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Tire replacement

This raises a great point. What are your riding conditions? 2/32 is not a one-size-fits-all recommendation. I live in the NW, so it rains A LOT! I also have 3/4 of a mile of gravel to the nearest pavement. So, I go extra cautious on tires.
 
Kemo has you covered, if the tires are beyond 4 years probably getting close, also inspect tires in strong light, any evidence of "age" cracking or tread wear to the tread wear indicators (raised horizontal bars used to guage 1/32 overall wear) should guide you as well.

Rubber compound is natural with some petroleum based products which degrade when exposed to heat, ozone (garage fired appliances), sun, and on-road contaminants. That tire patch contact area is about the size of your palm, which elongates when the tire gets leaned over...and if you take off wheels and buy tires from metric dealer, they mount and balance 'em for free...though dealer shop labor being $75 is a choice based on your confidence level.
 
Another thing to remember if you have Harley's ESP with the tire plan, they will not cover you if you get a flat when your tire is 3/32'' or less. They figure the tire is a lot more likely to get a flat if your tread is that low, I always recommend replacement at 3/32'', it's a lot cheaper then, well you know, plus the ride is so much smoother on good rubber. I've ridden tires down to nylon, but not because I wanted to. lol
 
Bought my 2003 Super Glide last November and it only had 4400 miles so it is in great condition. After a few "get aquainted" rides. I took it in to the local dealer for 5000 mile maintenance and had both tires changed, then, got an air compressor. Could not believe the difference in the ride! Its called "peace of mind" - so replace the tires and check the air pressure often. You will not regret it...
 
take a penny and turn it upside down, put abrahams head into tire tread, if you can see all his hair completely, you've got less than 3/32 left., as long as his hair and head remain covered by tire your in good shape!

(cheap tire gauge!)
 
Bull Dog Jim said:
The "law" on tire tread is not hwat I would go by at all. In this case I don't "trust" that Big Brother is telling us that we are totally safe with 2/32" (which by the way they can't even reduce fractions, so what does that tell you?).
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I never realized that. That's funny.

To the op, go buy a tire gauge. They are cheap. You might be able to find one at you local auto parts store
 
GimmeFuel said:
When is it time to replace my rear tire? I don't know how many miles are on these tires. The bike was used when I got it. Anybody?
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What year is the bike? and how many miles are on the bike?
How do the tires look ?
What is the date stamped on the sidewall?

Now, in MY case....In Dec,2007, I bought a 2005 FLTR with 10,526 on the clock. The first thing I did, was strip off the Old Dunlop D-402 and replaced them with Dunlop Elite-3's. In my opinion, MY well being/safety, was far more important than the age, or miles on a used bike's tires. Some folks would argue with that logic, and I don't have any problem with THEIR priorities... for their bike
 
Back tires usually get around 7-8K, and front tires should get to around 12-14k, if you keep the air pressure correct. That is, if you aren't doing burnouts, then I don't have an answer.
 
I'm no expert on this stuff. My experiance shows me that front tires last about 2 to 1 with back tires... My back tire on my Ultra lasts about 10k. That is only a rule of thumb. Front tires tend to ware on the sides and and the center may look good even with the ware indicators. The side treads get thin first and appear lumpy and a bit uneven. That is where I find the wear indicators hitting hiway. The back tire loses its nice rounded apereance and flattens across the tread. hope this helps some one.
 
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