Is this motorcycle tire still any good?

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Noticed that my rear tire on my 80s Honda scooter was a bit low. I preemptively pulled it to get it replaced. Apparently the shops in my area don't work on anything older than 2000s, so I couldn't just bring it in for them to do..

Would you guys still ride this tire? The wear bars are low, but it seems there is still some tread on the sides..

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It is early in the riding season... and you'll want it to "be ready to ride" all this summer.

It's about worn out. I would replace it with a new one.
 
Originally Posted by Linctex
It is early in the riding season... and you'll want it to "be ready to ride" all this summer.


Yep agreed wholeheartedly!

Now to find a place that charges less than $50 to mount the new tire :-/
 
The consequences of a failure are more direct and dramatic than in a car.
So I'd be inclined to err on the side of safety and replace.
 
When the only thing between you and the pavement is 2 tires there is not much room for failure. I always made sure mine were in perfect shape when I had my motorcycle.
At least in a car, you still have 3 more tires and a steel body between you and the road if a tire fails.
 
Originally Posted by atikovi
A scooter? What's the top end, like 35? I'd ride that 'till the cords were showing.

My scooter would touch 100.
 
Originally Posted by Jarlaxle
Originally Posted by atikovi
A scooter? What's the top end, like 35? I'd ride that 'till the cords were showing.

My scooter would touch 100.


I think that's a motorcycle.
 
Originally Posted by atikovi
A scooter? What's the top end, like 35? I'd ride that 'till the cords were showing.


I'd probably wear a little more tread off of that one. What's a little scoot tire good for, 4k miles or so? Get every one out of that thing.

It doesn't look too cracked, which doesn't suprise me-- they put more preservatives (quality?) in motorcycle tires.
 
Originally Posted by spavel6
The wear bars are low, but it seems there is still some tread on the sides.


It is down to the wear bars, so illegal and dangerous (imo) to use. Look at the center groove, far left and far right. Those rubber bridges are the wear bars. When you see those, the tire should be replaced, and frankly replaced a while ago.
2/32nds is the legal minimum, I like to replace at 5/32nds.
 
It's down to the wear bars, and as mentioned if that tire is from the 80's as well, it is harder than a rock at this point, and should be replaced for that reason too. Most Motorcycle shops I'm aware of, will dismount the old tire, and mount and balance the new tire if you buy from them, and bring in the wheel off the bike or scooter in this case.
 
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Scooter is from the 80s, but the tire is from 2010. I got about 3k miles out of it. Here it is compared to the new one. Interestingly the new one starts at 6/32", so if i was to replace it at 5/32" I would probably get about 500 miles out of a single tire?!
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The guy that said he likes to replace tires at 5/32nds, is talking about car tires. Not applicable to bike or scooter tires that might start out at or near that tread depth. Most of the tires I run on my Sportbikes, have 5/32nds or less when brand new (at least for the front).

A tire from 2010 is still old, and the rubber will have hardened, providing less grip.

Since it looks like you bought the tire likely from an online source, you're at the mercy of what shops will charge to install a tire they didn't sell.

As I said, most shops ( at least the ones I know) will dismount the old tire, and mount and balance a new tire for no additional charge for tire(s) they sold, providing the wheel(s) are brought in off the bike.
 
Yep! Around here, it's $49.99 to mount tires, even the ones they sell at the store.. Welcome to metropolitan areas!
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In fact, the HD dealer is having a tire mounting SPECIAL where if you buy the tire from them they will install it for $49!
 
You could always buy the tools to change it yourself. a tool to pop the bead, and some tire irons. You could even buy a balancer and weights if you want. But if this is a 50cc scooter or thereabouts, it might not achieve high enough speeds to feel any imbalance.
 
You can remove and install scooter tires with nothing more than 3 flat head screwdrivers and a ratcheting tie down strap. They don't normally get balanced. There is usually a marking on the new tires so you can line it up to the valve stem and that's about it.
 
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