I ride a 2000 Triumph Daytona 955i. Tires LOOK great but I know age alone can limit their performance. I am the third owner and I have had her for three years, only beginning my track days last season. How do you read the codes on the sidewalls to see how old the tires are? The guy I bought her from said he thought his seller had just put on new rubber before he bought it about three years prior. I am thinking I should just go ahead and replace them. But the bike only has 9,000 miles or so on the clock. Advice? :cheers: Len
Should be a rectangangle box on the sidewall of the tire somewhere that will have 4 numbers inside of it. The first two numbers are the week of manufacture, the second two numbers represent the year. Example...............2709.............27th week of the year............09= 2009. If there is any doubt about the integrity of the tire.......bluing, cracking, abnormal wear (cupping), a plug in the tire..........REPLACE it or them. Remember, they are the last thing between your bike and the pavement.
I have a noobie tire question. Gearing up for my first track day, hopefully in August. I see they sell michelin tires at the track for cheap(er) if your a member. Isn't it dangerous to get on the track with brand new tires? I thought your supposed to work em in by at least 100 miles to let that tire oil seep out a bit or else your going to have slippery tires your whole track day?
Thats true of a street tire at the recommended pressures, however at the track you will reduce your pressures to allow the carcass to move and heat more easily. You will need to slow down to get the tires scrubbed in , but this can usually be accomplished in a few laps. And as always the Michelin man at the track will give you the best advice regarding the break in of your new stickies.hope this helps.
What do you think all of us who have dedicated race bikes do? Haven't you seen pictures of guys heading out on the track with the new sticker still on the tires?
is that like a superstition or something? i see racers do that ALOT .. whats the point of keeping the sticker on? im gunna buy some extra stickers and throw one on every session if u tell me they make ya faster or something haha :lmao:
In the olden days (> 10 years ago?), the tire companies used a mold release that left the tires very slippery at first, hence the 100 mile wear in. My understanding is this is not the case anymore. Having ridden in the olden days, I can attest to the fact that new slicks were down right slippery on your out lap back then. In fact, it was necessary to do a "scrub" lap before heading out for your warm-up lap if you were racing. On today's slicks, this is not the case.