Dave
YaBB Moderator ModSquad
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SuzukiSavage.com Rocks!
Posts: 18093
Camp Springs, Kentucky
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As rubber ages, some of the things that keep the tires soft and flexible are gone, and the rubber becomes harder....and perhaps a bit of shrinkage occurs. The cracks in the casing rubber are evidence that the rubber has become aged.
On a tire that is that old....the available traction is not nearly as good as it was when the tire was new, and that will be most obvious if you ask the tires to perform at their traction limits....hard braking, fast corners, or a ride in the rain will not be as sure footed on an old tire.
You most likely can get some more use out of the tire - provided you avoid any hard braking or cornering, and don't ride in the rain. On the rescue bike I rode about 400 miles on tires that had 3,800 miles on them and were 14 years old. They were not weather checked and looked fine - but as I rode the bike and pushed it a bit - the back tire did slide while going around a corner.
Since I can mount and balance my own tires - it was only about $130 to mount a set of Shinko tires and make the bike safe to ride again. The Shinko tires work very well on the Savage.
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