When is a new tyre old?

You've just bought a new tyre, but its already 5 years old...how come?

Q. When is a new tyre, also an old tyre?

A. When you try to follow the manufacturers guidelines…

The extent of most peoples knowledge about tyres is, they are the (expensive) black stuff that sticks you to the road, but did you know tyres have a birthday! A tyres date of manufacture is stamped on the sidewall, usually the last four digits of the DOT number.

The number might look something like the following

DOT 51 7R R159 4819:

The age is denoted in the last four numbers (4819). In this example, the tyre was manufactured in the 48th week of 2019.

If your tyre only has three numbers at the end of the DOT number, it was manufactured pre-2000 and needs to be put in the bin.

There is no law that says you must replace the tyres on your motorcycle after a certain number of years, but manufacturers have set recommendations which insurance companies may take into account in the event the vehicle is involved in an accident.

The guidelines are clear as mud…

Manufacturers recommend that tyres should be replaced when they are 10 years old. However it is accepted that provided the tyres are stored in the correct environment, it is perfectly acceptable for tyre shops to sell tyres ‘as new’ up to 5 years from the date of manufacture, so potentially your new tyre is old!.

If your new tyre was already 5 years old, and you are advised to replace a tyre after 10 years, then does this mean that your new tyre will only last 5 more years or can you run it for the manufacturers recommended 10 years which would put the tyre at 15 years old?

Clear as mud and none of the manufacturers want to provide the correct answer for fear they will out themselves with sub-standard products that are retired to the scrap-heap after 10 years.

Thankfully when it comes to motorcycles, there are no hard and fast laws beyond the usual ‘wear’ rules. During a service at a shop, the condition of the tyre will be based on a visual inspection of the wear only.

HGV’s, busses and certain other large vehicles have very strict laws when it comes to tyre age, but Motorcycles don’t fall into this category.

Fortunately most people burn through tyres well before the 10 year window, but for vintage and classic bikes, many of which retain the authenticity with original tyres, they could be picking a fight with the insurance company if they have a spill.

For motorcyclists who only ride a few miles each year, it is worth checking your tyres age as it is perfectly conceivable that you will hit the 10 year mark and the tyre might still look fairly fresh.

Tyre manufacturers want to sell tyres, I’m sure if they could decree that tyres should be replaced every two years… they would, but at present, this is a personal choice.

There is nothing in law that prevents a motorcycle using 10+ year old tyres, but perhaps in the interest of safety, you’re better taking a look at your tyres to see what age they are.

Your bike, your responsibility.