Tires have cracks in sidewall.

[xrayrider]

I have ran tires like that before, because the bike was sitting for a long time, before I bought it, and I didn't have extra money after buying the bike for new tires. They had a lot of tred left so I wore them out. That being said, I was an idiot! Loosing a tire, do to a blow out at freeway speeds can easily kill you. Yeah I got away with it, and saved money, but it was stupid. The price of tires was not worth risking my life. Tires are the only thing between you and the road, they are very important. Ran some with cords showing through for awhile, back when I was 19 and bullit proof. Worked great until I lost the back one passing someone at 120 MPH. Six months later, I was finally back on my feet, but still needed a new bike. It was not worth all the broken bones, roadrash, pulled muscles, and stiches. Don't be stupid like me, or you may pay for it like me. The hospital bills far out weighed the cost of tires, not to mention, I only had liability insurance on my bike. Didn't save a dime that time. Took me a couple of years to get a new bike, should have bought tires. And don't buy those hard ass Cheng Shin tires either, if they still make them. They almost got me killed too, because they are way too hard, and don't grab worth a darn when stopping fast. Not worth the money you save either.

[jharback]

Trust me, the first time you go sliding down asphalt on your arse, that road rash will teach you really quick to be more careful with safety issues on your bike. Nothin' like the old Road Rash Professor for teaching you the importance of safety.

As I under stand it, despite most of the discussion here, these are stock dunlop tires purchased from the dealer. I would first take it back to the dealership and complain. They "might" do something but, I doubt it.

Next time don't buy your tires from the dealership. Your getting ripped off. Purchase the tires from the internet. Can't beat the prices. Then take the tires and the bike to a quality Jap bike repair guy (if you haven't yet found a good indy mechanic). He'll swap out the tires in no time at a very reasonable rate.

Most on here are not crazy bout the dunlops. However, I've found that the Dunlops work extremely well for durability, not so much for performance. I also think that the tires that are put on the factory bikes are not the same quality that they sell in the after market (tho' I could be wrong on this). Both Avon's and Metzler's are good for performance and in the rain but, don't seem to last as long.

[Desertfox]

Originally Posted by steelworker

Are these Avons we're talking about? I've been running Avons for a long time, and over the past three or four years they have had a real problem with dry cracking, from new. I stuck with them for a while because I like the way they grip and handle (and I've had no ill effects from the fine cracking), but they don't seem to have sorted the problem, so I'm swapping to Pirelli Sport Demons.

Yep, that's why I quit using Avons. I've had really bad luck with them. Not only premature sidewall checkering but they seem to be nail magnets for me.

[Ghost883]

Thanks for all your help. The dealer wasn't any help so i got a good set of pirelli's on the net. They should by at my house in a couple of days. Till then im stuck taking the cage to work.