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Hi, looking at some part worn tyres for a motorbike (I'm doing a wheel conversion on a GPZ900) - Michelin Road Pilot 4 and front is 3mm centre tread, and rear 5mm.
They're obviously much cheaper than new (and gives me a chance to try the conversion without mega £££s), but not sure how worn these are Vs new.
I know 1mm is legal limit, but what percentage worn is the front at 3mm?
Cheers
7mm
The shape they have worn into is at least as important. I used to find the front "scalloped" as they wore away on the sides before the centre tread was worn out
Internet search gave me 4.5 mm tread front when new so to me these are at least half worn and possibly more depending how they have been used
I would bin tyres usually at 2 mm left in the centre
Totally depends on the tyre...
Some road legal knobblies may have 25mm or more tread depth when new!
Seeing as we're talking Sport Touring tyres here though, 7-8mm is the norm for brand new REAR tread depth, depending on the brand... Front tyres tend to come with much less tread depth (typically 4.5-5.5mm) from new...
As tj points out though, shape is at least as important as tread depth...
6.0 to 7mm normally, in my experience
I recently replaced the OEM Metzler Tourance Next tyres on my Tiger 900 with a later version of yours (Road 6) They are superb, grippy confidence inspiring tyres in the wet and dry. Eye wateringly expensive though!
Adding to what TJ says about scalloping on the front, beware of the profile squaring off on the rear. Especially if they've done a lot of motorway miles. I usually get through 2 rears to every front and the rear usually starts to square off long before the tread depth gets anywhere near illegal. You can definitely feel the rear squirming a bit when cornering as it 'falls off' the flat centre of a worn tyre.
Because they wear gradually, you often don't notice quite how bad they have become, until you fit a new set which transforms the handling. I'm not one for spending loads on aftermarket cans and other bling for bikes, but good tyres are the one thing I won't compromise on. Two egg sized rubber contact patches are the only thing keeping you in contact with the tarmac!
I’d be looking to see how old the tyres are first, but bear in mind that ime tyres always wear faster in the 2nd half of their life (measured by tread depth).
They’d have to be in extremely good condition to buy them imo.
You're wanting to use part-worn tyres that you've no idea of their history to save how much exactly?
Thanks all. I'm looking at a cheap option just whilst I do the wheel conversion, in case the conversion doesn't go as planned! Got a 3 yrs old RP4, 5mm tread, doesn't look squared off, no punctures, £35 vs £170ish new.