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6 year old tyres.

2K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  _Big_Mac_ 
#1 ·
Newly purchased bike has original tyres, they're legal tread wiseand in good condition but date from 2012. What are your thoughts on continuing to run them?
If they were to be replaced, what would you choose? I'm in the UK btw...
 
#3 ·
Over here 5 years seems to be the accepted shelf life. I'm seeking knowledge as I'm a noob to all this... I'm guessing they're the originals from the date and this assumes they've done 2600 gentle miles (50mm chicken strips on the rear).
 
#5 ·
Interesting article - thanks for that.
The bike has been well cared for and had an easy life as far as I can tell. As for the conditions it's been stored in...... who really knows? It's last garage was warm and dry, but before that is guesswork.
I'm gonna start pricing up another set - any thoughts apart from replacing the OE with the the same again? (UK, UK, UK!)
 
#6 ·
Its a light bike so not going to give the tyres a hard time , I always fit and balance my own so look first on ebay for whats available . Very happy so far with the original Metzelers fitted to my 2018 bike , usually prefer Michelins on my other bikes . My bikes live in a carpeted shed to help preserve their tyres when not being ridden . I used to use some stuff which if I remember correctly was called TRU GRIP purchased from Demon Tweeks on my minimoto racing slicks that extended the usable life of race tyres would probably recover grip levels for road tyres too ( I once got down to the cords on the tyre shoulder before I fell off ).
 
#7 ·
Considering that your tires are the only thing keeping you on the road in a curve, I'd change them out. As they age the rubber hardens and they loose grip.

I haven't shopped for tires on the Duke yet, so I can't really help there.
 
#12 · (Edited)
As far as sizing goes, KTMasean is right, despite the stock size on the rear being different. 140 tends to match more naturally the width of the rim than 150.

As for make and model, there's no "best". Depends how you intend to use it. Touring or commuting? Twisties in good weather only? Track days? For example, a Q3+ won't be the best choice when you commute to work day-in, day-out, even in the rain or cold, whereas there are better choices than a Rosso III if you're taking your Duke to the track. Both are still great tyres.

Also, there's personal preference at play - some people prefer a stiff carcass and lots of feedback from the road surface, for others its a sensory overload and they prefer a softer carcass that glides over imperfections. You'll probably find that there are several tyres from different manufacturers that occupy the same market segment (ex. "premium sport touring tyre" or "hypersport tyre") and they all get glowing reviews online - which is best for you can only be determined by experimentation, suggestions online can only guide you towards a bunch of options out of which all should be good.
 
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