Advice please--maintenance on new to me CB

[rdprdp01]

I encourage everyone to replace motorcycle tires older than five years, regardless of the remaining tread. Rubber degrades, oxidizes, and hardens over time. Our motorcycles have relatively thin tires for a 550+ pound motorcycle plus rider and gear. Many critics find my recommendation entirely too cautious, bordering on paranoia and leading to a waste of money. Dave from Revzilla leads the pack of my many critics:



He advocates using an evaluation curve to determine when to replace tires, taking into account a series of variables. My response: Why risk an easily preventable accident, hoping that the Gods of polymer degradation, volatile plasticizing oils, and magical UV anti-aging ointment have executed flawlessly? Although I am in violent agreement that the failure for motorcyclists to check tire pressure regularly is the greatest source of premature tire wear, physics matters too. Some of the same sources Brother Dave cited also noted that 3% of motorcycle accidents involve tire failure. I hope no motorcyclist on this Forum will ever join that club. David