1

Four months ago i bought a used motorcycle (FZ8 Fazer non ABS model) with 5000km on it. These kilometers were traveled by the previous owner in a period of about 4 years (VERY light use) and for the last 12months before i bought it, it was almost not used. Since then (4 months) i 've made another 6000km on it with no issues at all. I knew in advance that at some point i would have to change the tires since their rubber would be dried and stiff but since i consider my self an experienced driver (with over 200k km in my history) and since the last four months was a quite warm period (summer in Greece) with temperatures about +30C i decided to use the old ones at least until winter. Roads in Greece tend to be very dry throughout most of the year with quite warm surface and still quite slippery, especially in urban areas. Once again i would notice that i have quite an experience with the bike and i am able to perform more "extreme" handling on it. The last month i had three cases of slip on my front tire all on moderate braking application all of which i was able to handle quite easy and avoid any fall. I will anyway change my tires very soon but i would like to know if this is mostly due to temperature changes from the upcoming winter or due to some rubber property which was not so obvious after riding again with these tires but after 6000km is now more obvious.

Any ideas???

Edit (to clarify further): 1) I know and completely understand the risks of riding with these tires so please lets move on to the QUESTION. 2) The tires ARE the stock ones, so yes they are even older (about 2012) 3) They WERE properly (as much possible) stored and they had NO cracks or traceable issues (i had a test ride to decide if i should immediately change them) 4) They STILL don't have any (current excluded) after 6000km 5) Their traction-cornering behavior (after getting a little warmed up) is quite impressive to me given all of the above info

Maybe i should move over to chemistry.stackexchange.com !?

Improve this question
8
  • 3
    An experienced rider would not be using and trusting their life to degraded tires - otherwise known as “ditch-finders”...
    – Solar Mike
    Oct 16, 2018 at 11:40
  • I think the answers are assuming that the tires are degraded, however is this a good assumption @kokobill? Do you see cracks in the tires or other visible signs of degradation? If so please post.
    – GdD
    Oct 16, 2018 at 11:47
  • 2
    4 years old tires which have been sitting not being properly stored are degraded without a doubt, especially if these are the stock tires (5K km bike) which might be even older since bikes do not get sold the day after they get out of production and the tires themselves are not fit right after production. Remember that 5 years old tires are considered trash and should not be used.
    – Pierre P.
    Oct 16, 2018 at 12:20
  • 1
    I agree @AzirisMorora. I'm not making the assumption that they are the original tires, which is why I'm asking the question.
    – GdD
    Oct 16, 2018 at 12:44
  • 1
    @GdD Well, he said himself " I knew in advance that at some point i would have to change the tires since their rubber would be dried and stiff", which tells me that the tires have not been changed.
    – Pierre P.
    Oct 16, 2018 at 12:53

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
5

Can't really say without being there and being experienced, you should be able to tell.

I can see three easy reasons :

  • A little bit too much pressure on used tires
  • Used tires having a lower heat threshold and so getting more slippery under heavy use
  • Something on the road, a little oil spot, some light rain making hydrocarbons come on top of the road, gravel...

No doubt you can handle a normal slippage, however, in an emergency situation, like a car cutting me off, I want to know I can trust my bike.

Improve this answer
4
  • I failed to note that i checked the pressure and it's within the given measurements. the question is WHAT is causing this cahnge in behavior. (temperature changes or due some rubber property which is now more "exposed" after 6000km)
    – kokobill
    Oct 16, 2018 at 11:43
  • 1
    To me it's a simple case of you getting used to the bike and using it a little bit harder or the weather getting the road warmer, making the tire itself too hot. After a given temperature, every tires will lose it's gripping action and get more and more slippery. This is due to the fact that tires are polymer, which under heat decompose. That is also why after too quick heat and cool cycles, tires will crack.
    – Pierre P.
    Oct 16, 2018 at 11:49
  • About the "an emergency situation" I should note that I live in Greece. In most (if not all) urban areas the road quality would cause an emergency handling to fail. I have already checked this many times with new tires AND with my bicycle so i wound not want to know the actual outcome.
    – kokobill
    Nov 8, 2018 at 9:24
  • 1
    Time to go supermoto then ! :)
    – Pierre P.
    Nov 8, 2018 at 12:10
5

Riding on old, degraded tires is extremely dangerous. If you are experiencing slipping under moderate braking, imagine what happens during an emergency stop. You should change them immediately.

Improve this answer
2
  • I am well aware of all this as mentioned above. Yet this does not provide an answer to the question.
    – kokobill
    Oct 16, 2018 at 11:40
  • 1
    @kokobill It does provide an answer to the question. The tires are slipping because they're old. That you see no cracks is irrelevant; the rubber in tires degrades with age, they become less resilient, and they don't grip as well. Replace them.
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Dec 13, 2018 at 22:31

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .