Tire Question

[johnsandlin]

I just got my GZ 250 last week and didn't notice it at the time, but my front tire appears to be checking or cracking slightly around the sidewall. My GZ is a 2000 year model, with about 2000 miles on it, so I'm guessing that it has the original tires. Question is whether this checking is a big problem that might be a safety concern or not. The tread still looks OK on the front and rear tires. There's no cracking on the rear tire sidewall. Thanks...

[Easy Rider]

I just got my GZ 250 last week and didn't notice it at the time, but my front tire appears to be checking or cracking slightly around the sidewall.

This slight cracking is, of itself, not a problem as long as it is "slight", however..............
Your tires are ~ 7years old. They really should be replaced. Over that long a time, the rubber tends to "dry out" ( as evidenced by the cracking) and you lose traction.

From your description, it doesn't sound like your tires are likely to fail suddenly and if you are an EXTREMEMY conservative rider, you might get a couple more seasons out of them. I wouldn't take the chance because the traction performance in an unexpected or emergency situation would probably be reduced.

[johnsandlin]

Thanks...that's what I thought. Riding around on seven year old tires is probably pushing my luck a bit far. I saw from Badbob's other post an online site describing how to do your own maintenance, so I'll probably try and tackle the replacement job. This site had a good description about the tire replacement process and tools required.

[Easy Rider]

I saw from Badbob's other post an online site describing how to do your own maintenance, so I'll probably try and tackle the replacement job.

Good luck! I did that, once, 30 years ago. I'll never do it again. :roll:

Looks like we're getting quite a few GZ owners on here from the Atlanta area. I plan to be there at the end of July next year. May have to try for a "meet".

[Water Warrior 2]

7 year old tires and tubes may let you down at any moment. Toss them as soon as you can, you don't want to have a bad day that might hurt for a long time. Be safe, your health is worth more than a set of tires and tubes.

[johnsandlin]

Thanks for the good advise...I've been taking it easy on the bike the last few days so I won't overstress the sidewalls. Having a blowout doing 45-55 would be a bad thing. I checked with the cycle shop where I got the bike and they will change the tire for $27 buck plus the cost of the tire and tube. Might be worth it to just let them do it next week. I did read that tire changes can be a bear.

Would love to meet some of the other folks in the Atlanta area riding GZ's...a meet next year would be fun. I might be decent at riding by then...actually I doing OK...I love this bike! :2tup:

[johnsandlin]

Well I bought new tires today. I got the Cheng Shin brand that BadBob recommended. I had the bike shop mount the front tire this morning. The rear tire is on order and should be in by Friday. I'm going to have them remove and mount the rear. I did pull the front wheel and took it to them, but I think I'll have them pull the back wheel and remount it for me. Not sure I'm up to tackling the rear removal yet.

I feel much safer with the new front tire. I rode today after I got the tire and it rides good. I'm taking it easy in the turns since the tire is new. I thought about just keeping the rear Dunlop tire, but since I don't know how old it is, it probably makes sense to play it safe and get the rear tire replaced also. The folks at the bike shop said that it was not a good idea to mix and match tires do to different tread patterns. The Cheng Shins were only about $60 each, so not a great expense. Now I ready for those weekend day trips to the North Georgia mountains. :tup:

[jonathan180iq]

How about a photo of those puppies mounted on the bike?

[Badbob]

Tires get harder as they get older. Hard tires have less traction than soft tires. If the tire are hard replace them. After seven years a with cracks in the sidewalls id bet they are to hard for me.