Ive heard the shelf life of the rubber on a motorcycle tire is only 6 years regardless of how good it looks....anyone have thoughts on that?

 

What!?! The elastomers in tires "age"? But not copolymers or whatever is bonded to the styrofoam in a helmet liner? Wtf?

All kidding aside, yes tires age. Best to store them on their side and as they age, they harden.

Newer tire technology may resist it longer, but they do have a shelf life. You can't tell by appearance, but the pliability is affected which is dangerous.

 

I did quite a bit of research on this when I bought my bike this winter. It's an '03, and it only had 2k miles on it. I talked to Dunlop, they recommend replacing after 6 years, and I bought new tires. The dealer said they were still good, but I didn't want to risk it.

 

No more than 7 years from date of Mfg.

 

Not sure but Welcome aboard from New York.

 

if the tire is kept out of the sun light and weather,it will last a long time,decades..i have put new 10-20yo tires on vehicles before..its the dry rot you have to worry about..i have run on 40year old tires that have sat around in a garage..as long as there is no cracking and the rubber isn't dried out,they are still good

 

On 4 wheels I would take that risk. 2 wheels, too risky. Maybe 10 years max.

 

But how do you test? What if a new soft motorcycle tire ages and becomes hard? Like that of a 60k automotive tire?

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

My pickup sits outside and gets little mileage except in the winter. Only about 3000 miles a year. I have to replace the tires on it this year. They are 5 years old and have a ton of tread on them but they have dried up and cracked so bad I am amazed they hold air. Replace old tires before they blow out on you.