[Dochatley]

I know before I ask this question there are many variables but I need some opinions on how many more miles I might expect before replacing my OE Stones. I have about 8500 miles on my 07' and the front tire is at 4/32 and the rear is at 5/32. I have a 2700 mile trip coming up and will be traveling 2 up pulling my trailer (about 130 lbs). Do you think I have plenty of tread left. Thanks......

 

[wtfot]

Stone Wear Bars

You may want to check the wear bars on your stones. According to Bridgestone the rear (G704) comes with 10/32 and they state 1/32 is end of life for the rear. The front (G709) comes with 6/32 and end of life is 1/32. Based on my experience after half the life of the tire is gone i.e 10/32 down to 5/32 for the rear, they tend to fall off at twice the rate it took for the first half. So in your case I would bet (properly inflated) the rear has around 2-3K left. Using the same the same thought process for the front you probably have 4-5K left.

Cheers,
/Bill

 

[kenlosser]

Wouldn't hesitate driving 3000 miles with that much rubber left. You have plenty.

 

[GWNorman1800]

You probably have another couple thou miles left, but I find after 7000 the front tire starts to cup so that's enough warning for me. The rear tire I can get up to 11000 without any adverse affect. That's Bridgestones.

 

[SneakySnake]

You have 8500 miles and have only worn 1/3 of the tread on the front and 1/2 on the back. Go for it. Surely you have four to five thousand good miles left in both.

 

[Sean McCarthy]

Personally, I would not start a trip with tires as you discribe. I would not want to be far from home when new ones were needed, which could possibly happen. As previously mentioned, the last rubber on the tires does seem to go very quickly. I have given up about 3000 miles on tires a few times by changing them before a long ride. This is only my opinion, but my wife feels the same. Just not worth the worry.

 

[Islander]

You are going to get about a 50/50 split, yes and no, but I personally have made longer trips with less rubber on the tires and thought nothing about it.opcorn:
Paul

 

[ldr_doug]

I wouldn't worry if the ride was 1-up but with 2-up and towing, I'd be a bit concerned. I'd start the trip but monitor the tires closely. I'd also have time and resources planned for a tire change during the trip.

A new set of rubber can be a comfortable feeling as opposed to wondering if the tire will last.

 

[Dochatley]

Thank you all for your responses. I think I would be ok but there is that voice in me that says better change them and not worry. This is my first Wing so I am not too familiar with the wear of the tires.

 

[bnordt04]

I think you just answered you own question. You are going to worry about it your entire trip. Change them and travel with peace of mind. You can probably replace them cheaper close to home with I'm sure with less hassle.

 

[Seldom Home]

When I check my tire wear I measure it OVER the wear bars to determine the useful remaining tread. Also I measure at various places to determine the MINIMUM tread NOT the maximum tread depth. What do others do? Measure over the wear bars or between the wear bars?
BTW I am averaging 20.000 km per set of tires over 140.000 km.
It helps to have a second set of rims with new tires installed prior to a long trip. That way you can use up the remaining wear on marginal tires when you get back and skip the worry while away.

 

[Rocky]

Can I go around the block one more time on these tires??

That depends on how you ride!!

Keeping in mind that although they may look good when you mount the bike for a ride..That rear tire will disappear real fast on you when you get near the wear bars,and that's something you can't see at speed with or without a passenger on board at speed...

I got a friend that likes to squeak every block out of his tires-The only way he is able to do that and not worry on a trip is because he bought a second set of wheels and keeps new tires mounted of them..

When it's time for a trip he always has a new set to put on..

When he wears out a set he puts new ones on the wheels and uses up the other set..

 

[IR Harry]

Thank you all for your responses. I think I would be ok but there is that voice in me that says better change them and not worry. This is my first Wing so I am not too familiar with the wear of the tires.

Exactly the way I would think it thru. 90% of tire failures occur in the last 10% of tread life. So why would anyone want to start a trip with worn tires already on the mind? I got better things to worry about - where am I, whens lunch, etc. Grab a new pair of boots and enjoy the trip.

 

[hunzee]

Thank you all for your responses. I think I would be ok but there is that voice in me that says better change them and not worry. This is my first Wing so I am not too familiar with the wear of the tires.

Listen to that little voice and buy some rubber. Pretty tough to kick yourself in the butt if you lose a leg in a blowout.

 

[Digger]

The only way to really predict whether your tires can make a long trip is to keep a tire log from the time the tires are new.

Before mounting a new skin, I measure the amount of rubber I've got above the wear bars and record it.

Periodically throughout the tire's life, I measure the amount of rubber I've got above the wear bars and record it, along with the mileage on the tire at the time of the measurement.

Unlike many here, I've found that the tires wear in a roughly linear fashion with mileage, with tread wear slowing down a bit as the tires approach the end of their usable lives. Since I hardly ever ride into the wear bars, I can't vouch for the fact that the wear becomes more rapid here, as many have observed. Anecdotally, the very few times I've ever done this, it appeared to be true.

With my tire log, I'm now armed with a rough gage of tire wear per mile. Now, I can make valid predictions on whether a tire will make the trip. The system works well.

I need this system because very little of the miles on my big street-burners are of the "around the flagpole" variety.

I can't afford the time it takes to get a tire changed while I'm on a business trip. So, the tire log system works well for me.

 

[TXREALTOR]

NEVER ignore the voices in your head! :22yikes: Two year old rubber and half the life, I would change them. I have never let tires get that old, the rubber should still be fine if stored properly, so I can't tell you much about that. I can say I have kicked myself every time I didn't listen to that feeling though. Peace of mind and confidence in your equipment will make the trip a lot better.

 

[goldwing fan]

Can you give me that front 709 you have :lol: i have 20k on my 709 at the moment and it is down to the wear bars replacing soon awsome tire :lol: your front should be ok with only 8500 miles on it

Rear 704 dont last as well usually get 12k out of them hope this helps

Cheers :thumbup:

 

[wingnut6670]

Jerry I currently have 13,500 miles on my front stone, it may go another 1,000 or so. Hope this helps.

 

[07GoodLife]

When in doubt, change it out......:thumbup:

 

[kwthom]

Thank you all for your responses. I think I would be ok but there is that voice in me that says better change them and not worry. This is my first Wing so I am not too familiar with the wear of the tires.

You're probably okay...but a thought...

Your destination may very well have a perfectly good dealer or independent service location -- Consider consuming another chunk of miles on what you have, then have them replaced while on the road. Find out for the gang here who they would use and pre-arrange a tire sale through them; have an appointment to have the service accomplished - no fun having work done while on the road, but if it's planned in advance, you could use the time doing other things. Just a thought...