Ordered new tyres online & got a 2020-manufactured unit: What to do now

I purchased these tyres for my BMW G 310 R. The rear one is 18 months old whereas the front tyre is more than 3.5 years old.

BHPian WhiteBlu recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello, and hope you are having a great day!

I have been wanting to upgrade my tyres for a while now. I currently have the Pilot Street Radials on my bike and I have had a few hairy incidents when I was pushing it hard. The tyres do not have a great edge grip, and they greatly reduce my confidence while leaning. This led me to purchase a pair of Road 5s from Pathpavers a week ago. They arrived today and to my dismay, the front tyre read 3020.

Yes, the front tyre I received from them is more than 3.5 years old. So I called their manager promptly and asked for a newer tyre to be delivered to me. He had to check with the storage, and when he called back, he told me that the newest one they could arrange was one manufactured in 2021. Now I need advice from more experienced riders... What do I do?

I need tyres that are great with grip in all conditions, money is absolutely no matter; Do I return these tyres and accept the 21 manufactured ones? Do I return these for store credit and get a tyre that you could recommend? (I really have nothing else I want from them, and the manager is refusing a refund that isn't store credit.)

Some other details:

• I live in Bangalore, and if my past suggests anything, it is that Bangalore will decide to pour down every time I take my bike out during the monsoon months. This is why I wanted tyres that perform great in good and bad conditions and hence went with the Road 5s.
• Called multiple physical stores in Bangalore and no one seemed to have Road 5s.
• The rear tyre is 18 months old.
• The tyres have no sign of damage or drying, but they have also not been under load yet.
• The motorcycle is a BMW G 310 R.

While the manager from Pathpavers is responsive and trying to help, I am strongly disappointed with my purchase.

Here's what BHPian FURY_44 had to say about the matter:

Road 5s are in strong demand due to supply issues, I have been checking with Madhus, Cherrys and other reputed dealers in Bangalore for the last 3 months and none had a pair in stock, either they used to have the Rear or the Front. What you have received from Pathpavers is obviously old stock, you could have enquired about the manufacturing date before you went ahead with the purchase. You can get the '21 stock, I bet that's the freshest you can get right now.

I gave up on the Road 5s, not worth the hassle, and bought myself a freshly manufactured '23 TVS Eurogrip for my RR310.

Here's what BHPian gautam109 had to say about the matter:

I once spoke to a senior figure in the European tire sector (commercial tires segment, not car or bike tires) some years back on this. Their view was that a well-stored tire stays fresh and "good as new" for 3-5 years, though the convention is that once it crosses 3 years, they discount and try to sell it off just to free up the shelf space.

Emphasis is on "well stored" - dry, clean area, away from sunlight, corrosives/oils/abrasives and excessive heat.

He said discounts for tires less than 3 yrs old are rare and that commercial users they sell to are not too fussed with tire age provided it is a reputed brand backed by a credible manufacturer warranty.

Check for any sidewall cracks or bulges periodically, to be safe. If the tire was badly stored, it will show up. Else don't let it spoil your mood. If they work well and assuming you will use them up in 2 or 3 years (i.e. 6 to 7 years total age at end of life), the performance / experience will not be materially different from a new tire.

Here's what BHPian ebonho had to say about the matter:

In my experience, once you use a tyre, and take it off, then reuse it months or a year or two later, it hardens up (glazed) and becomes considerably less grippy. Not so in an unused or barely used tyre that's stored or even just fitted and the bike garaged.

Anthony Hopkins famously raced across the salt flats of Utah to set a speed record or a set of decades-old tyres with grooves hand cut out of them. As the legend goes.

Here's what BHPian Ratan Prabhu had to say about the matter:

For peace of mind, since the shop is ok to replace the tyre with 2021 model, get it done (also ask which month of 2021).

And next time if you are ordering tyres online, make sure you confirm the month and year of the tyre (on mail or text as proof) before making payment.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.