Front tire when going dark

[dpcarson]

OK, posted this question on another thread but in hindsight do think most appropriate to start new thread and quit hijacking.

I have a standard and currently working on an IS project.  I am seriously considering going dark on both of them.  Three top tires I am considering are altimax hp, yoko avid envigor, and good year triple tred. 

However, my question is about front tire.  However, feedback on rear tire would be appreciated also.  So what do you run on the front tire and how much difference does it make.  I have run metz 880's the entire time I had the standard and it eats front tires.  I go through two fronts for every one rear.  So when I switch to CT on rear, I am wondering about what to go with on front.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

[Willow]

So called darkside or not darkside on the rear doesn't make a difference in what you put on the front.

As to which tire to put on the rear they are not all the same.Some make handling horrible and some you can hardly distinguish a difference between them and a tire manufactured specifically for motorcycles.  I prefer the Falken Ziex but then I haven't tried them all.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I'm running a Michelin Pilot  Activ rear up front. Only 7 k so far, but so far so good. I've run the Yokohama Avid Envigor and its a good tire. Currently running a Avid Ascend, so far I think I like this combo the best. Experimenting with pressures is important  

[Lyn-Del]

I run the Altimax on the rear and Avon on the front.  I've gotten up to 30k on the Avons.

The 880s have never been a long lasting tire in my experience. 

[Firefighter]

I never get more than 10 to 12 thousand miles on my avons front or rear, they have either cupped or developed a bubble. Am currently getting used to my new yokohama envigor and I have a new metz 880 up front.  The metz is a little out of round, or a high spot, but is working ok so far.  Firefighter

[Big Al of Tennessee]

Try the Studded Snow Tread by General on the front.

Mounted in reverse of course.(IT:S A PLAY ON WORDS NOT MEANT TO BE MEAN)

 

You will be the only one left standing in a good Snow.

[dpcarson]

Sorry, my Valkyrie does not have a reverse.

[old2soon]

Much like ANY tire brand some swear at them and others swear by them.  I am currently on a S E 890 Shinko-2nd one-on the front and thinking seriously of getting another one. The one I'm on now is at 15000 ish and will be there til April or May. I've been known to push triple digits to check my tires. And BEFORE anyone sez anything-I'm still here.  The Shinko duz MUCH better in the rain than an E-3. Good hunting on YOUR tire choice.  RIDE SAFE.

[Hook#3287]

At present I'm running a Dunlop D404 rear tire (reversed) on two of my Valks, and a E3 on another on the front wheels.

I've run Avons, Dunlops & Metzlers all with varying results.

I plan on sticking with the D404 rear reversed.  Can't remember the exact numbers, but the rear D404 is something like 80% more tread than the front D404.

[dpcarson]

Awesome guys.  Thanks.  And I have learned something else new.  When you say reversed, you mean rear tire on front.  It just clicked with me after reading several posts.  Before long I will be able to sound like I know something anyway!   

[Hook#3287]

When you say reversed, you mean rear tire on front.

What that means is the tire is mounted with the directional arrow going reversed.  The tread pattern on M/T are designed with the tire being a front, or rear tire, and having to do with grip, g-force and water shedding.  When you mount a REAR tire on the front, if you follow the directional arrow, the tread will be reversed from what a front tire is.  So, mount it reversed and the tread goes as it should.  At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Some riders don't reverse them and to my knowledge no one has had major issues either way.

[Jess from VA]

The principle reason for reversing a rear tire put on a front rim (ie wrong-way directional arrows) is to allow proper (ie safe) tire belt cord stacking on hard braking.  They shed water fine this way too.  I did a good deal of reading on this, and unlike all the bad press on car tires, supposed experts agreed it was better to reverse a rear tire on a front rim.  I asked my lead Honda dealer tech wrench (who used to have his own bike shop) who does all my tires, and he absolutely agreed rears on the front should be reversed on the rim.  So that's what I did with my one rear on front.

