When to replace rear tire
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 791
Likes: 0
From: Arizona
RE: When to replace rear tire
6,000 miles? Wow! My experience has been around 13k, before I had to replace my rear tire! Are you keeping your air pressure at 40PSI?
ORIGINAL: dawg
I know it's better to be safe than sorry, and I know that the manual says as soon as you can see the tread wear bar you should change the tire, but I have about 6k miles on my rear tire and I can just start seeing and feeling the tread wear bar. These are the HD OEM Dunlops. I have also seen guys with tires in worse shape than me. What ya' all think, wait till next summer and go a little longer or replace now?
I know it's better to be safe than sorry, and I know that the manual says as soon as you can see the tread wear bar you should change the tire, but I have about 6k miles on my rear tire and I can just start seeing and feeling the tread wear bar. These are the HD OEM Dunlops. I have also seen guys with tires in worse shape than me. What ya' all think, wait till next summer and go a little longer or replace now?
Thread Starter
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 28,476
Likes: 3,950
From: Vermont
RE: When to replace rear tire
I have one of those tread depth indicator gauges on my HD tire gauge that I got. I forgot about checking it with that, I just happen to be looking at the tire today and noticed the wear bar was visible. I do keep my pressure up and check it regularly. I won't get much riding in to make a difference this winter, but I will be putting a good 'un on in the spring.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,890
Likes: 73
From: MA
RE: When to replace rear tire
ORIGINAL: bountyhunter
Dawg, wait till after your motor work...do a big smokey burnout...THEN put on new rubber. Got my new rear 402 at Zanotti's for $115.
Dawg, wait till after your motor work...do a big smokey burnout...THEN put on new rubber. Got my new rear 402 at Zanotti's for $115.
I got my 402 ww from Realhog.com for $127.00 including S&H.
RE: When to replace rear tire
I would strongly suggest that tyres are changed when they reach the wear bars, or if no wear bars present at 1.6mm or about 1/16".
As tyres wear they get more vulnerable to puncture and become less efficient at clearing water from the tyre footprint. Replacing tyres is cheap insurance against a lot of cost and pain.
One thing worth bearing in mind is that tread depth isnt the only thing to watch. Tyres degrade over time, and if for some reason you only do low mileages tyres should be changed at 3 years. This is why some of those cheap tyre deals go bad, sometimes they are selling old stock which may have been sitting on the shelf for a couple of years.
Just my take on things
Ride safe
As tyres wear they get more vulnerable to puncture and become less efficient at clearing water from the tyre footprint. Replacing tyres is cheap insurance against a lot of cost and pain.
One thing worth bearing in mind is that tread depth isnt the only thing to watch. Tyres degrade over time, and if for some reason you only do low mileages tyres should be changed at 3 years. This is why some of those cheap tyre deals go bad, sometimes they are selling old stock which may have been sitting on the shelf for a couple of years.
Just my take on things
Ride safe
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,934
Likes: 43
From: Bloomfield, NM
RE: When to replace rear tire
ORIGINAL: Gutman
Tires should be replaced when their is 1/32" of tread depth remaining.
Tires should be replaced when their is 1/32" of tread depth remaining.
I got 10,000 out of my last rear, and I could have gone 2,500 or so more but we were leaving on a 3,000 mile trip and I didn't want to have to replace a tire on the road.
Regards,
Bill
Tourer
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 477
Likes: 3
From: Jacksonville, Fla
RE: When to replace rear tire
Hey BountyHunter...I see you buy from Zanotti's? That's my old stompin' grounds up in Pa. I went online to their website, do they deliver FEDX / UPS? I searched their website but it was "timeing out".[:@]
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Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 644
Likes: 0
From: Pekin, IN
RE: When to replace rear tire
Mine currently has 11k +, is slick as a gut, worthless in the rain. If I had your tire, I'd be walkin in tall cotton... I'll change mine, but unless you are prone to smokey burnout or over active throttle syndrome, ride it.
Steve[sm=icon_rock.gif]
Steve[sm=icon_rock.gif]
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,183
Likes: 836
From: KMHT KFMY
RE: When to replace rear tire
that's why I have the run flats on my bike!
sport bikes get about 5000 miles on a rear tire if you use the bike as intended... wheel slip on acceleration is a big factor, and I'm not talking burn outs, I mean the tire is slipping at 40, 50, 100 MPH when you get on it...ever so slightly but enough to wear the tire.
I figured the weight of the bike and mostly straight line/ lack of lean angle riding we do would cause the tire to flat spot long before they wore out.
sport bikes get about 5000 miles on a rear tire if you use the bike as intended... wheel slip on acceleration is a big factor, and I'm not talking burn outs, I mean the tire is slipping at 40, 50, 100 MPH when you get on it...ever so slightly but enough to wear the tire.
I figured the weight of the bike and mostly straight line/ lack of lean angle riding we do would cause the tire to flat spot long before they wore out.