Rear Tire on Front - My results with a Conti Go...and info from the dealer.

[gordorad]

Just before my trip, I had a Contigo Rear installed on the front.  It was mounted for normal, forward rotation.  About 36#'s inflation.

Ride was fine....For a while.  After 6000 or so miles, I noticed a strange wear, as if the side walls were caving in.  8000 miles on the tire and this is what it looks like......






This is what the dealer, Americanmototire.com had to say about this tire on a Valkyrie...

    " The tire originally on your bike has a load rating 783lb and this one is 694lb.  Also, a front tire is triangular whereas a rear is flatter.  Also, this tire is too small for the rim and will be even flatter due to this because it will expand to bridge the gap.  Not to mention, it is the wrong type of tire – Bias vs Radial.  Your suspension is set up for a Radial tire and won’t function right with a Bias.
 
I’m sorry, but I can’t turn this tire in for a warranty knowing this information.  It definitely isn’t the tire that is the issue here.
 
I can give you Continental’s number if you would like to call them and run this by them.  If they approve the warranty based on this info, I can forward the tire to them for you. "


So, does what the dealer say makes sense?  Or are they full of CACA??  What gives??  8000 miles for $100.00 bucks isn't bad....but are not these supposed to last LONGER than a front tire??

Also, for the majority of the miles I was pulling a trailer.  Also leaking fork oil from the right fork.
 

[Bone]

I know your are talking about Contigo tires but these FAQs are the same.

Yesterday I went to the Dunlop tire site. I included the link to their FAQ. They even tell readers not to run an auto tire on a motorcycle.

http://www.dunlopmotorcycle.com/info-center/faq/

[JaysGone]

I cant tell from your picture what the issue is it does look a bit V shaped to me??
All tire manufactuers will say dont run car tires on a bike.
Its not in their best intrests to not have a captive audience, buying car tires that last 2X as a bike tire and cost half as much.
Better braking in rain and better over all ride is why I do it..
Metzler did for a while actually condon rears on the front on their web site.
Then a lawyer must have gotten involved and they removed it.

With the Valk.
Currently running a Sunny<Chinese> 195-65-16 Light Truck tire on the rear.
Kenda 150-70-17 on the front arrow reversed.
Running a Conti Vanco II in 195-65-16 on my Yamaha RoadStar
with a Kenda rear on the front.
Over 20K so far between the 2 bikes and wouldnt have it any other way.

As for a rear on the front.
With most rear tires used as a front.
The load isnt even close to what it is when used on the rear.
Unless too small a tire for the front.
A 130 or less on the front of the Valk in my opion is not a good idea.
Best to stay as close as possible to the stock size has worked well in my experiences.
Which is Id guestimate over 100K+ miles over the years.
Most LT tires on the rear have averaged 25K miles. Or 2 years for me.
I dont use car tires if I can help it.
I run low psi. 30 front 32 rear for the most part.
My riding is confined to daily commuting.
90% straight line 1 up riding.

Motorcycle rears on the front is actually new to me.
Yamaha is going on 18 months 16K with the Kenda.
Valk not even 3k yet just put it on a few months ago. Time will tell there.

Darksidings is not for everyone...........
I havent crashed and burned or gone to H#{{ in a hand basket yet due to my tire choices and use.

[Jess from VA]

Gordorad, I'm having trouble seeing the problem you are talking about in the pic you posted.

Strange looking tread design, but the tire looks OK to me (are you saying it's too V-shaped now rather than round?).  I can tell you I only get 8-9K from an ME880 150 front radial, and there's no tread left to speak off.

You had to expect a tire co to spank you for running a rear on the front (bias too), as far as any warranty issue being raised.  

You ran it at 37psi..... what is the max psi printed on the sidewall?  And what was the size?

[JaysGone]

Radial Vs bias is BS.
Doesnt matter.
They can be mixed on a bike.
Rears on the front over inflated will wear out faster in the middle.
So would a regular front.
37 psi cold is approximetly 41 psi hot.
If its just worn on the left side.
Thats also more or less normal for some front tires Ive had down here in Florida.
In my case. I reverse them every 4K.

