My father, years ago was the parts manager at a Honda dealer and checking Date codes on tires when they came in was a big deal for them. I don't remember on motorcycle tires, but car tires have them stamped in the sidewall. I din't go look at my bike to see what was on them, I just ask when I buy tires and I have been checking around in the last couple weeks to get some for the bike. Here is how the car tire "VIN#" works:
When it comes to determining the age of a tire, it is easy to identify when a tire was manufactured by reading its Tire Identification Code (serial number). Unlike vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and the serial numbers used on many other consumer goods (which identify one specific item), Tire Identification Codes are really batch codes that identify which week and year the tire was produced.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that Tire Identification Code be a combination of eleven or twelve letters and numbers that identify the manufacturing location, tire size, manufacturer's code, and week and year the tire was manufactured.
Tires Manufactured Since 2000
Today, the week and year the tire was manufactured is contained in the last four digits of the serial number, with the 2 digits used to identify the week a tire was manufactured immediately preceding the 2 digits used to identify the year.
Examples of tires manufactured since 2000 with this Tire Identification Code format:
XXXXXXXX 0608
XXXXXXXX 0600 06 - Manufactured during the 06th week of the year
XXXXXXXX 0608 08 - Manufactured during 2008
And
XXXXXXXX 0600
XXXXXXXX 0608 06 - Manufactured during the 06th week of the year
XXXXXXXX 0600 00 - Manufactured during 2000
While the entire Tire Identification Code is required to be branded onto one sidewall of every tire, current rules also require the first digits of the Tire Identification Code (everything but the week and year) must also be branded onto the opposite sidewall. Therefore, it is possible to see a Tire Identification Code that appears incomplete and requires looking at the other sidewall to find the entire Tire Identification Code (the use of a partial Tire Identification Code on the one sidewall reduces the risk of injury to the mold technician that would have to install the weekly date code on the top sidewall portion of a hot tire mold).
