30-40 year old NOS tires?
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This is the place for topics concerining modifying and accessorizing your Ural or Denpr.
This is the place for topics concerining modifying and accessorizing your Ural or Denpr.
- sixbennetts
- Order of Lenin
- Posts: 1080
- Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2012 11:39 pm
- Location: Plattsburgh, NY
30-40 year old NOS tires?
If there are no visible cracks inside or out, would you run them?
I have a funny wife. Hilarious, really.
I love her, she loves me.
______________________________________
2007 Ural Retro, "Подарок солдата солдату"
"I'm slow and like to go old."
Plattsburgh NY
I love her, she loves me.
______________________________________
2007 Ural Retro, "Подарок солдата солдату"
"I'm slow and like to go old."
Plattsburgh NY
- Tomcatfixer
- Commissar
- Posts: 8294
- Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2015 5:10 am
- Location: Gordonsville, VA
Re: 30-40 year old NOS tires?
Heck yes!
- Chad
Gordonsville, Virginia, USA
Current rides:
2015 Ural cT "Mobile Chernobyl", 2001 Ural Patrol "Little Red Bear", 1999 Ural Tourist "The RPOC", Mid-Nineties Ural Tourist "The Heap", 1994 Honda VFR750F, 2007 BMW K1200GT
Previous rides:
2007 Honda VTR1000 FireStorm (Super Hawk in U.S.)
2001 Buell Blast! - - - - - - - 2005 Yamaha FJR1300
1993 Honda CBR600F2 - -1984 Yamaha FJ1100
Two different 1986 Yamaha FZX700S Fazers
Gordonsville, Virginia, USA
Current rides:
2015 Ural cT "Mobile Chernobyl", 2001 Ural Patrol "Little Red Bear", 1999 Ural Tourist "The RPOC", Mid-Nineties Ural Tourist "The Heap", 1994 Honda VFR750F, 2007 BMW K1200GT
Previous rides:
2007 Honda VTR1000 FireStorm (Super Hawk in U.S.)
2001 Buell Blast! - - - - - - - 2005 Yamaha FJR1300
1993 Honda CBR600F2 - -1984 Yamaha FJ1100
Two different 1986 Yamaha FZX700S Fazers
- Bilgekeeldave
- Commissar
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- Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 12:04 pm
- Location: Western Washington
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- Hero of the Soviet Union - 2020
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- Location: 48*N, 122*W
Re: 30-40 year old NOS tires?
Highly personal and my thoughts are worth exactly what you paid for them. I've run some pretty old tires on cars and bikes that came on the vehicle with good luck. Don't think any were ever 40 years old though? If no checks/cracks or signs of tread or ply separation evident I'd likely run them on local transportation, but wouldn't mount them for hwy/freeway flying. If I mounted them I would keep an often and close eye on them. Human body repair is a lot more expense/grief than the cost of new tires. Depending on intended use and w/o actually seeing and fondling them myself I couldn't make the call.
Best of luck.
Best of luck.
Joe
014 GU
"I'm lost but I'm making good time."
014 GU
"I'm lost but I'm making good time."
- Tin Man
- Commissar
- Posts: 10609
- Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2007 2:15 am
- Location: Johnson County, Texas, USA
Re: 30-40 year old NOS tires?
Depends on how they were stored. Years back The City had to trash a bunch of motorcycle tires that had been stored laid flat piled one atop of the last. Said short time ain't a big deal......but for months (or in our case, years)......store them upright. Said it had to do with compromising the sidewall to tread transition area. 

Mike
2007 GearUp (Arctic #1)
130/45 jets, KTM rock solid mirrors, Delaware Dave's outstanding trunk lock, Mr. Cob's most excellent skid plate, Cycra Probend smashproof hand guards, Duro strong like bull 307's, RotoPax damn near bulletproof fuel cans, MKIII all but water proof air box and Dimples super duper magnetic drain plugs all around...oh yeah, and a manual fuel petcock.
.........if you see something that needs doing, just do it........
2007 GearUp (Arctic #1)
130/45 jets, KTM rock solid mirrors, Delaware Dave's outstanding trunk lock, Mr. Cob's most excellent skid plate, Cycra Probend smashproof hand guards, Duro strong like bull 307's, RotoPax damn near bulletproof fuel cans, MKIII all but water proof air box and Dimples super duper magnetic drain plugs all around...oh yeah, and a manual fuel petcock.
.........if you see something that needs doing, just do it........
- Mr Wazzock
- Hero of the Soviet Union - 2020
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- Location: Boston, UK
- Contact:
Re: 30-40 year old NOS tires?
Dig your thumbnail into the tread blocks, if the rubber springs back when you release and doesn't leave an indentation mark, OK. If the shape of your thumbnail is left behind in the rubber, it's fooked. Guy who ran the bike shop where I used to live told me that. Also it's UV that knackers tires so need to be stored away from sunlight.
HTH
HTH

Mike H
2016 Ural cT, in glorious terracotta
(aka Oranzhevaya Opasnost, "The Orange Peril")
2016 Ural cT, in glorious terracotta
(aka Oranzhevaya Opasnost, "The Orange Peril")
Re: 30-40 year old NOS tires?
Years ago I bought a used Michelin car tire, looked great but was about 8 years old. Mounted & inflated it, then watched a bubble in the sidewall grow to grapefruit size and explode before I could utter "what the f*** ?!" Been a little leery of old tires ever since.
