Do you know that similar to milk and bread, motorcycle tires expire over time? The fact is all the tires have an expiry date, and surprisingly, most of the consumer doesn’t know about tire’s expiry date. Most people change the tire when it gets damaged or old. Every tire has a birth date i.e., the day it was manufactured and an expiration date i.e., six years from that manufacture date. At the time of manufacturing, all tires get stamped with their built date. Also, these tires have a projected shelf life. Even if you get the best dirt bike tires around, you need to know when they were manufactured, so you can replace them before anything bad happens. Fortunately, there is an easy trick for seeing when precisely the tire was manufactured, so you roughly know how long it will last.
Look at the Date Code
All motorcycle tires have a date code right there on the rubber. For all motorcycle tires created after the year 2000, the first two digits indicate the week of the year it was made while the last two digits indicate the year. That means a tire with the code “4015” would have been made in the 40th week of the year 2015.
For tires manufactured before 2000, the digits read a bit differently. There are only three numbers, and they will only tell you the decade the tire was made rather than the specific year. This is why the United States Department of Transportation changes the rules in 2000. Now when you buy street bike tires online, there is a much greater chance you will know exactly what year it was made in.
Look at the Warranty
Most bike tires will only last a few years. It all depends on what kind of conditions the tires are exposed to. If you do a lot of off-roading, then your tires will not last as long compared to tires that only go on freeways. You should always check the tires’ warranties to see when you would still be able to replace them at no additional or extra cost. Almost, all the tire manufacturers warranty policies cover eligible tires which turn out to be unusable due to some reasons, but within the manufacturer’s control, such tire can be replaced with a comparable new tire based on the claim in their Limited Warranty policy.
To protect yourself should be your priority, so, whenever you are buying new tires must ask for the latest tires available and look at the tire’s manufacture date. As long as you are smart about how to use your tires, you can expect a long life out of them. Always know your tire codes, but when the day comes when you need new tires, go online and purchase new ones right away.
Most people to save money take a huge risk and play the gamble of keeping outdated old tires not only risk themselves but also to others too. Driving an out-of-date tire is dangerous not only for the driver but also for other drivers. Take the decisive step and change your motorcycle tires every six years, or sooner, to counter a potentially dangerous situation which could arrive anytime due to your mistake.
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