An earlier post discussed tire age and storage and there where many opinions so I contacted Avon, Metzler and Dunlap regarding the subject. The question I asked was -

During the winter storage/layup period doesleaving the MC stationary for 2-5months on
concrete affect the tires? Will they form a flattened area on the tread ? If so, will the area return to the original shape ?

Here are the replies in no particular order.

Avon
Thank you for contacting Avon Tyres. Make sure your tires are fully inflated when you store your bike and that will really help them keep their shape. If they were to flatten out a little theyshould pop right back when they warm up again. Two months isn't too long so you should be fine.[/align][/align]Thank you for supporting Avon Tyres and ride safely.[/align][/align][align=left]Jesse Priel[/align]

Dunlap
Thank you for taking the time to contact us with your motorcycle tire questions. Prolonged inactivity, and the storage practices during, can have a huge effect on motorcycle tires.Tires stored with load and setat recommended vehicle inflation pressures may flat spot over the course
of time. If there will be load on the tires during storage, it is recommended that the tires be overinflated 4 - 5 psi over the maximum stamped onthe tire's sidewall.It is also recommended that the vehicle (and tires) be moved frequently (weekly) so that the load isn't fixed over the same location of the tire for the entire storage period. Ultimately, the best case scenario for storage would be in a climate controlled area withthe load removed from thetires.
"Dunlop Tire"

Metzler
No response.


So based on the mfg's replies, Dunlap makes some very specific recommendations and Avon only recommends the tires be fully inflated. I didn't really expect such a dramatic difference or get the definitive answer I wanted.

 

My bikes been sitting for the last 6 weeks and I took it out on the road today before the dealer picked it up to do some work on it. Rode it for about 10 minutes and tires were fine. No bumps or feeling of anything being off. Now I do try to ride at least once a month but in MI it can be a little tricky. Just move it around and make sure the presure is right and you'll be fine.

I've been storing bikes for years and never had a tire problem. Used to store my bike for 6 months at a time when I traveled overseas in the military.

 

I store one bike for most of the winter. I keep the tire pressure at the recommended level and move the bike in the garage once a month. Never had any problems.

 

No problems with storing it all winter and moving it 0-3 times

 

Mine is off the ground and climate controlled so I'm not concerned about it. Rear tire has 0 miles on it. I was just surprised that the mfg's were so different. It explains alot when it comes to posters opinions being all over and the disagreements.

Should we concludethat Dunlap is not the quality tire that Avon is based on their recommendations?

 

Bias ply tires may get a flat spot if it sits too long, particularly if it is under inflated. The spot will go away as soon as the tire heats up on the next ride. On a lighter vehicle like a bike, flat spots are rare.

I have 10 bias ply tires onvehicles right now at my house. Most of them haven't been moved in months. I've never hada flat spot issue with any of them.

 

How hard is it to move the bike once in awhile? This ain't rocket science.

 

What is winter storage? [sm=dontgetit.gif]




Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. West wind around 6 mph becoming calm.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 77. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 52. Southwest wind at 10 mph becoming north.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. North northwest wind between 6 and 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. North wind between 3 and 7 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.

Thursday Night: Patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 52.

 

A couple of months ain't going to make a dang bit of difference. It the frickin' tires are that GD delicate, I don't want the damn things on my bike.

 

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