Is it Wrong?

[chunkygoat]

Well i drove by the scrap yard and saw a mangled bike in there. I'm in need of a new rear tire so I figure why not stop in and talk to the guys there. He tells me its a 650 that some young kid died on a year back. I'm checkin it out, and it turns out to be an SV650, completely annihalated, with the exception of the rear tire - a 180/55 - which appears to have 80% tread and only 1 minor scuff. No cracking, no divots or balling going on.

Well after shootin' the sh** with these guys, they tell me they wouldn't feel right selling me a tire off a dead kid's bike. I threw it out there since it was just going to sit and rot, and offered 40$ provided i come back and rip that beast off. He said come back in 2 weeks. So to me, for 40$ for a damn near brand new tire, seems like a no brainer.

This is racking my brain now, and raises the question, is there any moral controversy over riding a tire from a dead rider's bike?

Opinions? Thoughts?

 

[RJ2112]

The dead part, I don't have an opinion about. He's not using that tire any more.

I would have more concern with the tire..... definitely a judgement thing..... if it's been there for a year, has it been moved at all in that time, has it kept inflation, has one side been exposed to lots more UV than the other, has it been sittingon the same spot on the ground for all that time?

 

[chunkygoat]

To be honest, I assume it has been sitting in the same spot ever since. My logic though is that it can only be better than the current tire i have on, which has metal threads jutting out.

The tire is still inflated, most likely not to the appropriate PSI, but from the looks of it - took no damage what so ever

I see what your saying though and I understand the risk of running a used, weathered tire. But if you saw my current one - which hasn't been ridden in 3 months and compared it to the one on the SV650, i truly believe there is less risk on the weathered tire than my current one or else i wouldn't even consider this.

 

[champion221elite]

I wouldn't have a problem using an item that was previously owned by a now deceased person.

Think of it this way... you'll be able to take the kid along for a ride for several thousand miles on your FZ6.

 

[ELIZABETH]

I don't see a problem with owning a tire from a fallen rider, but I think you would be better off saving your $40 and putting it towards a new tire that you are certain won't have any issues. If the bike was obliterated, most likely the tire has been compromised in some way that is not obvious to the eye. When you only have TWO tires on the pavement, you want to be certain they are both reliable.
Be careful!

 

[MG-242]

Two things -
1. The tire is the only thing between you and the road. Personally, that is not an area where I go looking for bargains. The extra $80 or so for a new tire is a hell of lot cheaper than insurance deductibles, ambulance rides, plastic, etc. You get the idea.

2. A 180 on an SV? 160 is stock. Hmmm!

 

[Erci]

Two things -
1. The tire is the only thing between you and the road. Personally, that is not an area where I go looking for bargains. The extra $80 or so for a new tire is a hell of lot cheaper than insurance deductibles, ambulance rides, plastic, etc. You get the idea.

Agree 100%

 

[Moses195]

Two things -
1. The tire is the only thing between you and the road. Personally, that is not an area where I go looking for bargains. The extra $80 or so for a new tire is a hell of lot cheaper than insurance deductibles, ambulance rides, plastic, etc. You get the idea.


I agree with Erci.

 

[scottsst]

seeing as I have a friend of mine that rides a bike someone died on I can say go for it. I know he takes a great deal of pride from riding Zacs bike. The tale behind it is really great. I will tray to make it short Zac was on his 99 Ducati 900 SS out for a ride when a drunk driver pulled out in front of him. Nathan the current owner of the bike was a real good friend with Zac so after all was said and done and the court stuff was done he with Zac's famlies concent picked up the bike and rebuilt it. A couple years later he made the trip from Seattle to Prudhoe bay with Zac's ashed in his Tank bag.well anyway here is his blog from the trip read it. well anyway if you really want to use the tire I would go for it but when that tires used up don't tose it out I would save it. just as memorial to a past rider !

The Arctic and Back on Two Wheels

 

[fzme]

Do these salvage yard idiots think that they will be haunted by the deceased or something? Maybe these guys make so much money at their normal desk jobs that this salvage yard thing is just for fun--they don't NEED to make any money by selling spare parts...

I agree with most of the others...don't mess around with used tires. Used hardware definately, but not tires.

 

[RJ2112]

To be honest, I assume it has been sitting in the same spot ever since. My logic though is that it can only be better than the current tire i have on, which has metal threads jutting out.

The tire is still inflated, most likely not to the appropriate PSI, but from the looks of it - took no damage what so ever

I see what your saying though and I understand the risk of running a used, weathered tire. But if you saw my current one - which hasn't been ridden in 3 months and compared it to the one on the SV650, i truly believe there is less risk on the weathered tire than my current one or else i wouldn't even consider this.

I'd probably do something like this as a cost saving measure..... and I would keep a very close eye on the rubber, until I was convinced it had no issues. Any weird handling, odd cracking, powdering, mildew..... toss it and go buy the new tire you are trying to avoid currently. It would be a $40-60 experiment. The risk is all to yourself; and biking is about taking informed risks.

 

[SeekGod1st]

Two things -
1. The tire is the only thing between you and the road. Personally, that is not an area where I go looking for bargains. The extra $80 or so for a new tire is a hell of lot cheaper than insurance deductibles, ambulance rides, plastic, etc. You get the idea.

2. A 180 on an SV? 160 is stock. Hmmm!

+1, New Tire, your safety isn't worth it.

 

[cv_rider]

Kinda an interesting moral dilemma. I know for instance that Chinese are reluctant to buy a house if someone has died in it. As long as you aren't Chinese, your conscience should be clear using that tire, safety of its unknown condition aside.

 

[08fz6]

i would say no. my time, money, and life are much more important than wasting it like that... Hmmm lets see on top of that the bead is now getting stretched 2 more times.........

 

[D-Mac]

If you have no choice but that tire or the one you have, go with the salvage tire. It's just a tire, it doesn't have a soul. We use organs from the dead, what's wrong with a tire?

You should probably prioritize getting new tires though.