I bought my motorcycle last week. The front tyre is an off road type, and I was planning on replacing this next week. With the bike was included two completely unused tyres that I planned to use.
However, I watched a video on youtube yesterday (MCrider), where he explained how to check the age of tyres. Four digits, week and year.
I have now checked all my tyres.
The new ones are:
1. Front, Michelin Anakee, 110/80 R19 M/C59H DOT EN3P VHC0507. Can this last number be the manufacturing week and year? If so, the tyre is 11 years old.
2. Back, Bridgestone Trail Wing, 150/70 R17 M/C 69H 488T 5205. So, week 52 2005? This would mean this tyre is older than the motorcycle (2007).
3. Back tyre mounted on the bike says 3308, which would mean 10 years, I.e. the newest of the three...
As you can see in the fourth photo, the back wheel that's in use now, has worn flat. But the tread can still be seen. Do you think this should be replaced as well?
Should I just throw the tyres away, or is it possible to use 10+ years old tyres if they have been stored well? How can I check if the rubber is too hard?