Past afflictions include limey cars and motorbikes, an R60/2, R65ls, & a Citroen.
Now a couple of bicycles, a worn out '87 K75s,
and a rusty 2012 GU bought new
Dual K&N cones on homemade PVC intake, 40/137.5
Raceway needles, Modtop pipes, E starter delete
$29 VW Hydraulic steering dampener
Now a couple of bicycles, a worn out '87 K75s,
and a rusty 2012 GU bought new
Dual K&N cones on homemade PVC intake, 40/137.5
Raceway needles, Modtop pipes, E starter delete
$29 VW Hydraulic steering dampener
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- Hero of the Soviet Union - 2020
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- Location: New Rochelle, New York
Re: 30-40 year old NOS tires?
Off-Road, yes.
On the road/street/highway absolutely not.
On the road/street/highway absolutely not.
Stagewex
2019 Honda CRF450L (Elec Start)
2008 Vespa 150S (Elec & Kick Start)
2007 Ural Patrol (2WD, Elec & Kick Start)
1991 Honda XR250L (Kick Start Only)
2019 Honda CRF450L (Elec Start)
2008 Vespa 150S (Elec & Kick Start)
2007 Ural Patrol (2WD, Elec & Kick Start)
1991 Honda XR250L (Kick Start Only)
- Lofty
- Hero of the Soviet Union - 2020
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Re: 30-40 year old NOS tires?
No.sixbennetts wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2019 1:59 pmIf there are no visible cracks inside or out, would you run them?
Inventory:
2018 Ural Gear Up
2015 Suzuki DR650
1991 Bianchi Osprey
1952 Columbia RX-5 ('87, NOS)
2018 Ural Gear Up
2015 Suzuki DR650
1991 Bianchi Osprey
1952 Columbia RX-5 ('87, NOS)
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- Hero of the Soviet Union - 2020
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Re: 30-40 year old NOS tires?
I'm in the probably not arena. If you get the tires for free with free mounting and are only going to use them at lower speeds and where it wouldn't be a challenge if one goes maybe it would be ok. I think a better use might be getting them to someone that will use them on a period correct vehicle that needs age correct rubber for a restoration.
Best,
Jeff
Best,
Jeff
Jeff Saline
2010 Gear Up
-Good, Fast, Cheap. Pick Two
-Just because something isn't true, no reason you can't believe it. Hub McCann Second Hand Lions
-Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
2010 Gear Up
-Good, Fast, Cheap. Pick Two
-Just because something isn't true, no reason you can't believe it. Hub McCann Second Hand Lions
-Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
Re: 30-40 year old NOS tires?
No unless it is going on static display at a museum somewhere.
We may not have it all together,
But, together we have it all.
2007 Tourist "The un-named-one"
Riding and working on Urals since 2000.
But, together we have it all.
2007 Tourist "The un-named-one"
Riding and working on Urals since 2000.
- sixbennetts
- Order of Lenin
- Posts: 1080
- Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2012 11:39 pm
- Location: Plattsburgh, NY
Re: 30-40 year old NOS tires?
Well, we'll see. I'm putting it away for the winter soon, so these won't be installed til spring, but I'll update the thread with results.
(For those who are curious, this is just one stupid move in loooong lifetime of stupid moves. 'I am a scorpion, it is my nature'.
)
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2477373207
(For those who are curious, this is just one stupid move in loooong lifetime of stupid moves. 'I am a scorpion, it is my nature'.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2477373207
I have a funny wife. Hilarious, really.
I love her, she loves me.
______________________________________
2007 Ural Retro, "Подарок солдата солдату"
"I'm slow and like to go old."
Plattsburgh NY
I love her, she loves me.
______________________________________
2007 Ural Retro, "Подарок солдата солдату"
"I'm slow and like to go old."
Plattsburgh NY
- Mr Wazzock
- Hero of the Soviet Union - 2020
- Posts: 6445
- Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2017 8:22 pm
- Location: Boston, UK
- Contact:
Re: 30-40 year old NOS tires?
TBH if they're that old I'd just get new ones.
Mike H
2016 Ural cT, in glorious terracotta
(aka Oranzhevaya Opasnost, "The Orange Peril")
2016 Ural cT, in glorious terracotta
(aka Oranzhevaya Opasnost, "The Orange Peril")
- GHGoodwin
- Hero of the Soviet Union - 2020
- Posts: 5408
- Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2012 5:43 pm
- Location: Aurora, Ohio 44202 (SE of Cleve)
Re: 30-40 year old NOS tires?
Agree with MrWazzock - A definite no.
Hal
2011/12 Tourist - "The Russian"
It's a long list.
2014 Patrol - "Blackbird"
2011/12 Tourist - "The Russian"
It's a long list.
2014 Patrol - "Blackbird"
Re: 30-40 year old NOS tires?
When I had my first Ural 2000 to 2007 you could buy brand new fresh Avons for that price not 30 to 40 year old NOS.sixbennetts wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 1:11 pmWell, we'll see. I'm putting it away for the winter soon, so these won't be installed til spring, but I'll update the thread with results.
(For those who are curious, this is just one stupid move in loooong lifetime of stupid moves. 'I am a scorpion, it is my nature'.)
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2477373207
We may not have it all together,
But, together we have it all.
2007 Tourist "The un-named-one"
Riding and working on Urals since 2000.
But, together we have it all.
2007 Tourist "The un-named-one"
Riding and working on Urals since 2000.