Quote:
Originally Posted by Lump
Hey you all! New to the site here but I have been reading up on all the cool stuff.
I just got myself a new set of Pirelli Sport Demon tires (not mounted yet) for my Fire Breathing 2002 250 Ninja. The date codes on these new tires seem kinda old. The front tire is marked 0815 and the rear is 1316. That makes the front tire already over 3 years old and the back tire is not far behind. The tires look fine but are already middle aged (Kinda like me). Is this something that I should be worried about? What are these gonna be like in 4 or 5 years?
Cheers
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No worries if you adopt some safe riding techniques:
- monitor tire pressures, I check weekly and set street tyres to 30/32psi. Race tyres 27/25psi. CBR600RR gets 34/33psi.
- warm up tyres gradually before pushing them. Best done when vertical, gradually increase throttle each time. Brake harder and harder each time. Feel for reaching limits of traction gradually. Street tyres won't have as great improvement in grip with warm-up as DOT-R track tyres.
- don't ride over your comfort and handling limits.
I've found with these simple guidelines, I can take any tyre to its limits safely. Increasing speeds
gradually is the key as you'll get a feel for when tyre reaches limit without grossly going over and sliding. You'll also get a feel for slides and catching them if you approach that limit gradually. And... you'll find that speed when they reach the limit varies between different tyre models. That's OK, as long as you approach it gradually, you won't go over. I've found that tightening the nut behind the bars makes the biggest difference.