Rear tire on front, GL1100??

4246 Views 42 Replies 20 Participants Last post by CaptainMidnight85, Nov 1, 2009

troutdog

Discussion Starter · Oct 22, 2009

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I am looking for pirelli route 66 tires for my 83 GL1100 Interstate. They have the rear but the front is 120/90-18,,, they only have this one in a rear positioning. Actually every site I look at say this.

Is this because of the load weight?

Will I be able to put it on the front?

Thanks

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RedHed

· #2 · Oct 23, 2009

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I know when I was on another bike board(m109r) there was quite a few riders that put rear tires on the front of their 109's as they liked the fat tire look. One of them actually talked to a tire manufacturer and of course they didnt recommend it as they said that the belts were laid out to handle weight and not necessarily alot of primarily braking force but they didnt say it wouldnt work. So to answer your question you could most likely put it on the front and would probably be ok but remember they highly recommended against it.

DaveO430

· #3 · Oct 23, 2009

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The tire manufacturers recommend against anything out of the norm. The rear tire in the right size will work fine on the front but may cause a buzz in the bars at a certain speed because it has a lot more tread than a front tire. It's load rating will probably be equal or more than the usual front tire. I and a lot of 1800 riders are using a rear tire on the front with great success.

RedHed

· #4 · Oct 23, 2009

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True-but in todays "get rich quick by suing a big manufacturer"times can you blame them!

I believe it is called detrimental reliance.An experttells you something and you rely on it for a decision and you suffer harm, then they are liable. So no rep who wanted to keep his job wouldgive his blessing for somethinglabel contrary.

Rusty college business law knowledge no legal expertise implied.

RayandTracy

· #5 · Oct 23, 2009

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RedHed wrote:

I know when I was on another bike board(m109r) there was quite a few riders that put rear tires on the front of their 109's as they liked the fat tire look. One of them actually talked to a tire manufacturer and of course they didnt recommend it as they said that the belts were laid out to handle weight and not necessarily alot of primarily braking force but they didnt say it wouldnt work. So to answer your question you could most likely put it on the front and would probably be ok but remember they highly recommended against it.

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kyboy67

· #6 · Oct 23, 2009

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I think I would change brands,before I would do what your thinking of doing.......

Bike...and Dennis

· #7 · Oct 23, 2009

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I'll first go on record as a "don't do it".

I've seen it done before and the doers report no problem.

Bridgestoe Spitfire S-11 would be what I recommend. They last longer than the Pirellis on my bike, and they handle superbly.

Have you looked on Pirelli's web site to confirm the front isn't available?

oharaLTD

· #8 · Oct 23, 2009

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Front and rear tires are also made from different compounds. Asked my tire guy about that a couple years ago and that was what the guy from dunlop told him. Rear tires are of a harder compound. Might last twice as long but probably will not ride good.

Redeye1620

· #9 · Oct 23, 2009

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I know quite a few Kawasaki Nomad riders using a rear tire mounted in front of the handlebars. All have the tire mounted with the tread backwards to the directional arrow. I remember reading why they do so, but can't remember their reasoning......-Rich

Bike...and Dennis

· #10 · Oct 24, 2009

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Hi again Troutdog,

I looked up the info on my Pirellis. They have been on the bike about 11 months, 12,000 miles, and are pretty much worn out. What's more significant is the rear seems to have lost its cornering grip. No more peg scraping.

They workedgreat for the first 10k miles though, and at the end of their life don't seem to be inducing wobbles like the Dunnies and Metzlers do.

I will be going back to Bridgestones as long as I can still get them. They give me better mileage and great handling. If/when Bridgestone discontinues the Spitfires to fit the GL12, I will no doubt go back to the M66 Pirelli though.

Anyway, I thought I'd put some facts behind my recommendation of the S-11 'Stones. If you can't get the M66 to fit your bike, there are alternatives.

And remember, tire dealers are going to recommend what makes them the most profit.

