This will make you wonder...

[crazy steve]

... about how much you can trust what you hear and/or read.

There's been a lot of chatter about 'tire expiration dates', and the 'accepted wisdom' seems to be anything older than 3 years is suspect. While looking for info on de-rating tubeless tires when fitted with tubes, I ran into this:
http://www.dunlopmotorcycle.com/info...warranties.asp
Kind of makes a hash of the 'accepted wisdom', as Dunlop will replace FREE any tire less than 6 years old if it failed due to a manufacturer defect and still has more than 50% tread. If it's worn beyond 50%, they'll replace it for 1/2 price in the same time period. They'll even cover weather-checking/cracking for up to 4 years....

The tire inflation guidelines are interesting also.

I never believed that '3 years' crap, and it looks like Dunlop agrees otherwise they wouldn't warrantee them for six.

'78E original owner

[vileneeds]

Mine are nine years old. If taken care of and properly rode upon, they will last.

[Montreux_Blue]

They'll even cover weather-checking/cracking for up to 4 years....

Sounds more like a 4 year warranty than 6 years!

[Montreux_Blue]

Dunlop will replace FREE any tire less than 6 years old if it failed due to a manufacturer defect and still has more than 50% tread. If it's worn beyond 50%, they'll replace it for 1/2 price in the same time period.

And they won't cover the medical bills after the blowout.... what a deal!

[Ivan]

The D404 is the epitome of a manufacturer defect. Its bad fresh out of the mold, but they never warrantied mine that blew at less than 2k.

As far as age, I suppose if you kept it in a light free environment with controlled humidity and temperature, they'd last for ever. But that UV crap really starts working on the rubber, so even if dunlop warranties them for six, I wouldn't stake my life on them being ok for that long, even if I didn't put the mileage on them. Also, who determines whether its a manufacturer defect or if its just age related failure? I really don't ever place much stock in warranties on a consumable item, because the manufacturers will try to weasel their way out of paying if at all possible.

One final thought. I just can't see a 6 year old tire being pliable enough to grip with a damn, especially when you're throwing it around in the corners and flirting with the edge of traction on a fresh sticky set of tires. Old tires might be ok on an Ultra Classic with a maximum lean angle of 15º, but I just don't think they will hold up in the corners, if that's your thing. Manufacturer defect or not.

Its good that Dunlop is trying to standup for their product though. Maybe they'll reimburse me that $265 for the whitewall I had to have put on because of their D404.

[Brad]

... about how much you can trust what you hear and/or read.

There's been a lot of chatter about 'tire expiration dates', and the 'accepted wisdom' seems to be anything older than 3 years is suspect. While looking for info on de-rating tubeless tires when fitted with tubes, I ran into this:
http://www.dunlopmotorcycle.com/info...warranties.asp
Kind of makes a hash of the 'accepted wisdom', as Dunlop will replace FREE any tire less than 6 years old if it failed due to a manufacturer defect and still has more than 50% tread. If it's worn beyond 50%, they'll replace it for 1/2 price in the same time period. They'll even cover weather-checking/cracking for up to 4 years....

The tire inflation guidelines are interesting also.

I never believed that '3 years' crap, and it looks like Dunlop agrees otherwise they wouldn't warrantee them for six.

'78E original owner

When in doubt, throw them out. If $200 buck's is stopping you from being safe on your toy, good luck.

[crazy steve]

I posted this to point out the glaring inconsistancies in a 'one size fits all' guideline (the 'recommended' 3 year expiration, which even Dunlop has signed on to) when it doesn't even agree with their own warranty. I will agree that their warranty has enough exclusions to probably prevent you from getting any sort of satisfaction for a failed/defective tire, although the 4 years for cracking/checking should be an fairly easy one to collect on.

So is the six year warrantee just a marketing ploy, with Dunlop figuring they'll rarely have to honor it, or is the three year 'expiration' just a way to stampede you into replacing what may be a perfectly servicable tire? Or are they just confused idiots?

None of the possible answers is particularly comforting...

'78E original owner

[cowboybob998]

tire date code

Do a search on the net (tire date code) lots of information, i never herd 3 years allways 6 years, any way.

[Rasputin]

Yup I have also always heard 6 yrs. I just took a front tire of my 78E that even still had the little tits on it, of course it was manufactured 3rd month of 1987. I was not even thinking about that when I rode her home (about a hundred mile trip) after I bought it. I would not ride on any tire older than 6 or 7 years old no matter what. Tires are cheaper than funerals

[b.walker5]

Do a search on the net (tire date code) lots of information, i never herd 3 years allways 6 years, any way.

Okayyyyy...... heres one that reckons replacement after ONE year, but are they talking about the tyre or the bike ????

http://www.ehow.com/how_4621263_read...ate-codes.html

I've always believed that around 5 years is about the end of thier useful, but I've never found out as mine are usually worn and replaced every 2 or 3 anyway.

This page has some good info on reading tyre info, http://www.amadirectlink.com/roadrid...resc/tires.asp and I even learned something from it. I never knew about the balance 'dot'.

[Winterhawk]

Alot of it depends on how much UV light is on the tires.

[petejw]

"I never knew about the balance 'dot'."

Unfortunately theres a lot of tyre fitters
that arent aware of it either.

[b.walker5]

Always fit my own, now I've got something else to consider. And it will probably cut down on a helluva lot of balancing.

[jmnjrpa]

Whaaaaaaat,

a tire thread and not a single "discussion" on which one is best???? Now back to your regularly scheduled program---------

[dbeardslee]

Tubeless tires fitted without innertubes to rims requiring innertubes.

I thought it was interesting that they mention this, as there's a discussion going on in another thread on just that subject. No mention of a reduction in speed rating, in fact it seems to imply the opposite.