As you have probably seen on this website, we experiment and try different products
then post the results of our experience whither good or bad.
Here is my experience with Michelin tires.
I am always on the quest for a better motorcycle tire. I have tried many brands, so I thought that I would try Michelin tires on my bike. I purchased a front and rear tire off of the internet. I installed the front tire with no problem. After mounting the rear tire on the rim, I couldn't get the tire to expand and seat on the rim. I sent the wheel and tire to four different local tire shops to see if they could get the tire to air up. All of the other shops had the same problem. I e-mailed Michelin and explained the problem and I received a response that they were sending a call tag to me to return the tire to them. I thought that my problem was going be promptly corrected and told several people how that I was impressed with the company. Instead of keeping the bike down while waiting on the tire to be returned to me, I decided to purchase another set of Michelin tires (front and rear tires) and install the rear one on my bike and install the front tire and the new rear tire that I thought was coming from Michelin, on my wire's bike. When I purchased the new rear tire from a local shop and they advised that they have seen this problem before with another Michelin tire. They also suggested that I purchase a different brand instead of the Michelin. I thought that a company as large as Michelin would surely take care of their customers, so I purchased the tire anyway. Several weeks past after sending the tire back to Michelin and I had not received the tire or any information regarding the tire. I e-mailed Michelin again and they responded a day later. This is copied and pasted from the e-mail that I received from Michelin:
Good Morning Clark;
We have received the tire in question and our inspection center advises us
that the tire was manufactured in 1996, a 14 year old tire.
We apologize we can not assist with a replacement tire.
We would suggest not purchasing tires over the internet without knowing the
DOT #'s, they indicate the age of tires.
Thank you for your email. We welcome the opportunity to serve you.
It is our goal to ensure that your issue has been resolved or your question
answered to your satisfaction. If we can assist you further, please respond
to this email or call us at 1-800-847-3435 (toll free) between 8:00AM and
8:00PM Eastern Time Monday through Friday or between 8:30AM and 4:30PM
Eastern Time on Saturday.
Michelin North America
Consumer Care Department
PS: It's important that you get all the safety-related materials that come
with the purchase of new Michelin passenger and light truck tires. If you
did not receive a warranty book, you can download one at
michelinman.com/warranty. If you did not register your tires, please take a
moment to do so at michelinman.com/tire-registration. Registering your
tires is easy and takes just a minute.
(Please Do Not Delete the line below.)
Case number: 2351164
The tire still had the sticker on the tread. I'm not a tire expert and figured that if
the tire had never been installed and still had the sticker on it, that it should be fine.
This was my response to their e-mail:
"We would suggest not purchasing tires over the internet without knowing the DOT #'s,
they indicate the age of tires."
If I was a tire expert then maybe I would have known to check this. Since waiting for
your response, I purchased a new Michelin tire from another local shop
to install on the bike. You can bet your ass that it will be the last
Michelin tire that I purchase and I'll be sure to post the experience
that I have had with the tire and your company on my website.
Thanks,
Clark Hemrick
Hemrick Performance
http://www.hemrickperformance.com
The intent of this article is not to encourage or discourage the purchase of Michelin
tires, but only describes the experience that I encountered.