Tires question

My mechanic said my Dunlop Tubeless tires are still good .. Though they are 6 years old and I don’t ride more then 500 miles each summer.. should I still change them?

By the fact that you have concerns and are asking, I would change them for piece of mind. What is the date code? Is your bike stored in a covered garage or outside in the weather?

Might be worth a read:

https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/do-motorcycle-tires-have-shelf-life/

It’s stored in an outdoor shed in the winter in Long Island ny
As I’m spending a lot to replace the back shocks , breaks and full tune up. So shouldn’t it make sense to get new tires from 2014? Even though. They have very little wear on them. Thx again

At 6 years old the tyres will be starting to harden and grip will be reducing both in the wet and the dry. If you only ride at a slow speed, corner gently and avoid riding in rain you can most likely use the tyres for a while longer yet.
I'm none of those things and would replace them, especially if I was carrying out work to the suspension and brakes.

Do you know the best tires I can order ? Are Dunlop ones still good ?

is Continental Tires good?

I like the recommended IRC tires. I get over 15k miles with them. My mileage maybe due to the weather here in Hawaii. Pirelli Power Pure SC rear tires are also good. It wears round. As I stated before, I don't like the
Pirelli Power Pure SC front tire, but that is my personnel opinion.
Oh, you may get a better price on the IRCs from a Honda deal than from the internet.

Boating123 wrote:

is Continental Tires good?

I fitted Continental ContiMove 365 all season tyres to my Silver Wing as a change from the Bridgestone Hoops I've used for years. They were excellent in all weather conditions although being of a softer compound than the Hoops they wear faster too. I liked them.

My understanding is the tire life is 5 years. When I realized my tires were shot, due to fine cracks in the side walls, I then found they were 10 years old !! Yikes !!! There was no more riding until they were replaced. My message would be to very closely inspect the tires for side wall cracks no matter how much tread remains. Bad things can happen really fast. But then, if you're not careful when starting out on a new tire, the bike could slip from beneath you due to mold release agents not worn off the tire
yet. Isn't it something like the first 100kms being the recommendation for taking it easy on new tires --- for this reason?
Mike

As user of over 400 new bike/scooter tires over the years---I always take it easy on the tires for the first 100 miles or so. Never had any problems doing this.

Mike from NS wrote:

My understanding is the tire life is 5 years.  When I realized my tires were shot, due to fine cracks in the side walls, I then found they were 10 years old !! Yikes !!! There was no more riding until they were replaced.  My message would be to very closely inspect the tires for side wall cracks no matter how much tread remains.  Bad things can happen really fast.  But then, if you're not careful when starting out on a new tire, the bike could slip from beneath you due to mold release agents not worn off the tire
yet.  Isn't it something like the first 100kms being the recommendation for taking it easy on new tires --- for this reason?
Mike

For one yes the other I notice with my new tires handling change some, not something you would want to find out unexpectedly. A 2nd I was surprised how long the mold teats lasted and that could contribute to the feel difference.

My take on tires is, Up to 4 years if low miles and stored out of sun and other damaging elements. Next the best grip tires I can get. To hell with long mileage unless the grip is there, my safety is most important thing, you are only gonna have one serious mistake on two wheels and traction is the only thing giving you a fighting chance to survive.

Michelin's only for me. I have 53 years of riding experience. Once I went to higher performance cornering bikes I found Michelin to have the best traction and I get around 8K on a set.

Mike from NS wrote:

But then, if you're not careful when starting out on a new tire, the bike could slip from beneath you due to mold release agents not worn off the tire
yet.  Isn't it something like the first 100kms being the recommendation for taking it easy on new tires --- for this reason?
Mike

I keep seeing this, but apparently people don't know that there are not release agents used in the manufacture of tires. What happens is chemical/gaseous agents are gassing out from the tire rubber compound and collect on the surface. The thing to do with new tires to help that process along is by warming/heating the tire... (the tread especially) It doesn't take much to have that happen to the outer contact surface layer from the heat and friction of use. Then the gloss gradually disappears and the compound will grip better.

This weekend I took out my 2005 silverwing for a long 30 mile ride with new tires , shocks and brake pads .. what I noticed on a windy day was I felt like the bike wasn’t that easy to control going around 50mph .. Thinking maybe just the nature of how small the tires are contributes to the somewhat lack of full stability on the road at high speeds . For example, with a honda goldwing you have bigger tires and are lower to the ground to maneuver easier .

Boating123, 30 miles isn't a long ride. You need to allow about 100 miles for tyres, brake pads etc to bed in (banditry describes it very well above).
The sw does seem catch the wind a bit more than some regular bikes, possibly because of the shape, weight distribution or not a tank to grip with your knees. You just need to ride to suite the conditions the same as you would in any other vehicle.