Tires get harder with age, if you put 3 yr old tires on your bike they will be harder than new tires; If you have had the tires for 3-4 yrs and only ridden occasionally they are harder than when they were new. All things being equal, you maintain propper air pressure, etc; And yes, harder tires wear longer but don't grip quite as well. But the difference is slight so unless you ride at the edge of your traction limits I doubt you will notice. But you might feel a little "slip" sometimes going over tar snakes or at oily spots infront of stop signs and lights.
Tire life ?
- Thread starter R_W_B
- Start date
Tires get harder with age, if you put 3 yr old tires on your bike they will be harder than new tires; If you have had the tires for 3-4 yrs and only ridden occasionally they are harder than when they were new. All things being equal, you maintain propper air pressure, etc; And yes, harder tires wear longer but don't grip quite as well. But the difference is slight so unless you ride at the edge of your traction limits I doubt you will notice. But you might feel a little "slip" sometimes going over tar snakes or at oily spots infront of stop signs and lights.
2003FXDX
Member
Frankly, I'm surprised at the low numbers being called normal. I understand different conditions and riders but less than 10,000 miles just don't sound right to me! I just bought a (stock) set of tires for my FXDX. The front was the original stock Dunlop and had a little over 18,500 miles on it. It is not quite down to the wear indicators but not far from it , I'm sure it would have made 20,000 given the chance but I wanted both tires new at the same time. The rear is worn out, right at the indicators, the original owner told me he had damaged the original beyond repair but I don't know when so no help there. I'll ask him next time I see him. I installed the new front yesterday and found some rust inside the rim I also discovered a slight bend on one side where someone obviously hit something pretty hard. I've decided to go with stock cast wheels to get away from bent wheel repair, spokes, rust and tubes in one whack (found a good deal on a dealer take off set with only 500 miles on them, bearings and brake discs included as well as a front tire). based on the original front tire wear rate and my grandpa riding style, I expect to get at least 20,000 out of the front if I live long enough, and we'll see about the rear. If I don't get at least 10,000 out of the rear I won't be buying Dunlops again for certain.