Ive worn down bike front tires like Dunlop 404s and the OEM Slipstone in less then 4K miles with my Yamaha.
The left fronts for what ever real reason.
Ive been told its due to the crowns in the roadways to making more wide left radius turns then short rights.
In any event.
Too small a front for the bike cant be a good thing.
Say 2 sizes smaller on down.
Can mess with the bikes geometry.
Without knowing the size which would help a little.
A better discription of your particular problem.....would be appreciated.
Ive had alot of bad experiences with regular bike fronts here in Florida.
Thats why my last tires for both bikes have been rears on the front.
havent had the same wear pattern yet.
Some swear a rear on the front will last 2X as long as normal fronts do.
My Yamaha they are shot by 9k.
As Ive said in an earlier post.
The front on my Yamaha. Which is a Kenda Challenger rear has 18K on it and shows no sign of wear really at all so far.
But its the 130 size that belongs there.

Same with the Valk.
I recently put on a rear Kenda Cruz in 150-70-17 on the front..
Its working better in some ways then the Yamahas tire and only has a few thousand on it.
I also run very low psi only 30 cold at the moment.
Ive tried it at 38, and 36.
Any more then 36 psi cold and it tends to bounce all over the road.

Back to yours.
Lets say and Im not sure.
But if the regular fronts rated at say 620 lbs max loaded.
A rear in the same size range should be 850 or so.
If anything a rear on the front has a much less of a load then if it was actually being used on the rear.
Thats my justification for running low psi the higher load rating.
I cant run any tire regular, front or rear on the front at 38 psi with a LT tire on the rear..
Ive  had such good things running a LT on my Yamaha. Ive done the same on the Valk so far but without enough mileage to form a long term opinon yet.
My bikes become unrideable at those psi.

Id say from what you have said the rep said: Hes full of crap.
There is some thing else going on and we need more info.

[gordorad]

Gordorad, I'm having trouble seeing the problem you are talking about in the pic you posted.

Strange looking tread design, but the tire looks OK to me (are you saying it's too V-shaped now rather than round?).  I can tell you I only get 8-9K from an ME880 150 front radial, and there's no tread left to speak off.

You had to expect a tire co to spank you for running a rear on the front (bias too), as far as any warranty issue being raised.  

You ran it at 37psi..... what is the max psi printed on the sidewall?  And what was the size?

Max on the sidewall is 42.  The size was what was recommended on this board....130-90-17

I'll try another photo, but what has happened is the sides are wearing/falling in.  It is as if no rubber is gone from the center of the tire, but much is gone from the sides.

[BonS]

I've looked carefully at Gordo's front tire wear and have painted a couple of pictures to highlight the wear pattern.

The first photo shows the heavily worn tread block areas. This is what Gordo refers to as the areas that are caving in. These wear areas are worn down practically to the carcass. Notice how the wear pattern closely follows the tread blocks and works hardest on the trailing edges of the tread blocks.




The second photo shows the center tread block area that is NOT heavily worn.


It's my opinion that this is normal tire wear for the riding that Gordo has been doing. He had a loaded bike with a rather heavy trailer and avoided Interstates as much as possible while he sought out the twistees and mountains in the Northwest USA. The side wear is mostly symmetrical and is a result of the heavy loads on the tire through the many turns and downhills as his trailer pushed the bike and placed heavy loads on the front tire. The front tire did what it was supposed to do and grip to the max while sacrificing itself in the process.

[Ricky-D]

Yep, I agree with BonS.

Looks like perfectly normal wear on the front.

I'm running the same identical tire and it is looking the same as the one pictured.

I've probably have 7k to 8k miles on mine.

***

[gordorad]

So, it is wearing normal.  I guess that is good.  Well, when should it be replaced??  any ideas??

[Jess from VA]

I'd keep running it so long as it has tread and doesn't give you any wobbles, wiggles, handling issues (or slippage in the corners).

