The tires look good, but they are 6 and 7 years past the manufacturer date on the tire.  I've read that some dealers will not install tires with a date over 5 years old. The rep at my dealer is telling me we shouldn't be using them beyond 5 years, but I have read on some websites that the tires have a life from 5 - 10 years with 6 years being the sweeet spot.

I'm not planning on us doing any major riding, but are we in any danger running around town or maybe jumping on the freeway with tires this old without any visual issues?

The only reason I am hesitant on getting new tires is because I don't know if we will start riding any time soon. It's just not any fun when you don't really have a destination and can't socialize with anyone when you get anywhere. It's kind of taken the spark out of wanting to ride.

Hey Dan I am in the same boat as you. I still have the factory front tire on my Stryker, which has +25000KM and 6 years on it and there is still lots of tread left.
Look closely at the sidewalls as mine is starting to show very faint cracks running around the side wall. This is definitely age or weather wear.
So I will be replacing mine in the next month or so before this years riding season.

I think I will stay with the OEM Bridgestone as 25000KM is awesome.

[Dirtiegirtie]

I'm sure you'll get plenty of opinions on this one, but for me, tires are like women... it's less about the age and more about how they have been treated in those years.

I have a habit of buying older bikes. If I see cracking - get a new tire. You don't want a blow out to end your day (or life). But I've also seen tires where the rubber had morphed to more resemble a hard plastic. The nighthawk I restored a year ago had a front tire that was about 20 years old... just looking at it the black was less matte, almost shiny... and not quite black. And if you pushed a finger nail into the tread (it had plenty of tread) you could just feel that it was much harder than it should be. I didn't chance it and replaced it before the first ride. I can't say that I've ever seen a tire under 10 years old with those same visual cues. Is it harder than new? Sure - I don't' think it all happens at once. But I don't think there is a 'line in the sand' where they are fine at 6 years, but on that 7'th birthday they turn to shit. And, again, if you kept it outside year round parked on dirt, then your tires will have half the life of the same tire kept in a garage, better yet on a lift during the winter.

But seriously, we've all seen "highly mileage" individuals that make us stop and think, "Wholly hell, that person is the same age as me? Looks like they've seen some ROUGH mileage in their days on this planet!" Same goes for tires (and most things in life).

My $0.02 (which due to taxes is currently valued at $0.01).

[FireNative]

Most manufacturers of tires say that they don't recommend using their tires after 6yrs as the sun dries out the oil in them and they become brittle over time. If your tire is not getting exposed to sunlight, (like in a closed in garage or a cover that covers the tires all the way) then if they have good tread then I would say I would feel comfortable going about 8-10yrs if NOT exposed to sunlight except when riding. I bought my 2012 Raider S in mid 2018 and it was in a dealership with 1 mile on it, so when I got it I was supposed to change the brand new never ridden factory tires according to the tire manufacturer but since they were in a dealership and probably didn't get any sunlight so I used them.  I just changed them this year since they had a 2011 date on them and it was 10yrs, and since even though I put my cover on, which I hardly do, even under my carport its open and the sun is baking the tires all day long.

[Ares X]

This all kind of what I have been thinking too. Our bikes are parked in the garage unless we're riding, so not a lot of exposure even to the brutal AZ sun.

Girt- I know what you mean about the tire morphing into plastic. I have a Virago that had old tires on it and I knew it. I had been working on it and gave it a bath and just wanted to run a mile down the road to fill up the tank. I had test ridden it many times no issues, but I wasn't even thinking about the fact that it had just been wet and took it out onto the street and didn't even gun it and that back wheel just slipped out from under me and I went down. The tires have a bit of a hardness to them, so definitely slick. I ended up dealing with a sprained ankle for a few months after that. I learned my lesson. Luckily the Raider and Stryker tires are nothing like that.

[Sgt Fury]

I've also ran tires past their "recommended expiration dates" my entire life.  Checking them more often/closer perhaps as they aged, even though it was always part of my pre-ride checklist.  It's when the sidewalls start cracking is when they've got to go (just like my automotive toys).  Mostly had Dunlop Qualifiers on previous bikes, which I liked, and it was always the sidewalls that started to crack and never between the tread.  Not being a high-mileage rider, the cracks showed up (front or rear) before the tires were actually worn out.