I'm thinking no, but there aren't many choices for tires where I live. Small market. Kinda bummed but anyway. Luckily I found a dealer selling every Metzeler. I hadn't considered a Metzeler but I'll take what I can get. Only problem is the seller says they are old. Maybe 5 years. They say they look fine, and I'll get a hefty discount.

Would you buy an NOS tire? For that matter, how old is too old?

For car tires I've always been told not buy an old tire. I'm assuming the same reasoning would go for motorcycle tires. But man...international shipping is my only other option.

 

I would buy it, unless it looks like it's dried out because it was left outside under the sun.

 

Personally, I won't buy a tire that's more than a year out for my street bikes, but I'm not faced with the limited stock that you are...I'd be very concerned about them being dried out.

Just my 2c

 

If its a good deal, I'd take the chance if my selection was limited. I'd want to see the tire first if its local. Take it, bend it, flex it, as much as you can with your hands. See if there is any cracking present. I know this isn't a hardness test, or any way to judge the condition of an older tire, but at least you can see if the darn thing is cracked up.


If it passes that test, buy it and try it. Keep an eye on it. Inflate it, look at it, ride it a bit, keep an eye out.


I have a 1991 BMW 325I that I bought about 10 years ago. I put 4 brand new Michelin tires on it in 2006. I have driven it maybe a total of 5,000 miles in those years. It has basically been a garage queen minus a few drives each summer. This year when I went to get it out I was giving the car a good once over before taking it out and discovered every tire was dry cracked inbetween the tread. 6 months before it was fine. I drove it over to my tire guy and on the way one blew out(10 mile drive)


So yes, those tires looked basically brand new at first glance, but they were junk. They were probably 8 to 9 years old at that time, not counting shelf time, I didn't check the date codes.

 

Tires are good, when properly stored, for up to ten years. If it looks OK, I wouldn't hesitate.

 

Called them today. Turns out they have two left. Says they can give me both for about $55. Like buy own get one free. They're closer to 5 1/2 yrs old.

They're too far for me to inspect in person but the guy said I can return them on my dime if I don't like them. (Shipping is dirt cheap here) He also said they've been stored correctly. And he doesn't want to go through the hassle of shipping and getting them back if I don't like them, so he will make sure they are good to go before selling them to me. He seems honest and let me know about their age up front. Believe me, many sellers here would be high-fiving themselves for selling something they thought they never would sell, regardless of condition!

For that price I may just give it a shot of they look ok.

I've been researching this more and came across something from motorcycle superstore that's interesting:

I found a similar reference to an old post on Metzeler's website. It's no longer there. Conversely, 6 years (from date of manufacturing) is generally considered the cutoff point from what I've found. (Insurance company accident research mentioned in one forum)

So...there ya go. Total agreement.

 

Thanks for the input guys

 

I also got the ten year period from a tire manufacturer when I was racing. It's all about how they're stored.

 

Sounds like a good deal. For 55 bucks I'd probably buy both of them and use em!

 

Wanted to follow up on this. I've pretty much laid waste to the first tire. Maybe have one or two rides left in it. So looks like I got a pretty good deal. The tires appeared to have been stored correctly. They didn't have that "new tire smell" but I'll give that up for a buy one get one free deal any day.

On a side note, the Metzeller MC6 is definitely NOT something you want to put many road miles on. I have an hour ride each way to my riding spots and this took its toll on the tires. It has an uneven wear pattern on some of the *****. Like someone sliced them diagonally. Great tires otherwise. Stick like glue almost. And I don't fault them for the road wear. Not really meant for road...