I had a new set of Dunlop's put on my SG at the beginning of the year last year and put about 10k miles on them so far. The tread looks good on the front and rear but the sidewall on the front is starting to crack. What causes this and how dangerous is it?

 

Think it's called dry rot and to me it is not very safe

Sure others will chime in

 

I think ozone causes the aging of the tires. Maybe you bought stale tires, what is the date code on them?

 

I don't know how to read the code but I'll check when I get home in the morning. The bike is always garaged and clean. I've had dry rotted tires on older bikes in the past and always replaced them. Just seems like this happened kinda fast to me. Maybe the rear tire was fresher than the front causing it to deteriorate faster? How long are they supposed to be good for?

 

Should be month, day, year, or just month and year in a rectangular box... sort of.

I'd replace them anyways. Cracked sidewalls are a NO NO.

 

Has any brake fluid been leaked or spilled on the tire without being immediately, completely cleaned off? I've seen that happen and it looks like a prematurely aged/weathered tire.

 

No brake fluid leaks and I don't use harsh chemicals to clean the tires either. I only use the best, Armor All - just kidding. Soap and water with a small tire brush

 

Whatever the reason, whatever the age, if the side walls are cracked, replace the tires.

 

I'm definitely replacing it ASAP. I'm just not happy that I'm having to replace a tire after 1yr/10k miles. I'm guessing the tire was old but what would be considered an acceptable shelf life for a tire?

 

dunlop has had problems with this for awhile now, call them and they will replace for free. at least they did mine. i was told this was only a cosmetic thing and was safe to ride in them, but i wanted them replaced .