Tires are something that you can’t imagine your motorcycle without it. And to have an optimal and comfortable ride, you must keep the tires in good shape. But do you know how long do motorcycle tires last? If not, here you go.
You need to replace the tires when they need and keep the tires under preservation. Motorcycle tires deteriorate over time, and they may still look good to you after 5 years of use. But they tend their efficiency after 10 years of service. Keep them inspected by tire professionals twice a year.
Well, there’re some key factors that play a big role in tire wear and tear. So read down below to know those factors, when to change your tires and about your next step.
How Many Miles Do Motorcycle Tires Last?
There’re so many factors that determine the lifespan of your motorcycle tires. Thus, it’s hard to tell how much your motorcycle tire mileage actually is. Still, to give you an average concept of the highest motorcycle miles, we’ve come up with an estimated mileage.
Generally, the front tire of a motorcycle can last about 3600 miles on average. And you can use the back tire on average about 1700 to 1800 miles. Even though these are average miles, a motorcycle rider should not exceed this miles range as it can be dangerous.
However, the mile’s range can differ when you ride on a smooth road vs. riding on a rough road.
How Many Years Do Motorcycle Tires Last?
Most tire manufacturers produce tires with a maximum of 6 years of warranty. This is just an average year; most of the time, you may need to replace tires before this period. Moreover, using them more than this average lifetime can be risky.
However, it all depends on how much you’ve used your tires, how the road condition where you’ve driven, and more. To be precise, your motorcycle tire life span depends on how you’re going to use your motorbike during these 6 years.
You should always inspect your tire before and after a ride, whether there’re any signs of wear or aging. It’ll be helpful to reduce the possibility of unwanted accidents while riding the bike.
How Long Do Motorcycle Tires Last?
Some factors affect the motorcycle tire life, and those factors are:
- How Fast and Far You Ride With the Bike
When you ride faster, the friction with rods increases the heat on the tire. And higher heat increases the chances of thread wear rate. Also, how far you ride affects the lifespan of your bike tires.
- Maintenance
Maintenance and care is another great factor for the lifespan of your tires; the more you’ll keep the tires under maintenance, the longer it’ll last.
- Riding Style
Every riding style affects the tire’s life differently because tire pressure varies according to riding style. Now, which riding style do you use?
- Road Surface and Hazards
If you ride your bike on rough roads quite frequently than a smooth road, it increases the signs of wear on tires. Sometimes your motorbike tire can puncture due to hazardous roads; thus, the lifespan of the tires reduces.
- The Load your Motorcycle Carries
If you ride the bike with your friend in the back or your motorcycle is heavy, your rear tires will degrade faster than the rear tire. Plus, due to heavy load, it can face excessive wear in the near time.
- Tire Construction
You’ll find many stickier tires available in the market that provide great grip. Other tires have great mileage but don’t have enough grip.
So these are general factors that determine how long motorcycle tires last, but how often should you replace your tires with new ones?
When Should You Replace Motorcycle Tires With New Tires?
To be honest, motorcycle tires have no expiry date, but indeed it has an average time for replacing your tires. You should know that a motorcycle tire’s life expectancy depends on the tire’s wear out and age.
Also, how you take care of your motorbike also determines the lifespan of your bike as well as tires. Suppose you always park your motorcycle outside of your house in an open place instead of parking it in a garage. In this case, your bike tires will degrade quicker.
However, keep in mind that changing the tires every five years is not a rule or something like that. It’s just an estimated duration that you can follow to change old tires without wear only when you’re not in a state to change them frequently.
Obviously, just like the factors of your motorcycle tires’ longevity, changing tires has some aspects.
When to Replace Motorcycle Tires
There’re times when a motorcycle won’t give you a similar performance as old times. That’s when you should understand that you’ve to go for a new tire. Before that, make sure to check the facts mentioned below.
- Tread
Treads play a vital role in your motorcycle tires. They are responsible for the grip your tires have, and push away water. Thus, having wear in the tire treads is a big threat to you and your motorcycle’s life.
