its for a cruising/harley type motorcycle with the rear wheel being bald about 60%. can i still ride safely in the rain? or if its just wet?
always keep your tires at the proper pressure, and consider 'thick tubes' if you simply can't avoid those messy roads and debris. Thick tubes are just as the name implies. they're a thicker rubber and more resistant to punctures than regular tubes. They cost about double what regular tubes cost, but they hold up better on crummy roads. Kevlar tubes are another idea, and they do work pretty well, as do the Bontrager Hard Case tires, like I have on my Trek 7.3 FX. I do NOT like 'slime tubes' at all. There are those times when a roadside patch might be necessary and slime tubes aren't amenable to patching very well.
I got flat tires much less often when I started checking my tire pressures every time I ride. On my road bike, I always inflate the tires up to the max pressure indicated on the sidewall. HTH
The minimum safe tread on any passenger car, truck or motorcycle tire can be easily checked with a Penny. Take the penny and stick the edge in the tread. If you can see all of Lincoln's head you are good to go for tread depth. More important in the rain is to slow down for conditions and stop when the depth of water gets too deep to continue safely.
There was a period of a few years when I didn't own a car. The old Triumph was my main transportation. I have learned: 1. Pain is a 60 mph raindrop. Exposed skin hurts in the rain. 2. In the spray from trucks, especially, you are invisible. 3. Goggles with windshield wipers are hard to come by. 4. That dark grease strip in the middle of each lane will drop you at 3 mph. 5. Wind chill on a wet body can incapacitate you, even if it is an otherwise warm day. I'll ride in the rain if I must, but whenever possible, I would like to avoid it. It is just not fun.
Aside from the legal ramifications (in the UK the legal minimum is 1mm across 3/4 of the width of the tyre, all the way around), ask yourself what is the purpose of tread in the first place. It's there to displace water allowing the rubber to hit the road surface, gripping. On a dry day the least amount of tread the better but on a wet day Heard of aquaplaning? Ain't fun Don't do it - get a new tyre.