[Mr Whiskey]

Metz 880! Tried a couple of other brands, even tried double dark. Avon am26 I think. That didn't stay on long.
Could push all of them off line in a hard corner, even with it dry!
Never had the Metz slip, & we crank & bank pretty hard 2 up.
It's a little pricey, especially considering the low mileage most get out of them, but ya caint beat the grip IMHO. Make sure you get the V rated radial! They make it in a H rated bias ply too (same size) & it's not nearly as good.
If you're considering a Yoko for the rear, might I suggest an S. Drive. You'll get a few less miles than the Avid Envigor but vastly improved grip.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=S.drive&partnum=055WR6S&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
So you'll know where I'm coming from, I don't buy tires for mileage, I buy 'em for grip. The wife's almost always with me & she's fearless, so I need 'em to stick! The only thing we go through more than tires, is fuel

[Crackerborn]

Currently I have a Yokohama Avid Envigor rear tire and  a Michelin Pilot Activ waiting to go on the front now that the Avon is worn out. I run 36 PSI in the Yokohama, have about 8K on it from last season and it still looks new. I went with the V rated tire but believe the H would have been fine. On the VTX I used GY3T's and never wore them out, just put new ones on every 3 years. Once I wear out the Yokohama, or 3 years pass and I feel the need to replace a rear tire, I will look seriously at the Austone Taxi Tire if it is still around. I highly recommend putting metal valve stems on if you still have the Honda OEM on the wheels (Jake Wilson, about $2 each, plus shipping). I am sure there are other suppliers. Tires, like oil, can get you a myriad of responses, everyone has their favorite so you may need to decide what you prefer from trying one out. Worse case, you hate a tire you tried and have to sell it to one of us that thinks that tire is perfect for our Girl.

By the way, Mobil One.   

[Lyn-Del]

There's a reason tires are "speed rated".  Wizard rode car tires for all the years I knew him, and before.  Only once did he have a problem at speeds over 80 -- and anyone who knew him knew he preferred speed -- and that was a tank slapper at 80+.  That was the only rear tire he had that was not v rated, though it was sold to him as such.  Scared the h*** out out of him, Early Bird, and me.  He got it under control, but we all had to take a break for a bit.

[Big Al of Tennessee]

Metz 880! Tried a couple of other brands, even tried double dark. Avon am26 I think. That didn't stay on long.
Could push all of them off line in a hard corner, even with it dry!
Never had the Metz slip, & we crank & bank pretty hard 2 up.
It's a little pricey, especially considering the low mileage most get out of them, but ya caint beat the grip IMHO. Make sure you get the V rated radial! They make it in a H rated bias ply too (same size) & it's not nearly as good.
If you're considering a Yoko for the rear, might I suggest an S. Drive. You'll get a few less miles than the Avid Envigor but vastly improved grip.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=S.drive&partnum=055WR6S&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
So you'll know where I'm coming from, I don't buy tires for mileage, I buy 'em for grip. The wife's almost always with me & she's fearless, so I need 'em to stick! The only thing we go through more than tires, is fuel

If your running a car tire on the rear,,the front is gonna slip soon enough.

It is called under steer,,,or as Nascar calls it,,,,pushing in the corners.

Center line of the tire is  off center, in the rear, when kicked up on that little sliver of rubber

that exists on the edge of a car tire.

As long as you don't push the twisties it will not slip.

Push and it will slide the front every time.

Two advantages of a car tire, it lasts longer, and looks cool.

[Lyn-Del]

Two advantages of a car tire, it lasts longer, and looks cool.

You forgot added traction for faster emergency braking.

[Gavin_Sons]

So called darkside or not darkside on the rear doesn't make a difference in what you put on the front.

I disagree with Carl on this.  The front tire has a pretty significant role in how your car tire handles. Let's face it, both tires steer the bike so the tires you use should play nice together. The best I have used for me has been the ME 880 with a yokohama advid envigor.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

I've always ran Avons, either Venoms or Cobras in the front with my darkside tires. I dropped the OEM dunlops before going darkside so I can't give you an educated opinion concerning front tires. I"ve worn out 2 GY TTs and been through a couple of Altimaxs and am currently running an Altimax.

My opinion concerning the rear tires I have tried is as follows.