Make sure you keep inspecting the threads each time you go out with your bike. Generally, tires have a legal wear limit of 2/32” (0.8 millimeters) of depth, and when you reach this limit, you’ve to replace your bike’s tires immediately.
- Defects
Another critical factor that determines your motorcycle tires shelf life is defects. No matter if the tires haven’t reached their tread depth limit yet, but the tires sidewalls have cracked. You should replace your old cracked tires with new ones.
- Tire Age
The tires age of your motorcycle also has a big role when you think about the longevity of your tires. Your tire may have no wear in threads, no defects, no dry rots; you still have to change the tires after a certain period.
We would suggest changing tires every 5 years at least. Your motorbike tires come with the limited mileage that you’ve mentioned above. Also, motorbike tires are made with rubber components that oxidize with the times of usage. Thus, it’s necessary to change to new tires after a minimum of 3 years to avoid risks.
- Loss of Pressure
You should keep on checking the tires pressure. If you realize that tires are losing pressure quicker than they should, it means the bead of the tire is worn out and you’ve to change it.
- Inflation
Do you know what leads your motorcycle tires to uneven wear? It’s because of overinflated tires and underinflated tires. If the tires are not aired up after pumping air, make sure you check both sides and the middle tire portion.
And when you see there’s a leakage, you’ve to get new tires for sure.
- Punctures and Cuts
As you’ve read above, when you ride on hazardous roads, the possibility of the tires getting punctures and cuts increases. And whenever it happens, you can’t ride your bike until you change the tires.
How To Read Motorcycle Tires Sizes
Besides learning the factors of changing the tires, you’ve to know the bike tire sizes. It’ll help you to understand which size tire your motorbike need. The good thing is whatever most of the information you need to read, the measures will be included on the sides of the tires.
The sizes of tires will be molded either in metric or alphanumeric. For example, the tire you select has written the size in metric number: 130/90 R 16 67 H.
Here is what this measure means:
- 130/90 is the size of your motorcycle tire width and height.
- R in size indicates radial ply, which is basically the tire’s construction.
- And R 16 means, the tire’s diameter is 16 inches.
- Then come to the following number, 67, which refers to the wheel’s load capacity. That means this tire can lift up to 660 lbs.
- Lastly, H indicates the designation rate; generally, it refers to the speed according to the load index.
Hopefully, the next time you go for buying a new tire, you can understand the tire size easily.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many miles is a motorcycle tire good for?
Basically, the mileage of the average front tire of a bike can be 3700 miles when it’s a matter with a ballpark figure. If you want the ballpark figure to last for 1800 miles, you need to change the rear tires carefully.
- How much does it cost to change motorcycle tires?
The costs of changing per tire are between $20 to $125, and if your carry-in service costs will be between $25 and $50. Besides, you may need to spend around $45 to $80 for the ride-in service. Overall speaking, the average cost to change the motorcycle tires can be $50 per tire.
- Should I replace both motorcycle tires at the same time?
You don’t need to change both of the tires at a time. If both tires of your motorcycle are not newer ones, then you’ll need to change them at the same time. The necessity of the tire replacement arises as the front tires of a motorcycle don’t wear faster than the back tires.
- Do motorcycle tires have to be balanced?
Maintaining the balance of motorcycle tires is necessary to have a safe driving experience. If the wheel loses its balance, then it’ll hamper the performance of your motorcycle. To avoid unwanted accidents, be careful about the balance of your motorcycle tire. It’ll also help to increase the life expectancy of the tires.
Conclusion
Now you know what determines the fact of how long do motorcycle tires last. The motorcycle tires are made with less sturdy rubber components than car tires. Don’t be mistaken to go for low-profile tires.
The better the quality, the better the tires are. If your tires are sturdy, they can absorb road hazards more adequately. As a result, tires will have less wear, and tires lifespan will expand.
Last but not least, to increase the lifespan of your bike and tires, take care of your ride properly.
