I've posed this question on a couple of other bike forums and the replies have been very interesting so I thought I'd also ask the question here as I know there are a lot of knowlegable people tuning in.

As per the title of the thread then, you have bought an older bike that you know has been stood for several years. The tyres (OK, cos I'm a Brit I spell it with a Y) look fine, with plenty of tread and no obvious damage, but the markings tell you they are 10 years old. You plan on riding the bike so after changing the oil, filters, battery? etc. etc. you are ready to go. But what about those tyres, do you change them or keep them?

The VF Honda I bought a few months back fell into this category and I know what I'd do, but I'd like to hear your views on the subject.

I would change the tires, if they 10 years old!! Just for security reason....

Several factors can influence the service life of tires: Weather conditions, storage conditions, conditions of use, load, speed, air pressure, maintenance, driving style, etc. Every single factor can significantly change the expected service life of tires.
For all these reasons, I would advise every motorcyclist to pay regular attention to the condition of his tyres for a few minutes to determine any signs of external aging or wear and tear.

Just had to change a set that I purchased 6 months ago. In my haste I didn’t notice that they were 3 years old according to the date stamp on the tyre.
Checking them last weekend, I noticed that they had splits in the grooves where they had dried out in the air conditioned store.

All depends on how the tyres were stored. It is the temperature changes that affect the rubber compound - the less changes the less damage. I have used race scrubs on the road bike that have been in the back of the (relatively) well insulated UK garage which were about 5 or 6 years old with no problems. YMMV.

Cherie

Tyres are all that keep your bike shiny side up - why scrimp?

The tyres may look fine but .........

IIRC correctly advice from tyre manufacturers is a 7 year shelf life IF (and it is a big if) stored correctly.

The rubber does get hard with age as the oils in the compound evaporate. Ozone from electric motors in the storage area can also affect the compounds, not just temperature changes.

That said, if you are not testing the traction limits of the tyres (I spelled it that way for you) then you can be perfectly fine on aged rubber.....just realize that when you have to emergency brake hard for that idiot in the cage that just pulled out in front of you....you may not have the traction you want to slow down quickly.

So, on my sport bikes I prefer to have rubber that is newer rather than older, and certainly less than 7 years old. On my vintage CB100 Honda, with it's massive 7 HP and lack luster drum brakes, not so much.

I would change.

Local insurance recommends 5 years. As mentioned, it does depend on how it was stored.

I'm a 5 year guy. Curtis was victimized by rubber that was older than that at Little Tally.

This is a close up of the front tyre (thanks for the Y Ed!) on my VF. I checked the date stamp and it was 8 years old. The cracks only appeared after I'd ridden the bike just 6 miles. Those 6 miles were quite hairy as the roads were a bit damp, those tyres were hard as hell and the bike handled like a pig on stilts. Its been sat in the shed since I bought it last November and I've since found out it was stood for at least the last five years. I'm with the 5 year guys, anything older than that might just be Ok on a garage queen or a low powered bike, but I don't think I'd risk it on any bike I planned on riding myself. I won't be putting many miles on the VF, perhaps 1000 miles a year or less but I think if I binned it trying to save a few £ on tyres I'd only have myself to blame. The VF has what might be considered odd ball sizes 120/80/16 Front and a 140/80/17 rear but I've got pair of Avons for just a little over £150.

Just as an aside, one of the replies I got on another bike forum was from a guy who had 28 year old tyres on his bike and was quite happy with them!

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Remember when Ade rode GAG's SPR at the first Bubbalicious on "vintage" tires ????

He complained about them, but since the bike was borrowed he couldn't bitch too loud....at any rate, he rode the frigging wheels off that bike in the North Georgia mountains. Maybe the heat generated softened them up just a bit???

Those Manx Men can ride anything fast, shite tyres or not.