Next time on the lift, give it a spin and eyeball it for smooth balance..... and Ride-On couldn't hurt.

I think I'd also up the PSI a bit......... if higher psi's cause more rapid center wear (mine never have), that actually might be a good thing on this tire with nearly new center tread showing.  But I'm not sure with a narrower tire than the rim is made for.

[gordorad]

Will do...thanks for the input...

So, what other "rears" and sizes are folks using?  Is this too small?

[OldOneEye]

Yesterday I just ordered this:
1 x CONTINENTAL CONTI GO 130/90-17 M/C 68V, REAR (03060101) = $100.95 from americanmototire.com
I am going to try to mount it my self, wish me luck...

my front MC dunlop tire looks like this at 8k




My rear DS goodyear triple tread? looks like this at 8k

[JaysGone]

I unfortunatly have no answers to be of any help here.
I dont want to hijack the post by any means.

So a reply in a PM would be appreciated.
I think I  can use some help here myself.............
You guys have more experiences with these tires and Valk then I.
But most on my other forum which has over 8K members over a 4 year period.
From all over the place bike wise.
Have more or less concluded that when using a rear on the front.
Stay as close as possible to the stock size.
Which in the case of the Valk would be a 130-90-17.
The Kenda Im using is rated at over 850lbs max.
The 130-90 is in the 625??+ range is it not??
Im not aware of what the stock fronts ratings are.
Ive had no issues with using the Kenda on any of my bikes at a lower then normal psi.
I have had issues at higher psi how ever.
36+ for example, very bouncy and noisey on the Valk.
Not so on the R* as much.

As I feel its better to be over the max rating if possible.
Removing any possibility of stress on the tire.
My wear on the R* in over 15K has been very good.
There are more then a few 150-70-17s out there and in my case.
I bought the Kenda for the Valk as its being inexpensive if it didnt work out for me.
Not much of an investment lost.
Under $100.
With a stock front being a 150-80-17, you cant get much closer then the 130-90 this is a fact.
I wanted a stronger tire and to try and correct the speedo issue.
That hasnt entirely worked out for me with the 150-70.
The speedo is still off.

Can someone here point me in a PM to the Valk or Goldwing Darkside forum please??

I would like to learn a bit more.
Im starting to think my reasoning here might be incorrect.
Thanks

[X Ring]

I think it's the tire you chose with that weird tread pattern.  Guys running the Avon AM-26 Roadrider in 130/90-17 aren't having any problems.

Marty

[Warlock]

I think it's the tire you chose with that weird tread pattern.  Guys running the Avon AM-26 Roadrider in 130/90-17 aren't having any problems.

Marty

Mine mounted with the arrow pointed to the rear. I have over 9000 miles on mine right now and still looks good. I should get around 18000 miles out of it. I know some gets more on a regular front tire, but these roads here in Mississippi are made out of the gray slag rock and it acts like a course file on the tires.
David

[X Ring]

I know some gets more on a regular front tire, but these roads here in Mississippi are made out of the gray slag rock and it acts like a course file on the tires.
David

Ain't that the truth!  I can wear ALL the mold release off a new tire in the 2 1/2 miles it takes me to get out to US 98.

Marty

[X Ring]

Just before my trip, I had a Contigo Rear installed on the front.  It was mounted for normal, forward rotation.  About 36#'s inflation.

According to Continental's tech sheet, the MINIMUM air pressure is 42 psi.

Also, this tire is too small for the rim and will be even flatter due to this because it will expand to bridge the gap.

The tech sheet also says the tire is for a rim 2.5-3.5 inches wide.  That dealer doesn't have a clue what they're talking about!

Marty

[98valk]

I have 5k miles on the same tire. just starting to see the cupping/scalloping in the same areas. I run 40 psi max, due to it being a bias tire being used on a radial designed suspension. This is due to the different thread flex of a bias vs radial tire.

go to cupping section for a great explanation, this wear is normal.
http://www.rattlebars.com/tirewear/index.html