Tire upgrades on my GS1000

[Rick65Cat]

Well....when I first looked at the bike before buying, the owner assured me, "Yep, got new tires on her" After driving it home 380 km then seeing this, I'm wondering what decade they were new?!?!
Got two new Bridgestone BattleAxe BT45's going on tomorrow.

[Turtleface]

Damn shame. Lots of tread left on those puppies. Probably why the buyer said they're "new". Always check date codes. Those could have come apart at any time.

[Rick65Cat]

Damn shame. Lots of tread left on those puppies. Probably why the buyer said they're "new". Always check date codes. Those could have come apart at any time.

You wouldn't believe how much that thought was going through my mind after finshing driving it home from the sellers place 380 km from home at speeds up in the 130 to 140 kph range.
I just gave them a quick glance when I first looked at the bike. I was so in love I didn't look hard.
He gave me the bill of sale from when he bought it a little over a year prior...the mileage was the same as on MY bill of sale. So the thing never was driven.

[Rick65Cat]

K,...new tires mounted and on the bike and OMG they look skinny. Whats a good cleaner (aside from soapy water) to clean off the crap from the factory left on the sidewalls?

[Turtleface]

K,...new tires mounted and on the bike and OMG they look skinny. Whats a good cleaner (aside from soapy water) to clean off the crap from the factory left on the sidewalls?

Soapy water should be enough to get the release agent off there. When I used to work at an auto dealership, we used a pressure washer after a good scrub with a nylon bristled grill cleaning brush. That was good enough to easily take off the blue release agent you see on auto tires. Anything harsher than soapy water stands a change of either breaking down the rubber, or lingering on the tire, creating a slippery situation. At least, that was what I was told. It was during the middle of the Firestone/Ford debacle, so we were extra cautious about tires.

I hear you about the trepidation while riding it home! That's why my bike's still apart. If I know something is wrong, it's all I think about, which ruins the ride. Best to just fix it correctly the first time, and then you don't need to consider it. When the shoe fits, the foot is forgotten, and all that.