And another welcome from western Washington.

I purchased an 09 Touring from a friend last year. Because of faiing healt he had not ridden it much so it had only about 6200 miles on it. And like you, I have been concerned about the tires although they were in very good condition.

The first issue I noticed was a slight wobble in the front end while leaning in in the twisties, gradulally worsening over the next few hundred miles. It was due to cupping. I replaced it with an Avon. As others have suggested, old tires are probably not safe, even with low miles on them. I envisioned one of them coming apart at 80 mph.

I'll be changing out the rear in a few weeks.

Edit: Just read an on line article on the subject. Because of the softer compounds in MC tires, the recommendation by tire manufacturers is that tires should be changed about every 5 years and and 10 years they should be considered as out of service
 
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Thanks for the warm welcome everyone and confirming my thoughts on the tires. Been reading through the threads on tires and leaning towards the Avons, maybe with white walls, should look good on the black and white bike.
 
Thanks for the warm welcome everyone and confirming my thoughts on the tires. Been reading through the threads on tires and leaning towards the Avons, maybe with white walls, should look good on the black and white bike.

This is the first time I've tried an Avon and I really like it. I cannot recall if I got the Venom or the Cobra so will check on my receipt. I opted for the H rated tire instead of the V rated that I had on my 07 Classic. I exceeded 135 mph on the 07 and hit 105 on my Touring, once and only time, so the H rating is sufficient for me.

Tire Speed Rating Charts for Motorcycles, Dirt Bikes and Scooters.

So let's have a pic of your beautiful new Rocket machine.
 
Welcome from Oklahoma Bill!
Last fall I bought my first Rocket, same bike, same year, same mileage. I’ve been experiencing OCD ever since, I love the bike. Take your time and get used to the weight, there is a learning curve, once I got the hang of it I was hooked. The bottom end power is more fun than ought to be legal. There is another 30 hp or so available with little more than tuning when your ready. I’ve got the factory tune I can send if you need it.
 
Hello Bill and welcome from Virginia. I would change the tires myself, the age is a problem with integrity especially at speed. I run Bridgestone Exedra Max tires and routinely get over 11,000 miles from them. We do have many downloadable tunes here, just read through them and their qualities to match your equipment and desires.
 
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