Hi basically i have a ducati 749 its 54 plate and it has done under 2k miles the original tyres are still on the bike and are in good condition with lots of tread so they are about 7-9 years old will they still handle and perform okay? or would it be sensible to get a new set? cheers
Car tyres have a shelf life of 6 years. So I would suggest bike tyres would be similar. The decision at the end of the day is yours. Pirelli show what everything means on the sidewall so you can confirm how old they are All About Tyres, Motorcycle tyres - PIRELLI UK
All tyres are different but they can go a bit wooden after as little as three years, so I'd be inclined to get a new pair. Most people will tell you that the starting point for getting a sports bike to ride and handle well is fresh / decent quality tyres so why waste all that fine Italian design and engineering by pottering around on ancient tyres? You've bought the bike, you want to enjoy it surely...? Modern sports rubber has improved dramatically so almost any new sports-oriented tyre will be a big improvement over what you've got on there. I personally like the Continental Sport / Road Attacks but you'll get a million different opinions about which particular make of tyre is best. Enjoy!
I had Michelin 2ct's on my old 749s last year. In the rain, they were good but in the dry....mama mia...super grip. Took them to europe for 10 days of hooning around on twist roads, never missed a beat.
I was running 5+ year old ex track tyres (supercorsa's) that were hard as nails on my R1 up until it got nicked a few weeks ago. Centres were spot-on perfect and after 2k hadnt squared at all and were wearing very nicely. The sides were cold tearing badly but never felt anything other than great. At the end of the day it all depends on what you expect to get out of them & how you use your bike. If you ride normally im sure they will be fine. If you want to blast around with your knee on the deck all the time I would put money on them being way past capable and probably dangerous once leant over. Give them a ride and see how they go.
Direct sunlight's the main culprit for tyres deteriorating. Presuming the bikes been garaged that shouldn't be a problem. If they've got 6 years shelf life then the manufacturers must allow about the same period for use.
cheers for the information people and yeah its always been garaged so il see how they go and probably replace them within the next year just didnt really have a clue didnt really want to ride and not have much grip, couldnt imagine that being very nice lol
If they've been standing a while and developed a bit of a sheen, scrub them in like new tyre for a bit.
+1 on the Supercorsa's i run 2nd Hand supercorsa sc's that have only down a few laps of Cookstown Bought a pair for about £100 and they are amazing on my 748r however I don't ride in the rain (pussy I know) so can't say how good they are in rain, work fine in cold weather tho, used them for the daily commute a few times in Feb and where fine!!
