If in doubt, change your tyres

Q. I have returned to motorcycling after a 48-year break and my bike is a 1990 Yamaha XV535 which is very pleasant to ride -­ even with the gearlever on the left!

But on some road surfaces the feedback I get from the front is just like a puncture.

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The tyre pressure on the Metzeler ME33 Laser is correct and I’m wondering whether it’s the right tyre for the rim, or am I just an old flapper who needs to get some more miles under his belt.
Keith Humphries, email
 
A. It’s the right size of tyre for that rim, but I wonder how old that tyre is?

If you don’t know how a tyre has been treated, four years is its recommended life according to Metzeler. It’s vital that a tyre is kept to the correct pressure at all times, and if it’s stored for any length of time, kept in dry conditions.

If not, then very small cracks, especially in the sidewall will allow air pressure to seep out as you use it, and the rubber itself will degrade over years. I’d change them as a pair for some fresh new rubber.