Hey folks,

 I've woken up.

 Checked tire pressure this morning (first time in a long time, hardly rode this winter).  I have a lot of tiny cracks, parellel with the rim and very close to it, on both wheels.  Tires are barely a year old with <5000 miles on them (Metzler 550/330?  I forget, but they are the non-radials)

 Is this normal?  I assume it is just from stress at the point where the tire is pushed under the edge of the rim.

Trev

Sorry to hear that. This means that you have to replace it. The rubber has dried out and cracks appear. It's not really dangerous, I've ridden around with it some time, but I would definitely recommend replacing the tire. If it gets bad, the rubber will tear and you may get a blowout.

Yeah dried out tire. You can still use it, but don't trust it for high speeds or high traction in turns.

When in doubt, toss 'em out.

New tires are cheaper than new parts and hospital bills.

Dry rot... They dont actually mean the tire will split at the crack... but dry tires wear just as fast or even faster than new tires and in reality grip less. The worst of both possibilities.
Cool.
Srinath.

Quote from: tmckayHey folks,

 I've woken up.

 Checked tire pressure this morning (first time in a long time, hardly rode this winter).  I have a lot of tiny cracks, parellel with the rim and very close to it, on both wheels.  Tires are barely a year old with <5000 miles on them (Metzler 550/330?  I forget, but they are the non-radials)

 Is this normal?  I assume it is just from stress at the point where the tire is pushed under the edge of the rim.

Trev

Little cracks lead to bigger cracks....





Actually this tire was ancient... like 10+ years!...  I pretty much expected it to explode.  I think if you take it easy and keep an eye on your tires, they're probably still good for a while.

Here's something I've wondered about.  How do you prevent it from happening?

Chimivee, for some reason that doesn't look like a GS tire.  How'd you fit it on your bike?  :lol:

Quote from: manofthefieldHow'd you fit it on your bike?  :lol:

Only slight modification... Swap out the swingarm w/ a rear axle from a car.  Get one from a dually and you can go double wide.  Stock GS suspension will work... Rancho is better.

Quote from: ScottWVHere's something I've wondered about.  How do you prevent it from happening?

You can't.  
Tires are formed by pumping a hot, molten rubber/silica/solvent mixture into a mold. Even after the tire has solidified and come out of the mold, the same chemical process that makes it cure continues to harden the tire.  
Even sitting in a warehouse, tires have a limited shelf life before enough of the oils and binders evaporate and the tire deteriorates (dry rot).

In the 70's and 80's the US Army had to throw out millions of jeep tires made and stockpiled during the bad old days of the cold war because they started crumbling...

That was quite interesting, thanks for the info James.

Thanks everyone,

 I took it to my local shop (decent  place).  "Russell" looked at it and said that it seemed unusual for less than 1 year, 3000 miles on the bike.  Production code says they were made in Feb 02 and April 02.  His opinion was they were probably defective.

 I've got a call into Metzler to try to get some warranty action, but they haven't called back yet.  Anybody deal with Metzler for a warranty?  I don't have any paperwork but Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse confirmed the order in their computer.

Trev

OH crap .. I just bought Metzlers in the fall ... haven't checked to see if they are cracked.

I do have an older Metzler on the Kat (it's not roadworthy yet).  The tire has almost no miles but is cracking.  I don't know how old it is though because it came with the bike.  I will replace it though before I ride the bike.  It's just not worth the risk.

Rob

I have a 550 on the rear which has 8k miles and still looks strong but it is only five months old. GSJack put a ton of miles on his :dunno:

Quote from: 500riderOH crap .. I just bought Metzlers in the fall ... haven't checked to see if they are cracked.

I do have an older Metzler on the Kat (it's not roadworthy yet). The tire has almost no miles but is cracking. I don't know how old it is though because it came with the bike.

FYI, somewhere on the tire will be a number like 1802, maybe a dot or a slash between the numbers.  That is the week [18] and the year [02] when the tire was manufactured.

On the warranty, I talked to the Metzler guys and got a copy of the warranty off the website.  They cover the tire for life, defined by there being 1[mm] of tread depth left.  For something like cracking, which can be due to sheer age, that might be slightly different.  Anyway, it turns out my local shop is a Metzler dealer, so all I have to do is get them to say "Yeah, they're crap!" and I will get a free new set of the same tiires.  I still have to  pay for mounting, though... Oh well.

If the second set cracks the same way, I won't buy Metzelers anymore.  However, they're one of the tire brands recommended numerous times on this site so my guess is I just got some lemon tires.

Trev

Just make sure you do some burnouts before you replace the tires.  

ASLAM.

Quote from: aslamJust make sure you do some burnouts before you replace the tires.  

ASLAM.

Hmmm, I wonder if that would void the warranty  "Hey, look here, evidence of burnouts!  Sorry, you lose."

Trev

tmckay:
Cool ... thanks for the info.  I'll look into that date thing.  If it's not too far back I may try and get a new tire!  

Rob