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Cracked 9 year old tyres, ride out tomorrow!?

2K views 30 replies 18 participants last post by  robodelfy 
#1 ·
Hi everyone

I have recently bought a 2008 Honda Shadow Vt750 C2-8. I am meant to be going on a long trip with friends tomorrow, and it will be the first proper ride on this bike. The person who sold it to me had it in a garage for 2 years, literally did a few miles. It has only done 8000 miles since it was first registered in 2011.

So I noticed some cracking in the valleys of the tread, especially on the front tyre. It is all the way around the centre tread on the front tyre, and the picture shows the worst bit. There is a tiny tiny bulge by one of the cracks too. The back tyre seems fine, just some very minor cracking, barely noticeable unless up close.

But as you can see from the DOT numbers, both the tyres are 9 years old. Should I not be riding the bike at all until I replace them? What is the most likely thing to happen, a blow out? Lack of grip etc?

Everyone is expecting me to come tomorrow, and I dont want to let them down, but I dont want to die either!

Any advice appreciated, as I need to decide today!

Thanks
 

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#3 ·
Replace them.
Tires are kinda important when you only have two.
Cracking indicates the rubber has gone hard and shrunken, a bulge indicates there is damage to the fabric of the tire or the tread has started to de-laminate.

I might myself ride them a short distance at low speed to get them replaced, but going on a long ride with others, especially with the usual throttle twisting shenanigans that seems to often go on, would IMHO be extremely foolhardy.
 
#4 ·
I agree. Personally, I'd replace any weak-link supporting my butt three feet off a high-speed cheese grater. Call me a sentimental old fool.. Grown quite attached to it over the years. :D
 
#5 ·
As said above, replace the tires or stay home. One of those "cracked" tires goes out on a curve at speed and
you will have a whole new definition of the word "excitement", if you live thru it.
JMHO
 
#6 ·
Friend, if you are like me it will just about kill you to give up the ride, but, give up the ride. Those tires are a potential danger to you and the bikes around you. Start tire shopping today.
 
#9 ·
I seem to read everywhere that Michelin Commander 2's are the best, and then then Metzeler 888's. It seems both of these will last a long time compared to say the Metzeler 880's.

I can't seem to find the exact sizes I need for my bike. Do you have to get everything exactly the same as the tyres that came with the bike, or can you get slightly different sizes?
 
#10 ·
Yes and no. You can change the sizes but you need to make sure that it will fit. My rear tire original size was 160/80-15, I put a 170/80-15 on it and like the change it made. The front was a 120/90-17 and I put a 120/80-17 on it. You can see the size difference but it actually rides better with these tires on it, could be my imagination too.:smile2:

You can google search tire size calculators and find one that will allow you to compare two tire sizes. Enter the sizes and it will give you the sizes of the tires and the differences in them.

Not sure where to buy tires in the UK,,,good luck.
 
#13 ·
I have Shinko 777 front and 777 Heavy Duty rear on my 750 ACE and have been very happy with them, wet, dry and tar snakes are all very good and they seem to be wearing well.
I forgot to mention at least in North America they are priced economically, no idea about the UK.

I will buy them again and have recommended them to friends.
 
#18 ·
Compare the cost of new tires with the cost of an emergency room and Hospital stay, or worse.
 
#19 ·
Yep, I have shinko 777's on mine. Have clocked 19,000km and I ride them hard. Getting a new rear tire in a few days as it is very bald. They are great in wet or dry weather. Very happy with them and they are a great price. I have read a few reports of people with the shinko 230's not liking the tire wear, but the 777's are great.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
 
#21 ·
Yeah, I have seen some people only getting that much, but most people with the 777's rather than 230's and other variants, seem to get more. Maybe I got a good set, but I am going back for more! I ride harder than 95% of the other people I ride with too, though I clock up a fudge load of highway km's.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
 
#25 · (Edited)
Hey guys

I was just about to buy Michelin Commander II's as I had read good things about them, but in another thread on this forum, someone said they are really slippy, and it seems some of you have confirmed this.

Can anyone recommend some good non slippy tyres, : Rear : 160/80 - 15, Front : 90/90 - 21

The rear could be slightly wider from what i've been told? I can see these Shinko SR 777's, but they have whitewalls which I'm not so in to.

So many tyres, so many opinions,!! The joys of the internet :)
 
#30 ·
The 'slippy' comes from the harder compounds used to make it a longer lasting tire. It slips some for me, it may not for others. Could be how I ride and brake...your results may differ, but any tire rated as higher mileage may slip as well. Not a bad tire, it just has characteristics that do not suit me.

As mentioned...check the Avon line up. Good luck with your search.
 
#27 ·
There are ways to prepare the rim to take tubeless , but the quick easy way is to simply put a tube in them . It won't hurt anything if you use the right size tube , as per manual.

Personally , I don't think I could trust the "fill the rim with 5200" method myself , few things bond well enough to the slick metal to suit me ; but that is just me ......... those who have done it seem happy . I've not heard any of them come back on the blog saying it failed.

Balance Beads work well also rather than adding the balancing weights which are known to fly off .

You are on the right track changing the tire , cracks are deadly.
 
#28 ·
Tire threads are one of the most subjective and conflicting threads on any motorcycle website. There is no right answer. I live in a hot climate so Brand A works best for me. it grips well and lasts for a decent amount of miles. Brand A is quite possibly one of the worse tires someone from a different climate could use. No grip, short lifespan. Another factor is bike. Dunlop makes a lot of tires. They are one of the best dirt bike tires I've bought. They make an excellent tire for sports bikes, but you'll be hard pressed to find anyone say anything good about the ones Dunlop makes for Honda Shadows.
I know this isn't the answer you're looking for, but it's the truth. If you have a local maintenance shop, go in and strike up a conversation. Most bike mechanics are also riders. The best and most up to date advice I've ever gotten has been from my local bike mechanic. He doesn't care what I buy, as long as I'm happy with it because if I'm happy with what he sells me, I'll be back to buy something else.
Good Luck. Looking forward to hearing what decision you make.
 
#29 ·
Thanks for the advice

I actually have another thread, and now they have basically become the same threads!

Anyway, I am leaning towards the Avon Roadriders AM26 front and back, because they are available locally, but abut £50 more expensive than online, but they fit them while I wait. I just want to get my bike back on the road as the tyres are so worn I dont really feel safe on it!
 
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