The dirt bike tire last up to 1500-2500 miles normally, which relates to 25-40 hours of riding. However, if you ride aggressively, you will need to replace tires every 1200 miles. The life of unused tires is 3-4 years.
If you don’t replace your tires at the right time, it will increase the chance of collision and slippage. An accident not only damages your bike but also hurts you.
Therefore, it is recommended to replace tires when they are worn out. Today, I will provide a comprehensive guide on when to replace dirt bike tires.
Also, I will tell you how you can examine a worn-out tire that needs changing.
So, let’s get to it.
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How Do You Know When Your Dirt Bike Tires Are Worn Out?
A worn-out tire is very detrimental to riding. However, it is not easy to examine and identify a worn-out tire for everybody.
Therefore, I will provide you with some easy and straightforward tips that will help you.
Your “gut” feeling will provide the number one sign that a tire is worn out. During riding, your dirt bike may have friction or a lumpy ride. It is a sign that your tires are worn out.
To check further, you can physically examine the tire. If your tire has these characteristics, it most definitely needs replacing.
- Cracks or cuts in the sidewall of the tire
- Worn-out knobs
- Rounded knobs
- Discoloration of the rubber – grayish color
- Fade around the edges
Knobs are the square-shaped protrusions in your tire. They provide grip in dirt and mud while also helping when cornering.
The knobs are the most important aspect of a dirt bike tire. So, if they are worn out, your tire needs to be replaced as soon as possible.
If the knobs look fine, inspect the general visual appearance of the tire. The tire should be smooth with crisp, clean edges.
All the knobs should have an equal distance, and the rubber should not be lumpy or grainy.
If any of these characteristics are found in your dirt bike tires, you will need to replace them.
Sometimes, the tire will pass the visual appearance test. However, you may feel like the bike is not performing well upon riding.
This happens when the rubber of the tire hardens, making replacement imminent.
When to Replace Dirt Bike Tires?
It is a good practice to replace your bike tires every 1-2 years, irrespective of how much you have ridden the bike.
However, if you ride hard or expose dirt bike tires to extreme conditions, expect to change them sooner.
The following are some of the characteristics that influence the age of the tires.
- The terrain bike is ridden on
- How much does your ride
- Riding style – aggressive or calm
- Maintenance schedules
- Quality and performance of the tire
A tire made with finer-quality rubber will last longer than a tire made from low-grade rubber. Also, the frequency of rides will have a significant impact on the life of the tires.
If you ride your dirt bike frequently, you will often need to replace your tires earlier.
Riding style, for instance, aggressive cornering and hard braking, can increase the rate of wear on the tires.
All things considered, a safe figure is to replace the dirt bike tires every 1500-2500 miles. Alternatively, after a ride time of 25-40 hours.
Do Dirt Bike Tires Expire?
The dirt bike tires are made of rubber, a material known to degrade with time. Therefore, the tires can expire and become unusable even if you don’t use your bike.
So, dirt bike tires do expire because rubber has a certain age to it. Beyond its rated age, the rubber loses its softness and gets hard and brittle.
A tire that is hard and brittle is a catastrophe waiting to happen. Therefore, you should replace your dirt bike tires every 3-5 years, even if you don’t use the bike.
A one or two-year-old tire will be fine. However, after a three-year life, you are just pushing the tire.
If the tire life is more than 4-5 years, you need to change it. Most likely, the rubber has expired.
Final Thoughts
To wrap up, here’s when you should replace your dirt bike tires.
- Every 1500-2500 miles under normal riding conditions
- Every 1-2 years, if the bike is occasionally ridden
- Every 3-5 years, if the bike is parked and not used
However, these time frames can be subject to your personal use.
So, it is best to visually examine the dirt bike tires every few hundred miles to check their condition.
This practice will help ensure that your bike tires remain in great nick.