TTs wear well, are very puncture resistant and stick to the road like cats claws in carpet. They are great in the rain and on gravel too. They also put in a lot of unwanted steering input on uneven or rutted roads at slower speeds and even at higher speeds with a light load on the bike. Mine did much better with a passenger and luggage in that respect I thought. As they got older they seemed to get harder and grip less so I changed both when they still had some tread left. If you light them up they squeal like a pig too.  

The Altimax feel much more "motorcycle tire like" to me and seem to push me around far less on uneven pavement. They are still good in the rain and on gravel but maybe not as good as the TTs. The Altimax doesn't seem as puncture resistant (I had to scrap one with only 900 miles on it) or as sticky as far as braking and acceleration go. Both tires were well planted me for me while cornering but I'm not a daily mountain rider and seldom corner hard enough to endanger my traction so I'm not a good judge on that account.

[Mr Whiskey]

....when kicked up on that little sliver of rubber
that exists on the edge of a car tire.
As long as you don't push the twisties it will not slip.
Push and it will slide the front every time.

You're funny Al. Shame you don't have the vaguest clue what you're talkin' about!

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

....when kicked up on that little sliver of rubber
that exists on the edge of a car tire.
As long as you don't push the twisties it will not slip.
Push and it will slide the front every time.

You're funny Al. Shame you don't have the vaguest clue what you're talkin' about!

Agree    Only " Push " I've ever had running a " Cool " tire on the rear was when I had a POS Dunflop E3 on the front it happened three times with that tire on front and I took it off at around 5,000 miles before it got me hurt or worse..... I've said it before... I wouldn't run a Dunflop E3 on my bike if they gave them to me with free mounting.

[The emperor has no clothes]

....when kicked up on that little sliver of rubber
that exists on the edge of a car tire.
As long as you don't push the twisties it will not slip.
Push and it will slide the front every time.

You're funny Al. Shame you don't have the vaguest clue what you're talkin' about!

[Mr Whiskey]

....when kicked up on that little sliver of rubber
that exists on the edge of a car tire.
As long as you don't push the twisties it will not slip.
Push and it will slide the front every time.

You're funny Al. Shame you don't have the vaguest clue what you're talkin' about!

Agree    Only " Push " I've ever had running a " Cool " tire on the rear was when I had a POS Dunflop E3 on the front it happened three times with that tire on front and I took it off at around 5,000 miles before it got me hurt or worse..... I've said it before... I wouldn't run a Dunflop E3 on my bike if they gave them to me with free mounting.

Never liked Dunflops so never even gave the E3's a chance. That Avon bias ply AM 26 Roadrider damn near got me & Sugar killed on dry, clean pavement. I parked the bike & waited on the new 880 to come in, seriously!

[Highbinder]

I changed all of my bikes over to a Austone Taxi tire last summer and mounted a Bridgestone Battle Wing up front, rear tire, reversed rotation....bike handled excellently in the turns, with plenty of rubber on the road front and rear...once I put the rear tire up front, the handling became much sharper and quicker....In my opinion putting a rear tire up front with a car tire on the bike, will improve the handling a great deal....

[Willow]

So called darkside or not darkside on the rear doesn't make a difference in what you put on the front.

I disagree with Carl on this.  The front tire has a pretty significant role in how your car tire handles. Let's face it, both tires steer the bike so the tires you use should play nice together. The best I have used for me has been the ME 880 with a yokohama advid envigor.

ME will likely give you the best traction on a front tire.  Dunlop E3 or some cheap hard rubber tire will give you the least traction on the front tire.   These two statements are true regardless of what you put on the rear.

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

I'm running the yokohama envigor  on my interstate right now and I'm very happy with it. I've ran over 150.000 of a valk darkside with no problems. As for the front I've ran avons, metz, and Dunlop e3s. All worked for me avons and Dunlop got the best mileage usually about 15,000 to 17,000. the metz  880 was less as it is a softer compound tire. Air pressure is a key facture in tire life 40 to 42 psi works best for me in front and  36-38 in the darkside tire of choice.