{"id":8,"date":"2017-05-02T17:41:58","date_gmt":"2017-05-02T14:41:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.utires.com\/articles\/?p=8"},"modified":"2024-07-29T11:09:37","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T08:09:37","slug":"read-date-code-motorcycle-tires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.utires.com\/articles\/read-date-code-motorcycle-tires\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Read Date Code on Motorcycle Tires"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>To read the date code on motorcycle tires, you must find the 4-digit part of the DOT code on the sidewall of a tire. The first pair of numbers means the week, and the second pair means the year.<!--more--><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10\" style=\"width: 690px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.utires.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/date-code-motorcycle-tyre.jpg\" alt=\"Location of a date code on motorcycle tires\" width=\"690\" height=\"345\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">source: pitstoparabia.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the code, DOT on tire is an abbreviation from the US Department of Transportation, which is responsible for traffic safety and regulations. So, if you are wanting to determine the age of a tire with the code 3507, you should read its manufacture date as the 35<sup>th<\/sup> week of 2007. This is the standard form for every date code on motorcycle tires made since 2000.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_69_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.utires.com\/articles\/read-date-code-motorcycle-tires\/#How_Many_Years_Do_Tires_Usually_Last\" title=\"How Many Years Do Tires Usually Last\">How Many Years Do Tires Usually Last<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.utires.com\/articles\/read-date-code-motorcycle-tires\/#Interesting_Facts_About_Date_Code_on_Motorcycle_Tires\" title=\"Interesting Facts About Date Code on Motorcycle Tires\">Interesting Facts About Date Code on Motorcycle Tires<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.utires.com\/articles\/read-date-code-motorcycle-tires\/#Tire_Codes_Before_2000\" title=\"Tire Codes Before 2000\">Tire Codes Before 2000<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.utires.com\/articles\/read-date-code-motorcycle-tires\/#Awareness_of_the_Date_Code_on_Motorcycle_Tires\" title=\"Awareness of the Date Code on Motorcycle Tires\">Awareness of the Date Code on Motorcycle Tires<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.utires.com\/articles\/read-date-code-motorcycle-tires\/#Date_Code_Importance\" title=\"Date Code Importance\">Date Code Importance<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Many_Years_Do_Tires_Usually_Last\"><\/span>How Many Years Do Tires Usually Last<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Motorcycle tires usually last for 5 to 10 years, but the golden age, according to most manufacturers, ends at the 6<sup>th<\/sup> year of a tire\u2019s frequent usage. The aging process depends on the environment and usage conditions, type of rubber, purpose of the tire, etc. But, make sure to remember a tire can be stored in a shop for 2 years or even more. The date code on motorcycle tires will help you choose a set that will last for as long as possible.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Interesting_Facts_About_Date_Code_on_Motorcycle_Tires\"><\/span>Interesting Facts About Date Code on Motorcycle Tires<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tire_Codes_Before_2000\"><\/span>Tire Codes Before 2000<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.utires.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/date-code-tire-300x224-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"Tire code before 2000\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">source: quayle-co.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Before 2000, the date code was written in three digits, and was considered logical, as no tire would serve for longer than a decade. The first pair meant the number of the week, the third number meant the year of the decade.<\/p>\n<p>It was more difficult to tell how old a tire was, as 469\u00a0may have indicated the 49<sup>th<\/sup> week of \u201896\u00a0or even \u201886. It was much easier with the tires that were manufactured in the 1990s, though. Aside from the 3-digit code, there was a small triangle placed on the sidewall.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Awareness_of_the_Date_Code_on_Motorcycle_Tires\"><\/span>Awareness of the Date Code on Motorcycle Tires<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.utires.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/tire-problem-survey-result-300x231.jpg\" alt=\"Potential tire problem awareness survey results\" width=\"300\" height=\"231\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Frequencies and percentages of participants who reported each response category as a potential tire problem. (source: http:\/\/www.hfes.org\/Web\/HFESNews\/tireaging.pdf)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hfes.org\/Web\/HFESNews\/tireaging.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the results of a survey<\/a><\/strong> published in 2006, only 4% of consumers are actually aware of the dangers tires pose when aging. The study was conducted because of a series of crashes due to tread separation in the early 2000s, which made many major companies, including Ford, recall a number of their tires.<\/p>\n<p>This was the main indicator of people\u2019s unawareness of the importance of tire codes. After that, manufacturers started to put the hazard information in their manuals, encouraging people to check the date code.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Date_Code_Importance\"><\/span>Date Code Importance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For consumers\u2019 convenience and attention, the code is now required to be put on both sides of a tire. This new rule touches on all other parts of the whole tire code, including the sizing of the tire, its load index, speed rate, etc. Initially, the date code on motorcycle tires was written mostly for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Such codes were supposed to make it easier to recall certain tires if a defect or any other problem was found. Nowadays, they are also becoming important for bikers and drivers, as the knowledge about determining tire age is needed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To read the date code on motorcycle tires, you must find the 4-digit part of the DOT code on the sidewall of a tire. The first pair of numbers means the week, and the second pair means the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[6,7],"class_list":["post-8","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-information","tag-dot-code","tag-motorcycle-tires"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Read Date Code on Motorcycle Tires<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The age of a tire you\u2019re about to mount on your bike is important. 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