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sprite123

· #11 · Oct 24, 2009

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My opinion, don't mess about with the wrong tyres. Keep to the manufacturers spec. Your tyres are the only thing keeping you on the road and your life depends on them....here endeth the lesson. Steve

Redeye1620

· #12 · Oct 24, 2009

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Redeye1620 wrote:

I know quite a few Kawasaki Nomad riders using a rear tire mounted in front of the handlebars. All have the tire mounted with the tread backwards to the directional arrow. I remember reading why they do so, but can't remember their reasoning......-Rich

I asked my Nomad buddies why the rear tire is mounted backwards & here is one reply.

"Most rear tires are built with a compound that is more "durable" with adeeper groves in the tread.Reverse mountinghas to do with the tread pattern for water dispersion. Placing them on the front I've heard many get well over 20K on them. As far a mounting them backward, both my stock Bridgestone and now my Avon front tire has the outside of the sipes leading the center grove as if to look backwards compared to a rear tire".....-Rich

Redeye1620

· #13 · Oct 24, 2009

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FYI

http://bbs.gwrra.org/board/messages/11/197856.html?1256398477

sprite123

· #14 · Oct 24, 2009

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Front tyres have a different, more grippy compound (you may need this one day!) to rear tyres. Rear tyres have a harder compound to cope with the heavy wear encountered with constant acceleration forces.
Motorcycle tyres are usually manufactured from a strip of rubber, formed into a circle and joined with a "Cleeve" joint of approx 45 degrees.
Front tyres have opposite forces (braking) to rears (acceleration). This can have the effect of damaging the cleeve joint if they are run the wrong way,- hence the rotation direction arrows fitted to tyres which don't even have an angled tread pattern.
The Motorcycle and Tyre manufacturers are the only people with the budget to research and develop the correct tyre application for a machine. Consider yourself, any passenger you may carry and motorists around you before straying from this. You may think the bike feels ok on the wrong tyres- until you come around a corner in the wet and find a truck/tractor in the way and have to make an emergency manouvre- that is the time you will want optimum performance..........Steve

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DaveO430

· #15 · Oct 25, 2009

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Redeye1620 wrote:

FYI

http://bbs.gwrra.org/board/messages/11/197856.html?1256398477

Just goes to show the ones who don't get it are the ones who have no idea what they are talking about, could use their head for a wrecking ball or are just full of bull.

Wingle

· #16 · Oct 25, 2009

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I used to sell a lot of tires when I owned a shop in the eighties. Some of the Michelin's and Pirelli's had arrows on the sidewall showing the direction of use whether it was fitted on the front or rear. Usually when a tire rear tire is mounted on the front you fit the tire with the direction arrow reversed. I have been using a reversed rear tire on the front of my sidecar outfit for 200,000 miles Steve. It's getting over twice the miles than when fitted on the rear, where am I going wrong?

Bike...and Dennis

· #17 · Oct 25, 2009

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OK boys...let's play nice.

wexy

· #18 · Oct 25, 2009

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Wingle wrote:

I have been using a reversed rear tire on the front of my sidecar outfit for 200,000 miles Steve. It's getting over twice the miles than when fitted on the rear, where am I going wrong?

You are not ,you have a side car outfit ,no comparision to a motorcycle handling .You cant fall of a sidecar outfit

sprite123

· #19 · Oct 25, 2009

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Thanks Wexy. The point exactly. Lot's of sidecar riders use car tyres all round as the outfit does not lean and requires completely different performance criterea from it's tyres.
I'e re-read what I wrote earlier and it does sound like a lecture- sorry for that. It's just that nobody had mentioned tyre construction as far as the cleave joint etc until then, and it's important. I'm not trying to cause an argument but this is a Technical Forum so people should have accurate info.
Changing recommended tyre types is different to most modifications- such as heated grips, chrome additions etc. Modding tyre types can actually seriously affect the handling and has the potential to impact on others, so needs to be carefully considered.....Steve

sfruechte

· #20 · Oct 25, 2009

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With today's tires you are probably OK mounting the rear tire on the front. The cheapest incorrect rag you can find today is better than the best tire available just a few decades ago when your bike was new.

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